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Does It Only Take 3 Weeks to Form a Habit?
Tweet Share on Facebook January 30, 2013 CommentI've heard it said hundreds of times. From patients, from colleagues, and sometimes from the media: "It takes three weeks to form a habit." But in my experience, both personally and professionally, the notion that true habits—behaviors that persist in the face of major life upheavals and adversities—can be forged in 21 days flies in the face of reality. So I decided to research the claim.
My readings took me to a self-help book written in 1960 by Maxwell Maltz, a cosmetic surgeon, who reported that it took 21 days for amputees to stop feeling phantom limb pain. Maltz then extrapolated that consciously cultivating a new behavior for just 15 minutes a day for 21 days could create a habit. This didn't strike me as particularly rigorous or convincing proof.
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How to Choose a Healthy Slice of Pizza
Tweet Share on Facebook January 30, 2013 CommentWhy do so many of my patients avoid pizza if they're trying to lose weight and eat healthfully? Pizza gets a bad rap. Instead of looking at pizza as a high-calorie, fat-loaded diet disaster, let's think of it as a nutrient opportunity—one that's rich in fiber, calcium, and protein. Of course, not every pizza is made to be nutritious, so to reap these benefits, choose your slice wisely:
Crust. If it's an option, go for a whole-wheat, thin crust. At all costs, avoid crusts that are cheese-filled or deep-dish.
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What to Serve on Game Day
Tweet Share on Facebook January 29, 2013 CommentIf you've held fast to your New Year's resolution to eat healthier so far, you may want to steer clear of any Super Bowl parties to keep it that way. As we all know, traditional Super Bowl fare ranges from fried chicken wings and pizza to chips with high-fat dips.
For those of you determined to enjoy the big game AND keep your healthy eating momentum going, however, there are lots of ways to make it through the night without gaining too much yardage … around your waistline. Hosts and hostesses: Take note!
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Inside a Dietitian's Lunch: Broccoli Tofu Stir-Fry
Tweet Share on Facebook January 28, 2013 CommentSince we're all friends here, I hope you don't mind if I ask: How many of you vowed to eat better in 2013? Come on, lift your hands high and be proud! That's the beauty of January—it signifies a new beginning. In my case, I'm beginning to bring lunch to work more often. Perhaps you've made the same goal, but are unsure of how to follow through. Well, I'm here to give you the inside scoop each month by revealing what members of my nutrition practice, Nutritious Life, and I are brown baggin.' Read which foods we like to pack up and pick up, plus a few healthful tips from the experts.
Let's take a closer look at what one of our Nutritious Life registered dietitians, Amanda, had for lunch today...
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What My Yoga Instructor Taught Me About Food
Tweet Share on Facebook January 25, 2013 CommentOver the past year or so, I've been frequenting a local hot yoga studio. It's one of the most intense workouts I've ever done, and I've developed a bit of an addiction to it. Hot yoga is basically a yoga class taught in a heated room—about 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Most newcomers (including myself!) can have a hard time getting used to this type of exercise, and it often takes a few weeks before they can make it through an entire session without needing a break.
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National Tea Month: The Benefits of Tea
Tweet Share on Facebook January 24, 2013 CommentComfort food delivers just what it describes: a taste that pacifies the mind and body. This week, when I asked my patients what 'comfort food' means to them, I heard responses like brownies, ice cream, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes. For me … it's tea.
Don't get me wrong—I'm not one for passing up a bubbly molten lava cake, but when it comes to choosing a trusted companion, it's a soothing steamy mug of tea that greets me on a chilly morning, acts as a speed bump to unnecessary snacking in the late afternoon, and lets me know that dinner is done in the evening. My personal favorites include Tazo's Passion with a sprig of fresh mint and drizzle of agave, or a basic Earl Gray with some warmed milk and honey. Perhaps the toughest part about drinking tea is deciding which one to select while strolling down the ever-expanding tea aisle in the supermarket—and being prepared to lay down some cash for the fancier brands.
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When Science Met The Biggest Loser
Tweet Share on Facebook January 23, 2013 CommentIt's NBC's Monday night television juggernaut and the guilty pleasure of over 7 million viewers. Now in its 14th season, The Biggest Loser is a an industry unto itself, with a 2009 estimate by the New York Times pegging its worth at $100 million in annual revenue.
Viewers tuning in week after week can watch as Americans with severe obesity are routinely yelled at, exercised until they vomit, injured, weighed nearly naked on a giant scale, and seemingly taught that the numbers on that scale measure not only their weight, but also their self-worth and represent the only true value of their health and success.
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Urban Legends—of Your Digestive Tract
Tweet Share on Facebook January 22, 2013 CommentWe all love a good urban legend, and it can be especially fun when they turn out to be true.
It recently dawned on me how many urban legends out there deal specifically with digestion, and I decided to take on three of the most interesting ones.
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Wow Your Picky Eaters with Vegetarian Chili
Tweet Share on Facebook January 21, 2013 CommentFinding dinners that make every family member happy is a feat that many of us moms and dads battle daily. As kids get older and gain their "food independence," it often gets trickier and trickier to please fickle food preferences. While likes and dislikes may change on a weekly basis, some things should be consistent. Healthy food options. Provide, provide, provide. Do not let your kids' defiance beat you down. It is your home, and you decide the culture of it, not them. Make your home a healthy one. Even if your kids choose to not eat these foods now, being exposed to them will pay off. I often tell my clients that even if their children don't love spinach now, keep providing. Years from now, they'll sleep well now knowing their kid is choosing spinach in the college cafeteria.
My client recently said to me, "I have been doing what you said and putting veggies on Stella's plate every night. Even though she doesn't ever touch them, I put them there every night! Then, one night we were super rushed and I just gave the kids baked chicken tenders and leftover rice, and she said, 'Hey, mommy where are my veggies?'" My response? "Excellent progress!"
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Welcome to Fantasy Diet!
Tweet Share on Facebook January 18, 2013 CommentIf, like me, you are of a certain age, I trust you remember the show Fantasy Island. Mr. Roarke, deftly rendered by Ricardo Montalban, was ever impeccable in spotless white and seemingly unflappable. He was, presumably, representing God—or God's understudy.
Mr. Roarke would greet all guests with a hearty "welcome to Fantasy Island!" He would then proceed to divert their fantasies. On a weekly basis, guests discovered that what they thought they wanted was a distraction from what truly mattered. A bracing dose of constructive reality won out over fantasy every time.
