How to Make (Healthy!) Burgers Without a Grill
I love summer barbecues, but because I live in New York City, grilling isn’t usually an option. Enter oven-cooked burgers. Like many living in a big city, I don’t have access to a grill, and a George Foreman takes up too much countertop or cabinet space (and is so far from the real thing anyway!). But the truth is, there are many reasons why it’s not just okay, but even better to skip the grill and use your oven to make delicious burgers. (You know, the crave-worthy juicy, grass-fed kind from your annual family barbecue.) RELATED: The Essential Healthy Cookout Menu Why Oven-Cooked Burgers Work First of all, when you grill meat, you have to worry about creating carcinogenic compounds. Yes, those burnt ends and charred lines on a lean steak are tasty, but unfortunately those parts of the cooked meat are not good for your health in the long run. RELATED: Does Grilling Make Food Carcinogenic? The oven (and stove top) is also more convenient. Working in the kitchen means you have everything at your fingertips—your pots, pans, utensils, spices, and every ingredient in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. There’s no shuffling back and forth, and there’s less of a chance you forget to check on the food outside and end up with burgers that resemble hockey pucks. (We’ve all been there!) The oven is also there for you in every season, rain or shine, and doesn’t come with extra expenses like propane. It generally involves less mess, and easier clean up, too. Win-Win! Ready to enjoy some of your favorite grill recipes without leaving the kitchen? Make my delicious Organic Chicken Mushroom Burgers, now!
4 Reasons NOT to Go On a Liquid Cleanse Diet
Q: What are your thoughts on doing a liquid cleanse diet? A: I’m a fan of a cleanse diet. However, I’m not a fan of a liquid cleanse diet. It’s hard to feel empowered when you’re drinking your breakfast. And your lunch. And your snacks. And your dinner. . . I need to chew. You? I prefer a real food cleanse diet. I believe in eating whole foods to fuel and energize your body. Eating proper portions of fiber rich, high antioxidant foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and also eating lean protein and healthy fat, will give you the results you want for your health and weight for the long term. You don’t need to go to the extreme of liquid cleansing to achieve this. Yep, as boring as it may sound, eating healthy foods as part of an overall balanced diet is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. 4 benefits from a real food cleanse diet for a few days include Now, there are exceptions to every rule. I may green light a liquid cleanse for a specific situation or condition such as an individual needing to recover from GI distress. Sometimes bowel rest can be helpful to get a client back on a healthy track. Very infrequently I may have a client who needs something extreme to break a cycle and get to a new starting point on a healthy diet and a food cleanse isn’t an option because they’re overwhelmed by the prep (simple as it may be) or really resistant to alternatives. But, 99% of the time I recommend a whole, real solid food cleanse, not a liquid cleanse. Here are 4 reasons why I don’t like a liquid cleanse diet: Steer clear of liquid cleansing. If you want to take your healthy diet up a notch and give yourself a nutrition boost and weight loss push, try one of my real food cleanses!
Don’t Sabotage Your Diet By Eating Late At Night
Ask Keri: Is it bad to eat past 7 or 8pm?And will eating late at night ruin my diet? Keri Says: Maybe you worked late last night and needed extra fuel. Or you had a dinner date across town that didn’t start until 8:30 p.m. Or you had 10 errands to run before you made it home to whip up dinner. Whatever your reason for eating late at night, (whether it’s your actual dinner or an after-dinner snack) the good news is that your body does not have a built in calorie clock. The bad news is, this doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want whenever you want. You knew this bad news already, so no surprise there. Your body processes and manages caloric consumption over many days, weeks and months. It’s not the exact time you stop eating that’s most important. It’s about not eating more calories than you need and about eating the right types of calories. I don’t advocate counting calories. Keeping your calories in check is going to be a result of eating whole real foods, consistently through the day and listening to your body. If you are a late sleeper, you may start your day at 10:00 a.m. and have dinner later than 8:00 p.m.—that’s potentially okay. If you eat breakfast within and hour and a half of rising and eat consistently through the day your lateish dinner may be perfectly acceptable. And if you’re an early riser, your dinner may be at 5:00 p.m. and an 8:00 p.m. nutrient-dense snack may be just what your body needs. The problem isn’t necessarily what time you’re eating dinner, it’s that most calories eaten after dinner are additional calories that you don’t need and they’re usually the wrong types of calories. Cheese fries sound familiar? Nibbling post dinner or eating late at night is commonly mindless eating due to a habit, boredom or other emotional eating. Regardless of the reason, it’s generally additional calories you don’t need. When you eat late at night you’re usually also missing out on the break to the digestive system that we could all use. Even if you’re not an intermittent faster, most of us could still benefit from a 12 hour fast. If you eat your dinner at a more traditional time, but find yourself still hungry later on, you need to be aware of the why you’re hungry. Did you not eat consistently throughout the day? Did you get in adequate protein throughout the day? Was your dinner well balanced and proportioned? Is your stress level off the charts? Are you eating healthy foods and an overall healthy diet or are you shoveling in mostly highly processed foods? Reflect on your day, and as a rule of thumb, you should fuel your body with healthy snacks or meals every three to five hours. It’s a better guideline than the time on the clock. If you find yourself walking to the kitchen but you shouldn’t really be hungry, check in with your emotions, tweak that night time routine and go for a cup of herbal tea instead. If you’re starving because it’s 3:00 a.m.? Go to bed!
