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Food Journaling is a labor intensive task-but studies show that people that journal their food intakes lose twice as much weight and sustain weight loss management over people that do not journal their nutritional intake.  We become accountable to ourselves and increase our awareness of what, why, how much, and when we are eating. 

1) Write down what you eat as you go-if you don't you may get CALORIE AMNESIA! 
2) Focus on portion size-practice with measuring cups, spoons, scales and be aware that people tend to UNDERESTIMATE how much they eat unless they measure
3) The food journal can be something that fits into your back pocket, purse, or PDA-make it a tool that is easy to use for you!
4) Don't skip on your indulgent days-this can help you learn the WHY of eating and behavior modification can begin
5) Cook at home-you will have more control over what you are eating-portions, ingredients, etc
6) Reflect-look at how you are doing, how much you are eating, when you are eating, who you are eating with, why you are eating-what are your triggers??  Share your journal with someone else

PDF of Food Journal - click here

Beating Emotional Eating

Food is often used in our daily lives for celebrations or to soothe our sorrows.  Becoming aware of our emotional triggers is the first step to conquering the craving.  Try these tips to help you overcome your emotions.

1)  Look at your food logs.
Review your moods, daily situations – trials and tribulations, boredom, and feelings.  See if there is a pattern to where you may be eating for your emotions, rather than out of hunger.

2) Eat Consciously.
When you're eating, take the time to enjoy your food. Try to not combine eating with other things, such as working or watching TV. Multitasking may be efficient, but it takes away from the satisfaction of eating and may lead to overeating. If you're sitting in front of the TV, you may eat a whole bag of chips without even remembering it.  Or if you are eating while discussing a controversial topic with your spouse, you may not be aware of your internal cues of fullness.

3) Get to the bottom of your emotional triggers.
Now that you're aware of your emotional eating triggers, confront them before they can sabotage your conscious eating success. Learn to manage your reaction to triggers that may lead to overeating. Develop solutions, aside from eating, to deal with your emotions. If you're likely to munch on a box of cookies when you're stressed, think ahead and develop an alternate plan of action. For example, decide to practice relaxation techniques or get some exercise. You'll feel better about yourself, and you'll be working toward relieving some of that stress.

4)  Take time out, drink water and fill up on something healthy!
Take a few minutes to listen to your body and see if you are really hungry.  Do some deep breathing and focus on yourself as a healthy, active, controlled being.  Put on a pair of walking shoes and go out for a walk or do some type of physical activity.  Drink a glass of water and choose a healthy snack if you are really hungry.  Reach for some fresh, crunchy carrots or a juicy orange and savor the flavor of the seasonal fruits and veggies.

30 Ways to Sneak More Fruits and Vegetables Into Your Diet

1. Add blueberries to pancake, waffle, or muffin batter
2. Mix raisins, diced apple, or dried apricots into oatmeal
3. Add pepper, onion, spinach, broccoli, or shredded carrot to a morning omelet
4. Make a smoothie with fruit, low-fat yogurt, and ice
5. Add peppers and onion to hash browns, and serve with a little ketchup on the side
6. Top a toasted waffle with warmed applesauce

 Lunch and Dinner

7. Top a pizza with mushrooms, peppers, onions, or pineapple
8. Put a slice of avocado on a regular sandwich
9. Add mushrooms, peppers, onions, or diced carrots to spaghetti sauce
10. Place a few slices of tomato on a grilled cheese sandwich
11. Add some extra mixed vegetables to soup
12. Add celery, onions, carrots, or peppers to meatloaf
13. Replace the jam on a peanut butter sandwich with sliced bananas
14. Add apples, grapes, or raisins to chicken salad
15. Spread some cranberry sauce on a turkey sandwich
16. Top pork chops with apples, pears, or raisins
17. Roast fish under a layer of lemon, orange, or lime slices
18. Add layers of frozen spinach or eggplant to lasagna

19. Top a baked potato with salsa
20. Use applesauce to replace half of the oil in any recipe
21. Slice a sweet potato, toss with a little olive oil, season as you wish, and bake to make sweet potato chips
22. Add mandarin oranges or diced pears when making Jell-O® salad
23. Try mixing dried fruit with almonds and a few M&Ms® as a snack
24. Mix fresh fruit and granola into yogurt
25. Add broccoli or diced pepper to macaroni and cheese
26. Blend cooked cauliflower into mashed potatoes

Dessert

27. Choose fruit sorbet instead of ice cream
28. Enjoy a baked apple stuffed with raisins and topped with a drizzle of caramel sauce
29. Dip strawberries in chocolate syrup and top with low-fat whipped cream
30. Roast pears with honey and a sprinkling of ginger

References
Gordon S. 6 sneaky ways to eat more vegetables. Fitness. July/August 1998;144.  

Healthy servings: from morning to midnight. Available at: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=5. Accessed November 12, 2007.

Protein Power

Protein is commonly associated with strength, and strength with meat. The bull (a meat source) is commonly associated with strength, yet bulls eat grass. And while meat is a good source of protein, so are many vegetables, whole grains, milk, yogurt, cheese, legumes, and eggs. Protein is an important nutrient, but it only one of many nutrients needed by the body to maintain good health.

