How big is a portion?

Portion size has changed over the past 20 years - according to a report from the British Heart Foundation.  For example; ready-meal portions (think lasagne) have increased by 50%.  And it isn't just these dishes that have grown, the humble digestive biscuit has gone up by 17% - so what?  I hear you cry... Well, the skinny on that one is that if you eat just ONE digestive biscuit a day it would add 3,330 calories a year to your diet - compared to the biscuits back in 1993.

You see, we eat too much.  We really don't need the amount of food we tend to eat.  We don't need a super sized meal from McDonald's or any where else for that matter.

CONFUSION:

Trying to eat properly is just plain confusing.  We are given guideline such as: 5-8 portions of fruit and vegetables every day, 2 portions of oily fish per week, and then there is the food plate where half should be vegetables (great) a quarter animal protein and the other quarter carbs (not so great), they don't specify the plate SIZE either, or the infernal food pyramids that just don't make any sense at all.

Fruit and vegetable portions are detailed at 80g per portion - but, do you know what 80g of cauliflower or broccoli look like?  And what about leafy vegetables such as spinach that when cooked reduce in size drastically but weigh more from acquired water?  You'd have to spend a lot of your meal planning time weighing your food and, let's face it, who has the time for that?


THE SOLUTION:

So, here's a "handy" solution to your portion size woes.  Use your hands as a guide.  They go with
you every where you go, so a much more practical solution to lugging the kitchen scales around with you.  Also, hand size is in proportion to body size; so a petite person's hands indicate the correct amount of food for that person, as do the larger hands of larger people who will need more food.  This even works for children.

So, here we go:

BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, etc.: the size of your clenched fist, but these really shouldn't be limited, getting 5-8 a day isn't easy so you could have 2 or more at one meal.  Aim for HALF of your plate filled with vegetables.

LEAFY GREENS such as spinach: 2 double handfuls - raw, this is almost a whole bag.

SMALL FRUITS such as raspberries, blueberries, etc.: two cupped palms.  Larger fruits such as apples and oranges should fit snuggly into your hand.

MEAT - beef, chicken, lamb, pork, etc.. should be the size of your PALM - so, your hand minus the fingers, and as thick as your palm too.

OILY FISH such as salmon.: like meat, the palm of your hand.  Heart-healthy fish packed full of Omega 3 fatty acids are essential at least once a week if not twice.

WHITE FISH such as cod, haddock, hake, etc.: your whole hand, including the fingers.

PASTA - uncooked: the size of your clenched fist.  It may not seem like much but it doubles in weight once cooked and refined white flour foods aren't really that nutritious anyway.  The best way to eat pasta is with lots of fresh vegetables.

POTATO, CARROTS, PARSNIPS, etc.: starchy vegetables, just the size of your clenched fist.  These are better for you than refined carbs but they are still high in sugar and should be considered as carbohydrates and as such should be limited if you are trying to lose weight.

NUTS:  one palm full.  You don't need more than this to reap their healthful goodness.  Did you know that just THREE brazil nuts give the same anti depressant brain boost as 1 dose of Prozac?

FATS such as butter, peanut butter, oil, etc.:  Thumb tip (from the first knuckle to the finger tip) or a
teaspoon, 2-3 times a day.

CHOCOLATE: the length and width of your index finger.

CHEESE: Length and depth of two thumbs.

All these should be calculated raw as in before cooking.  I hope this helps keep your portion control in check.  Remember, if you want to lose weight, try using a smaller plate.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

How many diets have you been on?

New statistics have come to light about our dieting habits and, as a nutritionist, I find it quite depressing.

In general, women will have dieted for THREE YEARS by the time they are 30, with the average woman dieting twice a year and losing roughly 2kg each time.

The survey by Forza Supplements of 1000 British women, claims that the average female dieter will have spent 168 weeks trying to lose the extra weight between the ages of 18 and 30.  But it doesn't stop there, by the time the "average woman" reaches 40, the number reaches just under 6 years or 308 weeks of dieting.  This means that in total she will have lost an unbelievable 89kg by the time she's 30, that's 19kg more than the average weight of a British woman (69kg).

Now that is a heck of a lot of weight to lose between 18 and 30 and by the time she's 40 she'll have lost 158kg.... which demonstrates the yoyo effect of dieting instead of eating healthily all the time and maintaining a healthy weight.

You diet... you lose weight... you stop the diet... you go back to eating the way you did before - which made you gain weight to begin with... you put the weight back on, and then some... you diet again... and you keep going round and round in a vicious circle.