Lean Protein 101: Why We Need It and the 11 Best Sources for It
Along with carbohydrates and fat, protein completes the trifecta of macronutrients we rely upon—the calorie-providing nutrients our bodies need in large quantities. When you think protein, think building. You need it to build muscles, skin and hair; to build hormones and enzymes; even to build antibodies for a healthy immune system. Your body also uses protein for cell maintenance and repair and blood clotting. Can Lean Protein Help You Lose Weight? In the world of weight loss, protein provides satiety; It makes you feel satisfied for the longest period of time, longer than both carbs and fat. Ever wonder why your belly rages in hunger shortly after that morning muffin but stays calm and quiet after a hearty omelet? You guessed it: protein. Protein aids in satiety by affecting the hormones that control hunger. It also has the highest thermal effect of food (TEF), meaning it burns the most calories during digestion, compared to carbohydrates and fats. And we all know that protein helps build muscle, and muscle burns more calories (yes, even while you sleep) than fat. What is Considered ‘Lean’? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines lean meat as having less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, and fewer than 95 milligrams of cholesterol in a 3.5-ounce portion. For a 1-ounce serving, lean meat should contain 2 to 3 grams of fat. Lean meat provides fewer calories for equal amounts of protein than higher-fat meat. For example, consider different cuts of beef. One ounce of a lower-fat cut, such as a top round, offers 52 calories with only 2 grams of fat (0.75 grams saturated) and 8 grams of protein. That same single ounce of a higher-fat cut—say, ribeye steak—contains 83 calories, a whopping 6 grams of fat (3 grams saturated), and a comparable 7 grams of protein. Some kinds of fish and certain plant proteins (like salmon and nut butters) have more fat. Still, it’s important to remember that these are heart-healthy fats in good sources of protein. I always recommend including them in your diet. So, what exactly do I want you to put on your plate to meet those protein needs to help you lose weight and build your biceps? How Much Protein Do We Actually Need? While the minimum recommendation for adults is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, that’s simply the amount needed to prevent deficiency. Many women can benefit from aiming higher, especially as they age, exercise regularly, or want to support muscle health and satiety. A good general target is around .75 to 1.0 gram per pound of ideal body weight daily, which works out to roughly 100 grams per day for many women. The key is spreading that protein throughout the day rather than saving it all for dinner. Listen here for a recent Living a Nutritious Life podcast with Dr. Rachele Pojednic on this very topic. Here are some of the very best sources of lean protein. Best Sources of Lean Protein Almonds Per 1-ounce serving: 6 grams protein, 2.5 grams carbs, 14 grams fat. This high-protein nut provides a perfect balance of protein, carbs and healthy fats. Plus, you’ll also get a healthy dose of skin-protecting vitamin E in every satisfying bite. Enjoy them on their own, or use them in recipes like this Baked Cod with Almonds and Herbs or this Quinoa Granola. Chicken (white meat, skinless) Per 4-ounce serving: 30 grams protein, zero carbs, 4 grams fat. Topped onto salads, layered in sandwiches, mixed into soups, formed into burgers, or enjoyed on its own—this versatile lean protein is a carb-free classic for a reason. For the leanest cuts, skip the dark meat and make sure to remove the skin. Eggs Per egg: 7 grams protein, >1 gram carbs, 5 grams fat. Whether you like them scrambled, boiled, fried or baked, eggs are an affordable, quality protein. Ideal for vegetarians, they also provide hard-to-find vitamin D and the eye-protecting antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. RELATED: Easy Egg Muffins Grass-Fed Beef Per 3-ounce serving: 20 grams protein, 0 grams carbs, 10 grams fat. For some people, there is nothing like a burger to satisfy hunger. High-quality beef, like grass-fed options, is packed with bioavailable protein, iron, and zinc to support muscle growth, energy, and immunity. It’s also rich in B vitamins and healthy fats like omega-3s, promoting brain and heart health. RELATED: Grass-Fed Beef vs. Organic Beef: Which is Healthier? Hemp Seed Per 1.5-ounce serving (3 tablespoons): 10 grams protein, 2 grams carbs, 14 grams fat. Small but mighty, hemp seeds are a powerful plant-based protein loaded with nutrients like anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and minerals like magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Enjoy their mild, nutty flavor blended into smoothies, sprinkled onto salads or mixed into granola. Nutritional Yeast Per 1-tablespoon serving: 4 grams protein, 2 grams carbs, zero fat. Containing all nine essential amino acids, nutritional yeast is a complete protein source. If you choose the fortified variety, you’ll also get plenty of thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, B6 and B12. Sprinkle this savory delight—its flavor ranges between nutty and cheesy—on salads or stir into dressings, soups and sauces. Peanut Butter Per quarter-cup serving: 9 grams protein, 6 grams carbs, 18 grams fat. This household staple is far more than simply a key ingredient in your favorite childhood sandwich. Not only is the peanut (technically a legume) packed with protein, it also contains a host of other nutrients, including satisfying healthy fats, immune-boosting zinc and antioxidants. Just be sure to purchase a less-processed variety: All your PB really needs is peanuts, although salt is a common additive. Once you find a brand without added sugar and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, get creative: Add it to oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, baked goods, toast or fruit. Sardines Per 4-ounce serving: 25 grams protein, zero carbs, 11 grams fat. Don’t be too quick to judge sardines. Part of the herring family, these tasty fish are as underrated as they are tiny. An inexpensive
