Author: Rai Demneri

Gain control of emotional eating

Sometimes the strongest food cravings hit when you’re at your weakest point emotionally. You may turn to food for comfort — consciously or unconsciously — when facing a difficult problem, feeling stressed or even feeling bored.

Emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. It often leads to eating too much, especially too much of high-calorie, sweet and fatty foods. The good news is that if you’re prone to emotional eating, you can take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track with your weight-loss goals.

The connection between mood, food and weight loss

Emotional eating is eating as a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. Major life events or, more commonly, the hassles of daily life can trigger negative emotions that lead to emotional eating and disrupt your weight-loss efforts. These triggers might include:

  • Relationship conflicts
  • Work stress
  • Fatigue
  • Financial pressures
  • Health problems

Although some people eat less in the face of strong emotions, if you’re in emotional distress you might turn to impulsive or binge eating, quickly consuming whatever’s convenient without enjoyment.

In fact, your emotions can become so tied to your eating habits that you automatically reach for a treat whenever you’re angry or stressed without thinking about what you’re doing.

Food also serves as a distraction. If you’re worried about an upcoming event or stewing over a conflict, for instance, you may focus on eating comfort food instead of dealing with the painful situation.

Whatever emotions drive you to overeat, the end result is often the same. The emotions return, and you likely then bear the additional burden of guilt about setting back your weight-loss goal. This can also lead to an unhealthy cycle — your emotions trigger you to overeat, you beat yourself up for getting off your weight-loss track, you feel bad and you overeat again.

Tips to get your weight-loss efforts back on track

When negative emotions threaten to trigger emotional eating, you can take steps to control cravings. To help stop emotional eating, try these tips:

  • Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you’re feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you might see patterns that reveal the connection between mood and food.
  • Tame your stress. If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try a stress management technique, such as yoga, meditation or deep breathing.
  • Have a hunger reality check. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don’t have a rumbling stomach, you’re probably not hungry. Give the craving a time to pass.
  • Get support. You’re more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family and friends or consider joining a support group.
  • Fight boredom. Instead of snacking when you’re not hungry, distract yourself and substitute a healthier behavior. Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your cat, listen to music, read, surf the Internet or call a friend.
  • Take away temptation. Don’t keep hard-to-resist comfort foods in your home. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until you have your emotions in check.
  • Don’t deprive yourself. When trying to lose weight, you might limit calories too much, eat the same foods repeatedly and banish treats. This may just serve to increase your food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Eat satisfying amounts of healthier foods, enjoy an occasional treat, and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.
  • Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie snack, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with low-fat dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or try low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.
  • Learn from setbacks. If you have an episode of emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. Try to learn from the experience and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you’re making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that’ll lead to better health.

When to seek professional help

If you’ve tried self-help options but you still can’t control emotional eating, consider therapy with a mental health professional. Therapy can help you understand why you eat emotionally and learn coping skills. Therapy can also help you discover whether you have an eating disorder, which can be connected to emotional eating.

 

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Healthy food can be convenient, too.

You know that the oversized portions, endless bread baskets and heavy sauces at restaurants can thwart your efforts to lose weight. But do you know how many calories you’re eating at your own kitchen table or office desk from foods that were prepared outside your home? This includes takeout foods, ready-to-eat entrees, to-go pizzas and paninis, deli salads, and all the prepared foods made in your local grocery store.

If you’re eating a lot of meals that you didn’t make with your own two hands, you’re in good company. Research shows that spending on takeout and prepared foods has been on the rise in the United States for the past four decades. This trend is a serious contributor to weight gain and other health problems in adults and children.

What’s the connection? When you buy takeout or prepared foods, you’re often trading convenience for calories. Foods prepared outside your home are a timesaver, but they often contain more fatty and sugary ingredients than you would typically use at home. Plus, portions can be big. As a result, grabbing foods on the go can add a lot of calories to your day. In addition, prepared foods tend to be high in salt and low in fiber and other nutrients that help promote overall health.

