Restaurant Redo: Defensive Eating Workshop

Cooking at home more consistently is the best way to improve your health. You’ll simply have more control over your food. But, eating out at your favorite restaurant doesn’t have to spell dietary disaster. You can leave your next restaurant experience both satisfied and healthy.

Eating out is taking a toll on our health. It’s well established that diets high in sodium are responsible for more deaths than any cause other than tobacco or alcohol. According to the Center For Science in the Public Interest, cutting sodium in half would save as many as 100,000 lives annually. Taking a more defensive approach to eating out in restaurants would certainly be a strong first step to hitting this goal.

If you eat out more than 3 times a week, the upcoming Restaurant Redo workshop is designed for you. From high end restaurants to grab & go spots, this interactive discussion will prepare you to gain more control over your food choices and protect your health.

Join me in January for Restaurant Redo if you’re in NYC! For details and tickets, click here.

People, not Patients

The medical profession has a tough task in trying to combat obesity. It’s not simple. It’s costly and it’s frustrating.

As a nutritionist, I’m personally frustrated. We need to be more creative in our approach. We need to champion smart people and organizations to work with people (not patients) to move in the right direction. We need to listen more. Talk less. We also need to work as teams. Straightforward communication is key.

Recently a client shared a handout of directions from his new doctor about what he NEEDED TO DO to lose weight. It was a list of high calorie foods to be avoided at all costs. Or he’d fail.

The list was a slash and burn of foods, many of them nutrient-dense and real foods that any trained nutrition professional would include in daily in a sound weight loss plan. It also included one line about how it was ok to have artificial sweeteners (really?, that’s not even food, but go ahead, have all you want).

It was a typed list, New Times Roman font, totally uninspiring and didactic, like the kind of handout you get for a colonoscopy prep. Everyone gets the same one. You either succeed or fail. Follow the list. FOLLOW THE LIST. See you in six months.

Here’s the thing that really gets me. This client has been doing incredibly well with his weight loss and lifestyle goals. We’ve been working together weekly through video sessions. We check in about what’s going well and what’s not. We set goals, together, but mostly he does the goal setting and I give him advice to balance it all out. We talk about a new food to try each week. Real food. Real cooking. Recipes. Walking. Shooting a few hoops. Doing things he enjoys. Things he’s never done before. Things he never thought he could do before.

Did the doctor ask him about that? Did he ask him about his success? How he felt? No, just treated him as another number and handed him the paper of what he must do.

This simple piece of paper just reduced 11 months of our hard work to a second guess. So, yeah, I’m frustrated.

We can do better. We must do better. Let’s get back to listening more and fostering real relationships, inspiring ones. That’s how we’ll make changes that last a lifetime.

“I Know What To Do, I Just Don’t Do It”

We talk about prevention and lifestyle change, but what does it actually entail?

Prevention means eating healthfully, exercising, getting quality sleep, decreasing stress, enjoying meaningful relationships and managing finances. These all deserve a slice of the wellness pie and are known to be cost-effective strategies for reducing our chances of getting chronic disease or the progression of these burdensome conditions. We know this much.

Our healthcare system can’t support the sickcare model any longer. It’s time to stop talking about prevention. We need to do something. Something large scale, innovative and sustainable. And, we need to do it right now. (more…)

Less Lazy

Let’s start with a definition.

Laziness (also called indolence) is a disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to do so. It is often used as a pejorative; related terms for a person seen to be lazy include couch potato, slacker, and bludger.

Why do I care about laziness? Well, it’s because I hear about it all the time. People know what to do when it comes to nutrition and exercise but laziness gets in the way of taking sustainable action. They would change a behavior if they weren’t so lazy.

Laziness might truly exist but to me it’s just a word, a label and a convenient excuse that’s getting in the way. It’s time to move on. Laziness reminds me of stress. Sure it exists and it may not ever go away, but it’s all in how you handle it. It’s time to get a little less lazy. (more…)

Introducing Walking Wednesdays at Lown Cardiovascular Center

I’m always encouraging (ok, begging) my clients and patients to “keep it moving.” It’s no surprise that a commitment to regular exercise has many benefits, for both body and mind. What’s more, it’s fun with the support of others.

I’m now offering my follow-up office nutrition visits as outside walking visits. I also just started an evening walking wellness group at the Lown Cardiovascular Center in Brookline.

