YOU: on a Diet ( 03/01/08 - 05/31/08 )

[Sassay]

So far it's almost too good to be true. 4lb loss this week. I am keeping trac of everything I eat for these first two weeks. I am eating nothing that has more than 4 grams of fat. I think I should be eating like 1700 calories a day but having a hard time doing that. The most I got down was almost 1600 but that was only one day. It seems to run around 12-1300 a day. I am full though and don't feel denied yet.

[Sassay]

Here is my menus so far...Let me know what you think. Thanks, Sue

Monday 5/19/08:

Before breakfast snack: Whole-Wheat toast 50 calories w/ ½ tsp grape jelly 10 calories & International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories

Breakfast: Oatmeal 160 calories w/ 10 slices of strawberries 14 calories

Morning snack: 6 Walnuts 45 calories

Lunch: Salad w/ tomato, cucumber, cheese, fat free ham 260 calories and spray salad dressing 4 calories

Afternoon snack: ½ of an apple 60 calories and 6 Walnuts 45 calories & International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories

Dinner: Can spinach 60 calories and piece of Fish (garlic butter) 200 calories

Evening snack: Low-fat popcorn 100 calories & International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories

CALORIES FOR THE DAY: 1113

Not exercising at this time.

Tuesday 5/20/08:

Before breakfast snack: International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories

Breakfast: Oatmeal 160 calories w/ 10 slices of strawberries 14 calories & about an ounce of Low-carb milk 22.50 calories

Morning snack: 6 Walnuts 45 calories

Lunch: Salad w/ tomato, cucumber, cheese, FF chicken 260 calories and spray salad dressing 4 calories

Afternoon snack: ½ of an apple 60 calories and 6 Walnuts 45 calories & International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories

Dinner: 1 chicken breast 140 calories and salad 190 calories (no meat on salad), 1/4 Cantaloupe
38 calories

Evening snack: 2 piece whole wheat bread 100 calories (one with grape jelly 10 calories) & 10 slices of strawberries 14 calories International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories


CALORIES FOR THE DAY: 1207
Not exercising at this time 5/21/08.

Wednesday:

Before breakfast snack: International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories & 1/8 Cantaloupe 19 calories

Breakfast: Oatmeal 160 calories w/ slices of strawberries 14 calories & about an ounce of Low carb-milk 22.50 calories

Morning snack: 6 Walnuts 45 calories

Lunch: Salad w/ tomato, cucumber, cheese & Fat Free Ham 260 calories spray salad dressing 4 calories 1/8 Cantaloupe 19 calories

Afternoon snack: International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories

Dinner: 2 Fat Free Hotdogs 380 calories and two pieces of Whole Wheat bread 100 calories and Salad 190 calories and baked fries 160 calories

Evening snack: Low-fat popcorn 100 calories & International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories

CALORIES FOR THE DAY: 1543.50


Thursday:

Before breakfast snack: International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories

Breakfast: Oatmeal 160 calories w/ slices of strawberries 14 calories & about an ounce of Low carb-milk 22.50 calories

Morning snack: 6 Walnuts 45 calories & 1/8 Cantaloupe 19 calories

Lunch: Salad w/ tomato, cucumber, cheese & Chicken 260 calories, spray salad dressing 4 calories

Afternoon snack: International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories & 6 Walnuts 45 calories


Dinner: Smoked Pork Chop 247 calories Can spinach 60 calories and Salad w/ tomato, cucumber, cheese 190 calories

Evening snack: Low-fat popcorn 100 calories & International coffee (sugar-free) 35 calories


CALORIES FOR THE DAY: 1271.50

[jezzie]

Sassay: Congratulations on your loss. From a weight loss viewpoint you are doing great.
If only I could live on 1300 calories a day I'd be a skinny minny.

The International coffee is something I wouldn't drink from a health standpoint.
I don't know if it's not YOU approved that's just a personal feeling. And I'd have to see the label
on those fat free meat products.

