The CDS Dish

The Truth About Fad Diets

2012-02-22T10:14:00.001-05:00

Fad Diets have been around for decades, and the truth is they’re not going anywhere. Someoneis always looking for a new diet and gimmick to sell that’s supposed to helpyou lose weight. When the results are said to be fast and effortless, it's easy to get sucked in. Especially by the great looking models they hire to sell you the products...

For months, low-carbwas the hottest fad diet for weight loss but the trend has shifted, as italways does with fad diets. Here is alist of some other fad diets that you’re probably familiar with or maybe eventried:

Low-carb diet Detox diet

Low-fat diet Cabbage soup diet

Liquid diet Macrobiotic diet

Grapefruit diet Juice diet

So what's the problem with fad diets?
Several things... fad diets are usually veryextreme and unrealistic, and they usually cut out major food groups. Has anyone been able to stay on thesedeprivation diets for a long period of time? And even if weight was lost, did the pounds stay off once going back toa eating normally? If a diet restricts you from eating all desserts, all pizza, all french fries, etc... how long do you think that's going to last? Are you willing to do that for the rest of your life? Deprivation can lead to the point of binging and in the end, people usually gain back the weight they lost, maybe even some extra. Bottom line: faddiets don’t work in the long run to help in losing weight and keeping it off.

Fad Diet: Is it right for you?

If the fad diet includes:

- Foods from ALL five food groups

- The right # of servings from each group

- Foods you will enjoy for the rest of your life

- Foods you can buy at the supermarket

- Some of your favorite foods

- Foods that fit your budget and lifestyle

- Regular physical activity or exercise…

Then YES! It is rightfor you!

It's all about portion control and moderation! You can enjoy ALL foods, even your favorite desserts, in small amounts!

What are some diets that you have tried? Did they give you the results you were looking for, and if so, were you able to keep the weight off in the long term?

Volumetrics

2012-02-10T13:58:00.002-05:00

The fact of the matter is: People like to eat! And if given the choice between eating more or less, they'll take more! The key is to fill up on foods that aren't full of calories. This concept, known as "Volumetrics", will allow you to eat more, while slimming down.

Volumetrics is all about energy density of food, which is the number of calories a food has per unit of mass - WHAT? To simplify things: water is heavy and it doesn't add calories, so foods that contain a lot of water have "low energy densities". Water in food is chemically different than water taken in as a beverage because it leaves the stomach more slowly.

Low Energy Density Foods:

Water dilutes the calories, enabling you to eat more for the same amount of weight (or volume) while consuming less calories. Fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk, cooked grains, soups, stews, lean meats, poultry, fish and beans all naturally contain more water (fruits and vegetables are 80-95% water). Foods with a high fiber content help with satiety without providing a lot of calories, such as fruits vegetables, whole grains, and dried beans.

High Energy Density Foods:

Fat increases energy density of foods and is TWICE the calories than carbohydrates and protein.

*Try not to eliminate all fat from your diet! Moderate amounts of fat are necessary for maintaining the health of the human body.

Healthy fats include Mono & Polyunsaturated fats: found in foods such as cooking oils (olive, canola, or vegetable oil), avocados, nuts, and fish.

Unhealthy fats include Saturated & Trans Fats: found in foods such as coconut and palm oils, whole milk, dairy products, cream, butter, lard, fried foods, and fatty meats.

By eating foods high in water and fiber, and low in fat, you can eat larger portions, feel full, and reduce your calorie intake. It's important to note that water alone will NOT satisfy hunger, only thirst. Also, don't be extreme! Still enjoy small portions of foods that have a high energy density in MODERATION. NEVER DEPRIVE YOURSELF!

What are some creative ways you can decrease the energy densities of your favorite dishes?

Make Your Goals S.M.A.R.T.

2011-12-20T16:12:00.002-05:00

Making a New Year's Resolution or any goal can either be discouraging or rewarding in the end. Many people make them but very few make a real commitment to them. What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. The key to success in achieving your goals is to "Make Your Goals S.M.A.R.T."!

