A better understanding of these potential food triggers will help you stay on track.
Have you noticed that when food temptations strike, it often has more to do with your mood than when you last ate? You may crave food to relax, relieve stress or boredom, soothe anger, or cope with loneliness, sadness or anxiety. Indulging in cravings during these emotional times may lead you to eat too many high-calorie, sweet, fatty foods.
Everyone has a food craving at times — and yes, chocolate is at the top of most people’s list. The first step to managing your cravings is being able to identify when you’re truly hungry. Learn how to recognize the difference between a craving and hunger.
Cravings:
Are usually for comfort foods, such as chocolate, sweets and fatty foods
Are often caused by negative feelings
Lead to eating that makes you feel good at first, but then guilty
Increase during a woman’s pregnancy and menstrual cycle
May be stronger when you’re dieting, especially if you’re giving up your favorite foods
Can occur even after you’ve recently eaten
Pass with time
Hunger:
Usually occurs when you haven’t eaten for a few hours or more
Results in a rumbling stomach, headache or feeling of weakness
Doesn’t pass with time
Isn’t just for one specific food
Can be satisfied by a healthy snack or meal
If you have a craving, distract yourself. Try calling a friend, listening to music, taking a walk or bike ride, reading, or writing. If a negative feeling is causing your craving, use positive self-talk, exercise or a fun activity to improve your mood.
One of the most important ways to succeed at weight control is to establish realistic goals and expectations.
You might have a combination of goals: your weight-loss goal, your health goals, your exercise goals or your daily servings and calorie goals. Goal setting keeps you motivated and helps you stick with your program, so it’s important to approach it with a thoughtful plan.
The key is to make your goals your own. The more aligned they are with your likes and dislikes — your preferences and priorities — the greater your chances of success. So while yes, the sky is the limit, it’s important to set goals that you can reach and that suit your lifestyle. You can always reassess goals and set more challenging ones as you go along.
Start with outcome goals
An outcome goal is longer term and focuses on the end result. Examples include, “I would like to lose 20 pounds” or “I would like to weigh 125 pounds.”
Outcome goals:
Guide your planning
Build the framework for shorter term, or “process goals”
Stretch and inspire you
Move ahead with process goals
Process goals focus on a specific process or action — such as “I will walk 30 minutes every day” or “I will eat four servings of vegetables each day” — rather than a single outcome. Many people find that when they focus on process goals, the outcomes (such as weight loss) take care of themselves.
Process goals:
Build success one small step at a time
Help you reach your outcome goals
Are the most important type of goal for many people
Stay inspired with daily goals
Each day, it’s important to set goals for both meal servings and physical activity.
It’s also important to set one inspirational goal, such as, “Today I will stop eating before I feel full” or “Today I will focus on positive thinking.”
Daily goals:
Are the building blocks for weight loss and good health
Provide a daily sense of achievement
Keep you motivated to keep up with your program
Include enjoyment in your goals
When setting goals, don’t forget satisfaction. A study of individuals who maintained their weight after completing a weight-loss program found that satisfaction with the amount and quality of daily activities was an important factor in success.
Your goal is to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Aim for a whole rainbow of colors, including dark green, red, orange, purple and white. Variety is vital to get all the different nutrients and their health benefits.
Make fruits and veggies the star of your daily diet with these ideas:
Snack smart. Keep vegetables washed and cut in your refrigerator for quick snacks. Or reach for vegetables that require little preparation, such as baby carrots and cherry tomatoes. Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter. Just be sure to limit your intake of dried fruits because they’re not as filling as whole fruits and they have a lot more calories in a smaller volume of food. For example, 1⁄4 cup of raisins has the same number of calories — about 100 — as almost 2 cups of grapes.
Experiment with new combinations. Try mango or peach slices on whole-wheat toast with a little peanut butter and honey. Toss some mandarin orange or peach slices into a salad.
Choose recipes that have vegetables or fruits as a main ingredient. Try pineapple-chicken stir-fry, tomato-basil pizza or vegetarian chili.
Start your day with a fruit or vegetable. Sprinkle a handful of blueberries on your morning cereal or oatmeal. Saute red peppers, tomatoes or spinach into your scrambled eggs.
Drink your fruits and vegetables. But don’t reach for prepared fruit juice! Instead, turn whole fruits and vegetables into a refreshing drink. Make a smoothie with plain low-fat yogurt and your favorite frozen fruits. Or puree together banana, berries, lemon, mint, ice and 2 cups of fresh raw baby spinach — this green concoction may look odd, but it tastes delicious!