Would you consider extra virgin olive oil and vinegar instead of the spray? You need good fat.

Some general guidelines.
Six servings of whole grains, five servings of vegetables, four servings of fruit.
Dessert or treat (dark chocolate, air popped popcorn): Every other day.

And of course no more than 4 gr. sugar in a serving. Avoid HFCS as if it had a skull and cross bone
on the label.

[jezzie]

How to Turn Breakfast into a Power Meal

Stirring some sliced strawberries into your steel-cut oatmeal is like adding water to a Chia Pet: Things suddenly start growing -- but in this case, it’s the health powers of the oats and berries. (By the way, chia seeds are a source of healthful omega-3s, but we’ll save that for another tip.) That's because oats are rich in heart-helping compounds called phenols that thrive on vitamin C, and strawberries are loaded with C.

Put the two together, and they make lousy LDL cholesterol significantly more stable than just phenols do.
And when it comes to LDL (like significant others), you want them to be stable. Stable LDL is less likely to break down and stick to small nicks in your artery walls -- and less sticking means fewer clog build-ups that might otherwise lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other nasty business.

Yes, steel-cut oats take a little longer to make than regular oatmeal -- okay, 30 or 40 minutes longer.
But it’s not like you have to stand there watching them cook. (Besides, how much time did you spend watching Animal Planet reruns last night?) Go take a shower. Get dressed.

By the time you’re ready, so are they. And not only do steel-cut oats taste like your grandma cooked breakfast for you, but also they’re so lightly processed that most of their fiber is intact.

Which is good for your waist as well as your health: Fiber -- especially in the morning -- acts like a speed bump in your digestive tract, slowing everything down so you feel fuller longer. It’s a way to use body chemistry to get the healthy shape you want.

[Sassay]

I'm not crazy about oil and vinager. I do use Olive Oil if I am cooking. I want to try the stel-cut oats. The international Coffee has 35 calories and 2.5 fat (no trans). It actually helps me not grave sweets so much. I really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions, it helps keep me going.
By the way, thank you for breaking down what I should be eating daily. My question on that is what exactly what is a serving of each section? Thanks, Sue

[jezzie]

A serving of meat is equal to 3 ounces
( about the size of a deck of playing cards).

A serving of whole grain will be stated on the packaging.
For example 1/2 dry oatmeal is 1 serving. (I eat a double portion).
1 slice of whole wheat bread is a serving.

With most vegetables a half cup is a serving.
So you would need 2.5 cups of vegetables.
But I think 2 cups of salad equals only one serving.

Fruit I'd need a specific.
For example a serving of cantaloupe is 1/4 of the cantaloupe
(or 1 cup of melon balls).

.

[jezzie]

[jezzie]

Dynamic Dietary Duos

Your mini meals will be more diverse if you try to include items from at least two different food groups in every meal, at least one of which should be the fruit or vegetable category.

Including at least one piece of fruit or a vegetable in each mini meal not only ensures variety but also can help you meet your RealAge optimum of 4 fruit and 5 vegetable servings per day. Try to avoid mini meals that contain only a single kind of food item.

Pairing certain foods can help maximize the benefits of the six-meal lifestyle. Here are a few examples of great pairings:

* Couple your vegetables with a bit of healthy fat to help your body better absorb the vitamins and minerals. For example, by drizzling olive oil and vinegar on a salad of mixed greens and sliced tomatoes, the olive oil will help your body absorb the lutein in the greens and the lycopene in the tomatoes.
* Pair complex carbohydrates with a protein or healthy fat. The addition of a protein or healthy fat slows down the rate of digestion even more than a complex carbohydrate alone. Try whole-grain bagels with natural peanut butter or dip your whole-grain crackers into spicy hummus. Or add walnuts to a fruit salad, which will help your body use any carotenoids in the fruit.

Healthy Eating Redefined

Eating smaller, more frequent meals is a great way to increase your opportunities to meet nutritional gaps in your daily diet.

