Heart Healthy Eating – 7 Salad Bar Mistakes to Avoid
When trying to be heart healthy and lose weight a salad can be a great choice to include as a regular part of your meal plan – either as a vegetable side or the main entrée.
However, a salad can quickly become a weight loss disaster if you make the 7 mistakes below!
Mistake #1 – Selecting iceberg lettuce.
Iceberg lettuce is one of the most common forms of lettuce you’ll find in grocery stores and salad bars. Unfortunately iceberg lettuce provides minimal nutrients (mostly crunchy water). Select dark green, leafy lettuce varieties, such as romaine and endive. Also, greens like spinach and arugula provide added nutrients to your salad mix.
Mistake #2 – Skimping on fresh vegetables.
You can afford to splurge on fresh vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, cabbage, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Fresh vegetables are low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals.
Mistake #3 – Skipping the protein.
If your salad is your entrée it’s important to add some protein, such as chopped eggs, nuts and seeds, beans, or shredded meat (turkey/ham/chicken/seafood). Refer to How Much Protein Do You Need to Lose Weight? for a review of your protein needs.
Mistake #4 – Choosing a cream based soup.
Soup is often included on salad bars. Cream based soups tend to be high in calories and fat. Opt for broth based soups instead.
Mistake #5 – Loading up on salad toppings
Croutons, sesame noodles, and bacon bits are a few common salad toppings. These topping should be used sparingly. They provide minimal nutrients and are high in calories.
Mistake #6 – Selecting a high fat, high calorie salad dressing.
Now, if you’ve avoided the first five mistakes, you don’t want to ruin your nutritious salad with a poor dressing choice. Opt for vinegar based salad dressings or low fat/calorie salad dressing if available and use sparingly. Tip: Dip your fork in a small cup of salad dressing before every bite instead of pouring the dressing on your salad. You get great flavor with every bite and use significantly less dressing.
Mistake #7 – Making too many trips to the salad bar.
Even if your salad bar includes unlimited trips it’s not necessary to go back multiple times – which can be very tempting. Decide in advance how many trips you’ll make and stick with your plan. Even though a well-balanced salad is a healthy choice, too much of a good thing can quickly turn bad!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Calorie Counter for Dummies – January Bonus!
THIS MONTH ONLY – When you sign up for a Mini Diet Makeover you’ll not only receive a personalized diet plan outlining the steps you must take to achieve your goals, but you’ll also receive a complimentary copy of The Calorie Counter for Dummies.
Calorie Counter for Dummies – January Bonus
Sign up for a Mini Diet Makeover before January 31st and you’ll receive a complimentary copy of the book Calorie Counter for Dummies!
This handy guide provides a fun and easy way to track your calories.
The Calorie Counter For Dummies is filled with vital information on the nutritional value of both homemade and restaurant foods.
It’s a compact guide you can keep in your briefcase, purse, or backpack for quick and easy reference so you make healthy choices both at home and on the go. Use this guide to take control of your health and make heart healthy choices to lose weight, lower cholesterol, and reduce blood pressure.
The Calorie Counter for Dummies is a great tool you’ll utilize as you implement the personalized diet plan you receive from a Mini Diet Makeover.
A Plan Specific to Your Needs
A Mini Diet Makeover is a personalized diet plan outlining the step-by-step changes you need to take for success. I personally evaluate your diet and lifestyle habits to provide a customized plan just for you. You can learn more and sign-up at https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/minidietmakeover.html
A Mini Diet Makeover includes:
Detailed assessment
Receive answers to how your age, stress, hormones, lifestyle habits, and food choices are affecting your heart health and weight.
Step by step diet makeover
See what you’re doing right and where you’re going wrong. You’ll be given small changes to break habits that are keeping you stuck.
Customized weight loss and health plan
Implement the plan immediately to achieve your heart health and weight loss goals.
Inexpensive, Expert Guidance
Access to a heart health and weight loss specialist at a great savings. No hidden fees or subscription dues.
Learn more and sign-up at https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/minidietmakeover.html
Here’s to a fitter and healthier 2010!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips
http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com
Weight Loss – 3 Tips for a Healthy New You in 2010
This is the year you are going to be successful! You just need to rethink a few of your ideas regarding healthy eating. To be successful with your healthy eating and weight loss plan you need to keep it simple.
Here are three tips to get you started on the right path this year:
- Focus on nutrient dense foods.
Select nutrient dense foods to promote your overall health and weight loss. The nutrient density of a food is measured by the amount of nutrients a food contains versus the number of calories. For example, fruit is very nutrient dense while potato chips have a low nutrient density.
- Lose the diet mentality.
Diets typically backfire. If you lose weight by following a diet it’s very likely you will gain the weight back. Studies even show you will gain back more weight than you lost. Following a diet can lead you to start obsessing about food and eventual binge-eating patterns. Instead of “going on a diet”, focus on healthy new eating habits.
- Eat well-balanced small meals.
Keep your metabolism high by eating 5-6 small well-balanced meals everyday, instead of the standard 3 large meals with no snacks. This allows your body to burn calories efficiently versus storing extra energy as fat. Shoot for a small meal or snack every 3-4 hours.
As a special New Year’s bonus you’ll recieve a complimentary copy of the Calorie Counter for Dummies when you sign up for a Mini Diet Makeover. Learn more here – https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/minidietmakeover.html
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Weight Loss – 5 Tips to Stay Motivated in 2010
New Year’s is just around the corner and you know what that means. . .New Year’s Resolutions! Every year you set a goal to make a change for the better. This should be a time of great excitement; however, you may be approaching it with a sense of dread instead. Will you achieve your goal? Or will it end up being another resolution that falls to the wayside?