Multiple Meals From One Dinner
I love having leftovers around that can be used in all kinds of ways to mix and match and help make super fast, healthy, and of course yummy meals! Here’s a glimpse at how I use leftovers from a basic weeknight dinner. The dinner: From that I make (and you can too!): A dinner meal that can be deconstructed into multiple different breakfast options, lunch options, and snacks is a win in my home! Dinner: Herbed Brown Rice, Grilled Lemon Chicken and Roasted Broccoli and Red Onions Herbed Brown Rice Yield: About 3 cups, cooked Ingredients: Herb dressing: Use a blender or food processor to blend olive oil, chives, basil, red onion, salt and pepper. Directions: Roasted Broccoli and Red Onions Ingredients: Directions: Lemon Grilled Chicken Ingredients: Directions: Tip: If the chicken breast is too thick, the breast can be sliced laterally but not all the way through to make a butterfly cut and have a thinner chicken breast. Breakfast options: Scrambled Eggs With Veggies, Chicken and Brown Rice Ingredients: Directions: Brown Rice Cereal Ingredients: Directions: Any nuts could be used in place of the walnuts or can even use a nut butter. Avocado Toast Ingredients: Directions: Lunch Grilled Chicken Salad Bowl Ingredients: Directions: Snack RELATED: 6 Rules for Eating Leftovers So You Don’t Get Sick (Featured Image: Unsplash)
Why Sourdough Bread Is Secretly Healthy
Ask Keri: Is sourdough bread good for you? Keri Says: Though it’s comparable to a regular slice of white bread in the amount of calories, carbs and fiber, sourdough is lower in sugar and higher in protein, which gives it a leg up. Traditional white bread is usually made with sugar, canola oil, and dried, preserved yeast to leaven the dough. Sourdough bread, on the other hand, is typically made with no sweeteners or oils. Instead of using baker’s yeast, it relies on a starter, which is a combination of water and flour that ultimately populates with wild yeast. These live yeast cultures are a natural leaven that cause the sourdough bread to rise and give it its well-known tangy flavor. Not only does using live instead of dried yeast change the flavor, but it also means that sourdough bread stays fresh much longer than factory-baked bread and doesn’t require any extra preservatives to ward off mold. But it gets better. The Hidden Benefits of Sourdough Bread Similar to other fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir and pickles, sourdough bread is fermented by using lactobacillus cultures, which are gut-healthy probiotics. The cultures don’t survive the baking process (bummer!), but lactic acid is created (bonus!), and that does the body a whole lot of good. Lactic acid helps decrease the levels of phytic acid in sourdough bread. (Phytic acid interferes with the absorption of certain nutrients, which is a bad thing). This in turn, helps other nutrients become more readily available, and easier to digest and absorb. Teamwork makes the dream work. But there’s more. Not only does sourdough work to keep your gut healthy, but it’s also good for your heart and helps to ward off cancer. You read that right. In studies of older adults living in the southern Mediterranean, those who regularly ate whole-grain sourdough bread had a lower risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Talk about a triple whammy of health benefits! However, before you run to the bakery, remember, sourdough bread is well … bread. I’m guessing you didn’t need me to tell you that. As I like to remind all of my clients, too much of (almost) anything is never a good thing. If you’re gonna eat a slice of bread with your next meal, consider making the switch from your sugary, preservative-laden, packaged version to tangy, crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside sourdough. Just remember: Not all sourdoughs are created equal. What makes the biggest difference in the nutritional value of sourdough bread is its starter. That’s why it’s probably a good idea to opt for buying sourdough at your local bakery versus the pre-packaged varieties at the grocery store. And if you want to be absolutely sure that your sourdough bread is yummy and healthy, make your own. All it takes is some flour, water and a little bit of patience. Sourdough Starter Recipe Ingredients To create the starter: 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1/4 cup warm water To feed the starter each day (Days 3-7): 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour 1/4 cup warm water Day 1: You begin by combining the whole wheat flour and water in a large mason jar. Mix with a fork until smooth. Cover