Mini meals that incorporate whole-grain foods, colorful fruits and vegetables, lean fish or poultry, low-fat dairy, and unsaturated fats not only will help to stabilize your blood sugar levels but also could help reduce your risk of several diseases, from heart disease and hypertension to diabetes and certain types of cancer. Saying goodbye to snacks and three squares a day never sounded sweeter.

[jezzie]

7 Ways to Eat Meat and Stay Healthy

Lots of heart-conscious consumers and waist watchers have recently rehabbed their steak knives, having found that -- hang onto your knife sharpener -- eating a little red meat doesn't necessarily put you on the fast track to Fat Central.

It's not the meat itself; it's the aging, artery-clogging, cholesterol-soaring, saturated fat in meat that you want to minimize. Here's how:

1. Select the best. When you're shopping for meat, choose cuts labeled USDA Select Grade; they have less fat than Choice and Prime.

2. Go lean. Choose packages labeled "lean" or "extra lean" whenever possible. Lean means the meat has fewer than 8.5 grams of fat per 3-ounce serving; extra lean has fewer than 4 grams.

3. Stay on the grass. Try to buy meat labeled "grass fed" or "pasture raised." It may have 25% to 50% less fat, fewer calories, and more heart-healthy omega-3s than regular grain-fed meat. (It also suggests the animal was raised humanely.)

4. Slice away. Trim external fat before cooking, and use that well-sharpened knife to remove any fat that's still there once it's on your plate. Doing so can slash fat intake by as much as half.

5. Keep it separate. Broil, grill, or roast meat on grills or pans that drain away fat.

6. Towel off. To remove both grease and calories, blot meatballs and burgers with paper towels after cooking.

7. Know your limits. Minimize meat-centered meals. RealAge recommends no more than one serving of red meat a week. One serving, says the USDA, is the size of a deck of cards, or about 3 ounces.

How big is the payoff when you lose the fat but keep the meat? How would you like to see fewer candles on your birthday cake next year? Eating a low-fat diet -- and eating healthful unsaturated fats when you do eat fat -- can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.

[jezzie]

How to Turn Breakfast into a Power Meal

Stirring some sliced strawberries into your steel-cut oatmeal is like adding water to a Chia Pet: Things suddenly start growing -- but in this case, it’s the health powers of the oats and berries. (By the way, chia seeds are a source of healthful omega-3s, but we’ll save that for another tip.) That's because oats are rich in heart-helping compounds called phenols that thrive on vitamin C, and strawberries are loaded with C.

Put the two together, and they make lousy LDL cholesterol significantly more stable than just phenols do. And when it comes to LDL (like significant others), you want them to be stable. Stable LDL is less likely to break down and stick to small nicks in your artery walls -- and less sticking means fewer clog build-ups that might otherwise lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other nasty business.

Yes, steel-cut oats take a little longer to make than regular oatmeal -- okay, 30 or 40 minutes longer. But it’s not like you have to stand there watching them cook. (Besides, how much time did you spend watching Animal Planet reruns last night?)

Go take a shower. Get dressed. By the time you’re ready, so are they. And not only do steel-cut oats taste like your grandma cooked breakfast for you, but also they’re so lightly processed that most of their fiber is intact.

Which is good for your waist as well as your health: Fiber -- especially in the morning -- acts like a speed bump in your digestive tract, slowing everything down so you feel fuller longer. It’s a way to use body chemistry to get the healthy shape you want.

[jezzie]

The Calm, Quiet Vitamin -- and Why You Need It

Know what's super bad for your body? Inflammation. It’s thought to be at the core of problems like heart disease and heart attacks.

Know what's a great way to quiet inflammation? Get your fill of vitamin K. Good choices: just about anything leafy and green -- from spinach and kale to collards and turnip greens.

Fanning the Flames of Inflammation

Inflammation is your body's response to injury or infection. And when it occurs in your blood vessels, inflammation can be a sign of bad things to come -- like ruptured arterial plaques, clot formation, heart attack, and stroke.