As you can see from these suggestions, sneaking more fruits and veggies into your diet can be easy, convenient — and fun!
The dish utilizes summer stone fruits, such as nectarines, peaches and apricots. However, this flexible recipe can be adapted based on seasonal changes or your personal preferences, and you’ll still get the same tasty results. For extra creaminess and a punch of protein, add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top.
Ingredients
1 pounds cherries, pitted and halved
4 cups mixed stone fruit, such as nectarines, peaches and apricots, peeled, pitted and sliced
3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup almonds, sliced
2 tablespoons raw sugar, turbinado or firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons walnut oil or canola oil
1 tablespoon dark honey
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the cherries and stone fruits. Sprinkle with the flour and turbinado sugar and toss gently to mix.
To make the topping, in another bowl, combine the oats, almonds, flour, turbinado sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to blend. Stir in the oil and honey and mix until well blended.
Spread the fruit mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the oat-almond mixture evenly over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is lightly browned, 45-55 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves 6.
Nutritional Information Amount per serving
Calories: 224
Total fat: 8 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Sodium: 52 mg
Total carbohydrate: 38 g
Dietary fiber: 5 g
Protein: 4 g
Don’t like to cook? Can’t resist junk food? Use practical strategies to overcome your biggest healthy-eating challenges.
Life doesn’t follow a perfectly smooth course. You will inevitably run into obstacles on the journey to healthy eating. It’s how you respond that makes the difference. For long-term success, you’ll need strategies in place to solve problems as they arise. The first step is to identify and define potential roadblocks and brainstorm solutions. Identify the barriers most likely to get in your way and plan ahead how you’ll face those challenges.
Roadblock: “I don’t have time to make healthy meals.”
Healthy detours: If you use smart cooking strategies, creating a healthy meal doesn’t have to take too much time. Planning ahead is a great time-saver.
For example, shop for several meals at one time, or prepare foods over the weekend and then freeze meal-sized portions to reheat during the week. You can also keep it simple with a fresh salad and low-calorie dressing, a whole-grain roll and a piece of fruit, or a healthy sandwich, soup or entree from a deli or grocery store.
Roadblock: “I don’t like vegetables and fruits.”
Healthy detours: You don’t need to like all fresh vegetables and fruits. Just find some that you enjoy. Experiment by sampling produce you’ve never eaten before. Add fruits or veggies to your favorite recipes, or replace meat with vegetables when possible. Experiment with new ways to prepare produce, such as grilling pineapple or lightly cooking vegetables if you don’t like them raw.
Roadblock: “I don’t like to cook.”
Healthy detours: Not interested in becoming a gourmet chef? No problem. Many cookbooks offer recipes for quick and easy healthy meals. Or you can use creative shortcuts that don’t require a lot of cooking, such as prepackaged vegetables and lean meats. Also, remember that cooking is a skill: The more you practice, the better you will become.
Roadblock: “My family doesn’t like to try new things, and it’s too much work to make two different meals.”
Healthy detours: You’re right — you don’t want to fall into the trap of making the “good” food for the family and the “diet” food for yourself. So instead, ask for your family’s input — and help — on healthy foods they’d like to try, which may make them more willing to experiment.
Take it slow, and make a few small changes each week. You may be able to make some dishes healthier and tastier and your family won’t even realize it. If you have a favorite dish that you don’t want to abandon, prepare it with a different cooking method, such as baking rather than frying.
Roadblock: “I can’t resist junk food!”
Healthy detours: As you prepare your healthy-eating plan, ask yourself how you can fit the occasional treat into the plan without derailing your overall weight-loss efforts. If you give up all your favorite foods, you’ll feel deprived, which decreases your chances of successful weight management. Give yourself permission to eat them on occasion and in moderation. Find a happy medium for high-calorie foods. Could you take the kids out for ice-cream cones once a week or buy a small bag of chips for the Sunday-afternoon football game? That’s better than buying a gallon of ice cream for your freezer, where it causes constant temptation.
You can also try healthier versions of your favorite snack foods, such as baked, rather than regular, potato chips. In addition, eat healthy foods before having your treat. It can help you eat less of your favorite treats.
Roadblock: “When eating out, I like to eat large portions of my favorite foods, not something healthy.”
Healthy detours: It’s OK to occasionally have your favorite foods if you do it healthfully. For example, when at a restaurant, eat half of your favorite meal and save the other half for the next day. Or, if you know you’ll be eating extra calories, increase your exercise for the day. Explore ways to make your favorite dish healthier. If your meal contains a rich sauce, for instance, ask for it on the side so that you can control how much of it you eat. If you dine out often, however, it’s best to make healthy choices part of your routine. You don’t want a large indulgence to cancel out all your good efforts.