with plastic or a lid, and let it rest at room temp for 24 hours. Day 2: Check in on your starter for any visible bubbles (this means it’s starting to ferment!). If no bubbles are visible, that’s OK. Let it rest another 24 hours at room temperature. Day 3: Bubbles or no bubbles, it’s time to feed the starter. Begin by removing about half of your starter from the jar with a spoon. The texture will be very stretchy at this point. Add the feeder flour and water, and mix with a fork again until smooth. It should now be the consistency of thick pancake batter. Add water if needed to thin it out. Cover and let rest for another day. Day 4, 5 and 6: Feed on! Repeat the same process as on Day 3. Remove half the starter and add new flour and water. You should see bubbles forming on the surface. Pro tips: If a smelly brown liquid, called a hooch, starts to form on your starter on Days 3-7, simply scoop it off and discard. Your starter should be bubbling and rising regularly now. Keep an eye on it daily. Once it has doubled in volume, with bubbles on its surface and throughout the culture, it’s ready to use. (Image: Shutterstock)
5 Ways to Fight Winter Skin With Food
Winter skin is upon us. Was that a collective sigh I just heard? When the temperature drops, we all love rocking cozy sweaters, colorful scarves, and fuzzy earmuffs. But the flaky skin, scaly patches, and hard-to-reach itches are the not-so-beloved aspect of this season. Rather than succumbing to winter’s wrath, try combatting winter skin from the inside out. Eating certain healthy foods and applying others topically can give your skin a smooth, rosy glow no matter how cold it gets. 5 Ways to Fight Winter Skin With Food 1. Tea Baby, it’s cold outside! So why not curl up with a warm cup of tea? While you might not be as thirsty in winter as you were during the summer heat, staying hydrated in the cold is equally essential. Drinking 8–10 glasses of water or tea per day can help flush out toxins, prevent the skin from drying, increase cell turnover, and keep your skin young and fresh. Just be sure to combine drinking plenty of water and/or tea with applying plenty of moisturizer. Moisturizers help hold water in the skin’s top layer, so they work hand in hand with water. This translates into great, glowing skin despite the harsh winter weather. 2. Orange and Green Food No, we don’t mean M&Ms! Orange veggies, such as carrots, squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes, are full of carotenoids. Carotenoids increase our defense against the sun’s damaging UV rays (remember, it’s important to always use sunscreen for protection, even in winter). They also help prevent acne breakouts and flare-ups that can make your skin blemished and blotchy. Try a pumpkin yogurt mask for a little winter skin pampering. Green foods, such as kale and spinach, are full of vitamin C, which can act as a food equivalent of the fountain of youth. Vitamin C helps repair skin by building collagen that wards off those pesky wrinkles. Eat at least one orange and one green food every day and your skin will thank you! 3. Healthy Fats We love fat. We aren’t talking about the kind you find in pie and french fries, but rather the healthy fats found in salmon, avocados, and chia seeds. These foods contain omega-3 fatty acids, which aid in heart health and weight loss. But did you know they also give you healthy skin? They help reduce inflammation and prevent collagen breakdown (translation: less wrinkles). Looking for some healthy snacks? Simply mix 2 tablespoons of chia into your yogurt for an added 5 grams of omega-3s, or sprinkle some flax into a midday cup of oatmeal. One food that’s as good in your belly as it is on your face is avocado. Avocados contain monounsaturated fat and are rich in vitamins A and E. Vitamin E enhances your skin’s collagen production (leading to smoother skin) while sealing in vital moisture. Try this avocado face mask and let this double-duty powerhouse work its magic on your dry winter skin! 4. Colorful Fruit Fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants not only fight damaging free radicals in your body, but they also can fight those winter skin blues! Antioxidants help protect your skin against damage caused by the sun and harsh cold weather conditions. Blueberries have the added benefit of containing compounds that slow wrinkles and the effects of aging. Think of antioxidants as your youth elixir, keeping you beautiful, ageless, and energized no matter what the weather has in store. 5. Salmon Not only is it a delicious source of protein, but salmon is also full of skin-enhancing omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s allow the skin’s ceramides to hold onto water more effectively. Ceramides act as the glue that keeps cells locked together, forming a barrier that keeps hydration in. When ceramides deplete, skin grows dry and irritated. The healthy fats in salmon moisturize the skin from the inside out, reducing the inflammation that leads to dry skin and psoriasis. Salmon is also packed with vitamin E and zinc—both vital nutrients for maintaining supple skin (and strong hair and nails!). Consuming salmon just twice weekly helps your skin hold onto its natural moisture, plumps your fine lines, speeds up the healing of breakouts and rashes, and prevents dehydration and roughness during harsh winter weather. (Image: Shutterstock)
Will Hanukkah Ruin My Diet?