Enter leafy greens. They pack a real vitamin K punch, and more and more research is linking high vitamin K intake to a lower bodywide inflammation index.

Going for the Green

Bored with salads? The trick to getting more greens -- and more vitamin K -- into your diet may be learning to use them more creatively.

RealAge Benefit: Learning a new RealAge cooking technique every month can make your RealAge up to 6 years younger.

[jezzie]

Sundays Menu

Pre-Breakfast:
2 mugs - two thirds decaf with soy milk
walnuts, banana

Breakfast:
1 egg
old fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon and buckwheat honey
Mineola orange

Pre-Lunch:
almnds, cherries

Lunch:
Healthy Harvest rotini in Classico hot sauce, parmesan
sauteed zucchini

Pre-Dinner:
plain yogurt with canned peaches

Dinner
salmon, small red potatoes roasted, steamed green beans

[jezzie]

Could Sunshine Be Good for You?

Feeling a little bad about all the time you've recently spent in the sun? Here's news that might help take some of the edge off.

New research suggests soaking up a little sunshine here and there might actually help strengthen your immune system. Seems counterintuitive -- and more research is needed to confirm the theory -- but here’s how it goes . . .

Bright, Sunshiny News

Although rates of skin cancer -- as well as several other types of cancer -- tend to be higher in sunnier latitudes, cancer patients in these regions seem to fare better when it comes to fighting the disease. Their secret defense? Researchers think it might be the extra vitamin D they score from living in a sunnier clime.

But Be a Sensible Sun-Body

Your body makes vitamin D from the sun faster and more effectively than it soaks it up from food and supplements. Still, you need to minimize your exposure to harmful UV rays, especially during the sun's peak hours (10 a.m.–4 p.m.).

All you need is about 10–20 minutes of sun to get the D you need for the day. One option: Apply your SPF just before you head outdoors. By the time it kicks in, you'll have gotten a quick but ample dose of D.

Supplement the Sun

Stuck inside most of the day? Try a Greek Omelet for breakfast, and make Smoked Salmon Salad Nicoise for lunch. Both are packed with D.

RealAge Benefit: Safely getting enough sun can make your RealAge as much as 1.7 years younger.

[Sassay]

Thank you for all of your help. You are a real treasure. I really like this way of eating. I have been on it a week and I have lost about 3lbs and 1 inch. I know that's not like low carbing but I really like being able to eat more balanced. I haven't had that first craving (knock on wood) for sugar. I am not expecting a big loss but am hoping for a steady one. I have to work on my walking. I walked Friday, Saturday and then vegged Sunday through yesterday and I know that will get me no where. I am going to force myself to start again tonight. Again, thanks for being here.

[jezzie]

Glad you are enjoying the balanced eating. ... I love it.


When It Comes to Eating Fat, Go Long

Check out this natural, easy, and enjoyable way to keep your hunger in check: Eat long, liquid fats.

This type of fat helps turn off hunger signals and sate your appetite, so you eat less overall. Invite a few to every meal.

The Long Way to Full

What's a long, liquid fat, you ask? According to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine, these fats have lots of carbon molecules adding to their length. More importantly, they produce cholecystokinin (CCK) -- a lovely hormone that tells your brain, "You're full now. You can stop eating."

Long and Short of It

You'll find long-chain, liquid fats right where you might expect -- in the healthiest of foods. Good sources include fatty fish (salmon, trout), nuts and seeds (walnuts, flax), and plant-based foods (avocado, olive oil). You should not only eat more of these kinds of foods but also jettison the short-chain, solid fats (read saturated fats) at the same time. Why? Because not-so-healthy fats actually make you hungrier, according to La Puma.

More Hunger-Nixing Notions
Naturally, we all wish we could keep our hunger in check sometimes, and lose a few extra pounds in the process. Here are a few more tricks to try that won't leave you feeling like a hunger artist.

