Winning the Sugar War

The average American eats over 20 teaspoons of added sugar every day. Yikes! Everybody knows they should avoid processed sugar, but knowing isn't all that helpful...Doing it is the hard part! Here is what the latest research says about winning your war against sugar:

• Watch out for taste-bud ping-pong. When a sweet flavor is eaten along with a salty one--think French fries with soda or pretzels with juice--the brain doesn't get satiated and it is very difficult to stop eating.
• Push the fruit after exercise. Fruit (which is about 80% water) tends to taste better after exercise because a thirsty body prefers watery foods.
• Sweeten it yourself. Buy breakfast cereals, drinks, and other snacks with NO sugar and then add your own if you need to sweeten it. This makes you much more aware of how much sugar you consume.
• Serve protein at each meal. This helps keep blood sugar levels steady, which can help prevent cravings.
• Make sleep a priority. Sleep deprivation can lead to sugar cravings.
• Finally, avoid even the occasional sugar-binge. Why? Psychology researchers at Princeton have finally proven that sugar is addictive. Granted, they studied rats (so they could look inside their brains) but they found that eating sugar produces similar results as taking addictive drugs. Rats fed sugar had altered brain chemistry similar to drug addicts; they had cravings, withdrawal, relapse and even increased preference for alcohol. Perhaps re-classifying sugar as an addictive substance will help us have the discipline not to buy it or keep it in the house.

Fight a good fight for me!

Have a good week,

Jill

Stress Solutions, part 2

Hello!

Last week I told you that when stress is higher, your carb intake should be lower (bummer, I know!) So here's some good news about what you should eat more of when stress abounds:

Foods rich in the calming nutrients, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.

Magnesium-rich foods include...

• cocoa powder (sprinkle it on fruit, cottage cheese, oatmeal, etc. with a little stevia or your favorite sweetener)
• halibut
• white beans
• wheat bran
• spinach

Omega-3-rich foods include...

• cold-water fatty fish like wild salmon, trout, haddock, mackerel, sardines
• fish oil supplements
• flax seed oil
• walnuts (limit to 1/4 cup per serving)

If you want the most omega 3's for the least calories, fish oil supplements are your best bet. Look for a brand that says "3rd party certified" to make sure they don't contain mercury. Some studies have shown that fish oil has such a powerful effect on mood and anxiety that some folks on anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication have been able to lower their doses after starting fish oil supplements. Wow!

Hope you have a stress-free week,

Jill

Stress Solution, Part 1

Hello!

As you may have experienced, stress makes it harder to lose weight--not only because it can affect your appetite and will-power, but also because it can raise your blood sugar. How? Adrenaline.

Adrenaline helps prepare your body for the Fight-or-Flight Response (i.e., exercise), which includes raising your blood sugar. High blood sugar is great if you need to outrun a predator, but bad if you want your fat cells to open up and let out some energy to burn. You body doesn't know whether your stress comes from your job or a hungry tiger chasing you, so it errs on the side of survival.

What can you do about it?

1. Exercise more when you are stressed: Give your body the physical activity it prepared for. You'll be surprised how energized you are, with the help of your adrenaline.

2. Eat less carbohydrate. When your adrenaline is already raising your blood sugar, you can compensate by eating foods that don't raise your blood sugar as much, like proteins, veggies and a little healthy fat, like nuts or olive oil. You don't need to eat carbs when your blood sugar is already high from adrenaline.

Hope you don't need this week's tip. :) All my best,

Jill

Cheap Tricks

Hello!

The terrible economy has got me thinking about new ways to be healthier and I've been thrilled to find there are some cost-cutting measures that are great for your health and waistline. Here are my favorites:

1. Buy smaller apples, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant or any produce with an edible skin. The skin is the healthiest part of the food and smaller items have a higher ratio of skin to insides (remember your middle school geometry?) That means it's better to eat 2 small apples than 1 big one. The smaller produce is often cheaper, so shhhh...don't tell the grocers that it's superior.

2. Eat more beans and lentils. For the cost of one pound of chicken breast from Whole Foods you could eat lentils for a week! Just make sure to count one cup of them as your protein AND your starch, since they are rich in both. Serve them with lots of veggies, since they aren't quite as filling (per calorie) as animal protein.

As if the cost weren't reason enough, new research is showing that replacing animal protein with plant protein lengthens your life. That means making a big pot of lentils or beans once a week with lots of garlic, ginger, herbs or spices is your personal and super-convenient fountain of youth!

3. Drink tap water instead of bottled. It is at least as healthy.

4. Replace cold boxed cereals (expensive and highly processed) with whole grains, like oats, brown rice, bulger or any other boiled whole grain. Just compare—for the cost of 8 servings of Cheerios you get 60 servings of oatmeal!

5. And, of course, a few no-brainers: Eat out less, drink water instead of other beverages, and eat more slowly so that you are less likely to overeat.

Have a good week!
Jill

Daylight Savings, stay light, cravings

Hello!

Daylight Savings Time is early this year and that is good news for your diet:

1. Our body chemistry is better at storing fat later in the day, which is why it's better to eat bigger breakfasts and smaller dinners. Daylight Savings Time helps because staying awake longer and being more active after dinner helps prevent the post-dinner blood sugar rise that causes weight gain. Best bet: Eat early and get out for a walk after dinner.

2. Appetite and cravings increase after dark. That's why we tend to crave pizza, not veggies, at 11pm. Best bet: Minimize these dangerous dark hours by going to bed early.

3. Being cold makes you hungrier. Hooray for warmer weather!

So take advantage of the longer days and make me proud! :)

Have a good week,

Jill