The “Walking Wednesdays” group meets from 5 – 6 pm every Wednesday. The walks will start and finish at Lown, 21 Longwood Avenue, Brookline MA. The walks are rain or shine.

The group is FREE. Participation is open to anyone wanting to exercise with the motivation of others. All levels of fitness are welcome. The walks can be adapted to your fitness level. Parking is available on a first come, first serve basis from 5-6 pm at Lown. Public transportation is only a block away with the MBTA Green Line C Train, Coolidge Corner stop. There is also a Hubway bike share stop in the Coolidge Corner area. (more…)

Fed Up: A Few Thoughts

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a special preview screening of Fed Up, the new food documentary at the Harvard School of Public Health. The screening was followed by a short panel Q&A with film producer Laurie David, ChopChop Magazine  founder Sally Sampson and Dr. Eric Rimm, nutrition epidemiologist at HSPH.

The film intends to piss people off about the state of food marketing and the inability of the government to make changes to protect our collective health, especially that of American children. (more…)

New Year, New Resolution, New You

At this time every year, we make resolutions for the future. Often times those resolutions are about getting healthy, losing weight, eating better, and other healthful adjustments to daily living. Unfortunately, shortly after these resolutions are made they are discontinued or placed “on hold”. This year it is possible to make the change and stick to it. All it takes is following the 5 steps of the “stages of change” within the “transtheoretical”, or behavior change, model. These steps include pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.

1. Pre-contemplation- Unprepared to make a change in your behavior.
2. Contemplation- Determine the change you want to make in your life.
3. Preparation- Collect all of the things you need to make your resolution.
4. Action- Make your change and keep it.
5. Maintenance- Keep your resolution for 6 months. You have finally reached maintenance.

(more…)

Playoff Eating

Playoff baseball is in full swing here in Boston. The Red Sox are filling the city with hope, fear, excitement, sleepless nights and thankfully, a few deep exhales. Our beloved team is one big hard fought win away from winning a World Series title.

The stress of being a playoff fan can take a toll on the body and mind but in this case, the good outweighs the bad. Normal life is right around the corner. Enjoy the chaos while it lasts!

I decided to take an informal poll of my friends, family and co-workers about the influence of playoff baseball on their eating habits.

Here are the various types of playoff eaters. Can you relate? Feel free to add yours to the list.

Comfort food only: The game isn’t delivering fast enough relief. Bring on the chips, nuts, mac & cheese, nachos and beer. Your instant gratification comes in the form of food and drink.

Cereal for dinner: There’s no time to make a proper dinner and get in game-ready position on the couch. Your dinner preparation goes out the window. Cereal is foolproof.

Stress overeater: Your food-filled hand reaches your mouth over and over and the eyes stay firmly on the TV.

Steady stream of caffeine: You’re double-fisting Dunkin’ Donuts. All. Day. Long.

Too stressed-out to eat: Food, what food? The energy of the game provides you with ample nourishment.

Baseball food cravings: Your food choice is limited to hotdogs, popcorn, Cracker Jacks, pretzels, ice cream, beer and other highly nutritious food items found at ballparks.

Dial a dinner: Everything you eat is prepared and delivered by somebody else. Pizza is on speed dial.

Superstitious eater: The heck with variety. Stick with the food that you ate the night of the very first playoff win and DO NOT vary it. You might just be the reason why the team is winning. Oh, and your special socks. And your special chair. You’re clearly a big part of the reason for the winning season.

Status quo: You don’t do anything different from your normal routine. You’re asking how long this baseball stuff will go on. You could care less about sports and pretty much live under a rock to not understand what’s going on in Boston right now.

Go ahead; eat what you want and when you want. This is playoff baseball and it doesn’t happen all the time.

One more win. LET’S DO THIS!

Eating for beauty

The best compliment I’ve received is that I have great skin. I was actually taken a back given that I have freckles and a long clash with acne. But I’ll take what I can get. After years of trying every cream, lotion, pill on the market I stopped focusing on the things I put on top of my skin and instead focused on what I was putting into my body. Maybe I just grew out of the acne, but I’m eating healthier than ever before and my skin has never looked better. My tip is to try and eat antioxidant and anti-inflammatory rich foods every day, simply put: eat your fruits and veggies.