* Eat breakfast -- every day.
* Grab a few sips of water before you hit the snack cupboard.
* Ditch anything with corn syrup in it.

RealAge Benefit: Avoiding saturated and trans fats can make your RealAge more than 4 years younger.

[jezzie]

Mediterranean diet may also help stop diabetes
Thu May 29, 2008, By Michael Kahn

LONDON (Reuters) - A Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetables -- already known to protect against heart disease -- also appears to help ward off diabetes, Spanish researchers said on Friday.

The study published in the British Medical Journal showed that people who stuck closely to the diet were 83 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not.

"The new thing is that we have been able to assess adherence to a Med diet and the incidence of diabetes in people who were initially healthy," said Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez, an epidemiologist at the University of Navarra in Spain, who led the study. "We didn't expect such a high reduction."

The World Health Organisation estimates more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes -- a number likely to more than double by 2030 as more nations adopt a Western lifestyle.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 percent of all cases and is closely linked to obesity and heart disease. The condition accounts for an estimated 6 percent of all global deaths.

For their study the Spanish researchers recruited 13,000 former students at the university with an average age of 38 who had no history of diabetes. They tracked their dietary habits and health over an average four years.

The volunteers also initially completed a food frequency questionnaire to measure the kinds of food they ate. The list included questions on the use of fats and oils, cooking methods and dietary supplements.

People who strictly adhered to a Mediterranean diet full of vegetables, fish and healthy fats such as olive oil, and low in red meat, dairy products and alcohol had lower odds of diabetes.

YOU: on a Diet ( 03/01/08 - 05/31/08 )

[jezzie]

Peter Piper Should’ve Picked This Pepper

Whatever their color, bell peppers are brimming with age-fighting antioxidants. But which bell has the most -- red, orange, yellow, or green?

If you're going to pick just one, you might be better off red. A study recently showed that reds were the bell of the ball when it came to disease-fighting phenol content.

Phenol Defenders, and More

Phenols aren't the only feather in a red bell pepper's cap. According to another study, red bells are also highest in vitamin C -- that mighty antioxidant that helps keep your skin and blood vessels young.

Color Me Healthy

But don't chuck your green, yellow, or orange bell peppers. For maximum RealAge benefits, you want a colorful and diverse diet -- so you get the broadest antioxidant protection. To keep yourself colorful, follow the simple rules of the diversity diet.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that includes 5 servings of vegetables per day can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.

[jezzie]

Give Your Brain a Facelift

You don’t have to download a single Miley Cyrus song or say “like” in every sentence to make your brain younger.

Simply make your meals more colorful with broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, arugula, watercress, radishes, bok choy, or cabbage.

They’re all part of the cruciferous family of vegetables. To botanists, that means they all have four-petaled flowers. To you, it means they can tickle your taste buds while adding vital health powers.

Women who ate the most of these vegetables had scores on brain tests that were the same as those of women 2 years younger.

Eat them regularly yourself, and your brain could be 48 when the calendar says it’s 50. Botox can’t do that! Then combine these with other ways we’ve talked about to make your brain younger -- for instance, taking DHA (600 milligrams a day) and walking (30 minutes a day). They’ll all contribute to keeping your brainpower potent.

Not a big fan of cruciferous veggies? Boo on you! But there’s another option: spinach. The big spinach eaters also had younger brains. Nutrients like lutein and folate, found abundantly in these foods, may be responsible for turning back the mental clock.

Push your brainpower even higher by cooking some fish -- say salmon, trout, or sole -- in a foil pouch with a little olive oil and some herbs and then serving it with your veggies.

The omega-3 fatty acids in these types of fish also have an antiaging effect on your mind, possibly because they’re anti-inflammatory. So eat up and keep your mental powers strong. And don’t be surprised when you beat your kids at Scrabble.

[jezzie]

Q: When I walk a 15-minute mile, I get my heart rate up to about 100 beats per minute, which is the low end of my target range. Should I carry a 3-pound weight in each hand to get it higher and make me fitter?
-- Kelly, Lincoln, NE

A: Seeing a person walking with a 3-pound weight in each hand is like watching toddlers entering the terrible twos: They look small and harmless, but they can cause tornado-sized trouble.

