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Chickpeas, 3 Ways
Tweet Share on Facebook September 19, 2012 CommentChickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, grace the tables of households across the globe. These little legumes are known for their creaminess in everyone's favorite—and oh so delicious—dip: hummus. They play flavorful roles in many less common dishes, too. Their delicate, yet starchy texture and nutty flavor make them versatile in everything from appetizers to satisfying main dishes.
For those of you looking to whittle your waistline, you definitely want to keep a can or two of chickpeas in your pantry. Recent studies have identified a positive relationship between these little guys and satiety, finding that participants who ate chickpeas snacked less and consumed less food overall. Put simply, they just may help prevent the urge to overindulge! Their fiber and protein content work together to satisfy you and curb cravings. This all-star duet also helps stabilize blood sugar levels, helping to reduce the risk of diabetes.
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5 Signs Your New Fitness Routine Won't Last 6 Months
Tweet Share on Facebook September 19, 2012 CommentGetting regular exercise is tough for a number of reasons: fatigue, busy schedules, the money factor. The last thing we need is to further doom a regimen by packing it with exercises we won't stick to.
Research suggests that 50 percent of people drop a new exercise program within the first six months. Yet it takes around six months to feel comfortable with a new sport, says Rick Henriksen, a family and preventive medicine physician with University of Utah Health Care. And competency is when the real fitness benefits kick in.
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What Your Poo Says About You
Tweet Share on Facebook September 18, 2012 CommentAs I get older, I've noticed that my friends are talking more about subjects we once considered taboo. Maybe it's the Facebook effect, or perhaps the loss of bodily shame associated with going through childbirth. Maybe it's a function of having young kids at home, so the subject of bodily functions becomes as common as the weather. Whatever it is, I'm finding that the topic of poo comes up in conversation. A lot.
The truth is, this doesn't bother me a bit. It's not a coincidence that I wound up working as a dietitian in a gastroenterologist's office. I've long been fascinated by the digestive process in general, and the intestines in particular. My favorite diagram of the gut—a veritable road map of the windy, twisty turns through the small intestine into the colon that marks the site of each nutrient's absorption along the way—is faded and dog-eared from my frequent and intense study. Some consult tea leaves to read clues into the universe. I consult poo.
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How To Plant A Legacy
Tweet Share on Facebook September 17, 2012 CommentIf you're into organic gardening, or interested in learning more about it, thank you. You may not realize how much we need your growing body of knowledge. You see, up until about World War II, just about everyone knew how to grow food in one way or another. It was common knowledge that kids picked up at home and in their communities. But the war, of course, changed American culture. Wartime chemicals and engineering knowledge birthed the industrial farming movement; booming business provided jobs for returning servicemen in cities and factories; more women entered the workforce; convenience foods started taking center-stage on dinner tables; and, of course, television ate up a whole lot more leisure time.
In short, over the past 60 years or so, traditional food-growing knowledge has skipped two generations and is nearing a third. Those who have begun gardening are helping to plug this knowledge void. Today's gardeners leave a lasting legacy unlike anything else, helping to return critical, life-sustaining knowledge to humanity. How's that for a satisfying day's work?
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5 Surprising Benefits of Mindful Eating
Tweet Share on Facebook September 14, 2012 CommentHow often do you pay attention to what you're eating? If you're like many Americans, breakfast is eaten with one hand on the steering wheel, lunch is inhaled in front of a computer screen, and dinner is spent with the TV blasting in the background. Food rarely takes center-stage in our busy lives, but research indicates that this mindless munching is taking its toll on our weight and health.
"Mindful eating" is the term coined for simply paying attention to your food, your body cues, and the act of eating. It is eliminating distractions during mealtime and checking in with your hunger or fullness cues. While this may sound a bit too touchy-feely to be scientific, a solid body of evidence suggests this practice is worth trying. Here are five benefits you may experience by turning off that TV while you eat dinner:
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We're Not Fat Because We're Lazy
Tweet Share on Facebook September 13, 2012 CommentYou, of course, know that obesity is epidemic in the United States among adults and children alike. You would have to be living under a rock not to know at this point!
But why, exactly, are so many of us fat? Those who rant loudest and most emphatically about personal responsibility have an answer: It's your fault. We are fat because we are irresponsible.
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How to Eat Healthy—Without Counting Calories
Tweet Share on Facebook September 13, 2012 CommentAre you a calorie counter? Many of my patients believe the only way to lose weight is to count calories. They come into my office knowing the calorie content of every food—far beyond what I've committed to memory—and yet they haven't been able to shed a single pound. So does counting calories really matter? A study by Harvard University concluded that when it comes to calories, it's quality, not quantity, that truly counts. In other words, 1,500 calories from your favorite desserts might not count the same as 1,500 calories from fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
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Is Your Hand Sanitizer Making You Fat?
Tweet Share on Facebook September 13, 2012 CommentMovies like Contagion and antibiotic-resistant germs like MRSA don't help assuage fears of rampant germ proliferation; but if you tend to reach for the hand sanitizer every time you touch an elevator button, doorknob, or dumbbell, curb your enthusiasm. There's good reason to take it easy with these chemical-laden germ killers. They frequently contain triclosan, a chemical that many consider to be an obesogen—i.e., one that can potentially cause weight gain by disrupting the body's endocrine system.
"Animal studies indicate that triclosan can affect thyroid function," says Tom Zoeller, an endocrinologist and professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts--Amherst. "It's plausible that triclosan can interfere with thyroid hormones in people, though it's not been well studied." The chemical structure of triclosan is similar to that of the thyroid hormone itself—one reason it could interfere with the body's natural thyroid levels. Thyroid hormones control metabolism, so if you reduce thyroid function, you can gain weight—not a situation you want to unwittingly create as you try to stay healthy, fit, and germ-free.
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Break the Fast Without Breaking Your Diet
Tweet Share on Facebook September 13, 2012 CommentAccording to Jewish tradition, everything a person does is written in the Book of Life. No deed goes unrecorded, whether good or evil. During the Ten Days of Penitence, beginning with Rosh Hashanah this Sunday and leading up to the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, we reflect on days past, as well as ponder the future.
These High Holy Days are a time for deep thought, self-examination, and contemplation. What better occasion to look back on the past year and ask yourself: Did I take care of my body? Am I making the healthiest food choices for myself and my family? Am I setting a good example when it comes to my eating habits?
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Swap This for That: Tips for Feeding Healthy Kids
Tweet Share on Facebook September 12, 2012 CommentOne more summer down, and another school year starting. Although the sun is still shining and the leaves haven't quite started to turn, it's certainly time to get back into the academic groove. Aside from sharpened pencils, backpacks, and notebooks, healthy eating takes a priority when it comes to setting your little ones up for a semester of success. Drive-thru breakfasts, cafeteria lunches, and sugary after-school snacks may seem convenient when you're trying to rush out of the house in the morning, but some of those options can leave a lot to be desired. Providing a solid breakfast (even on-the-go) and nutritious snacks for your kids sets a positive example for them and ensures they step into the classroom on the right foot. In addition, brown bagging their lunch not only gives you more control over their intake, but it gives you an opportunity to pack something for yourself as well.
Commit to setting aside an hour or two of your weekend to head to the store and stock up on basic food staples. You'd be surprised how a healthfully-filled fridge and pantry can inspire you to make the right choices! While the aisles of the supermarket can seem completely overwhelming, this essential guide will help you decide what to skimp and stock up on.