Oprah Winfrey has lost and regained weight many times.

According to the survey, the peak age for dieting is 33 due to the effects of motherhood and the fear of putting on weight in middle-age, however, women over 40 are apparently the most comfortable with their figures (really?  I'm over 40 and most of the women I know are die-hard dieters and desperately trying to reverse or slow the aging process!).

Forza Supplements also asked what were the main motivations for dieting, they turned out to be - in order of importance:

• Putting on more weight than a close friend or sister.
• How a woman sees herself in a shop fitting-room mirror.
• The end of a relationship - 57% of women said this would inspire them to do something about their weight to look more attractive.
• Embarrassing holiday photos.

If you have a weight problem, by all means, examine your lifestyle and make the necessary adjustments to lose the weight and then keep it off by not going back to your old ways.  It really isn't that difficult once you make the change, although I do realize that making the change can be daunting!

However, just as hundreds of thousands of people before you have managed it, I know that YOU can
too.

Analyze your diet, what changes can you make?  Make sure you eat lots of vegetables and some fruit.  By all means eat meat, chicken, fish and eggs - you just don't NEED to eat the whole cow at one meal!  Keep carbs to a minimum and make them as wholegrain as possible.  EXERCISE... move as much as possible, help the environment and take public transport or a bike when ever possible - you'll be helping yourself too. 

Come on people!  This isn't rocket science!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Holding back the years

When I was a child it felt like Christmas took forever to come, when I was in my early 20s I smoked, ate all the wrong things and danced all night and being "an adult" seemed like a long way off.  To be honest, even now I still don't feel like an adult.

But life goes on and things happen that change your way of thinking and living.  I wish I could say that my mother's death changed me for the better, and maybe it did - later... But at the time it pushed me even further off the deep end.

However, what really changed me was becoming a mother.  I know it sounds like the typical thing that every mother says, and it probably is, because all of a sudden there is the deepest most profound love and longing to see what this baby will grow up into.  I have this strong desire to live as long and as healthily as possible to see what my children do with their lives.

Today's society is very orientated towards modern medicine and taking medication for any "age-related ailment" that might befall us; high cholesterol, osteoporosis, arthritis, etc..  But what if you could ward off those ailments?

I strongly believe that the more we look after ourselves when we are young then the better we will age.  The lifestyles we lead are so very important, and no, I'm not talking about how much money you have, or the make of car you drive, or how many holidays you have every year.

I'm talking about healthy living.  Forming and maintaining healthy habits as early as possible in life in order to prevent disease and live a longer and healthier life.

It is so easy to base your daily life on a healthy one which will enable you to be healthy and therefore to enjoy your life, love and family much more fully and it doesn't take much at all.

Here are 5 healthy habits you can develop at any age - but the sooner the better:

1.  Meditation.  Learning to meditate is not at all easy, it takes time and dedication, but the benefits are limitless.  Quietening the mind everyday for a while brings stress relief, better sleep, better relationships with those around you and even more thought clarity.  People who meditate every day are found to be much happier.

2.  Watch what you eat.  Well, I am a nutritionist!  Fresh produce cooked at home is the best way to eat.  That way you know exactly what's in it.  If you make this your base for food, then the odd "junk" meal will do no harm at all - when it really is once in a very long while!

3.  Keep sugar and refined carbohydrates to a minimum - or get rid of them completely!  Sugar is a drug and refined carbs have no nutritional value and just make us fat.  Now, I do understand that giving up sugar and carbs may seem impossible to you, so start off by limiting them to twice a week - not two whole days a week, just two meals a week.  Fruit contains sugar, but I do not advise giving up fruit - just eat the whole fruit and DON'T JUICE.

4.  Keep active.  I run, I cycle and I do yoga - that's me.  I'm lucky, I make my own schedule and am not stuck to a 9-5 office job.  The thought of sitting still drives me insane.  But if you hate running that's ok!  Find a sport that you like, and if you can do it with friends then even better.  But don't stop there.  We can be far more active than we realize.  Stand up as much as possible, even when you are at the office.  You need to stand up at least every 30 minutes, even if it's just for 1 minute.  Go and fill up your water bottle, take a brief walk or take the stairs instead of the elevator.  If you use public transport, get off 1 or 2 stops earlier and walk the rest of the way.  If you use a car, don't always park as close as possible to where you are going.  Just small adjustments like these are extremely beneficial.

5.  Have a yearly check-up with your doctor to control your glucose levels and blood pressure.  Blood pressure is a good indicator of overall health, and controlling your glucose levels is extremely important.  Developing type 2 diabetes can lead to a whole host of other health problems.