Roadblock: “I don’t eat breakfast because I’m not hungry in the morning.”
Healthy detours: Research shows that eating breakfast helps people better manage their weight, in part because it helps keep them from feeling ravenous and overeating later in the day. So, even if you’re not hungry, try to eat a little something in the morning. Start gradually by planning to have breakfast twice a week and then work toward eating breakfast every day. Keep foods on hand that you can take with you on busy days, such as apples, bananas, whole-grain bagels and yogurt in single-serving containers.
Roadblock: “Keeping food records — measuring food, keeping track and figuring out calories — takes too much work.”
Healthy detours: Losing weight does take time and effort. That will gradually lessen as you get used to knowing what serving sizes should look like and how many calories you should have each day. But, initially, keeping detailed records will help you work toward your main goal: reaching a healthy weight. Make these initial steps easier on yourself by keeping your food record and serving-sizes chart handy and logging your entries after each meal instead of at day’s end.
To make the pesto spread, place basil leaves, pumpkin seeds, Parmesan, garlic and salt in a food processor. Process ingredients until they are well-blended and fairly smooth. Add mayonnaise and pulse until just blended. Set aside.
Heat oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil or cooking spray.
Coat one side of each slice of bread with cooking spray. Lay bread slices on baking sheet with coated side facing down. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of basil pesto mayo on each slice of bread. Place 1/4 cup mozzarella, 4 ounces of turkey and 2 slices of tomato on two of the bread slices. Top sandwich with the remaining two slices of bread.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until sandwich is warmed through and golden brown. Cut in half and serve.
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 medium red apple, chopped
6 cups spring mix salad greens
Instructions
Mix the apple juice, lemon juice, oil, brown sugar, mustard and apple pie spice in a large salad bowl. Add the apple and toss to coat. Add the salad greens and toss to mix just before serving.
Serves 6.
Nutritional Information Amount per serving
Calories: 80
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Total fat: 4 g
Saturated fat: 0 g
Monounsaturated fat: 2 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Sodium: 20 mg
Total carbohydrate: 13 g
Dietary fiber: 3 g
Sugars: 10 g
Protein: 1 g
Minestrone is a thick, hearty soup that usually contains vegetables, pasta, and peas or beans. This version uses unsalted chicken broth and fresh tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes to limit the sodium content.
Number of servings
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1 carrot, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups fat-free, unsalted chicken broth
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1 can (16 ounces or about 1 1/2 cups) canned chickpeas or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked whole-grain small shell pasta
1 small zucchini, diced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Directions
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes, spinach, beans and pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add zucchini. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more.
Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Ladle into individual bowls and serve immediately.
6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, no salt added, including juice
2 teaspoons dried basil or oregano
1 ounce soft goat cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
Directions
Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (tender), 10 to 12 minutes, or according to the package directions. Drain the pasta thoroughly. Set aside.
In a pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the asparagus. Cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Spray a large nonstick frying pan with cooking spray. Add the chicken and garlic and saute over medium-high heat. Cook until the chicken is golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, including their juice, basil or oregano and simmer 1 minute more.
In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, steamed asparagus, chicken mixture and goat cheese. Toss gently to mix evenly.
To serve, divide the pasta mixture between 2 plates. Sprinkle each serving with 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Many people have given up their favorite sugary drink for its diet alternative in hopes of losing weight and boosting their health. But according to a study at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, zero-calorie diet drinks can be just as bad as sugar-laden, calorie-loaded drinks, especially when it comes to weight gain and diabetes.
Researchers found that the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks, such as sodas, stimulate the appetite leading to weight gain. In addition, artificial sweeteners negatively impact the balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria in the gut, leading to glucose intolerance and triggering type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, while artificial sweeteners contain no actual sugar, they fool the pancreas into secreting insulin. Over time, these “false alarms” can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, and diabetes.
Since 55-60% of our body weight is made up of water, that’s what we should be drinking: just plain water. If you need to “jazz it up” a bit, add a squeeze of lemon but no sweetener (not even stevia). If you like your water chilled, that’s OK too.
Your goal is to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Aim for a whole rainbow of colors, including dark green, red, orange, purple and white. Variety is vital to get all the different nutrients and their health benefits.
zes summer stone fruits, such as nectarines, peaches and apricots. However, this flexible recipe can be adapted based on seasonal changes or your personal preferences, and you’ll still get the same tasty results. For extra creaminess and a punch of protein, add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top.
