There has been a lot of controversy about high fructose corn syrup over the past few years.  Some people will say that you should avoid any products with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) because it is one of the main causes of the obesity epidemic we are seeing in this country.  It is said that products with high fructose corn syrup are worse than sugar because they make blood sugars rise faster, it tastes sweeter than sugar (which may increase a person’s desire for sweeter foods) and that it is not as satiating (filling) because it does not trigger your brain to recognize the calories that you have eaten.  So are these claims true, is high fructose corn syrup worse than sugar?

Sugar and high fructose corn syrup actually have a very similar composition.  Both of them are made up of about 50% fructose and 50% glucose, and they both have 4 calories per gram.  Because they have a very similar composition, they have a nearly identical impact on our health, our blood sugars, our satiety and our waistline.  So, the research shows that high fructose corn syrup is actually not worse than sugar.

So how did high fructose corn syrup get such a bad rap?  Years ago, researchers found that during a time period where the consumption of high fructose corn syrup went up in America there was also a rise in the rates of obesity.  So, they came up with a hypothesis (a guess) that the high fructose corn syrup was leading to this rise in obesity.  What they didn’t realize at the time is that while the consumption of high fructose corn syrup was on the rise, the consumption of cereals, flour and fat were also on the rise.  Research now shows that it was actually the increase in overall calories that has lead to this weight gain, and there is not one specific food to blame.  However, it was too late for HFCS, its bad reputation was already in place.

So, is high fructose corn syrup healthy?  No, both sugar and HFCS are empty calories (calories with no nutritional value), but you can fit them into a healthy diet in moderation.  So, the bottom line is you want to be more concerned with the amount of added sugars, not so much about the source of the added sugars.  For more information about the myths and facts of high fructose corn syrup, you can visit www.sweetsurprise.com.  Also, see my related post titled “ How Much Sugar Can be Part of a Healthy Diet”.

Keeping food journals can be one of the best ways to increase awareness of what you’re eating and can be very helpful with weight loss.  As I had mentioned in a previous post, people who keep food records tend to lose twice as much weight as people who do not keep records, even when following the same plan.  Despite all of the research that is out there to support the importance of food records, many people really struggle to keep them.

Now there are many websites and apps for the phone to help make this process easier.  The website that I recommend most frequently for keeping track of intakes is www.fitday.com.  It is user friendly, and it is free to use!  Not only can you track how many calories you’re eating daily, but you can also track your weight, exercise routines and much more.   The website will show you how your nutrient intakes compare to the recommended levels of many nutrients including carbohydrates, protein and fat as well as vitamins and minerals.

Apps for phones are very convenient for those who always have their phone on them.  The most popular apps for each type of phone are as follows:

The above apps have received good reviews and tend to be user friendly.  However, there are other apps out there that you can try.  All of these resources just help to increase awareness of intakes, so go with whichever tool is easiest for you so you’re more likely to stick with it.

Whether you are trying to reduce your risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol or lose weight, decreasing dietary fat is often recommended.   If you are trying to improve or maintain heart health, the type of fat you are eating is often as important as the amount of fat you are eating.  (See my post titled “Not all Fats are Created Equal” for more information about the different types of fats and recommended fat levels.)  If you are trying to lose weight, decreasing the total amount of fat in the diet can be very helpful because it often leads to lower calorie intakes.

Every gram of fat has 9 calories.  Compare that to protein and carbohydrate, which only have 4 calories per gram.  This means that fat has over twice as many calories for the same amount of food.  Most people eat the same amount (or volume) of food from day to day, not the same calorie level.  Therefore, by reducing the amount of fat in your diet, you can often decrease your calories without cutting back on portions or feeling hungry.  The following are some ways to lower your fat intake:

By making some of these substitutions you will be off to a good start with lowering fat and calories and improving heart health.

When trying to lose weight, it is very common to have some weeks where the weight seems to come off quickly and some weeks where you feel like you’ve done everything right, but it doesn’t show up on the scale.  If you have one or two weeks where the scale doesn’t show the work you’ve done, stay calm.  Sometimes our body seems to need to adjust to a new weight before you continue to lose.  However, if several weeks pass and the scale doesn’t budge then you may have hit a plateau.  When this happens, try the following tips:

1.)    Keep food journals.  Writing everything down can help maintain awareness of what you are consuming to ensure you are at an appropriate calorie level.

2.)    Measure food for a few days.  Just naturally, portions tend to grow over time.  What you thought was a cup of cereal, may end up being closer to 1 ½ cups.  These gradual increases in portions can really add up over time.

3.)    Adjust calorie levels.  When we lose weight, our calorie needs decrease.  This is because it doesn’t require as much energy to do your daily activities at 150 pounds as it does when you weigh 175 pounds.  So you may need to make some slight modifications to your calorie goals.  Try cutting back 50-100 calories a day and see if that makes the difference.

