Archives May 2013

By Cheshire Que, RND, RN, RD

Ever caught yourself mindlessly munching on a bag of chips while watching your favorite TV show? Ever felt guilty after eating a bag of chips without even noticing how much you’ve eaten until the bag was empty? You are not alone. I have met many mindless munchers for the past 11 years of being a dietitian. In fact, I was once a mindless muncher myself until I realized I’m not getting any younger! My metabolism is no longer as high as that of a teenager. If I don’t watch what I eat, all those excess calories from mindless munching will end up in my cheeks, behind, arms and tummy! How dreadful!

People who mindlessly munch throughout the day tend to consume more calories which could lead to weight gain. Here are some signs that you are a Mindless Muncher:

• Hungry or not, you snack on foods at home or at work.

• You always eat when there’s food around you.

• Watching TV isn’t complete without munching on food.

• You munch when you’re bored, stressed or lack sleep.

• The sight or smell of food triggers your compulsion to eat.

If one of these signs describes you, then you’re probably a Mindless Muncher. So now what?

Don’t want to let go of munching but scared of it’s consequences? Don’t fret! There is a solution to your problem. Transition from being a Mindless Muncher to a Smart Snacker!

There are a number of health benefits from snacking:

• Helps boost energy in between meals.

• Stabilizes blood sugar level.

• Supplies the body’s nutrient needs.

• Provides energy for workout.

Smart snacking is helpful if you want to lose or maintain weight. People who eat small meals can add healthy snacks to get more nutrients. However, it is important to remember that snacks albeit healthy ones, need to be included in your total caloric allowance. Consider this: You plan to snack on a 200-calorie granola bar post workout and you need to consume 1500 calories to lose or maintain your weight. The calories from your snack should be deducted from the total caloric allowance leaving you with 1300 calories which should be distributed among your main meals and other snacks throughout the day.

Total Caloric Allowance 1500 Calories – Snack 200 calories = 1300 calories

How to become a Smart Snacker

• Plan your snacks – When grocery shopping, choose healthy snack options that will last you for a week or two. Most people mindlessly snack on unhealthy options because they’re the only ones readily available. Practice packing snacks to work or school instead of buying from vending machines or convenient stores.

• Focus on your snack – It’s best to snack without doing any other activity like watching TV or chatting with friends. You will consume less calories when you’re aware of how much you’ve eaten.

• Know your snacks – Be aware of the nutrient composition and ingredients in your snack. Choose the high fiber, low calorie, low in saturated fat and low sugar type of snacks. Consumers often confuse low fat with low sugar and low in calories. When a label says low fat, it does not mean it’s low in sugar or calories too. Be careful.

The Smart Snacker’s Snack Options at 200 Calories or less

• three pieces small oatmeal cookies

• five pieces whole wheat crackers, square with 1 oz. low fat cheese

• apple slices with one tablespoon reduced fat peanut butter

• one cup fruit slices with 1/2 cup low fat yogurt

• one and a half cup multigrain cereal with one cup nonfat milk

• portioned dark chocolate bar

• one cup 100 percent fresh fruit juice

• one cup homemade Trail Mix (wholegrain cereal, nuts, dried fruits)

• one cup vegetable sticks with two tablespoons ranch dressing

• Granola bar

Take it one step at a time. Start by being mindful of what you snack on and you will transition from a Mindless Muncher to a Smart Snacker in no time.

“Have you heard of this diet?” “What can you say about this diet?” I get these a lot when clients come for consultation. Sometimes I come across weird diets that are just unheard of. Curiosity aside, I had to make sure that these diets are safe and nutritionally balanced before giving my feedback. After thorough research, I was surprised to come up with quite a number of the weirdest diets in the world.

BABY FOOD DIET – Baby foods from tiny jars are eaten as a substitute for regular meals and snacks. One word: “Disgusting!” This diet will not meet nutritional requirements for adults.

MORNING BANANA DIET – Popular among the Japanese people. Eating one banana and concentrating on its taste every morning while eating other foods without restriction  for the rest of the day will not make you lose weight.

SLEEPING BEAUTY DIET – Popular in the 1950s. Elvis Presley was reported to have taken sedatives as part of his weight loss plan. When one is asleep, one cannot eat. This could lead to drug addiction and whoever adapts this diet while surely be hungry when he wakes up from that induced and prolonged sleep.

FRUITARIAN DIET – Only fruits that fall naturally are eaten because it will not cause the plant any harm by harvesting or killing it. They eat fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Some fruitarians don’t eat seeds because they believe that they contain future plants.

HALLELUJAH DIET – This is a type of vegetarian diet that is largely based on eating raw foods and taking expensive dietary supplements. Aside from not meeting nutritional requirements, this diet is also not economical.

CABBAGE SOUP DIET – Seven days of low calorie unlimited cabbage soup. Flatulence is just one of the many side effects of this diet, not to mention malnutrition.

LEMONADE DIET – Also known as The Master Cleanse. Water, lemon, tree syrup like maple and cayenne pepper. Yup! that’s all you’re having for seven days. No food allowed.  Two words: Starvation and Deprivation.

GRAPEFRUIT DIET – A very low calorie diet that may cause drug nutrient interaction with some hypertensive and cholesterol-lowering drugs. This has been popular since the 1930s among Hollywood stars.

THE SHANGRI-LA DIET – Emphasizes appetite suppression by eating flavorless foods one hour before mealtime. Total caloric consumption is only 100 to 400 calories per day.

L’AIR FOODING – You got food on your plate, you may slice it up and bring it close to your mouth then stop! You instead eat “water soup.” Pretending to eat food is not only a crazy idea but it is also detrimental to your health.

