Size DOES Matter Revisited

 Having a hard time remembering portion sizes??

Check out these common items and their portion size equivalence:

1 Baseball

= 1 cup fruit, veggies, pasta, popcorn, rice, cereal, soup

(even for Red Sox haters....)

1 Light Bulb

=1/2 cup: (fruit, veggies, pasta, beans, popcorn, rice, soup, yogurt)

1 Golf Ball

=1/4 cup: Nuts (12 pistacios, peanuts, 7 walnuts halves, 12 almonds)

FOURRRR!

Deck O' Cards

= 3 ounces: a piece of cake,meat/poultry/fish

Go Fish

CD

= 1 pancake or waffle

4 Dice

= 1 ounce of cheese

four of a kind?

1 hockey puck

= 1 bagel (3-4"), muffin, biscuit

1 Package Dental Floss

= 1 ounce chocolate, 2" brownie

The SALTY truth: Pop quiz answer

 I know you've all been anxiously waiting..

Americans are recommended to limit themselves to a certain amount of SODIUM per day. 

How MUCH? 

DRUM ROOOOLLLLLLL........

Answer:

2000-2300 mg sodium per day
1500 mg for those at risk of high blood pressure: African Americans, middle aged & older aged peeps

2300 mg= 1 teaspoon of table salt (bust out your measuring tools..it's kinda teensie).

Now that you know how much...

What is it?

 A soft metal and electrolyte that attracts water & controls water regulation in our bodies (hence the bloated feeling after consuming a whole box of wheat thins). 

It is essential for muscle and nerve function.

  

Where?

 Sodium is found in:

1. SALT: Takes up 40% of the little white granules. The rest is chloride.
2. Natural foods: veggies, dairy, meat/poultry

3. OTC drugs/Prescriptions (check the label)
4. Baking soda & baking powder
5. Additives (under ingredients list on food label):
   disodium phosphate (aka phosphoric acid), monosodium phosphate (MSG), sodium  propionate,sodium nitrate
6. The biggest culprit of all: Prepared Foods:
 Luncheon meats, soup, baked goods, cheese, salad dressings, fried foods, snacks (crackers, pretzels, chips), pretty much anything in a box or can.
    Why? For taste and preservation of the food product.

What happens if you eat above the recommended amount too often?
Could eventually lead to Hypertension (high blood pressure)-a serious silent disease that can cause heart attack, stroke, tissue & organ damage and death. 

I see it too often first-hand!

5 Ways to Cut Back on Sodium:
1. Put the salt shaker down!! There's enough salt in food as it is. Your tastes buds will adjust, don't worry.
2. Try salt-free herbs &  spices (tips to come)
3. Eat fresh! (not a subway ad)
4. Try low-sodium cheese, deli meat, and soups
    Try unsalted nuts, popcorn, chips &  pretzels
5. Stick to foods in packages that have less than 300 mg per  serving

Keep an eye out-- recommendations could change in the upcoming 2010 Dietary Guidelines

(which change every 5 years).

The Drive-Thru Diet by Taco Bell

Anyone else think the name of this diet is comical?

No diet should ever have the words 'drive-thru' in it..

Ooooo America, your laziness continues to amaze me.

Please don't look at this thin-appearing, taco eatin' lady and think melted cheese & beef from a cardboard box is good for you (and should be eaten every day). I beg of you!

This lady cut 500 calories out of her daily intake, and cutting calories in any form will lead to weight loss over time.
But is that necessarily healthy?
By eating the same ol' thing every day, you're likely lacking nutritients you'd get from eating a well-rounded diet.
Not to mention, god knows where they really get their beef & chicken from.

Why even go there 'once in a while' and support a system that has contributed to the obesity epidemic ? (not the sole contributor).

I have to give Taco Bell props though, they are quite clever in the advertising scheme of things, and us America's eat this stuff up (figuratively and literally).

We'll do anything to lose weight besides the 2 things that are proven over and over and over, (and over) to work: Exercise and HEALTHY eating.
God forbid we have some fruits and vegetables every once and while.

Take home message:
 Don't go to taco bell every day if you want to lose weight in a healthy way.



PS. Wanna know the average amount of salt in the fresco items per one burrito or taco?

          908 gm (gaaaaaross).

PSS: I can't support a fast food joint that offers the 'fourth meal'.


PSSS: I know what I'm being for halloween next year.

stay tuned for the yesterday's pop quiz answer

POP QUIZ! It's salty

Ahhemm....for today's pop quiz:

Americans are recommended to limit themselves to a certain amount of SODIUM per day. How MUCH?

(CLUE: we're talking grams or mg here)

Back to The Basics

Do you know your Ideal Body Weight?

Let me share a little math secret us RD's use in the clinical world...