4.)    Make sure you are eating enough.  If we don’t eat enough calories, we can end up slowing down our metabolism.  This makes continued weight loss more difficult.  For women, I usually recommend staying at or above 1,200 calories to keep the metabolism running efficiently.  Men will want to stay above 1,600 calories per day.  If you are active, you will need more calories than this.

5.)    Mix up your workout routine.  Our muscles adapt quickly to exercise and become very efficient.  Try a different exercise routine or even doing your exercises in a different order.  (For example, if you usually do cardio and then strength training, try lifting weights first instead.  If you lift weights, do your typical workout in reverse order.)

6.)    Start strength training, if your not doing it already.  Lifting weights strengthens muscles, which ends up increasing your metabolism.  FYI- Increasing muscle mass is the ONLY way to increase metabolism.

7.)    Move more.  Try to walk or move more throughout the day or add an extra work out each week.

8.)    Try eating more frequently.  If you eat three meals a day, try breaking up your eating into 5 or 6 small meals a day.  We burn calories by digesting food.  Therefore, eating regularly throughout the day helps to keep the metabolism up.  Remember that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

9.)    Drink more water.  Aim for around 8 8-oz glasses a day.

10.) Include low-fat dairy products.  Studies have found that the calcium, a nutrient found in dairy, plays an important role in metabolism.

11.) Get some sleep.  Getting too little sleep can promote the storage of fat in the abdominal region and make weight loss more difficult.  Aim for a minimum of 7 hours.  For most people, 8 hours is even more ideal.

Today, I’m following up with last week’s post to provide a list of some of the better options at fast food restaurants.  See the chart below for some meal ideas that are about 550 calories or less (The Do’s Column).  Also listed are some meals to watch out for that are loaded with fat and calories (The Don’ts Column).  

Breakfast Sample Menus

 Lunch and Dinner: Sample Menus

Move over Jared, it looks like Christine has taken the spotlight away from the Subway and has put it on Taco Bell.  With the heavy advertising done by Taco Bell over the past two weeks, I’ve already started to get several questions about the “Drive-Thru-Diet”. 

For those who have not seen the commercials yet…Christine, the spokesperson for “The Drive-Thru-Diet”, lost 54 pounds over the course of two years by switching her fast food choices to the Fresco items on the Drive-Thru Diet menu at Taco bell.  If you read her story, you will also find that she consumed 1,250 calories per day.  This was a reduction of about 500 calories per day compared to what she was eating before.

So what made her lose the weight?

a.)    The Taco Bell Menu items

b.)    The reduction in the number of calories she consumed daily

 If you answered B, you are correct!  Weight loss comes down to calories consumed versus calories burned, and it does not matter where those calories come from.  By creating a calorie deficit of about 500 calories a day, you expect to lose about 1 pound per week.  This is exactly what Christine did.

 The 7 Fresco items on Taco Bell’s Drive-Thru Diet menu are lower in calories than many fast food items.  All of them have less than 350 calories and <8 grams of fat.  Therefore, they can be some of the better choices if you are going to be eating fast food.    

However, would I recommend eating these items regularly to lose weight?  No, I wouldn’t.  While they may be better choices than many items on a fast food menu, they are not great.  Many of the items are very high in sodium.  For example, the Fresco Burrito Supreme has a whooping 1,410 mg of Sodium, which is over half of the recommended level for the entire day!  The Chicken soft taco and Steak soft taco only has 2 grams of fiber.  When meals are low in fiber they often leave people feeling hungry shortly after eating and can make it difficult to meet the recommended 25-30 grams per day.  Not to mention, all of the vitamins and minerals that are lacking. 

If you are short on time, frozen entrees would often be a better choice.  They are still processed and high in sodium, but the sodium is often less than what you would find in fast foods (~500-600 mg).  Many of them also include a serving of vegetables.  Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Kashi and Smart Ones are some of the better options that are calorie controlled.  Have yogurt or a piece of fruit along with it to add some nutrition value.

Bottom line, if you need to stop at a fast food restaurant.  The items on the Drive-Thru-Diet at Taco bell are going to be some of the better choices.  All fast food restaurants now offer some healthy options.  Reading the nutrition facts before ordering can help to make better choices.  Click here for some tips on making good choices when eating at fast food restaurants.  Check back next week for more fast food menu items that are less than 500 calories.

In June, I wrote about which fruits and vegetables were in season over the summer.  However, now that summer is over many people feel that the produce is not as “fresh” or as flavorful.  The good news is that there are still many fruits and vegetables that are “in season” during the fall and winter months.  The following is a list of some of the more common fruits and vegetables in season now:

Fruits:

Vegetables:

For more information about seasonality of fruits and vegetables please visit the following websites:

• http://www.pickyourown.org//Directions4farmers.htm
• http://www.fieldtoplate.com/guide.php
• www.cuesa.org

When it comes to portion control, there are few foods that are more confusing than pasta.  Some questions I get frequently are: What is a serving?  Is a serving based on dry or cooked pasta?  How do I know how I measure uncooked pasta, so I get the appropriate amount of cooked pasta?  Today, I will try to answer these questions.