A deliberate effort to curb your convenience foods or choose healthier options can make a huge difference in your weight-loss efforts. Follow these tips:

  • Eat breakfast at home, or pack it up. It’s ideal to avoid less-healthy takeout and prepared foods as much as possible. But that may seem difficult if you regularly eat on the run. Start one meal at a time. Eat a quick and healthy breakfast — such as whole-grain cereal or whole-grain toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit — before you leave the house. Or take a healthy option — such as a banana and yogurt — with you rather than picking up a bagel or muffin at your local coffee shop.
    If your mornings are frantic, figure out what you’re going to eat the night before and set out dry ingredients and bowls to save time. Or make a t-go breakfast the night before that you can grab in the morning.
  • Pack a flavorful, healthy lunch that you look forward to eating. It doesn’t matter how healthy your packed lunch is if you skip it and head to a cafe with co-workers — or it leaves you unsatisfied and reaching for a cookie. If you look forward to a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato on whole-wheat bread and a side of fruit every day, that’s great. If not, pack something you want to eat. Cook an extra chicken breast at dinner. Then slice it and toss it with strawberries, pecans and spinach for lunch. Or put together a whole-wheat wrap with black beans, salsa, lettuce, tomato and a few slices of avocado.
  • Bring along healthy snacks. When you leave the house, take fresh fruits and vegetables with you. Or keep them at your office. Having healthy snacks at hand will reduce your reliance on convenience foods. To save time, cut up veggies or fruit when you return from the grocery store and put them in travel containers. Or pack a few pretzels and a small container of cottage cheese for dipping.
  • Assemble simple dinners. You can assemble a quick dinner from fresh ingredients in the same amount of time it takes to wait in line at your local takeout joint. Rather than running for takeout, go to the grocery store and buy smoked salmon, a whole-wheat baguette and the fixings for a Greek salad — cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper, red onion, kalamata olives, a sprinkling of feta cheese, and red-wine vinegar and olive oil for vinaigrette. Toss together the salad ingredients and serve on a platter with the salmon and baguette.

    Better yet, put these ingredients on your shopping list and meal plan. This Greek-inspired meal will come together even more swiftly if you don’t have to stop at the store. And like any dish, the more often you make it, the quicker it is to prepare. Don’t care for salmon? Substitute water-packed canned tuna or already-cooked chicken.

Choose wisely when you buy prepared foods. Despite your best efforts to cut back on convenience foods, they may still be part of your diet occasionally. When you do purchase ready-to-eat entrees or takeout meals, avoid fried items and cheesy options. Steamed, broiled, baked or poached entrees tend to be healthier choices. Choose lower-calorie sauces and condiments. Substitute brown rice, whole-wheat bread and other whole grains as much as possible, and load up on fresh vegetables.

Pumpkin-hazelnut cake

Ingredients

3 tablespoon oil, canola
3/4 cup pumpkin, puree or homemade
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoon sugar, brown (packed)
2 egg lightly beaten
1 cup flour, whole-wheat (whole-meal)
1/2 cup flour, all-purpose (plain)
2 tablespoon flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon allspice, ground
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1/4 teaspoon cloves, ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon nuts, hazelnuts, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together the canola oil, pumpkin puree, honey, brown sugar and eggs until well blended.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, flaxseed, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and, using the electric mixer on medium speed, beat until well blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the hazelnuts evenly over the top and press down gently to lodge the nuts into the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf out of the pan onto the rack and let cool completely.
Serves 12
Nutritional Information (per 1 slice):
Calories: 176
Total Fat: 6g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Sodium: 80mg
Carbohydrates: 28g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Protein: 4g

Cardio 101: Benefits and tips

In a nutshell, the term aerobic means “with oxygen.” Aerobic exercise and activities are also called cardio, short for “cardiovascular.” During aerobic activity, you repeatedly move large muscles in your arms, legs and hips. Your heart rate increases and you breathe faster and more deeply. This maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood and ultimately helps you use oxygen more efficiently.

How well you use oxygen is called your aerobic capacity. When your aerobic capacity is high, your heart, lungs and blood vessels efficiently deliver large amounts of oxygen throughout your body. As a result, you feel more energized and don’t tire as quickly.

If you are a beginner to exercise, start with low to moderately intense cardio activities, so you can do them for long periods of time and gain many health benefits. Common examples include walking, bicycling, swimming, dancing and water aerobics, but don’t limit yourself: You can choose any activities you enjoy, such as canoeing, in-line skating, golfing or martial arts.

Benefits

If you haven’t gotten enough aerobic exercise, you may use your entire aerobic capacity while walking up a flight of stairs. You’ll realize this when you get to the top and feel out of breath. But if you’re fit, you’ll have no problem because your aerobic capacity is greater. That’s just one example of how you can benefit from cardio exercise.