Specific - Goals need to be specific and clear. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. Clearly identify the goal and answer the six "W" questions:

1. Who - Who is involved?

2. What - What do I want to accomplish?

3. Where - Identify a location.

4. When - Establish a time frame.

5. Which - Identify requirements and contraints.

6. Why - Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. Answer questions such as: How much? How many? How will I know when it's accomplished? Goals that you can measure will allow you to gauge your progress over time so you can reward yourself for staying on track.

Attainable - Ask yourself: Can I accomplish the goal? Is the goal achievable? Do I have the resources I need to attain the goal? When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. Develop the right attitude to ensure you achieve your goals.

Realistic - A goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. You are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. Ask yourself: Am I truly going to be able to accomplish the goal I've set for myself? What are the barriers that are going to keep me from achieving my goal and how will I overcome them? Try not to set really extreme goals. Making small changes along the way is usually best. Small changes = Big difference.

Timely - A goal must have a target date. Without one, it's not very motivating and you are less likely to stick to your goal. A deadline too far in the future is too easy to put off and a goal that's set too close is not only unrealistic, but it's discouraging. Develop a timeline for yourself.

Are you able to stick to your New Year's Resolution each year or do you tend to stray away from it after a while? Share some of your experiences with goal setting...

Are You a Conscious Eater?

2011-12-15T16:34:00.002-05:00

Have you ever been sitting in front of the T.V. watchingyour favorite show and hunger hits? So you decide to grab a bag of chips because you’re only going to eat a few, right? You take it back to the couch and start munching. Before you know it, the show is over, you look down, and the entirebag of chips is gone...

Or maybe you’vebeen eating in the dining hall with your friends, and you’ve chosen a largeamount of food to eat because your eyes were bigger than your stomach. You get caught up in chit-chat and before youknow it, you look down and your plate is so clean that you probably wouldn’t be able totell that you had food on it in the first place.

These are cases of what I’d like to call“unconscious eating”. It'simportant to try to be a "conscious eater": tryto take the time to sit down and enjoy your food. It’s a good idea to practice eating moreslowly and trying to savor each and every bite. Think about its smell, its texture, its taste. Too many times we get caught up in what’sgoing on around us that we don’t stop to realize what we’re eating or how much.

I like to relate “unconscious eaters” to“unconscious drivers”. You’re drivingfrom point A to point B, in the end you get to your destination alright, but doyou remember the drive? Do you rememberhow you got there? Sometimes it’s thesame with eating. We start eating andthen before you know it, your plate is cleared and you don’t remember what or how much you put in your mouth. This can lead toovereating at meal times. The key is to eatslowly and stay conscious of where you are on the Hunger/FullnessScale. It may be best to portionyour food out before you eat because a lot of the time if it’s there, it’sgone.

Do you pay attention to your food duringmeal times? Do you find it hard to focuson your food when you’re multitasking (watching T.V., studying, talking,driving, etc.)?

Hunger/Fullness Scale

2011-12-05T14:55:00.001-05:00

Some of you may not know what the Hunger/Fullness Scale is. In the future, I'm probably going to be referring to it fairly often, so let's discuss it...

It's a scale from 1to 10 on, you guessed it, your hunger and fullness cues. A 1 being so extremely starving to the pointthat you want to eat anything and everything now, now, NOW; a 10 being soextremely stuffed to the point that you want to lay on the couch and unbuttonyour pants (I like to refer to this as “Thanksgiving Full”); and a 5 beingneutral in that you don’t feel one way or the other. On most days, it’s important to try to staybetween a 3 and a 7. A 3 is the pointwhen you have realized your hunger cue is present and you need to findsomething to eat. Whether you’re starting to get cranky, your stomach isgrowling, or you’re feeling light headed... we all have different hunger cues and it’s important that you know whenand how to recognize yours! A 7 is thepoint when you have realized your fullness cue is present and you need to stopeating! This is the hardest cue forpeople to recognize and the easiest to ignore. It’s important to remember that it takes your body 15 minutes to feelfull. There are going to be times inyour life when you’re going to go outside the 3 and 7 range, such as specialoccasions, like holidays and birthdays, and that’s OK! But, day to day, it’s reallyimportant to try and stay between a 3 and 7.