The statistics are not very encouraging. Most people give up on their New Year resolutions within three weeks. According to one discouraging study, only 8% of American’s actually achieve their New Year resolutions!
How will you keep yourself motivated and make this the year you achieve your goals?
Here are five tips to stay motivated:
1. Set realistic goals.
Set a goal you know you can achieve. If you are currently inactive, it’s unrealistic to set a goal to run 5 miles three times a week. Instead, set a goal you can achieve, such as “I will walk 30 minutes 3 days a week.” Realistic goals can be motivating because once you achieve your goal you can set a new one! This allows you to “see” the progress you’re making. Which brings us to the next important strategy. . .
2. Set measurable goals.
Measurable goals make it possible to track your progress. For example, instead of setting the goal “I will eat out less this year” change it to “I will eat out no more than once a week this year”. By setting measurable goals you can easily track if you are sticking with your goals.
3. Write your goals down.
Writing down your goals makes them “real” versus keeping a mental list. Post your resolution where you will see it everyday as a reminder and added motivation.
4. Tell a friend.
Share your goals with others. This provides a sense of accountability. It’s much easier to let yourself down, but when you’ve shared your plan with someone else, there’s often an increased desire to succeed.
5. Reward Yourself!
When you achieve a goal, reward yourself. It’s important to recognize your accomplishments and treat yourself. Just make sure your treat is in line with your goal. If you want to lose weight, this isn’t the time to treat yourself to an ice cream sundae. Consider other small rewards you’d enjoy, such as a good book, new music CD, or new pair of shoes.
As a special New Year’s bonus you’ll recieve a complimentary copy of the Calorie Counter for Dummies when you sign up for a Mini Diet Makeover. Learn more here – https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/minidietmakeover.html
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Increasing Fiber to Lose Weight – Here's what you need to do!
I’ve been working with a retired gentleman the past few months and he’s been making fantastic progress to lose weight; however, this past week we focused on his fiber intake and learned his intake was much too low. He averaged around 15-20 grams of fiber daily. You should consume 25-35 grams of fiber everyday.
Eating a high fiber diet plan promotes weight loss by stabilizing blood sugars and increasing satiety (i.e. your sense of fullness). Fiber can actually act as a natural appetite suppressant. In addition to promoting weight loss, a diet high in fiber supports a lower LDL cholesterol/cholesterol levels, blood sugar control, promotes digestive health, and has the potential to decrease risk of colorectal cancer (studies are showing mixed results so far).
So, for your weight loss success and overall heart health, let’s take a moment and evaluate the fiber content of your food choices.
To determine your typical daily fiber intake grab a piece of paper and write down what you typically have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any snacks in between. If you’ve been keeping a food journal, simply grab your journal and look at yesterday.
Let’s use the following day as an example:
Breakfast:
2 cups of Cheerios with skim milk
6 oz. OJ
Morning Snack:
6 oz. Yogurt
Lunch:
Grilled cheese sandwich on white bread
1 cup tomato soup
Afternoon Snack:
¼ cup Walnuts and Dried Fruit
Evening Meal:
3 oz. Baked Turkey Breast
½ cup baked potato
½ cup broccoli and cauliflower
Now, you’ll have to be in your kitchen, so you can look at the food label of different foods to add up your fiber intake. For example, Cheerios provides 3 grams of fiber per cup, so fiber intake at breakfast was 6 grams (2 cups x 3 grams) since OJ and skim milk provide 0 grams of fiber. Do this for all your foods and add up the total.
In this example, total fiber intake is around 16 grams, which is low. If your fiber intake is also below 25-35 grams, look for ways to boost your fiber intake. Using the above example, you could swap out the OJ for a piece of whole fruit to add ~4 grams of fiber, sprinkle 1 Tbsp of ground flaxseed on the yogurt to add 2 grams of fiber, select whole grain bread that provides 5 grams of more fiber per slice, swap the baked potato for a baked sweet potato, and increase your broccoli and cauliflower serving to 1 cup with your evening meal. These changes would increase total fiber intake to around 34 grams.
Now, something important worth mentioning! If you currently consume a low fiber diet, making a sudden drastic increase can result in unpleasant side effects (i.e. gas and diarrhea). Increase your fiber intake gradually to avoid side effects.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips
http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com
Combat Holiday Weight Gain with a Battle Plan
The holidays can be a big hurdle in a weight loss/health plan. Holidays don’t mean you can’t enjoy the good food and desserts.
Here are 5 tips for a healthier holiday:
- Plan Ahead – It will help if you have a plan in place ahead of time. Decide if you are going to have seconds in advance and what you are going to have seconds of. For example, mashed potatoes and gravy can be loaded with calories and fat, so opt for seconds of a healthier salad or other side dish. Be sure to plan out the desserts, too. If pecan pie is a weakness, put in place a realistic plan. One slice and a cookie. . .?
- Low Calorie Snacks – While you are visiting and waiting for the main meal to be served, snack wisely. Select low calorie veggies to much on versus fatty appetizers. “Save” your calories for the meal.
- Socialize – Take the time during your holiday meal to catch up with family and friends. This will slow down how quickly you eat and are running back for seconds. You may find that you’re full and not need that second helping!
- Watch the Liquid Calories – A glass of wine can add 120 calories and egg nog 340! Do you really need a second glass?
- Prepare a Healthier Dish – Is your holiday gathering a potluck? If so, prepare a healthy alternative you like.
These are just a few steps you take to prevent holiday weight gain. Join dietitians Ursula Ridens RD and Lisa Nelson RD for the free teleclass “10 Secrets to Survive the Holidays Without Gaining Weight”. You’ll learn more about steps you can take to stop holiday weight gain and have your specific questions answered. Go to https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/newu/holidaycall.html to sign up!