Cardio exercise and activities can also:

  • Strengthen your heart and muscles
  • Burn calories
  • Help control your appetite
  • Boost your mood through the release of endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals released by your brain
  • Help you sleep better at night
  • Reduce arthritis pain and stiffness through joint movement
  • Help prevent or manage high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes

No matter what your age, aerobic exercise will help you in your daily activities and increase your stamina and endurance.

Start slowly

If you’re a beginner, start slowly. You might walk five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. Gradually add a few minutes to each session and then pick up the pace a bit. Soon you could be walking briskly for 30 minutes a day. Also consider hiking, cycling, jogging, rowing, elliptical training — any activity that increases your breathing and heart rate.

Take a three-pronged approach

Include three elements in your workout:

  • Warm-up. Before each session, warm up for five to 10 minutes to gradually rev up your cardiovascular system and increase blood flow to your muscles. Try a low-intensity version of your planned activity. For example, if you plan to take a brisk walk, warm up by walking slowly.
  • Conditioning. At your own pace, work up to at least 30 minutes of cardio a day to develop your aerobic capacity by increasing your heart rate, depth of breathing and muscle endurance.
  • Cool-down. After each session, cool down for five to 10 minutes. Stretch your calf muscles, quadriceps (upper thighs), hamstrings, lower back and chest. This after-workout stretch allows your heart rate and muscles to return to normal.

Moderate activity should cause you to breathe faster and feel like you’re working. But if you experience unusual pain or alarming symptoms during exercise, stop immediately and seek medical attention.

Everyday ways to eat more fruits and vegetables

It’s a well-known fact, but it’s worth repeating: Fruits and vegetables can help protect you against many chronic diseases — not to mention, they also provide you with the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function. Try these tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Agriculture. Before you know it, they will be a seamless part of your everyday lifestyle.

  • Make a fruit-and-yogurt parfait for breakfast. Mix a handful of low-fat granola with low-fat yogurt. Add sliced bananas or strawberries.
  • Top a piece of whole-grain toast with peanut butter and sliced bananas.
  • Mix blueberries or raspberries into your muffin or pancake batter.
  • Add bell peppers, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms or tomatoes to your scrambled eggs or egg-white omelet.
  • Like pizza? Opt for lots of vegetable toppings and less cheese.
  • Mix green beans, corn, broccoli or peas into your favorite casserole or pasta dish. Aim to eat more veggies than you do pasta.
  • Make a meal of vegetable soup and salad. Beef up your lettuce salad with cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots and sliced cucumbers.
  • Create a healthier sandwich: Include lots of spinach or romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions and sliced cucumbers, along with whatever lean protein is your favorite.
  • Mix fresh fruit, ice cubes and low-fat yogurt in a blender for a fruit-smoothie snack.
  • Keep apples, oranges, pears and bananas nearby for go-to snacking.

Explore different varieties of vegetables and fruits for appealing tastes and textures. The more you experiment, the easier it will become to incorporate these foods into your daily diet and reap all the health benefits.

Fresh Puttanesca with Brown Rice

 

 

 

 

Ingredients
4 cups plum tomatoes, ripe, chopped
4 whole olives, Kalamata, pitted, sliced
4 whole olives, green, pitted
1 1/2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cups basil, fresh
1 Tbsp parsley, minced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cup(s) cooked brown rice

Instructions
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, and EVOO.
Add the basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes, stirring to combine.
Cover and let stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve over hot cooked rice.

Nutritional analysis per serving
Serving size: About 2 cups
  • Calories: 250
  • Total fat: 6 g
  • Saturated: fat 1 g
  • Trans fat: 0 g
  • Monounsaturated fat: 4 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Serves 4

 

Recipe makeovers: 5 tips for healthier dishes

Can you count your grandmother’s beloved bread pudding as a healthy recipe? Scrumptious as it may be with four cups of whole milk, one stick of butter and four eggs, you probably wouldn’t find it on a list of healthy recipes. But you don’t have to remove it from your recipe box. Just modify that bread pudding with a few simple change-ups, and you’ve got another healthy recipe for your collection — not a fat and calorie disaster.

Here are five techniques you can use to help create healthy recipes. Remember, these are just some examples. Use your imagination and experiment to find other ways to create healthy recipes — maybe you can even serve them to Grandma!