MEN out there:

For every inch over 5 feet (60"), multiply by 6. Then add 106.

ex: 68" (5 feet 8") man: 8 x 6 + 106= 154 lbs.

Not everyone is the same though. For men, (you lucky ducks have more muscle mass then us chicks). I usually add about 10% (for small frames..you can subtract 10%).

ex:154 + 15.4= 169.4

Ranges are usually better too (no one person is gonna be the same)...So, for a 5'8" man an ideal weight is between 154-169.4 lbs.

LADIIIIIESSSS out there:

For every inch above 5 feet (60"), multiply by 5. Then add 100.

ex: 55" (5 feet 5") woman: 5 x 5 + 100 = 125 lbs

If you are toned and muscly, or have a natural large frame, add 10% (people love that). If your frame is tiny, you can subtract 10%. Again, ranges are used.

ex: 125 lbs + 12.5 = 137.5 lbs
Range for a lady 5 feet 5": 125-137.5 lbs

Hope this helps you understand roughly where your body weight should be for optimal health.

Don't FREAK out if you are not near your ideal weight, use it as motivation!!

Lots more info to come on this site to help you lose any unwanted lbs!!

Stay Positive!!

Size DOES Matter

Now that I've got your attention...

We all know it's not just about what you eat, but also how much.

Do you really know how much you're eating?
(I bet you've got a better idea now that you've got your super cool food journal??)

We also know that portion sizes have gone waaaayyy up, and we just keep eatin'!

Test Yourself on Portion Distortion

Don't worry I can't see your results..

We may not have immediate control over how much the industry serves us

But we certainly don't have to purchase it!! ("but lady, for 30 cents more...")

Here's some tips to controlling your size:

1. Umm...Measure!!

    Look in your cabinets people (your plates, cups, bowls, dishes, measuring  utensils).

    How many servings of pasta are you really consuming in your Costco-inspired bowl?

    (btw...1 serving pasta=1/2 cup. It ain't that big. Almost as shocked as the guy pictured above?)

    Experiment: 

    Pour yourself a bowl of your wheatie-o's then pour it back into a measuring cup, how do you measure up?

 2. When eating out, split a dish with a friend (or lovahhh), or ask for a doggy bag right when your food comes. Out of sight out of mind is surprisingly effective.

3. Learn your portion sizizzles...(sizes).

 Grains Equivalence: 1 ounce= 1 slice bread, 1 cup cereal, 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

--> How much a day: 3 ounces (mostly whole grain of course)

 Fruit Equivalence: 1 cup=1 medium sized fresh fruit, 1 cup  juice, 1/2 dried

 -->How much a day: 2 cups

 Veggie Equivalence: 1 cup=1/2 cooked, 1 cup raw
-->How much a day :3 cups

 Meat & Beans Equivalence: 1 ounce cooked meat/poultry/fish= 1/2 ounce of nuts, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 egg, 1/4 cup dry beans
 -->How much a day: 5-6 ounces

Milk Equivalence: 1 cup milk= 8 ounces yogurt, 1/3 cup shredded cheese (fo' real!?)

-->How much a day: 3  cups

For Real. Put down the slice of extra cheese pizza.

4. The ol' plate trick!!

    This one never fails.

    Cover your plate (roughly 9" diameter) with:

            1/2  VEGGIES

            1/4  lean protein (meat/beans)

            1/4  grain/starch

    Save some room for dessert: have you had any  fruit today?
               

Dear Diary,

Today Jimmy waved at me in the hall, and oh-I ate a whole box of cinnamon swirl pop tarts (heheh!)

You don’t have to revert back to fourth grade to start your own diary.

Journaling your daily food intake (and indulgences) can help you understand more about YOURSELF: what & how much you actually eat on a daily basis, what your habits are, and what you may be missing from your diet ( ‘I honestly did not eat 1 serving of vegetables in 3 days!!??’). You may also jot down your feelings/mood next to a specific food/meal to understand WHY you might have eaten that (whole bag of cool ranch doritios).

Creating a food journal is especially effective in weight loss!! :
Check me out


I don’t care if it’s a 5-star, 1 subject you keep in your trapper keeper…Get that pen rolling!!


(soooo sweet)..




Alternatively…check out some online food journals, such as:
http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/

Welcome to Nutritionlady's blogspot!

Oh gosh, seriously, hold the applause-

I am here to release some pent up nutrition info onto you and whoever is peering over your shoulder. I get a lot of nutrition jargon thrown at me daily, so I intend to dig through the validity of our media-frenzy food and diet obsessions (..don't lie, you are intrigued by the 'cookie diet'!!).

Don't deny your inner curiosity and shoot over any Q's or topic ideas if you are dying to know something!