Ask Keri: Will indulging during Hanukkah completely ruin my diet? Keri Says: People always ask me, “how bad is it to eat chocolate every day?” I also hear things like, “I know it’s bad, but I have to have a cookie with my tea in the afternoon.” I think what’s actually being asked is: will indulging in some of my favorite things undo all my weight loss or healthy weight maintenance efforts? What if I have something decadent every day? I’m opening up this topic once again because a client I worked with recently has lost 40 pounds this year and is worried that celebrating 8 nights of Hanukkah will set her way back. I’m sure it won’t surprise you that when she asked, “Can I truly celebrate all 8 nights without ruining all of my hard work?” my answer was a resounding YES! I have tons of experience navigating holidays and celebrations with clients successfully. YOU can do it, too. Here’s how. Step 1: Eat as clean and simply as possible during the day. You should have one or two go-to healthy breakfasts, healthy lunches, and healthy snacks that you enjoy and can bounce between. For example: Breakfast #1: 6 oz Greek yogurt, 10 almonds, 1 cup blueberries Breakfast #2: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 cup spinach, 1 sliced tomato Lunch #1: 5 oz grilled chicken, 2 cups kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, ⅓ avocado Lunch #2: 12 oz turkey and vegetable chili, celery and carrot sticks, 1 tablespoon sour cream Snack #1: Green apple and 2 teaspoons nut butter Snack #2: Crudités and 2 tablespoons hummus Step 2: Make dinner a party of lean proteins, such as beef, chicken, beans, fish, or lentils over a piled-high plate of salad greens and veggies prepared with little added fat. Step 3: Make a promise to yourself (and with us as your witnesses) that you will NO LONGER call your indulgence “bad” but will now call it what it is: a “conscious indulgence”. And make that indulgence part of your celebration, with not a speck of guilt or judgment in sight. RELATED: Why You Should Eat Pumpkin Pie and Enjoy Every Calorie So, go ahead and add a planned treat to your meal—maybe a slice of challah, a perfectly fried latke, or a little bag of Hanukkah gelt (90 calories, 5 grams of fat). There is definitely room in your clean and beautiful day of eating for a planned indulgence. Since you get 8 nights, you don’t need the latke, challah, and gelt all at once. You can spread them out with one treat each night. Just like you did with your Halloween candy, you decide if it’s “better” to indulge in one day, like we do on Christmas, or stretch out the pleasure of the food over 8 nights, Hanukkah style. Whatever you choose, make a plan to stick to your healthy way of eating and plan your conscious indulging mindfully. Happy holidays!
What Yo Yo Dieting Does to your Body and Why the Holidays are a Trigger
You’re officially familiar with yo-yo dieting if you’ve ever said something like this more than once: “I want to be X pounds by Christmas.” “I want to wear my size X dress to the holiday party in 3 weeks.” “I refuse to get rid of my smaller belts because I know they’ll fit when I get back to working out this spring.” All of these quotes come from actual clients of Nutritious Life founder and celebrity nutritionist, Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN. They’re familiar, or at least very relatable, to so many of us who work hard to lose weight, only to have it creep back on (plus a few more pounds), to then again buckle down to lose again, gain again, lose again… sigh. We can all agree this is a really frustrating cycle, and there’s no more dreaded time for this challenging head/body game than the holiday season. And here we are, in the thick of the season, trying once again to figure out how to lose weight. But between the lingering Halloween candy, the leftover Thanksgiving pie, and the endless Christmas cookies, you’re exhausted from the overload of constant hard choices you have to make—eat it, don’t eat it, eat just a little, skip it altogether, ok have a nibble, cut a whole piece, no wait a half piece, maybe if I eat it fast enough it won’t count, get it away from me because if I see it I’ll eat the whole thing, can I have just a taste, darn I can’t believe I ate that, ugh my pants are getting tight… Have you ever said or thought these things? Same here. So obviously losing and gaining weight messes with your head, but did you know that yo-yo dieting really messes with your body, too? What Yo-Yo Dieting Does to your Body Hormonal Havoc Extreme dieting, including severe calorie restriction and dramatic dietary changes can increase the hormone cortisol, which wreaks havoc on your health—to the tune of increasing your risk of developing certain diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Yikes! There are tons of evidence that people who live the longest, with the best mortality rates, are those who are constantly eating slightly less than they need to be satisfied, and who maintain a low body weight for their height. This is, in part, due to hormonal actions being optimized. If the caloric restriction is too severe, hormones don’t work as efficiently and health is compromised. You can see this as nutrient deficiencies that pop up with symptoms such as dry skin, brittle hair and nails, and poorer immune functioning. The bottom line is that seriously decreased caloric intake negatively affects hormones that you need for good health. RELATED: What to Eat for Better Balanced Hormones Metabolic Meltdown Here’s the deal: if you over-restrict your calories, your body responds by slowing down your metabolic rate, or your ability to burn calories. It also causes muscle loss. The truth of the matter is that yo-yo dieting doesn’t appear to permanently ruin metabolism, but the process of losing muscle (which is what your body uses for fuel when there isn’t enough food calories coming in) is damaging to your wellness. You need your lean body mass to support your bones and keep you fit, strong, and burning calories, so don’t compromise it by breaking it down to use for fuel! A word about exercise too, here: Try reframing your view of exercise as a way to lose weight and think of it more as maintaining your lean body mass (which helps with weight loss). This will help keep your