Just think, if you look after yourself and remain active, then once you hit retirement age you'll actually be healthy enough to enjoy yourself!  Remember, old age is also an attitude!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

What bingeing really does to you

Who hasn't blown the diet on a weekend?  After controlling what you eat and drink all week it's really easy to go off the rails at the weekend.  Socializing at weekends makes it all the more difficult to avoid temptation and also the just plain boredom of a restrictive diet makes it easier to give in.

Lots of people think that no harm can come from indulging at the weekends when you've been good all week, and whereas indulging occasionally doesn't hurt, when it becomes a weekly habit there are consequences.

Binge eating can also be an eating disorder sometimes due to a mental or traumatic issue.  When recognized, the problem can be solved helped a number of treatments such as self help or support groups, therapy and even medication.  If you suspect you have an eating disorder then you should seek help from you GP.

However there are physiological consequences to over-indulging:

Bloating.

This is a pretty obvious consequence.  Eating a large amount of food, often in a very short period of time, leads to bloating and abdominal discomfort.  This bloating can also cause a feeling of being breathless as the swollen stomach pushes upwards reducing the lung space available.

Let's face it, you aren't going to binge on salad and grilled fish.  Most binge food is unhealthy junk food which is seriously lacking in fibre.  As fibre is what helps move food through the digestive tract, eating low fibre foods just makes all that junk food hang around for a lot longer and can lead to constipation.  So your binge will take longer to leave you!

Heartburn.

An overfull stomach can lead to pressure on the sphincter or the "door" on the bottom of the gullet, causing it to open.

This "door" is there to stop food and digestive juices from coming back up into the gullet.  But pressure from beneath can cause it to open and release some food or juices causing a burning sensation from your stomach up to your throat.  This can also cause vomiting.  The juices that are involved are highly acidic and can cause longterm damage to the tissues in the gullet, and if not addressed it can also affect gums and teeth where regular vomiting is experienced.

Hormonal Disruption.

Binge eating has been linked to the several hormones; oestrogen and progesterone - made in the ovaries, ghrelin and leptin - otherwise known as the hunger hormones, cortisol - the stress hormone and of course, insulin which helps our bodies to process sugar from food.

When you binge, you often do so on foods high in sugar, causing a spike in blood sugar which triggers the release of insulin from the pancreas so that the blood sugar is normalized by storing the excess sugar as fat.

This process is why we gain weight.  But the stress caused by the overproduction of hormones can cause other problems such as lack of energy, fatigue, and tiredness that produce a signal to the brain to eat more.  If this is sustained, it can cause obesity and other weight associated illnesses such as type 2 diabetes.

Undernourishment.

Yes, you can eat a lot and still be undernourished,  Bingeing on high calorie foods with little nutritional value will not give you the nutrients you need.

A stable balanced diet is needed to carry out our daily routines, and exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, so if you are not eating enough and going to the gym - or whatever exercise you choose - in order to slim down quicker, you will not be doing yourself any favors.  Undernourishment whether caused by bingeing on inappropriate foods or under-eating can cause longterm effects on the skin, heart and bones.

Women especially should have regular bone-density scans once they reach menopause.

Anxiety and Low Mood.

Someone trying to lose weight who binges can often feel ashamed, guilty, anxious and worried.  It can turn into a vicious cycle... you control your diet during the week, you feel you are justified to have a treat at the weekend and when you do you feel guilty afterwards... This can go on and on and become very difficult to break.

I know it isn't easy, but try not to binge on the weekend.  If you need a treat, set a date in the future and plan what you are going to have, like a piece of your favorite chocolate cake.  Then when the day comes, enjoy it... just the one piece mind, not the whole cake!  Make sure it is WORTH IT!

Weight Gain.

Of course, all of this does lead to you putting on weight.  The cycle of control and weight loss during the week and then bingeing and weight gain at the weekend is due mostly to WHAT you are bingeing on.  As I said before, it isn't that easy to binge on salad and grilled fish!

Be mindful of what you are eating and how that food nourishes your body, how it keeps you healthy.  If you do binge, don't ignore how it makes you feel... sluggish?  Exhausted?  Sick?  Remember those feelings the next time you are faced with temptation.  Ask yourself if what your are tempted by is worth the consequences?  How are you going to feel after you have eaten it?  Will you feel guilty and wish you hadn't eaten it?  Will it give you heartburn or gas?

Think before you eat....

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com