Understanding what fats come from where and how much your body needs can drastically aid the average person in reaching their fitness, dietary, or health goals. Unsaturated fats or “good fats” are usually found within certain natural foods such as avocados, nuts, and seeds! It usually isn’t easy to go overboard on these, as unsaturated fats are usually recommended for healthy hair, skin, and nails and have the tendency to keep one full for a long period of time. Saturated fats are fats usually found in fatty animal products, and can be detrimental to overall health as they raise cholesterol levels and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (Mayo Clinic). Trans fat are naturally occurring fats that are usually found in small amounts (Mayo Clinic). A typical trans fat would be that of vegetable oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, and canola oil. Again, the general rule of thumb is to avoid it when not plant-derived, and always consume in small amounts!

Ideally, carbohydrates should amount to about 40 to 65 percent of your daily caloric intake (Healthline). Carbohydrates are your bodies main source of energy, as it gets broken down into glucose and becomes the fastest and easiest to use. Carbs can be good or bad however, like most things. The difference between a complex carb and a simple carb is the difference between efficient fuel and empty calories. Simple carbs are such things like white bread, potato chips, cereal, and soda. While a complex carbs provides complex nutrition such as rice, beans, fruits, veggies, whole-wheat pasta, and oatmeal! Knowing what kinds of carbohydrates you are consuming is the fundamental basis towards understanding proper nutrition.

We discussed serving size, ingredient list, sugar, sodium, fat, and carbs. After reading this two-part post you should now be more familiarized with knowing what a “healthy diet” truly consists of! If you have any further questions about your health, do not hesitate to reach out and schedule a free appointment with one of our Registered Dieticians at a HealthNet location nearest to you.

Posted by: Emily Jump, Marketing and Communications Intern

The first most important thing to understand is serving size, which is usually located at the top left of the label. If a serving size is 12 crackers with 120 calories per serving size, but there are 60 crackers in the box, eating the whole box means consuming a whopping 600 calories! Knowing exactly how much you are eating can better help you understand where to fit your snacks in during the day and how much to eat of what. That box of crackers just replaced an entire meal that could have been something else with more substantial nutrition.

Near the bottom of the label lists all the ingredients that are found within the product. The first ingredient listed is the main ingredient, meaning that most of the product is made up of that ingredient. If the first ingredient is cane sugar and the last ingredient is apple juice, that means that there is far more sugar than there is fruit juice. What many people also trip up on is the pronunciation of certain words found in this list. Usually these words are long scientific words that are often confusing. In order to breakdown what these words mean, it is important to understand prefixes and suffixes, as prefixes and suffixes determine the origin of each ingredient. For example, if an ingredient starts with “lact-” that means that it is a derivative of milk, meaning someone with a dairy intolerance would not be able to consume that product. The suffix “-ose” found in the words glucose, fructose, and lactose, means “sugar.” This understanding is also useful when reading cosmetic products, as the suffix “-cone” means a variation of silicone, which has been a recent infamous ingredient to avoid in shampoos and conditioners.

The next most important thing to understand in a nutrition label is grams of sugar, and how much is too much! According to Healthline, the recommended amount of sugar to consume a day is 37.5 grams for males and 25 grams for females. The average person consumes 76.7 grams of sugar a day, which is equal to 19 teaspoons and 306 calories (Healthline). To put these numbers into perspective, a bottle of sweet tea contains 44 grams, a can of soda contains 39 grams, and an energy drink contains 27 grams of sugar. If you want to stay inside your daily limit of sugar, opt for drinks with a lower amount of sugar per serving (less than 10) or only indulge in a couple of sips of soda or tea!

Stay tuned for Part 2 where we discuss sodium levels, different types of fat, and carbohydrates!

Posted by: Emily Jump, Marketing and Communications Intern

• Bananas
• Oranges
• Apples
• Carrots
• Hard boiled eggs
• String cheese
• Yogurt
• Granola bars (Always be sure to check the nutritional content when buying grocery store granola bars. Some bars can be full of sugar!)
• Almonds
• Whole grain cereals

Healthy snacks don’t have to be hard to find. Fill up your lunch box with healthy snacks for the family and enjoy them on the go!

Interested in learning more about healthy eating? Call your HealthNet health center and ask to make a FREE appointment with our dietitian, Karen!

With Thanksgiving behind us, how did you do with your holiday eating behaviors?  Did you need your stretchy pants?  Did you make room for any fruits or vegetables?  Was your whole plate covered in gravy?  If you didn’t do as well as you wanted, here are 10 tips you can try out at upcoming holiday gatherings.

1. Use a smaller plate.  This will trick your brain into thinking you are eating more than you actually are.
2. Drink water. This will help you stay hydrated and feel full longer.
3. Make sure are not extremely hungry before getting to the “big meal.”  Being overly hungry before the meal could lead to overeating.
4. Load half your plate with healthy fruits and vegetables.  This will allow you to get some healthy calories and nutrients.
5. Think ahead about what foods will be available during the meal and plan what you are going to eat.  This will help cut down on impulse eating as you follow through with your plan.
6. To reduce the temptation to snack, stay out of the kitchen or away from areas where food is being prepared.
7. After your first plate of food, wait 20-30 minutes before going back for more. This will allow your mind to understand how full you are.
8. Exercise and be active throughout your day.  This will help burn more calories.
9. Give yourself permission to not finish and\or throw away extra food on your plate (or your child’s plate).  This will help limit extra calories that you are tempted to consume.
10. Moderation is key!  If there are a lot of foods you want to try, focus on putting a smaller portion of each item on your plate.

