Good Choices

We went over foods that are high volume and good choices for you to make to keep yourself from getting too hungry or too full. Now here are some foods that may confuse you – Carbohydrates! We have all heard about carb diets or the lack thereof, and protein diets or diets with way too much protein.  We see and hear many different articles or TV shows debating who is right and what you should do to reach your goals. It can become a bit confusing. 

So let’s clear up some things. About a month ago I was talking to a boot camper and I asked if she liked bananas, trying to figure out what could be a quick snack that could work for her. The response I thought was interesting: “Bananas are bad for you, aren’t they?” How can something grown and not processed be bad for you? Yes, it is on the high end of the glycemic index, so I normally say to eat it in the morning, not right before bed.  Carbohydrates in the diet are fine; the question is which ones?

Carbs can cause us to eat more and too much. Highly refined carbs causes blood sugar to go up and down suddenly, which makes your appetite go up and down like a roller coaster too.

Eating has a huge impact on weight loss and changing your body, so you need to figure out what your goals are, what you are willing to commit to. Eating a high protein diet with little or no carbs is great if you are building muscle, but you need carbs if you’re trying to build endurance. Body builders stick to that type of diet when “bulking up” and they don’t normally have much cardio in their workouts.  

Here are some GREAT choices when looking for good carbs:

Poor Choice                                              Great Choice

White Bread               Whole Wheat

Dehydrated Potato Flakes   ½ baked sweet potato 

Croutons                        Garbanzo Beans

White Rice                          Brown Rice 

Pastry                                  Whole Wheat Pancakes  

Apple Juice                         Apple with skin

White Pasta                      Whole Wheat Pasta 

Soda                                      Water     

High volume Foods

I wanted to give you guys a list of some High Volume Fruits and Vegetables to help you know what can keep in the house to have on hand. Find a few that you know you like and will eat.

High Volume Vegetables 

•      Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Bean Sprouts
• Beans (green, wax, Italian) 
•  Broccoli

• Beets
•  Brussels sprouts
•  Carrots
•  Cauliflower
•  Eggplant
• Greens (collard, mustard)
• Kohlrabi
• Leeks
• Mushrooms (cooked)
• Okra
• Onions
• Pea pods
• Peppers
• Spinach
• Summer Squash
• Tomato
• Zucchini

High Volume Fruits

• Apples (raw 2 inches across)
•  Banana (9 inches long) 
•   Blackberries
•  Blueberries
•  Cantaloupe
•  Cherries
•    Figs
•   Grapefruit
•    Grapes 
•     Honeydew
•     Kiwi
•    Mandarin Oranges
•    Mango (small)
•    Orange (2 ½  inches across) 
•     Papaya
•    Peach (2 ¾ inches across)
•    Pear ( ½ large)
•   Pineapple
•   Plum (2 in across)
•   Raspberries
•  Strawberries
•  Tangerine
•   Watermelon

Take 3!

Two weeks ago I talked about dieting and the “Take 3” method. Just to refresh your memory, I asked for everyone to take 3 seconds to ask yourself 3 questions before you eat something:

•  Am I hungry?

•  Is it smart?

• How much do I need?

Now, if any of you did this (which I hope you have!), you may have noticed that if you answered “No” to the first 2 questions, it was hard to answer the last one. So let’s talk more about the question. 

#1- Am I hungry?  

Or are you thirsty? Like I have said before, our body gives off the same signal for both, so if you just ate something, try to drink some water and see if the hunger goes anyway. 

#2- Is it Smart?

Are you reaching for the Greek yogurt or the potato chips? Making the smart choice isn’t always the easiest or quickest, I know, but if you have smart choices ready to go it is not that hard. 

#3-How much do I need? 

This question is very important, no matter what the answers are to the first two. You have to know how much is too much! You said yes to questions 1 & 2 does; that mean you can eat all you want? No! You still need to know who much you can eat. If you answered no to questions 1 & 2, can you still eat it? Yes, you can just figure out how much you need to satisfy yourself and enjoy it! Don’t just inhale it. Some of you have heard me tell you how much I love Oreos! Yes, Oreos, only the double stuff ones, of course. I can eat them all in one sitting, no kidding! I not only love the way they taste, but I also have a strong emotional connection to them. That makes them very dangerous for me. I would tell anyone not to let anything into the house that is this dangerous. Well, I do; why? My youngest, MacKenzie, loves them just as much as I do, so they do make their way in.  A great way to stop myself from eating too many is to take one and walk out the door so I can’t go back for more.

You need to eat things that you crave or you will over eat even the good stuff! Learning moderation is easy; just remember the portions that are “normal” right now are too much. When you go out to eat they give you too much; you only need half or less. Figure out when your body has enough food, not when it is full. Stop eating right before you are full. Try to think of your hunger on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being overstuffed and uncomfortable, 7 feeling full, 5 as comfortable, just enough not hungry and not feeling full, 3 as slightly hungry, and 0 as extremely hungry, constant grumbling stomach, maybe even light-headed. We want our body to operate in the 3 to 5 range. Letting your hunger get too low will often result in over stuffing yourself the next time you eat.

One of the hardest things to understand is what size portion we need when we eat. Protein should be the size of a deck of cards – no more about 3 ounces. Complex carbs – veggies and fruit – should take up half your plate, and grains should be ¼ of your plate.  Use a small plate instead of a “regular” size plate to make it seem as if you are having more than you are.