You may be wondering what the big deal is. What happens when you ignore yourhunger/fullness cues? So ask yourself this... have you ever gotto a 3 and ignored it? Now you’re downto a 2 and then before you know it you’re at a 1 and you can’tconcentrate. You need food NOW! Then what happens when you finally getfood? You overeat!... stuffing your facewith anything and everything you can get your hands on, and you flip to theother end of the spectrum, a 10. It’simportant to try to avoid this. It’sjust as important to not ignore your hunger cues as it is to not ignore yourfullness cues. Take a look at theHunger/Fullness Scale by clicking here.

Do you think about your hunger/fullness cues throughout theday and when you’re eating? Or maybethis is your first time hearing about this scale; are you intrigued to startpaying better attention?

Is Dieting Destroying Your Social Life?

2011-12-02T10:02:00.001-05:00

So you’ve decided to start “dieting”, but since when doesdieting affect everyone around you? You’rethe one on the diet, you’re the one who has to make the sacrifices, you’re theone who has to deprive yourself from your favorite cravings, and you’re the onethat’s getting the raw end of the deal, right? So why are the friends around yousuffering? The truth is that you’veprobably had to deprive your friends along the way...

Scenario: It’s weekly pizza night with yourfriends, but since starting your diet, your pizza-sharing days are behind you. So maybe your friends don’t want to hang outwith you since your fun level has declined due to your strict “don’t drink yourcalories” rule and the fact that you aren’t up for sharing favorite food indulgencestogether. On one hand, I wonder whythey’re the ones who are upset... you’rethe one who has to eat the salads every day. But on the other hand, I get it... who wants to eat in the dining hall with someone who just sticks to thesalad bar every day? That’s not veryexciting. I’m taken back to what HomerSimpson once said, “You don’t win friends with salad”.

So let’s discuss “dieting” for a moment. Personally, when it comes to eating, I hatethe word “diet”. Why do we have todiet? Why can’t we all just eat well? If you’re anything like me, I've tried dietingin the past and in the end all it leads to is a grumpy mood and an over-obsession with food. It turns into all you can think about and talk about. I quickly came to realize thatself-deprivation is not possible. Happily, it's possible to land on some compromises: Eat well on mostdays of the week, indulge every once in a while and don’t deprive yourself, and use 1-2 days a week as “cheat days”. And of course, you can’t forget that working out will naturally make onehealthier and more fit. AND WAIT! It gets better... thislifestyle automatically entitles you to enjoy indulging in sweets and chocolate (dark chocolate ofcourse) without feeling the guilt afterwards. When you eat right, exercise, and splurge every now andagain, you feel better about yourself and you can still be the life of theparty.

Does dieting put a damper on your social life andpopularity? Or maybe you’re one to avoidyour dieting friends?

Food Envy

2011-12-01T14:34:00.001-05:00

Eating on campus with friends is supposed to be an enjoyableexperience. But does anyone feel “on the edge” when it comes time to makethe final decision on where and what you’re going to eat. Sometimes tryingto decide what you want is like taking a multiple choice exam, and believe me,sometimes you cheat...

You may look at your options, decide whether youwant to eat healthy or indulge at that particular meal, and then pick out whatyou want; only to have to ask others what they are eating first, because we allknow that may alter your final decision. But what happens when the personyou’re dining with changes their mind of what they’re getting at the lastminute, after you have already filled your plate? Man, does that throwyou a curve ball! And it may get you thinking, “Maybe I should havechosen something else instead”. Because let’s face it, nobody wants someone else to have food that taste better than their own, right?

So finally you sit down to eat. Do you find yourself wanting to eat off the other person’s plate? Theworst is when you’re trying to eat healthy and the person you’re dining withgets something that you’d rather be eating yourself. On occasion you mayhave convinced yourself to get a healthy option even though you know the personsitting across from you is getting a cheeseburger and fries. But let meask you, how well did that go over for you watching them bite into that big,juicy burger? Did you find yourself wanting to jump across the table andpry the food from their cold-blooded fingers?

Aside from the truth of all of this, there is good news! There is a way tocure food envy and it goes back to the old saying from when you were a child,“sharing is caring”. After all, everyone knows that food from otherpeople’s plates is calorie-free and tastes twice as good ;). But… do youlike to share your food with other people? Let’s be honest, probably onlywhen yours is the boring dish.

Do you or someone you know suffer from food envy and isthere a way to conquer it?