Hopefully these tips will allow you to cut down on extra calories, improve the quality of time spent with friends and family, and feel successful in a challenging environment!

Happy Holidays!

Post by Mike Lockard

Summer is here and most of us will probably attend a cook out or barbecue or host our own. While cookouts are great to spend time with family and friends, they might not be great for your health.

According to The Daily Meal, a single day of barbecue eating could total 2,652 calories!  Check out the information below on the calories and fat in your favorite cookout foods.

Hot dog with ketchup:                    315 calories/18.5 grams of fat

Potato salad (1 cup):                       358 calories/20.5 grams of fat

Hamburger patty:                            250 calories/9 grams of fat

Pasta salad (4.9 oz):                        370 calories/26 grams of fat

Lemonade (8 oz):                             98 calories/25.7 grams of sugar
*According to calorieking.com

To make it easier to say no to these unhealthy cookout foods, eat before you go so you are less likely to grab a plate full of food at the cookout.

If you can’t resist, be aware of your portions and drink lots of water. Water will help you feel full and can help stop the temptation of grabbing seconds!

Need help with healthy eating? Make a free appointment to see our Registered Dietitian today! Find a HealthNet Health Center near you by clicking here.

http://www.eatrightpro.org/resources/media/multimedia-news-center/national-nutrition-month-media-materials

There is no better time to get rid of your unhealthy eating habits than March, which is National Nutrition Month! This year’s theme, “Bite Into A Healthy Lifestyle” starts at the time when many New Year’s resolutions start to fail.  National Nutrition Month is a great reminder to try and eat a wholesome diet and maintain your exercise plan. Below are tips for eating better, as well as how to keep a healthy diet.

The internet has many different diet plans, but in reality there is no miracle to healthy eating and lifestyle changes. “There is no one pill, food, drink, or machine that is the key to achieving optimal nutrition and health,” says Morgan Richardson of the Scotland County Health Department (1). When shopping choose items such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. You should also plan time during your day to exercise and always be aware of your portion sizes. Don’t be fooled by low-calorie foods! Sometimes they can add up more than you think if your portion size is bigger than it should be. A lot of a good thing is not always a good thing!

A healthy diet can reduce your risk of diseases like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. It can also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and even prevent certain types of cancer.

Eating a balanced diet doesn’t mean you have to stop eating certain foods. When you don’t eat certain foods, it is common to want those foods again. If you give in and eat those foods, you might feel guilty and go back to your unhealthy eating habits (1).

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition recommends eight healthy eating goals which are (2):

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Make half the grains you eat whole grains.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Choose a variety of lean protein foods.
• Compare sodium in foods.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
• Eat some seafood.
• Cut back on solid fats.

The bottom line: 

Try to be more mindful of your food choices and exercise every day.  One way to do this is to keep daily food and activity logs.  There are several apps or web sites you can use that are free (myfitnesspal.com or app, fatsecret.com or app)!

Post by Karen Gough

Sources:

1. http://www.ibtimes.com/national-nutrition-month-2015-ideas-healthy-eating-habits-recipes-tips-balanced-diet-1830886

2. http://www.fitness.gov/eat-healthy/how-to-eat-healthy/

Our society is becoming so fast paced that we want things to be taken care of quickly and look for instant gratification.  That’s why we all, yes, even I’m guilty of it, go through the drive thru to grab dinner on the go instead of cooking at home.  Have you seen the statics now on obesity in America?  Did you know that more than 2/3 of adult Americans are obese or overweight? Or that about a quarter of 2-5 yr. olds and one-third of school-age children (including adolescents) are overweight or obese in the U.S.?  (Ogden et al., 2014)

When I was reading these facts it was quite a shock to me.  Did you know that obesity is considered a medical illness and that it has its own set of issues that follow with it?  Why is it that we don’t take a few minutes out of our day to cook healthy meals at home?  Why is it that we are okay with eating chips or drinking 48 oz. sodas from the gas station and think that it is sufficient for us and our bodies to function properly?  It seems that we as a society have gotten away from eating our fruits and vegetables that have all the natural nutrients our bodies need on a daily basis.

I attended a conference last year that mentioned, if we just ate healthier and ate our recommended fruits and vegetables, our body would get the necessary dopamine and serotonin naturally that we are looking for in medicines now.  I’ve read numerous articles talking about the unhealthy effects of processed foods on us and our immune system.

So I ask you, is it really worth it to you and your family’s wellness and well-being to go through the drive-thru consistently?  Is it worth adding to or creating medical issues?  What we put into our body affects our moods and irritability.  What we do or do not put into our body also affects our overall well-being and how we function.  If we don’t get the essential vitamins, nutrients and proteins we need, it kurplunks, like a car when it doesn’t get its regular oil changes, tune ups, and gas.

