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Top 10 Nutrition Resolutions
What are some of the best strategies for nutritious eating in the coming year?
1. Make it Count!
It's not what you eat between Christmas and New Years that counts, its what you eat between New Years and Christmas that counts! Don't worry about changing your favorite family holiday treats or overdoing it for a few days. Get back on track once the holidays are over.
2. Break-the-fast
Eat breakfast every day to spark your metabolism and boost energy. Just like throwing a log on a fire will spark and burn efficiently, you need to eat breakfast to rev the metabolism, which has been slowed during sleep. Eating breakfast also prevents overeating later in the day, helping you to achieve a healthy weight. Research also shows that eating breakfast also improves memory, learning, and concentration.
3. Avoid Fad Diets and "Quick Fixes"
If it sounds to good to be true... it probably is! Be skeptical of products and programs that promote quick results with minimal effort. If there was an easy way to lose weight that required no effort, a millionaire celebrity such as Oprah would buy it. There is nothing but hard work with nutrition and exercise to create a calorie deficit that will help you to lose weight. Also keep in mind, you want a lifestyle plan that you can sustain for the long term and that also considers your long-term health.
4. Timing is Everything
Don't go longer than 3-5 hours without something to eat. If you wait longer you will likely overeat or make an unhealthy choice because you got too hungry. Too long without food will also zap your energy and make you grumpy. Listen to your body and discover what works for you.
5. Follow the 80:20 rule
It is what you do 80% of the time that counts, don't worry about the other 20% so much. It is likely easier to eat well when you are on your own and have control over your choices. Save some of your treats for family outings, social functions, and times when you have less control over your choices because someone else is planning the menu.
6. Plan Ahead!
"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". One of the most common reasons many people fail to eat healthy is because they have not planned ahead and made healthy eating a priority. It is not easy for anyone (including me!) to fit healthy eating into a busy schedule. To succeed you likely need to ensure you have planned a grocery-shopping trip once per week so you have healthy ingredients on hand. It is also a good idea to make a re-usable staple list of foods to keep stocked in your house. You will also need to plan ahead to take some time for meal preparation. It is hard to eat well without taking ½ hour per day to prepare, cook, and eat a healthy supper meal. It also may be a struggle for you to have a healthy lunch if you don't pack it the night before since mornings are often time crunched for most people.
7. What's Eating You?
Are you eating because you are lonely, stressed, bored, or because it is a habit? Learn the difference between HUNGER (the physiological need to eat) and APPETITE (the psychological desire to eat). Keep a food record of what you eat and why you are eating. Once you have an idea of what type of an eater you are (stress eater, emotional eater etc.) in order to change this pattern you need to establish a new habit. For example if you know the evening can be a struggle for eating when you are not really hungry, you could change the habit by going for a walk, making a cozy cup of tea, having a bath, journaling, or calling a friend.
8. Set a SMART goal
S Specific
M Measurable
A Attainable
R Realistic
T Time Frame
Writing down a goal is one of the best ways to achieve success. Follow each of the letters in "SMART" and make sure that all goals you set meet those five criteria. Think of your goals like steps in a staircase. By focusing on the small steps everyday, you will keep momentum and movement towards your goals!
9. Reward Yourself!
Schedule a non-food reward for yourself after putting in the hard work of sticking to your plan. Perhaps a new book, a CD, a workout T-shirt, or a massage would work for you.
10. Work with a Professional
Don't know where to start? Needs some guidance on planning, or figuring out the most significant changes you could do to achieve your goals? Book an appointment to see a Registered Dietitian.
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Vitamin D
Is it true that we need more Vitamin D as we head into winter? And why do we need Vitamin D in the first place?
Why do we need Vitamin D?
Vitamin D, also known as calciferol is a fat-soluble vitamin found in food and also made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. The major function of vitamin D is to maintain blood calcium and phosphorus levels in a healthy range. Vitamin D enhances calcium absorption and is one of the factors that maintain strong bones.
How much vitamin D do adults need per day?
The AI (adequate intake) for vitamin D for adult men and women is:
200 IU (5 mcg) ages 19-50
400 IU (10 mcg) ages 51-69
600 IU (15 mcg) ages 70+
What are the sources of Vitamin D?
Food examples:
1cup milk has 98 IU vitamin D
3.5 oz. salmon, mackerel, or sardines has 270-360 IU vitamin D
¾ cup dry cereal fortified with 10% of Daily Value has 40-50 IU vitamin D
1 whole egg has 25 IU vitamin D
3.5 oz. cooked beef liver has 30 IU vitamin D
1 tbsp cod liver oil has 1360 IU vitamin D
We also synthesize vitamin D in the skin when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. The frequency of sun exposure, as well as season, latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog and sunscreens affect UV ray exposure, and can limit the amount of vitamin D you synthesize.
What happens when you don't get enough vitamin D?
You can develop a deficiency in vitamin D if your dietary intake of vitamin D is inadequate, if you have limited exposure to sunlight, or if you have a medical condition that hinders vitamin D usage or absorption in the body. Vitamin D deficiency results in osteomalacia in adults that results in muscle weakness and weak bones.
Which adults may need extra vitamin D from a supplement?
Older adults greater than 50 years of age are the highest risk for developing a vitamin D deficiency. This is because the ability of the skin to synthesize vitamin D decreases as we age, and the kidneys which help convert Vitamin D to its usable form sometimes does not work as well as we age. Other high-risk groups of adults include those with limited ultraviolet sun exposure, and individuals with diseases that reduce the ability to absorb dietary fat. Diseases such as Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, liver disease, and issues in the digestive tract may limit the body's ability to absorb fat. Individuals that have been on corticosteroid medication may need supplemental vitamin D since these medications reduce calcium absorption and may also impair vitamin D usage in the body.
Some research has demonstrated a benefit in vitamin D supplementation at a level of up to 800 IU of vitamin D per day to help prevent osteoporosis in older adults and post-menopausal women. Adequate vitamin D intake from diet and supplements has been associated with less bone loss and less risk of factures resulting from osteoporosis. It is best to discuss your need for vitamin D supplementation for all of the above medical situations with your Dietitian and physician.
What happens if I get too much vitamin D?
Excess vitamin D can be toxic and cause nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, muscle weakness, and deposition of calcium and phosphorus in the soft tissues. Too much vitamin D can also cause high blood levels of calcium leading to mental status changes such as confusion and heart rhythm abnormalities. It is hard to consume too much vitamin D through your diet unless you take large amounts of cod liver oil or vitamin D supplements. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level for Vitamin D is 2000 IU per day for adults ages 19 and older.
(Reference: Institute of Medicine, Food, and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes, National Academy Press, Washington DC, 1999).
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