Nutrition Articles

Ways to Avoid Comfort Eating This Season

Food for Thought

Over eating seems to be inevitable this time of year. The stress that comes with shopping, cleaning, and cooking make it easy to turn to food for relief. Resisting the urge to eat because of emotions rather than to satisfy hunger can be difficult. Here are some tips to avoid comfort eating during the holidays:

Continue usual routines: Sticking to an everyday schedule helps to keep anxiety at bay. If you only eat three meals and a snack before the holidays, keep it that way. Working out can also divert you from the tempting leftovers in the refrigerator. It helps your mind stay active and distracted.

Identify your triggers: Knowing what specifically drives you to emotional eating can make an incredible difference. Stress and boredom are  the main causes for most people. Keeping

yourself calm yet entertained can significantly reduce the want to munch on some unhealthy treats.

Respond, not react: After immediately having a craving, most of us go straight to the pantry to fulfill it. Allowing yourself to take a moment and think about what you are about to do and the guilt you will have afterwards can stop the craving all together. Have some nutritious snacks ready and waiting, so during that pause, you have the time to remember that you have a healthier option.

Moderation: There has to be a balance in your meal plans. Sometimes, it can be impossible to avoid the comfort foods, so only have a small portion. Giving yourself a taste of what you have been yearning for can satisfy those cravings without blowing your diet.

Spotlight on: Carrots

Eating Healthy

It's a well known fact that if you eat your carrots you are working wonders to improve your eyesight, but there are many other great benefits to eating carrots that many people overlook.

The beta-carotene in carrots is an antioxidant combating the free radicals that contribute to conditions like cancer, heart disease, and a few other conditions.

Cooking carrots actually raises the nutritional benefits of this great vegetable.  By cooking them you free the beta-carotene from the fiber, thereby allowing your body to better absorb the beta-carotene.

If you eat just a half cup of carrots each day you will get more than the recommended dosage of beta-carotene in your diet.

Recipe: Banana Zucchini Carrot Bread

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 extra large egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 medium bananas
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• ½ cup grated carrots
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 dash salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter and pour into large bowl.  Add bananas and mash.  Add grated zucchini and shredded carrots.  Mix well.  Add sugar, vanilla and beaten egg.  Sprinkle in baking soda and salt, and mix.  Add flour and mix well.  Pour in 4x8 loaf pan to two large muffin pans.  (Yields one loaf or 12 large muffins.) Bake loaf for 60 to 75 minutes.  Bake muffins for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool and serve.

Recipe:  Creamy Carrot with Curry Soup 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ pounds peeled carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 ½ cups half-and-half (or whole milk)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Garnish: Chopped pistachios

Heat oil in sauté pan until shimmering.  Add carrots, then onion, sauté until golden brown (about 7 minutes).  Reduce heat and add butter, sugar, and garlic; continue cooking about 10 minutes longer. Add curry and sauté a minute longer. Add broth and simmer.  Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes.  Using a blender, puree in a blender for about a minute.  Return to pot and add enough half and half so the mixture is soup-like, yet thick enough to float the pistachio garnish.  Add salt and pepper as needed.

Colon Health 101: Corn vs. Canola Oil

In a recent animal study, it was found that diets that included canola oil rather than corn oil had less of a chance of growing colon tumors.

One of the reasons that gives canola the edge is the high amount of omega-3 fatty acids, where corn oil is higher in omega-6 fatty acids.  In the animals tested, researchers charted the size and number of colon tumors and tested their blood for its fatty acid amount.  When comparing animals whose diets contained corn oil verses canola oil, the animals whose diet included canola oil had fewer tumors and much smaller tumors on average.

While researchers will next attempt this same study on humans, researchers and nutritionists alike agree that only good can come from including more omega-3 fatty acids in your diet.

Understanding High Fructose Corn Syrup

In the News

It seems that one of the most asked questions these days is high fructose corn syrup worse for you than regular sugar.  Well, according to studies, last year alone Americans consumed 27 pounds of high fructose corn syrup, after all it can be found nearly everywhere including the fruit on the bottom of your yogurt and in many whole wheat breads.

While that number is down from the 37.5 pounds consumed per person back in 1999, it seems that most Americans are filling in those remaining calories and pounds by adding in good old fashioned sugar.

Normal table sugar is made up of 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. But since fructose is sweeter than glucose many manufacturers increased the ratio, to inexpensively hook their consumers.  High fructose corn syrup contains 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose.

Because it is sweeter, people who eat foods high in high fructose corn syrup it may cause overeating and weight gain.  Studies have also shown that high fructose corn syrup may also contain varying amounts of mercury.

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy stated that “mercury was present in nearly a third of 55 popular brand name food and beverages in which high fructose corn syrup was the first or second ingredient on the label.”

It is important to be a good label reader and avoid foods that list high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient on the label. Even if an item is marked “natural” or in the health food aisle, it still can contain high fructose corn syrup as a main ingredient.

Even though table sugar isn't as bad for you as high fructose corn syrup, it can still wreak havoc on your diet and weight loss goals.  Indulge in sugary items as a treat or only on special occasions, instead of at every meal.

Choosing Safe Fish

Whether you celebrate the feast of seven fishes on Christmas Eve, or if you are just looking to eat healthier, many people will be checking out the seafood aisles this season.  While choosing the perfect fish can be a little confusing at times, it boils down to choosing a fish with the least amount of mercury.  Mercury in fish has been linked to brain and nervous system damage. Here are some ways to keep your mercury levels in check:

• Pass on shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish as these fish have longer life spans and tend to eat other fish, absorbing the mercury in their prey.
• Eat approximately 12 ounces a week of canned light tuna, Pollock, salmon and catfish because they tend to have a shorter life span and feed on aquatic plants, worms and insects.
• Check out your state's website to determine how mercury-laden the local fish can be.