To have a well balanced nutritional lifestyle it must start with good habits at the grocery store. Having something healthy in your household could be a challenge if the right food and ingredients are not purchased during your trip to Stop and Shop, or Shaw’s. Here are some tips that can guide you in the right direction while food shopping.

Create a list, plan for success. It will probably take a little bit of time, but it will save you time in the long run if you forget something.
Try to be unique and choose a different fruit or vegetable every week.
“Splurge” into the produce aisle if there is an aisle to “splurge” into, chances are a good snack to be made on the run will be from the produce aisle ( carrots, sliced apples, etc.).

Spend the most time in the produce section; think colorful fruits, and vegetables!

When, or if you are going for any type of cereal, or grain choose something that is “least processed”. For example your choice of cereal should include something whole grain, at least 4 grams of fiber per serving, and the less sugar, the better.

Meat, poultry, and fish. The AHA (American Heart Association) recommends 2 servings of fish per week, which is a great source of omega 3’s. Any type of meat or poultry should be lean cut, skinless, and always be aware of your portion sizes.

Dairy, good sources of calcium, and vitamin D. Plenty of nonfat/low fat options available. Yogurt is a great choice in the dairy section. Go for Greek non-fat yogurt.

If the produce section isn’t looking too convenient because cooking vegetables, or slicing fruit is time consuming, no problem, go for the frozen fruits , and vegetables section.

Avoid the aisles that say “chips and cookies”!
Lastly avoid the foods that contain more than 5 or 6 ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients that you can’t pronounce.

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Questions about the article? Ask the author!
Contact Anthony Morando at anthonymorando@yahoo.com.

Never skip breakfast. Why?

Eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism first thing in the morning. Any time you eat you’ll get a slight bump in your calorie-burning rate, since it takes energy to digest food. The morning meal is particularly important. Research shows that breakfast eaters have an above-average metabolic rate; skippers have a lower than average rate.

You may not think of it in this way but while you sleep, your body is fasting. When your body runs out of nutrients from food it must cannibalize its own muscle tissue. After four hours without food, the body suppresses its ability to burn calories in order to conserve energy and goes directly after muscle tissue instead, converting muscle to glucose for energy. Over time, this slowly decreases the amount of muscle tissue that the body has, which, in turn, decreases your metabolic rate. Since muscle tissue burns calories not fat, it becomes more and more difficult to lose the fat and the weight. Eating breakfast first thing in the morning halts this cannibalization.

That’s why BREAKFAST RULES!

Cutting calories key to weight loss: study By AFP – Thu Feb 26, 8:42 AM PST
LINK: http://health.yahoo.com/news/afp/healthobesity_20090226164329-print.html

Overweight patients cast a shadow at a weight reduction clinic. A new study has found that eating heart-healthy, low-calorie foods and exercising is the key to losing weight regardless of levels of protein, fat or carbohydrates.(AFP/File/Frederic J. Brown)

The research, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, seems to argue against blanket use of diets that do not necessarily limit calories but call for eating certain foods such as vegetables or proteins, at the expense of others.

The NIH study of 811 volunteers, 38 percent of them men and 62 percent women, aged 30-70 and either overweight or obese, looked at diets that have been popular in the United States in recent years, even as the number of obese Americans has soared.

The “Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS LOST) study found similar weight loss after six months and two years among participants assigned to four diets that differed in their proportions of these three major nutrients,” said researchers.

“The diets were low or high in total fat (20 or 40 percent of calories) with average or high protein (15 or 25 percent of calories). Carbohydrate content ranged from 35 to 65 percent of calories.

“The diets all used the same calorie reduction goals and were heart-healthy low in saturated fat and cholesterol while high in dietary fibre,” said researchers, whose study is published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Participants lost an average 13 pounds (5.9 kilos) at six months and maintained a nine-pound (four-kilo) loss at two years.

“These results show that, as long as people follow a heart-healthy, reduced-calorie diet, there is more than one nutritional approach to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight,” said Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, director at NHLBI.

“This provides people who need to lose weight with the flexibility to choose an approach that they’re most likely to sustain: one that is most suited to their personal preferences and health needs,” she stressed.

Sixty-six percent of US adults are overweight and of those, 32 percent are obese, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show.

#2: SAVE TIME: Train with weights using big bodypart movements – don’t do arm curls, triceps kickbacks, etc.. they are a waste of time. Instead, perform ‘big bodypart’ movements like push ups, squats, and chin ups. They burn more calories and you won’t have to spend as much time in the gym to get a fat burning workout.

#3: SAVE FACE: Don’t tell anyone about your weight loss efforts. By eating what you have leftover from the holidays and spending less time in the gym, you will be flying ‘under the radar’ and will lose weight without having to give explanations to your friends and family.

It’s not the calories in alcohol that you need to worry about. It’s the alcohol itself. Study after study has proven that for most people, alcohol shuts down your ability to burn fat in the liver. This is (obviously) very important if you are trying to lose fat.

So remember, it’s not about the total calories in this case, it’s about what the alcohol does to your fat burning furnace! It shuts it down!

Whether at your gym, work, or school, we all know somebody who’s lost weight. Make it your mission to seek these people out, buy them a cup of coffee, and ask them what they did to achieve success. This should be easy, people love to talk about themselves, especially when they are the hero.

2. Hire a pro
Seek out a fitness coach. Whether it’s a personal trainer, registered dietitian, or other qualified consultant. While these services may seem expensive, they will save you both time and money in the long run. It’s an investment in YOU, and you’re worth it.