brain focused on your fitness, and feeling fit is a great motivator to say no thank you to the second helping of those not-so-healthy side dishes. Nutritional Neglect Extreme weight loss is hard on your vital organs, including your brain, heart, liver and kidneys. These organs need carbohydrates and calories to do their jobs. Without enough nutrition, these organs are at risk for damage. Severely decreased calories can also lead to nutrient deficiencies, which, in prolonged states, may cause damage to bones, skin, and immune functioning. Do yourself a favor and don’t cut out all carbs or fats. Reduce ‘em, (the “bad” ones), yes. But eliminate a whole food group entirely and you’ll end up back on that whole yo-yo dieting cycle again, guaranteed. RELATED: Why Healthy Fats Don’t Make You Fat How to Get Out of the Yo-Yo Dieting Cycle Rather than dramatically reducing calories, or dropping all fats or carbohydrates, try eating a little less of everything at every meal and snack, so that you’re ‘satisfied’ rather than ‘full’ in order to get and keep a healthy weight. Eat a balanced diet and choose clean, healthy foods. This is something Keri always stresses when she has her clients gauge their appetite using the hunger quotient (HQ). Of course, implementing all 8 pillars of living a Nutritious Life will keep you off the yo-yo cycle too. So, to summarize: rather than binging on candy, mashed potatoes, latkes, or fruitcake through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or Christmas, and then sticking to 600 calories a day for the next two weeks, choose to eat a little less all the time, and strategically place your indulgences. This is easier said than done, but it can be done. Stay focused, consistent, and patient. Listen to your body telling you it is “slightly satisfied” and “slightly hungry”. And plan for your indulgences. Yo-Yos are toys for kids—they’re not how you should manage your weight. This holiday season, choose to focus on your healthiest goals and your weight will find its perfect place. Learn More About Nutrition and Wellness Love nutrition and wellness, and want to immerse yourself even more? Our Become a Nutrition Coach certification course gives you a solid foundation in nutrition science, plus techniques for coaching clients so you can share your knowledge and earn an income, if you choose to. (Or, you can use the information for
3 Ways to Stop Emotional Eating This Holiday Season
Emotional eating is totally a thing, and if there’s ever a time that it’s more likely to happen, it’s the holidays. What exactly is emotional eating? For starters, emotional eating is a response to both bad and good emotions—although emotional eating due to positive emotions usually gets a lot less attention. Some of us are self-proclaimed stress-eaters. I’m thinking about the college students cramming for exams and downing bags of chips and M&Ms while they’re studying. Power-eating popcorn during a suspenseful movie also comes to mind. RELATED: Healthy Eating 101: How to Eat Healthy in College Others of us chomp our way through disappointment, sadness and loneliness. You pick up the pint of ice cream when you find out your end-of-year bonus isn’t coming through, or comfort yourself with a pound of holiday fudge because you can’t get home for Christmas. The holidays are filled with mixed emotions and it is usually a stressful time. Couple that with celebrating the togetherness of the holidays with a stocked fridge and pantry. And when I say stocked, I don’t mean with healthy foods. I mean packed full of all the I eat this once-a-year-foods—things like peppermint bark, snowflake cookies and eggnog. Emotional eating has nothing to do with hunger, nutrition or wellness goals. Food is not made up of only vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber. It’s also made up of stuff that connects us to our feelings. So, how do you stop emotional eating? And how can you make it through the emotional roller coaster of the holiday season without throwing your goals out the (perfectly trimmed) window? Great question. RELATED: Enroll in Keri Glassman’s 4-Part Emotional Eating Course Here are my top tips for how to stop emotional eating. Keri Glassman’s Top Tips to Stop Emotional Eating Reframe your intentions Yes, you could choose to go through the holidays focusing on the guilt for not remembering to buy your colleague a gift, sleep-deprived because you’ve been burning the candle at both ends to get everything done, stressed out because the holiday cards haven’t arrived … and so on and so on. You could also choose to get through the holidays mindfully. Making the choice to focus on celebrating the company you keep, being in the moment and giving attention to your holiday traditions. This may help keep from getting too stressed, overwhelmed, and reaching for the soothing arms of that hot cocoa with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. For when you do feel stressed (hey, it happens!), try keeping a warm mug of tea on hand. It will serve many purposes: The heat and smell will soothe and relax you and your feelings, it will hydrate you, and it will serve as a reminder to keep your wellness a priority. Know that YOU are in control You do not have to be a victim of the stress and general emotional energy-suck of the holidays. Instead, try this: Decide in advance what you’re going to bring to Aunt Edna’s holiday potluck (rosemary spiced nuts, anyone?), so you know you have a healthy snack on hand. Have a satisfying and healthy dinner before you head out to the office party so you don’t wind up making puff pastries your meal. Or, go ahead and make the decision to stick to seltzer with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds instead of champagne. Keeping a food journal is also helpful. For one, it will help you see that the “binge” you thought you had was actually just a little too much brie, but it will also help you eat less. Knowing you will have to write it down will make you think twice before going for seconds of the pie. Bottom line: Feeling empowered helps you control your emotions and your eating. Triple D yourself Finally, use the three Ds when you’re trying to stop an emotional eating situation. Delay. Slow yourself down. Don’t head straight for the food. Start with a glass of water, tea or seltzer and make a conscious decision to slow your intake. Nobody is going to rip your plate out from under you and the appetizer tray will still be there in 15 minutes. Slow down, friend. Distract. You should be catching up with friends and family. That is what the holiday season is really about. Distract yourself by talking to your loved ones, checking out the ornaments on the tree, or lending a hand to the host. Disarm. Don’t keep unwanted food in the house. Don’t hover over the buffet table. Out of sight, out of mind. On a similar note, don’t bring sweets and treats home. Keep your home focused on health and wellness by stocking up on winter produce such as grapefruit, clementines, pomegranate and root veggies. RELATED: How to Add Winter Produce to Your Diet (and Why You Should)