  1. Reduce the amount of fat, sugar and salt

    You can often reduce the amount of fat, sugar and salt without sacrificing flavor in healthy recipes. Use these general guidelines:

    • Fat. For baked goods, use half the butter, shortening or oil and replace the other half with unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana or prune puree. You can also use commercially prepared fruit-based fat substitutes found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
    • Sugar. Reduce the amount of sugar by one-third to one-half. Instead, add spices such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg, or flavorings such as vanilla extract or almond flavoring to boost sweetness.
    • Salt. For most main dishes, salads, soups and other foods, you can reduce the salt by half or even eliminate it. You can reduce salt by half in baked goods that don’t require yeast too. For foods that require yeast, you may need to experiment: Some salt may be necessary for leavening to keep baked goods from being too dense or flat.
  2. Make a healthy substitution

    Healthy substitutions not only reduce the amount of fat, calories and salt in your recipes but also can boost the nutritional content.

    • Pasta. Use whole-wheat pasta instead of enriched pasta. You’ll triple the fiber and reduce the number of calories.
    • Milk. Prepare a dessert with fat-free milk instead of whole milk to save 66 calories and almost 8 grams of fat per cup.
    • Meat. When making casseroles, scale back on meat, poultry or fish and increase the amount of vegetables. You’ll save on calories and fat while gaining more vitamins, minerals and fiber.
  3. Cut back some ingredients

    In some recipes, you can eliminate an ingredient altogether or scale back the amount you use.

    • Toppings. Eliminate items you generally add out of habit or for appearance, such as frosting, coconut or whipped-cream toppings, which are all high in fat and calories.
    • Condiments. Cut condiments, such as pickles, olives, butter, mayonnaise, syrup, jelly and mustard, which can contain a lot of salt, sugar, fat and calories. Use low-sodium soy sauce in a smaller amount than a recipe calls for to decrease the amount of sodium.
    • Cheese. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, use 1/2 cup instead.
  4. Change cooking and prep techniques

    There are several healthy cooking techniques that can capture the flavor and nutrients of a well-loved recipe without adding excessive amounts of fat, oil or salt. Try these preparation techniques for healthy recipes.

    • Cooking method. Healthy cooking techniques include braising, broiling, grilling, poaching, sauteing and steaming.
    • Basting liquid. If the directions say to baste the meat or vegetables in oil or drippings, use a small amount of wine, fruit juice, vegetable juice or fat-free vegetable broth instead.
    • Nonstick cookware. Using nonstick pans or spraying pans with nonstick spray will further reduce the amount of fat and calories added to your meals.
  5. Downshift your speed and downsize the portion

    No matter how much you reduce, switch or omit ingredients, some recipes may still be high in sugar, fat or salt. You can help your diet by not rushing through meals and cutting back on the portion size too.

    • Slow down. Eat your meals more slowly to give your body a chance to register the fact that you’re filling up. Put your fork down between bites if necessary. You’ll eat less in the long run.
    • Check portion sizes. Many portions today are so large you may not realize what a true portion or serving is. Train yourself by using smaller plates, spoons and cups. And learn to use common visual cues to understand servings — one serving of whole-grain cooked pasta is about the same size as a hockey puck, for instance.

 

Putting it all together to create healthy recipes

Before plunging ahead with a recipe, look it over and think about what you can change to turn it into a healthy recipe. Make notes of any alterations so that you can refer to them the next time you prepare the recipe. You may have to make the recipe a few times before you get the results you want, but finding the right combination of ingredients — for the desired taste, consistency and nutrients — is well worth the trouble.

Couscous salad for a healthy dinner tonight.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup couscous, 100% whole-wheat Moroccan*
  • 1 1/2 cup water boiling
  • 1 cup zucchini cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 medium pepper, red, bell cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup onion, red finely chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon cumin, ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper, black ground
  • 1/2 cup dressing, Italian, reduced-fat
  • parsley, fresh chopped, or basil, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

*Follow preparation instructions on the package for cooking couscous. Instant couscous may simply be prepared by pouring boiling water over it, while traditional couscous requires longer cooking.

When couscous is cooked, fluff with fork. Mix in zucchini, bell pepper, onion, cumin and black pepper. Pour Italian dressing over the mixture and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for eight hours before serving.

Nutritional InformationAmount Per Serving

Serves 8

  • Calories 80
  • Total Fat 1g
  • Saturated Fat 0g
  • Sodium 240mg
  • Carbohydrates 15g
  • Dietary Fiber 2g
  • Protein 2g

Bon appetit