3. Identify trigger foods
A trigger food is anything that causes you to overeat. For some, it’s sugar, for others, it’s salt. Once you identify your triggers, you can eliminate them till you reach your goals or simply choose to live without them all together.

4. Eliminate excuses
It doesn’t take much for any of us to come up with a long list of excuses of why we can’t accomplish something. You don’t have to look very far to find someone who has got a list of goals and a longer list of reasons why he can’t accomplish them. Sure, there are certain times in one’s life when serious issues arise, and the challenges that those issues present make achieving a goal literally impossible. But how many of your excuses are true life challenges?

5. Set small attainable and measurable goals
Many small victories over the course of time will lead to the attainment of your goals. You may set long-term goals that may take a long period of time to reach, but don’t despise small beginnings. Setting some short, attainable goals will build self-confidence and provide momentum in the direction of your larger goals.

6. Find an accountability partner
Whether it’s a personal trainer, or simply a friend waiting at the gym, there are many benefits of having an accountability partner. Let’s face it, you don’t want to let that person down, so you get out of bed to make good on your promise. Not only can an accountability partner guilt you into success, but they can also provide a little friendly competition and a fresh perspective to the training process.

7. Schedule, schedule, schedule!
Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Initially, you should write down your entire day before it even begins. Everything from what you’re going to buy at the grocery store, to what meals you’re going to eat for the rest of the week. Most people fail because they lack structure and a plan of action. Don’t leave your results to chance, schedule and document everything. Your program should forecast at least the next three to six weeks of your training and nutrition. A personal trainer can help you design an effective program, but before hiring one, be sure to ask for references and testimonials.

8. Reward yourself
We all have different motivators. For some, it’s a trip to the mall, for others, it might be a weekend away. Whatever motivates you, consider making it an incentive to follow through on your new training program.

9. Stipulations
Just as rewards are motivator, stipulations can be equally as motivating. A stipulation can give negative consequences for the lack of follow through. When Ben and Jerry are calling you at midnight, knowing that there is pain associated with eating that ice cream will cause you to reconsider your actions.

10. Plan your work, but work your plan!
The bridge between your plan and success is work. You can purchase all of the right food, supplements, and have the best training program, but without daily, consistent action, success will not be had. Just remember, yesterdays tomorrow is today!

Being the nutrition guy is tough sometimes. I got a sharp
reminder of that last week, when I was out to dinner with some
friends. When the waiter offered us the dessert menu, everyone
else at the table looked at me. If I could put that look into
words, it would be about half a permission-seeking, “Can I
please, pretty please?” and about half an angry, “Why the hell
did we invite this guy again?”

Look, once and for all: I eat dessert too.

Especially at Christmas. Growing up in an Italian household is
an experience this time of year, I can tell you that. The
pastries never stop coming. Cookies and cakes and sugar dipped
creations that I don’t even know the names of.

But my favorites were these things called “baci,” which in
Italian means “kisses.” Every region in Italy has their own
version; in fact, you can often find the ones from Perugia in
specialty grocery stores. They’re these bite-sized chocolate and
hazelnut treats that are unbelievably addictive.

And that’s the problem. You can’t just eat one. When I
mentioned this to Jason Grenci, our photographer for Gourmet
Nutrition (and an Italian kid himself), he knew exactly what I
meant. But he decided to do something about it.

He came up with a Gourmet Nutrition version.

Let me tell you something: these things are delicious. He found a
way to turn them into a true Anytime meal: just 9 grams of carbs
and over 22 grams of protein per serving. Unreal.

I’ve just made a batch for Christmas Eve, and if you’re looking
for a nutritious dessert that can fool ANYONE, this is it. Here’s
the recipe.

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CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BITES

2/3 cup roasted hazelnuts
4 omega-3 eggs
3/4 cup Splenda
1 tsp espresso coffee powder
5 scoops chocolate protein powder
2/3 cup crushed pecans
2/3 cup crushed walnuts
2/3 cup crushed unsalted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. On a baking sheet, spread hazelnuts and
roast them in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. When finished, pull
hazelnuts out of the oven and place onto a towel. Put 8 of the
hazelnuts aside for later. Next, use the towel to rub the skin
off all but the 8 hazelnuts you put aside.

With an electric mixer, mix together the omega-3 eggs, Splenda,
and espresso coffee powder. Next, add protein powder, one scoop
at a time, mixing thoroughly. Finally, add the de-skinned
hazelnuts (leaving the 8 full hazelnuts aside), pecan meal,
crushed walnuts and peanuts. Mix well. The mixture should
become thick and dough-like.

With wet hands, separate the mixture into 8 equal portions. For
each portion, place one of the 8 hazelnuts set aside earlier into
the center of the portion, rolling the portion into a small round
shape until it completely covers the hazelnut in the center.
Place each bite-sized shape onto a baking sheet lined with
parchment paper. Place the sheet into the oven for 10 minutes.
When complete, pull from the oven and allow to cool. These can
be eaten warm, or stored in an air-tight container in the fridge
and served cool later.

Makes 8 servings.

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per serving)

Calories: 394 kcal
Protein: 22g
Carbohydrate: 9g
Fat: 30g
Saturated: 3.1g
Monounsaturated: 15.8g
Polyunsaturated: 11.2g

–

Enjoy,
JB

John M. Berardi, Ph.D.
Author, Gourmet Nutrition