So, what is a serving of pasta? According to the Food Guide Pyramid and the Diabetic Exchange System, a serving of pasta is ½ cup of cooked pasta (this is equivalent to about 2 ounces of cooked pasta).  This would provide approximately 80-100 calories and 15-20 grams of carbohydrate.

How do I measure pasta? Pasta can be measured before or after cooking.  A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that pasta doubles in size and weight when it is cooked.  Here are some guidelines to follow when measuring pasta.

• Cooked pasta can be measured by using a measuring cup or a food scale.
  • 1 serving = ½ cup or 2 ounces of cooked pasta

If you would prefer to measure the pasta before you cook so you are not making too much food, the following tips can be helpful:

• The most accurate way to measure uncooked past is to use a food scale.
  • 1 ounce uncooked pasta = 1 serving
• If you are making strand pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, etc.), they do make tools to measure pasta.  Typically on a pasta measure, there are several holes that are different diameters.  This allows cooks to know that they are making 1-4 servings by filling the holes.  Pasta measures are inexpensive and can be a great way to achieve portion control when making strand pasta!   Take a look at my store to see what a pasta measure looks like.
• Measuring out pasta shapes can be a bit trickier for those who are not using a pasta scale.  Shapes vary in size, so they do differ slightly, but a good rule of thumb is:
  • Approximately ¼ cup of dry pasta shapes = 1 serving for elbow macaroni, shells, rotini, cavatelli, wheels, penne or ziti.

In summary, a good generalization to measure pasta measures is as follows:

1 Serving cooked pasta = 2 ounces or ½ cup

1 Serving uncooked pasta = 1 ounce or ¼ cup

Yes, I know that your thinking…a half-cup of pasta might not be enough to satisfy a hearty appetite.  Remember, the average person needs 6-11 servings from the Grain food group per day.  So, feel free to have more than a half-cup of pasta at a meal, just be sure to count it as more than one serving.  Also, try adding extra vegetables to the sauce, have a side salad or a small chicken breast along with the pasta.  This will help you to fill up while keeping your pasta portions in check.

Last week, I heard an advertisement on the radio for the “4-minute gym” which actually made me sigh out loud.  Yet another company is taking advantage of people by promoting a “quick fix” to make money.  So, when I saw an article this week on “How Long Does it Take to Get Fit?” in my ACE (American Council on Exercise) newsletter, I felt that I needed to write on the topic.

As I’m sure we all know (but may refuse to admit), it takes more than “4 minutes a day” to become “fit”.  But how long does it take to see the benefits of a workout routine?  According to Douglas Brooks, an exercise physiologist in California, the answer varies depending on the type of exercise you are doing.

For strength training, individuals will see improvements in the amount of weight that can be lifted within the first four weeks, but will have to wait around 6-7 weeks to see bodily changes.   To see these changes it is recommended to start with 2 sets of 8-10 exercises (one for each major muscle group).  Weight lifting 2 times per week can give 75% of the gains of lifting 3-4 times per week. 

Cardiovascular benefits may take a little longer to achieve.   According to Brooks, it could take 8-12 weeks of doing cardio 2-4 times per week to get significant benefits.  For optimal benefits, it is recommended to exercise for 30-40 minutes 3-4 times per week.  However, beginners should start off with 15-20 minutes, and may want to start of with movement intervals of 20-30 seconds on a recumbent bike or doing water-based exercises.

Don’t be discouraged or intimidated by the numbers above.  Any exercise is going to provide some benefits and is better than nothing.  However, don’t be misled by the companies that promote quick fixes and make false promises.  If it sounds too good to be true…it is!  The key is to find activities you like, start small and build up over time.  It takes some patience and persistence, but the rewards are well worth it.    

We hear the term organic all the time and now there are so many organic foods available in the grocery stores.  But what does the term “organic” mean?  Organic refers to the way in which a food is grown.  Agricultural crops must meet certain specifications in order to label their products as “organic”.  Farmers are restricted as to the amount of pesticides used and organic produce must not be genetically modified.  Therefore, organic produce is much lower in pesticides and these farming practices are generally much better for the environment.

Unfortunately, when shopping for organic products, many people notice that these benefits often come with a hefty price tag.  So, if you’re worried about pesticides but you don’t want to break the bank, you might want to only buy organic fruits and vegetables if the regular products are high in pesticides.  The Environmental Working Group has come up with a list that ranks fruits and vegetables according to their pesticide content. 

The following is a list of “the dirty dozen”.  These fruits and vegetables are highest in pesticides and you may want to look for “organic” products.

• Peaches
• Apples
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Imported Grapes
• Pears
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Carrots

The following are the “Clean Fifteen”.  These are the least likely to be contaminated and you may not need to buy organic products.

• Avocados
• Pineapples
• Mangoes
• Kiwi
• Papayas
• Watermelon
• Grapefruit
• Onions
• Sweet Corn
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Sweet Potatoes

For a more complete list of the pesticide load of fruits and vegetables, you can visit the following website: http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php.