So remember, this year as our New Year’s resolution, let’s all try to eat healthier meals!

For more information on a healthy diet, call your HealthNet health center and ask to make a FREE appointment with our dietician, Karen Gough.

Post by Bhumi Bhavsar

Source:  http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/obesity-in-the-us/

Candy Corn (25%): Who can turn down the delicious, yet addictive candy we all love to hate? You’ll feel better knowing that there are only about 150 calories, per 22 candy corns.

Caramel Apples (31%): It’s an apple, it has to be healthy, right? Think again. Caramel apples, depending on thickness of caramel and if it has nuts can range from 250-250 calories.

Chocolate Candy (31%): M&M’s, Reese’s and Hershey’s oh my! If you think you’re saving calories by reaching the for snack size, you might be surprised. Snack sizes & fun sizes tend to be different amount and most still rack up calories. Reese’s snack sizes are 100 calories or 180 if you go for the pumpkins instead, while M&M’s only rack up 70 calories.

Gummies (6%): If gummy treats like Dots and Lifesaver gummies are more your style, you might save some calories compared to other Halloween treats. A snack size Dots container has 70 calories, while Lifesaver gummies have 52 calories.

If you are worried you won’t be able to control yourself from reaching into the candy bowl, check out these tips from HealthNet Clinical Dietitian, Karen Gough.

“Don’t get sucked into the ‘see food diet’ that just makes you want to eat the candy because you see it,” says Brian Wansink, PhD, a Cornell researcher and author of Mindless Eating:  Why We Eat More Than We Think. “We eat more of visible foods because it causes us to think about it more, and every time you see the candy bowl you have to decide whether you want a piece of candy or not.

Several ways to avoid eating extra calories is:

• Buy candy you don’t like
• Keep the candy out of sight – when you see it you want it period!
• Savor one or two pieces of your favorite candy once a day
• Chew sugar free gum

Make sure you are eating regularly and including healthy snacks.  Skipping meals and snacks will only cause cravings and you guessed it…. you go for the HALLOWEEN CANDY!

1. Eat before you go. Think of it like a grocery store. If you go to the grocery store when you’re hungry, you are more likely to buy things you don’t really need. Eat before you go to the state fair so you aren’t hungry when you get there.
2. Carry a water bottle with you.  Drinking water helps make you feel full, which can help stop the temptation of that delicious corn dog.
3. Wear comfortable walking shoes. We know it is almost impossible to go to the fair and NOT indulge in at least one of your favorite fair food items, so why not start burning the calories right away! Wear comfortable walking shoes and walk around the fair while you eat. This helps burn calories and keep you moving!
4. Plan ahead. If you know there’s no way you can resist that elephant ear, plan it in your calories for that day. Plan your meals so that you aren’t going over your daily recommended amount of calories.
5. Know what’s in it! A Lemon shake up is made with lemons, so that means its healthy right? Wrong! The average lemon shake up contains over 250 calories per serving. The same goes for caramel apples which contain about 360 calories each.
6.  Share with someone else. It’s really easy to eat that entire giant turkey leg (containing about 1,136 calories) by yourself, but most fair foods are made for two. Grab a friend and split it. Not only will you save calories, but money too!

So just how many calories are in those favorite fair foods of yours? Find out below!

Fried Snickers (5 oz.):             444 calories and 29 grams (g) fat

Fried Twinkie (2 oz.):             420 calories/34 g fat

Funnel cake (1):                      760 calories/44 g fat

Cotton candy:                          171 calories/0 fat

Foot-long hot dog:                   470 calories/26 g fat

Giant turkey leg:                     1,136 calories/54 g fat
*According to calorieking.com

March is National Nutrition Month and this year’s theme is: “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day,” which encourages personalizing your own healthy eating style and recognizing food preferences, lifestyle, cultural and ethnic traditions and health concerns which all impact individual food choices.

Remember:

1. ALWAYS include the foods that you like. When making healthy menu selections it is always best to include the foods that you like and not to try fad type diets.  Fad diets tend to eliminate or exclude certain food groups.  It is best to consider and include all of your food groups: dairy, meat, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats
2. Think about how your plate SHOULD look.  By utilizing the plate method you ensure that you include all of your foods groups.
3. Watch portion sizes.  Too much of a healthy food is not always a good idea.  Meaning eating a lot of something that is considered healthy will still have calories.
4. Plan mini meals. The best way to control hunger and over eating at a meal is to eat small frequent meals during the day.  You should eat breakfast within 1 hour of waking and then eat something every 3 hours.  Eating 5 to 6 times a day is what is recommended in small portions.  Snacks are good ideas so don’t forget your healthy snacks.  By eating this way you are never so hungry that you don’t care what you eat or how much you eat.

As we work through our, “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day,” always remember the key points above so as to stay on track with your own personal goals!

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Need a little help eating healthier?  We can help you with weight loss, diabetes, cholesterol and much more. Schedule a free appointment with our dietitian at a health center nearest you.