3 Reasons Why You Eat Yourself Into a Food Coma on Thanksgiving
Why is Thanksgiving a binge-fest that leads to a food coma? Why do we not only allow, but plan to give in to our gluttonous selves on the last Thursday of November? Why is Thanksgiving all about the dessert table? The puffed fried appetizers? The black Friday food plans? The in-dul-gence? It’s like we’ve taken this holiday and made it all about stuffing our senses like we stuff that bird. But here’s the deal: The reason we eat so much on Thanksgiving may not have everything (or anything) to do with the food. In fact, it’s more than possible that the food is just a symptom of something bigger. Think about it… What would it look like to eat that Thanksgiving meal on a Tuesday in July? Most likely, you would eat that decadent meal in an empowered and healthy way, without eater’s remorse and the three-day, post Turkey Day food coma. So if it isn’t just the food, what is it about Thanksgiving that makes it so challenging for us to navigate this holiday easily? Read on, because we think we’ve cracked the code. 3 Reasons Why You Eat Yourself Into a Food Coma on Thanksgiving 1. Stress comes with the holidays. Stress is a huge trigger for overeating, and since Thanksgiving brings on stressors like travel, broken routines, extra time in crowds, and navigating relationships, it’s no wonder people turn to the comfort of food. But not all stressors are bad. The holidays can also bring on good stressors like spending time with your 2-year-old niece or 85-year-old grandmother, writing your holiday cards, watching your alma mater’s nail-biter of an annual football game, and loading up your virtual shopping cart with anticipated Black Friday deals. These may all be fun and wonderful things, but they take extra energy and can bring on stress, even if it is “good” stress. So during the holidays, you’ll want to keep your stress level to a minimum as much as you can, because with stress comes the hormone cortisol, which is destructive to both your waistline and your health. Our tip: Plan for these stressors, both good and bad, so you won’t feel overwhelmed and not know why. Identifying the stressors of the day will help keep you in check and gain perspective. When you bump into a stressor, say a mantra to yourself like, “be in the moment” to help remind you to stay present and not get overwhelmed. 2. Your world is disrupted. Is it possible your Thanksgiving food coma is a result of you being out of your routine? Thanksgiving is a day, followed by a day off, followed by a weekend that turns our regular day-to-day schedule on its proverbial ear. Schools and many businesses are closed. Our world breaks routine. The thing is, your body likes routine. It likes to sleep in its own bed, use your own toilet, and sleep and wake at the same time. Routines are healthy, and even “good” disruptions keep our systems from humming at their best. As much as possible, stick to your daily routine of sleep, morning habits, coffee or smoothie of choice, and wellness habits. The little bit of consistency will make it easier to recover from Thanksgiving and set you up for a healthy December. 3. Your nurtured self is on a shelf. Could the temptation to overdo it on the sweet potatoes covered in marshmallows be related to your disconnection with your body? Let’s face it, celebrating Turkey Day is not always easy on the ol’ self-care routine. As a host, there is lots of planning, prepping, organizing, and expectation to manage. As a guest there are lines at the airport, traffic, and navigating which family gathering you show up to first. Taking time to squeeze in a bubble bath, read a few pages of a novel, or visit your favorite Instagram accounts just may not happen. Any chance you can rethink this? We need our nurturing time to restore balance to our bodies. Taking care of ourselves, beyond the basic teeth brushing, hair washing and toenail clipping takes us from surviving to thriving. When your wellness isn’t thriving, you’re more likely to get sucked into overeating your way into a food coma, skipping the exercise, and having the extra glass of holiday cheer that starts a cycle of unhealthy behaviors. Feed your soul like you’re feeding your tummy this Thanksgiving by listening to your favorite tunes, calling your bestie, or enjoying some other self-nurturing activity for a few minutes every day. Feeling good leads to fueling right! Enjoy yourself this Turkey Day, and do it in a way you can feel great about. Think beyond the food to the underlying reasons you may overdo it. Maybe one of the reasons above speaks to you. Squash your stress, maintain balance in your world, and remember to nurture yourself. Happy Thanksgiving! Take Your Hunger for Nutrition and Wellness Knowledge to the Next Level If you love learning about the best foods and drinks for total wellness, plus all the ways you can live a Nutritious Life, think of how awesome it would be to learn and share this life-changing info as a side hustle… or even your full-time job. Our Become a Nutrition Coach certification course gives you a solid foundation in nutrition science, plus techniques for coaching clients and growing your new business—all within a community of passionate, like-minded friends. It’s the perfect way to inspire the next generation of healthier people all across the globe. Request a sneak peek of the Become a Nutrition Coach program here and see how you can put your passion for wellness to work.
