Lose Weight
Lose Weight – Learn research based strategies to lose weight and keep it off – permanently!
Eating Breakfast Equals Weight Loss
Do you eat breakfast?
Well, a recent study backs up the claim that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Two groups of women were compared. The first group followed a low calorie diet (~1200 calories) that included a balanced protein/carbohydrate intake. This first group ate 50% of their daily calories in the morning (~600 calories). The second group followed a low calorie (~1000 calories), low carbohydrate diet and ate ~25% of their calories in the morning. The first group lost ~40 pounds over 6 months, while the second group lost ~10 pounds (28 pounds first 4 months, followed by 18 pound regain).
Balancing protein and carbohydrates in your breakfast is important. Here are some examples of quick and easy breakfast meals that include both protein and carbohydrates.
Whole wheat toast with peanut butter
Low fat cottage cheese with canned peaches (light syrup)
Banana with handful of mixed nuts
Whole grain cereal with low fat milk
Apple with hard-boiled egg
Low fat yogurt with granola
What are you going to eat for breakfast?
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
Heart Health and Weight Loss Tips
Questions. . . .
What is one thing you would like to learn about nutrition? Do you have a question related to heart health, weight loss, or some other nutrition related issue? Submit your question for possible answer in this blog or The Heart of Health ezine.
Easter is just around the corner. I hope you all have a great holiday!
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
Recipe Analysis
Do you have a favorite recipe you would like me to analyze for you? Sign up for The Heart of Health ezine and submit your recipe for analysis. This bi-weekly ezine promotes lower cholesterol levels, high blood pressure control, and weight loss.
Recipe analysis discontinued May 2008.
National Nutrition Month – Free Gift
March is National Nutrition Month – Are you thinking about what you are eating?
I wanted to add a quick note to my blog about a free gift I am offering this month for new clients that sign up for the Balance Program. The Balance Program provides clients with 9 weeks of nutrition coaching. Weekly topics include:
- Lose weight without diets or counting calories
- What foods to eat to lose weight, reduce aging, and boost your energy
- Simple ways to balance your meals for weight loss
- Strategies to improve your metabolic rate
- How much and what kind of exercise you need
- How to tackle emotional eating
- Healthy convenience foods
- Scanning food labels for the healthiest products
- And more!
When you sign up during the month of March you will receive The Journey from Comfort to Possibilities by Stefanie Zizzo. This gift is valued at $29.95. So, if you are looking for help with balancing your food choices, check out the Balance Program further at http://eNutritionServices.com/weightloss.html.
Butter vs Margarine – Which is the better choice?
This seems to be an area of confusion for many people. Some swear by butter only and others opt for margarine. Who is right? It is time to clear up the confusion.
First of all, both are fats. Therefore, the number of calories in 1 tsp of butter is equal to the number of calories in 1 tsp of margarine. The difference is the type of fat they each contain.
Butter consists of saturated fat. Saturated fat is found mainly in animal sources. Sources of saturated fat include meat, milk, cheese, ice cream, shortening, lard, coconut oil, and palm oil. The more saturated fat a product contains the more solid it will be at room temperature. For example, a stick of butter has more saturated fat than tub butter. Saturated fat leads to increased cholesterol levels.
Margarine is made of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Vegetable oils are unsaturated. Unsaturated fats are better for our health than saturated. The key words to make note of are “partially hydrogenated”. To make oils solid, hydrogen is added resulting in a trans fatty acid byproduct. These trans fatty acids have given margarine a bad rap, because they are just as bad for our cholesterol levels as saturated fat. So what is the solution? Read labels when you are shopping. As of January 2006, all packaged food products must list the content of trans fats on the nutrition fact panel. Therefore, check the margarine food label to make sure trans fats equal zero. Some products have also added a label that states “no trans fat” or “trans fat free”.
Regardless of which you choose, margarine or butter, you still need to limit the amount you add to foods. One tablespoon of margarine or butter equals approximately 100 calories.
Bottom Line: Margarine is the better choice over butter for your health. Select margarine’s that have zero trans fats. Even better, opt for a “light” margarine with “no trans fats”.