Protein Role Play
One of the key features of proteins is their versatility. Following are some of the roles that proteins play in the body:

• As Building Materials – matrix and collagen – for most body structures including bone, teeth, muscle, and skin.
• As Enzymes – some break down substances (as in digestion), others build substances (such as bone), transform one substance into another (amino acids into glucose), or act as catalysts speeding up reactions.
• As Hormones – examples are insulin, growth hormone, thyroid hormone.
• As Fluid Balance Regulators – maintain the proper amounts of fluid inside the cells, outside the cells, between the cells, and within the blood vessels.
• As Acid-Base Regulators – help maintain the balance between acids and bases within the body fluids.
• As Transporters – some transport substances around in the body fluids (hemoglobin carries iron in the blood), and others transport, or “pump” substances across cell walls.
• As Antibodies – giant proteins that are produced in response to viruses, designed specifically to fight them, thus, defending the body against diseases.
• As Energy – in the absence of adequate carbohydrate intake, proteins can be converted into glucose for energy; if an excess amount of protein is eaten, it may be converted to fat and stored for later use.

How Much Protein Is Enough…How Much Is Too Much?

• For healthy adults with normal kidney and liver function and assuming adequate total calorie intake, the RDA for protein for adults is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Therefore, a 150-pound person would need about 55 grams of protein per day.
• For power athletes (strength or speed), the recommended protein intake is 1.6-1.7 grams per kilogram, or 109-116 grams per day for a 150-lb. person.
• For endurance athletes, the recommended protein intake is 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram or 82-109 grams per day for a 150-lb. person.
• Adults in the U.S. eat more protein than they need, on average.
• While athletes require more protein per day (since more protein is used for energy during exercise, muscle repair, etc.), athletes typically eat more food overall, and consequently, eat more protein to meet their higher needs.
• It is recommended that protein needs be met via whole foods as opposed to supplements and protein powders.
• Eating more protein doesn’t translate into bigger muscles…exercising at high intensities (via resistance training, etc.) facilitates muscle building during which time glucose (a carbohydrate) is a significant source of energy. Excess protein – over and above a person’s overall protein and energy needs – can be converted and stored as fat.

Approximate Protein Value of Foods

• Grain group: 1/2 cup cereal, grain, pasta, or starchy vegetable; 1 oz. of bread; ¾ to 1 oz. of snack food = 3 grams protein
• Milk group: 1 cup milk or yogurt = 8 grams protein
• Vegetable group (non-starchy): 1/2 cup cooked vegetables or vegetable juice; 1 cup raw vegetables = 2 grams protein
• Meat and meat substitute group: 1 ounce of meat, poultry, fish or cheese; 1/2 cup dried beans; 2 Tbsp. peanut butter = 7 grams protein
• Fruit group = negligible protein
• Fat group = negligible protein, except for nuts

A Day of Protein – 90-gram Menu Plan

• Breakfast
• 1/2 cup oatmeal – 3 grams
• 1 banana – 0 grams
• 1/2 cup milk – 4 grams
• 1 slice wheat bread – 3 grams
• 1 Tbsp. peanut butter – 3 grams
• Snack
• 1 cup yogurt – 8 grams
• 1/2 cup blueberries – 0 grams
• Lunch
• 1 cup vegetable-bean soup – 14 grams
• 1 oz. multi-grain roll – 3 grams
• 1 apple – 0 grams
• Snack
• 1 cup raw vegetables – 2 grams
• 2 Tbsp. hummus – 3 grams
• Dinner
• 4 oz. broiled salmon – 28 grams
• 1/2 cup mashed sweet potato – 3 grams
• 1 cup fresh spinach salad – 2 grams
• 1/2 cup pineapple slices – 0 grams
• Snack
• 1 oz. graham crackers – 3 grams
• 1 Tbsp. peanut butter – 3 grams
• 1 cup nonfat milk – 8 grams

References:

Committee on Dietary Reference Intakes. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids. Washington, D.C., National Academies Press, 2002.

Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and athletic performance. J Am Diet Assoc 2000;100:1543-1556.

Whitney EN, Rolfes SR. Understanding Nutrition, 9th ed. Wadsworth/Thomson Learning; Belmont, CA: 2002.

Food Cravings: Tips for Managing Them

The following tips can help you manage food cravings.

Three balanced meals
Eat at least three well-balanced meals a day. Do not skip meals—you will just make yourself hungrier for the next meal, causing you probably to overeat.

Slipups
Do not beat yourself up if you slip. Everyone overeats at times. Consider trying to live by the philosophy “everything in moderation.”

Mood or situation
Accept food cravings as a normal part of living in a food-oriented society. Food is all around us. You sometimes can not control the craving, but you can control your reaction. Try to understand your cravings in relation to your mood or situation.

Healthful choices
Think “management” instead of “control.” It is impossible to control every situation of your life. Take responsibility for making healthful choices in each eating circumstance, and stop when you are satisfied.

Suggestions, not commands
Look at cravings as suggestions to eat and not as commands to overindulge. When you feel a craving, decide how you want to deal with it. You do not have to overeat. You may decide to wait a while and see if the craving passes.

Substitutions
Believe that cravings will pass. Cravings are not hunger. They usually will go away if you distract yourself with other thoughts and activities.

The 5Ds
Disarm your cravings with the 5 Ds: 

• Delay—wait 10 minutes
• Distract—concentrate on something else
• Distance—do not keep temptation on hand; make yourself leave your environment to get the food
• Determine—think about how much you really want it
• Decide—know how much to eat; if you choose to eat something you crave, remember to enjoy it

Bad foods
Stop labeling foods as “bad” or “forbidden.” It is not the food that is the problem; it is the quantities you choose to consume. Allow yourself a little of your favorite foods once in a while and make them special.

Moderation vs abstinence
Aim for moderation instead of abstinence. Your favorite foods may make you feel great. Enjoy them every once in a while.

Exercise
Stay active. Moving is a great way to keep you from eating, and it is essential to good health.

Suggestions for managing food cravings