9 Weight Loss Tips During Thanksgiving
You’re looking for weight loss tips because you want to do Thanksgiving differently this year, right? Usually, you eat until you’re stuffed, fall asleep on the couch, and wake up in the 4th quarter of some football game. If this is you, we promise you, you’re not alone. If football’s not your jam, you might retreat to a bedroom and pass out in a food coma on a proper bed. You tell yourself it was all that tryptophan from the turkey. But does the tryptophan in turkey really make you feel tired? Not really. Turkey contains an essential amino acid called L-tryptophan, which the body uses to produce the brain chemical serotonin. Serotonin can help us sleep by improving our mood and promoting relaxation. As it turns out, turkey contains almost the same amount of tryptophan as chicken, pork, and beef. What’s more, egg whites, soybeans and cheddar cheese have even more tryptophan than turkey. So, what are the real culprits behind your post-Thanksgiving marathon nap? Aside from typical overconsumption of food and alcohol, it’s usually just the result of too many carb-heavy foods and throwing your healthy diet out the window. Mashed potatoes, corn bread, stuffing, and apple pie—oh my! All of those starchy carbs can quickly raise blood sugar and may encourage sleep. This year, begin a new tradition. Eat a little less, drink a little more (water!), feel a lot better, and maybe you won’t even need the nap. You’ll be ready to show Black Friday who’s boss. 9 Weight Loss Tips During Thanksgiving 1. Begin with breakfast. Eat consistently throughout the day beginning with a well-balanced, healthy breakfast. 2. Eat before you party. Choose from your arsenal of healthy snacks before you go to a holiday dinner. To control hunger, try eating two high-fiber crackers with 2 teaspoons of natural nut butter or a hard-boiled egg as a pre-party snack. 3. Offer to bring a dish. There may not be many healthy foods offered at your party, but that’s OK. By bringing your own healthy dish, at least you’ll have one go-to—and you’ll know exactly what’s in it. 4. Turn on your healthy food radar. Load up on lighter and cleaner appetizers with healthy fats, such as crudité with a portion of hummus. 5. Set your sip limit. Give yourself a drink maximum before the meal begins. Remember to sip slowly and choose lower-calorie and low-sugar options such as vodka and seltzer or wine spritzers. 6. Exercise! An hour spent burning calories will also motivate you to make healthier choices later in the day. 7. Control your portions. This includes veggies. Unless you’ve prepared them, they could be loaded with sneaky ingredients such as margarine or sugary sauces. (Here’s a handy portion control hack for you to try.) Don’t let desserts derail your healthy lifestyle either. Slice your own pie so you can control the size. And skip that crust. 8. Listen to your body. Stop eating once you’re slightly satisfied. Period. You’ll have much better memories of a meal enjoyed than a meal overindulged in. Focus on your family and friends, not food. 9. Drink plenty of water. Drinking adequate water promotes what’s known as a thermogenic state, which increases your metabolic rate. This will help to keep you from overeating and help you feel full, so you don’t actually stuff yourself full. 10. Enjoy your day. And here’s a bonus tip for you. When it comes to Thanksgiving or any gathering of family and friends, don’t forget to enjoy your day. Consciously and wisely (with the tips here) indulge in your favorite foods and have a very happy Thanksgiving. Take Your Hunger for Nutrition and Wellness Knowledge to the Next Level If you love learning about the best foods, drinks, and lifestyle habits for total wellness, think of how awesome it would be to learn and share this life-changing info as a side hustle… or even your full-time job. Our Become a Nutrition Coach certification course gives you a solid foundation in nutrition science, plus techniques for coaching clients and growing your new business—all within a community of passionate, like-minded friends. It’s the perfect way to inspire the next generation of healthier people all across the globe. Request a sneak peek of the Become a Nutrition Coach program here and see how you can put your passion for wellness to work. (Images: Shutterstock)