The seemingly smart idea of carrying weights while walking has actually turned out to be a leading cause of orthopedic surgery. That’s because most people don’t pay attention to the way they swing the weights when they walk.

Their form gets sloppier as they tire, and, since there’s a weight at the end of each arm, their shoulder joints begin to rotate beyond the normal range of motion. Eventually, this excess wear and tear on the shoulder results in injuries.

Lighter weights -- say 1/2- to 1-pound wrist weights -- may not be so hazardous to your shoulders if you can still lift your wrists high and move them down low, as if you weren’t wearing weights at all.

But unless you get your movement checked by an exercise physiologist, there’s no reliable way of testing your form yourself to be sure you won’t eventually be giving a shoulder surgeon some business.

The healthiest ways to get your heart rate up are to walk in an area that has hills, increase the resistance on an elliptical trainer or a stationary bike, or raise the incline on a treadmill.

[jezzie]

Is Sugar Bad for Your Eyes?

Looks like there may be yet another reason to kick sugar and white flour out of your diet: eye health.

Cutting back on processed carbs could lower your risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in people 60 and older.

The Carb Connection

What makes refined carbs so bad for your peepers? Seems their high glycemic index may be partly to blame. High-glycemic-index foods boost a whole bunch of bad things linked to AMD -- like increases in oxidative stress, inflammation, and blood-fat levels.

RealAge Benefit: Choosing whole grains rather than processed grains can make your RealAge 1.2 years younger if you are a man and 2.3 years younger if you are a woman.

[jezzie]

Sundays Menu

Pre-Breakfast:
2 mugs - two thirds decaf with soy milk
walnuts, banana

Breakfast:
1 egg
old fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon and buckwheat honey
Mineola orange

Pre-Lunch:
sweet potato chips w/hummus dip

Lunch:
Healthy Harvest rotini in Classico hot sauce, parmesan
sauteed zucchini

Pre-Dinner:
plain yogurt with mashed banana

Dinner
2 oz. cheese, roasted small red potatoes, salad
(lazy dinner)

[jezzie]

Addicted to Decaf?

A little edgy this morning? Might have nothing to do with the meeting you’re late for, and everything to do with the fact that you skipped your decaf.

Yes, decaf. That supposedly non-octane drink can contain enough caffeine to boost your mood, wake you up, help you concentrate -- and make you cranky without it. Three 8-ounce servings (about two mugs full) can contain as much as 21 milligrams (mg). That’s enough to get you hooked.

(But it’s a lot less than one of us YOU Docs -- Dr. Mike -- has in his six to eight cups of regular a day!)

As the caffeine-sensitive know, few decaf brews are 100% caffeine-free. Many have up to 7 mg of caffeine in 8 ounces, and an ounce of decaf espresso can wield up to 16 mg. That’s not a lot, compared to what’s in the usual eye-openers: 90–135 mg in 8 ounces of real coffee; 35–50 mg in 1 ounce of espresso; 40–60 mg in a can of cola; 15–50 mg in 8 ounces of tea. But caffeine is such a powerful stimulant that even small amounts can get many people hopping.

Caffeine is neither all good nor all bad. You may want to avoid it if you have abnormal heart beats, migraines, caffeine-triggered stomach upset, an anxiety disorder, or sleeping problems that are worsened by caffeine (Dr. Mike’s sleep problems are made better). But its addictive power means that stopping a five-cups-a-day habit cold turkey -- even if it’s decaf -- may make you sleepy, nauseous, irritable, and headachy for a few days (definitely not the spouse of the year).

On the up side, coffee (generally caffeinated) cuts the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by 25% to 45% and reduces the risk of liver cancer by upwards of 40%. So if it’s not bothering you otherwise, don’t leave home without your decaf . . . or the high-test stuff. Your choice.