FLETCHERISING DIET – Chewing your food 32 to 100 times to reduce food intake will not only be boring but could actually make your jaw sore.

ISRAELI ARMY DIET – Popular in the 1970s but denied by the Israeli Army, this diet is very restrictive and unbalanced. You eat apples for the first two days, cheese on day three and four, chicken on day five and six, salad on day seven and eight with coffee all throughout the eight days.

GRAHAM DIET – Believed to fight sexual desire, prevent impure thoughts and masturbation. This diet is composed of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole-wheat foods, no meat and spices. This diet was created by the maker of “Graham Cracker,” Rev. Sylvester Graham. There is no scientific evidence that restricting a certain type of food can combat sexual desires.

TAPEWORM DIET – Swallowing a pill of tapeworm to help eat food in your stomach is not only disgusting but also harmful. Why would you want to put a parasite inside your body?

ALCOHOL-ONLY DIET – Alcoholism will lead to liver failure and other health problems that are fatal.

These diets may be effective in weight loss and may sound interesting too. You even might want to try them for curiosity’s sake but always remember, there are consequences in adapting a diet that is not well-balanced, not sustainable, restrictive and impractical. After all, dieting does not mean having to starve and deprive oneself. Eating should be pleasurable. Dieting simply means eating the right amount of food coming from a variety of  foods sources strategically distributed throughout the day.

When I was young, we had no pan pizza in Zamboanga. My cousin and I made our own healthy pizza from scratch. We had to wait for it to be done before we can take a bite. Today, I can literally grab anything I want to eat because restaurants, fast foods and convenient stores are everywhere. Food availability and preferences have dramatically changed throughout the years. From home cooked meals to upsized sodas, humongous burgers, giant pizzas, highly processed foods, the list just goes on and on.

We live in an obesogenic environment. A society that favors unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyle which could lead to obesity and the development of lifestyle related illnesses like heart diseases, diabetes and cancer.

Arising health problems related to unhealthy eating and obesity brought about the emergence of popular detox programs. Some of which are safe and effective but most are detrimental to health. Dietitians and nutritionists have different views about detoxification and it’s claims on health benefits.

Detox has been stripped off its original meaning and defined by the marketing world in different ways. Let us now explore the meaning of detoxification from a science-based perspective.

Defining Detoxification

Our body produces wastes from breakdown of food and other metabolic processes. These are unstable molecules resulting in the formation of free radicals. These wastes are harmful to the body and are excreted through the urine, sweat, bile or stool. However, these by-products rely on nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids to make them water-soluble and stabler to be properly eliminated from the body. The process of converting these free radicals to a stabler molecule is called detoxification.

There are two types of toxins: One is produced within the body called endogenous toxins and the other comes from exposure to chemicals, pollutants, food additives and drugs called exogenous toxins.

I don’t want to sound very technical lest I fail to define the real meaning of detox. What then is the significance of free radical formation and detoxification in our everyday lives?

When the body’s detoxification processes cannot keep up with the influx of toxins due to a number of factors like unhealthy lifestyle, therein lies the problem of toxins being deposited in bones and soft tissues leading to a number of lifestyle related illness like cancer.

Do detox diets really work or are we being led to believe something that has no basis at all?

Diets that detoxify should be based on the consumption of whole foods like fruits and vegetables, fiber and water. Robin Faroutan, MS, RD, an integrative medicine dietitian from New York said that some foods and nutrients have been found to be effective in enhancing or “revving-up” the body’s detoxification pathways.

Below are some foods that help our body detoxify naturally:

Water – Often taken for granted, the power of water should never be underestimated. It keeps our body hydrated while replenishing fluids lost primarily through breathing and sweating. It facilitates bowel movement and urinary excretion. It also supports the body’s lymphatic system that flushes out excess hormones, proteins, fats and other toxins.

Fruits and Vegetables – They contain phytochemicals or antioxidants that promote detoxification. It is recommended that we eat at least two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables per day. An example would be two bananas and three cups of vegetables.

Fibrous Foods – Soluble and insoluble fiber bind toxins to be carried out of the body. Choose brown rice, beans, oats and flaxseeds to increase protection against harmful substances.

Cruciferous Vegetables – Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Collard Greens and Brussels Sprouts promote detoxification in the liver. Whether cooked or in salads, you’ll never go wrong with eating green leafy vegetables.

Eggs, Garlic and Onion – These foods contain sulfur which supports the production of glutathione also known as “the master detoxifier.” After chopping or slicing, allow 10 to 15 minutes for the onion and garlic to develop allyl sulfides before adding them to your recipes when cooking.

Green Tea – contains EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) that penetrate body cells and shield DNA from hydrogen peroxide which is a potent free radical. Studies have shown that green tea has protective properties against heart diseases, cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

Probiotics – Live and good bacteria found in yogurt and other fermented products inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria in our digestive system. One serving of probiotic foods per day can help keep the body’s digestive system healthy.

Turmeric – This ginger-like herb used in many Asian dishes has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties. It contains curcumin that acts as an antioxidant.

Next time you consider cleansing or purifying your body, remember this: If a particular detoxification program is not based on the consumption of fruits and vegetables, increased fiber and water intake, you better think twice before trying it out. You might be in for the biggest mistake of your life.

A seasoned dietitian consultant for 10 years, Cheshire Que’s services include Medical Nutrition Therapy and Lifestyle & Weight Management programs for clients afflicted with lifestyle related diseases. One of her most recent achievements is pioneering the first online diet tool in the country, www.myspadiet.com and My Spa Diet to Go! a complete wellness program with meal deliveries and antioxidant formulas.