Antioxidant rich foods are those that contain:

• Vitamin A aka beta-carotene, the orange/red pigment that gives carrots and squash their color, can also give your skin a healthy glow as the pigments accumulate under the skin’s surface.
• Vitamin C and E are often paired together as they help protect against cellular damage in our bodies including skin. In fact a vitamin c deficiency usually manifests with dry, scaly skin and bleeding gums – a testament of vitamin c’s influence of tissue health.
• Selenium is a mineral found in the earth, and thus many foods contain it including seafood, meat, and plants. Depending on soil conditions, the same food grown in different soils can contain varying amounts of selenium. One Brazil nut is usually all you need for a days worth of this antioxidant.
• Zinc – although not really considered an antioxidant, zinc is essential for the proper functioning of the antioxidant pathways in the body.

Anti-inflammatory rich foods are those that contain:

• Healthy fats like those found in ground flax and fatty fish. A soft fluid-like membrane (made up of the fat you eat) protects all of your trillion cells, so you can imagine they are extremely important for skin structure. In the omega-6-fat laden society we live in, it is hard to obtain omega-3 fats, which research has shown to decrease inflammation in the body. A great goal is to incorporate fish into your meals twice a week.

Tips for eating clean

• Go slow. Especially if you are not use to regularly eating whole foods. Try adding one fruit or veggie at a time. Pay close attention to your body. There is such a thing as too much fiber!
• Drink more water. Fiber requires lots of hydration to pass through your gut comfortably and efficiently. Extra water is good for your skin too. Everyone’s hydration needs vary, but generally 6-12 glasses per day will do the trick.

I hope this inspired you to eat your fruits and veggies if not for anything else, for a glowing complexion!

Did you know? Acne is a disease of western civilization. It does not exist in certain countries like Paraguay and New Guinea. As expected, these cultures eat very clean diets excluding processed and refined foods…

Need help finding healthy foods containing antioxidants? Check out this website at www.WHFoods.org

PS – you don’t need to take supplements for great skin. Eat the food, the whole food, and nothing but the food! It’s how nature intending us to get our vitamins and minerals.

By: Liz Schneider, guest blogger

On Dedication

My friend, Lauren, instilled in me many of life’s lessons. One lesson that resonates most is to remain dedicated to a task – even when all seems lost. Lauren epitomized this; while going through three years of treatment for stage 4 colon cancer she ran, did yoga, lifted weights or swam almost every day. I’ll never forget her pushing the women swimmers on training trip to do 10 push-ups while she managed two for every one they could muster.

I often think of Lauren and what she taught me. Perhaps most recently was while getting into a bike accident during an Olympic distance triathlon three weeks ago. It was a hot day. There was a water stop during the bike. And, I needed it. So, I slowed down to grab a bottle. But, I ran into the guy ahead of me. Next thing I knew, the left side of my body slammed on the asphalt and my bike was being dragged, attached to his rear wheel. I got up and assessed the damage- road rash and a bruised tailbone.

I didn’t feel like anything was broken or pulled so I got back on my bike. I was in pain; I channeled Lauren. What would she do? Lauren would kick it into high gear and make up time lost. So, I did. I finished the race and ended up with a personal best time.

I could have easily stopped after the crash, accepted defeat and limped home. But, I realized persisting despite the accident would make me a stronger triathlete and person. Now, when I start World Championships in London this September I can say I’ve prevailed through pain and raced hard despite it. And, no matter the outcome, I can say I’ve laid everything on the line even when my dedication was tested.

Dedication. To me, it means getting up before 5 am to train while going through an intense, 11-month dietetic internship. It means staying committed to my goals despite the possibility of failure, physical and mental pain and sometimes, even embarrassment crashing in front of the only spectator section at a triathlon. It means asking others for support when I need it. It means even if I “fail” I know I’ll gain more than I expected.

If you’re aiming for a goal like losing weight, getting a job, running your first marathon or making it big in the music industry dedicate yourself to it. Commit. Take risks (calculated ones, that is). Be accountable. Roll with setbacks and view them positively. Don’t expect perfection. If you never try, you will never know what you could achieve. The pay off is always worth it. And, remember that people, like Lauren, are cheering you on even if they aren’t here.

What does dedication mean to you?

By Kate Sweeney, guest blogger and soon-to-be registered dietitian.