Tag: sensitivity

Hunger vs. craving: What’s the difference?

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.

A bowl of healthy minestrone on this rainy day…

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. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  2. 1/2 cup chopped onion
  3. 1/3 cup chopped celery
  4. 1 carrot, diced
  5. 1 garlic clove, minced
  6. 4 cups fat-free, unsalted chicken broth
  7. 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  8. 1/2 cup chopped spinach
  9. 1 can (16 ounces or about 1 1/2 cups) canned chickpeas or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  10. 1/2 cup uncooked whole-grain small shell pasta
  11. 1 small zucchini, diced
  12. 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.

Serving size: About 2 cups

  • Total fat 5 g
  • Calories 213
  • Protein 10 g
  • Cholesterol 11 mg
  • Total carbohydrate 30 g
  • Dietary fiber 8 g
  • Monounsaturated fat 3 g
  • Saturated fat 1 g
  • Trans fat 0 g
  • Sodium 400 mg
  • Added sugars 0 g

Bon appetite…

Chicken and asparagus tossed with penne

Lets cook a healthy lunch together:

Number of servings

Serves 2

Ingredients

  1. 1 1/2 cups uncooked whole-grain penne pasta
  2. 1 cup asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
  3. 6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
  4. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  5. 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, no salt added, including juice
  6. 2 teaspoons dried basil or oregano
  7. 1 ounce soft goat cheese, crumbled
  8. 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.

Nutritional analysis per serving

Serving size: About 2 1/2 cups total

  • Total carbohydrate 56 g
  • Dietary fiber 11 g
  • Sodium 276 mg
  • Saturated fat 3 g
  • Total fat 7 g
  • Trans fat 0 g
  • Cholesterol 63 mg
  • Protein 32 g
  • Monounsaturated fat 2 g
  • Calories 415
  • Added sugars 0 g

Diet soda DOUBLES the risk of diabetes

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.

 

Published December 11, 2017 by 

Beware of eating grapefruit with certain drugs

When taking certain medication, be sure to avoid eating grapefruit and drinking grapefruit juice. While grapefruit is delicious and has many health benefits, it can interact with some common medication, causing serious side effects. It doesn’t take much either, as one-half grapefruit or a single glass of grapefruit juice is enough to cause this. And the effect can last for several days.

Medications are processed in your liver and small intestine by a group of proteins called cytochromes. Cytochromes break down medications, thereby reducing their levels. Grapefruit, as well as Seville oranges, tangelos, pomelos, and Minneolas, contain naturally-occurring compounds called furanocoumarins. Furanocoumarins can disrupt the activity of cytochromes. By slowing down the breakdown of medicines, grapefruit can increase the levels of these medications in your blood, thereby increasing their side effects.

Here are 33 common medications that can interact with grapefruit:

Some cholesterol medications:

  • Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
  • Lovastatin (Mevacor)
  • Simvastatin (Zocor)
Certain blood pressure medications:
  • Felodipine
  • Nifedipine (Procardia)
  • Losartan (Cozaar)
  • Eplerenone (Inspra)
A few heart rhythm medications:
  • Amiodarone
  • Dronedarone (Multaq)
Some anti-infection medications:
  • Erythromycin
  • Rilpivirine and related HIV drugs
  • Primaquine and related antimalarial drugs
  • Albendazole
Several mood medications:
  • Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
  • Quetiapine (Seroquel)
  • Lurasidone (Latuda)
  • Ziprasidone (Geodon)
  • Buspirone (Buspar)
  • Diazepam (Valium)
  • Midazolam (Versed)
  • Triazolam (Halcion)
Certain blood thinners:
  • Apixaban (Eliquis)
  • Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
  • Clopidogrel (Plavix)
  • Ticagrelor (Brilinta)
  • Clopidogrel
Several pain medications:
  • Fentanyl
  • Oxycodone
  • Colchicine
A few erectile dysfunction and prostate medications:
  • Sildenafil (Viagra)
  • Tadalafil (Cialis)
  • Tamsulosin (Flomax)
  • Silodosin (Rapaflo)

 

Published December 4, 2017 by