Too much for me ... may be too little for you.

This week I was thinking about those small details that we commit in our diets that lead us to failure. 

Today we will talk about PORTION SIZES.

You can choose the most wonderful diet, internationally proven, the diet of Hollywood stars, you can buy the most exotic food, but if your portion sizes are larger than indicated, everything falls apart.

The concept of a "normal portion" is entirely relative. A portion that is excessive to me may be small for someone else.

 

For example, a serving of meat is equivalent to 30g (the size of the palm of your hand) and it is a common belief that a portion of meat is 150g because that is the amount of a “small” Mc Donald's burger.

To make it simple, in recent years everyday objects have been used as reference for food portion sizes.

A poker chip = one serving of oil, butter, margarine or peanut butter = 45 kcal

A pack of cigarettes = 1 serving of meat (chicken, beef, pork, fish) or cheese = Approx 70 Kcal

A baseball or tennis ball = 1 serving of vegetables (25 kcal) or cereals (75 kcal)

A CD = one serving of breakfast bread (hot cakes, waffles, bagel) = 75-100 kcal

In this way, the next time you make a change in your habits, compare what you call a portion with what it really is and try to adapt to these new quantities. You'll see that your efforts will be well rewarded.

Best of luck!

 
 


 

DeLiCioUs recipes for your KidS!

Following post-holiday changes, in this blog I give you two delicious recipes, easy to make and to enjoy with your children:

Potato Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of low fat cream

• 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 4 cups cooked and cooled and diced potatoes

• 1 cup frozen vegetables, cooked and cooled

• 2 tablespoons capers, drained (optional)

• 2-4 slices of bread

Preparation

• Combine the cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard and salt in a small bowl and reserve separately.

• Toss potatoes, vegetables and capers in a large bowl and pour the cream dressing over potatoes and mix well. Chill the salad before serving.

• Spread a slice of bread with the salad and place another slice to form a sandwich.

• Cut the sandwich in half to make two triangles

Wrapped chocolate banana

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chocolate powder (preferably without sugar)

• 1 tablespoon skim milk

• 1 tablespoon peanut butter

• 1 banana

• 2 small flour tortillas, slightly warmed

• Cinnamon

Preparation

• Mix the chocolate flavor powder and milk in a small bowl. Add peanut butter and mix well.

• Spread half of the mixture into each tortilla.

• Put the banana in the center of each tortilla and sprinkle them with cinnamon. Roll it up and cut it in half.

See you next week!

Reference: http://www.elmejornido.com/es/kitchen/recipes

How to have a HeAltHy return to ScHoOL?

Starting school is a very good opportunity to create new eating habits in your family.  
Let's take advantage of it!

First of all, remember that creating a new habit requires slow and gradual change.  Talk to your family and make them part of the change. Explain your plan and involve them. If everyone participates it will be easier and there will be less resistance to eat healthier and improve their quality of life.

• Healthy Cupboard

In order to eat healthier and not fall into temptation, a simple principle is: DON’T BUY IT.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I bought a liter of Coca Cola to unclog a drain. At home we never drink soda, but knowing that we had it, we were tempted and took several glasses.

• Educate your family

It is very important that you include your children in the process of choosing food, invite them to the supermarket and teach them to choose the healthier version of the foods they like. Let them choose the fruits / vegetables and experiment with these new options. 

Children who are involved in the grocery shopping, are more eager to eat what they bought.

• Buy more fruits and vegetables

Make sure that more than a third of your purchase consists of fruits and vegetables.  Your purchase will be cheaper and have more ingredients to prepare meals and snacks with

• Plan your menus

Once a week plan what you will cook and anticipate your kids’ lunch the night before.  Involve them in the preparation and use that time to teach them how to eat healthier and lighter. 

There are many websites where you can find thousands of simple and innovative recipes for your family.

• School store

If your children takes money to school, spend time with them to explain what is better to buy in the store in order to feel lighter and more energetic.

• Home visits

When you have visitors at home or friends of your children, seek to provide snacks made from fruits and vegetables instead of buying bags of chips and dressings.

Remember: We seek long-term habits gradually developed. You do not need to radically change your food.  Try to make it as slow as possible so that the change does not become uncomfortable for anyone and that everyone finds new food options.

I hope these tips will be useful and that this return to the routine will be a new beginning for healthy habits.

Whole grains… are they as good as everyone says?

 Whole grains are the seeds of different grains (wheat, corn, rye, oats and rice), that still have all their original nutrients.

A whole grain is made up of three elements and each one provides different nutrients:

Bran or outer layer: fiber, B vitamins and minerals (such as iron, magnesium, zinc and copper).

Endosperm or interlayer: Complex carbohydrates and proteins.

Germ or center: Antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Whole grains help us because:

• They help us to maintain or reduce our weight: because we feel satisfied faster and for longer time, thereby preventing becoming overweight.
• Decreased risk of heart disease: as they help reduce total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure.
• Reduce the risk of diabetes and also help control it: because eating them increases the insulin response, thus improving our blood glucose levels.
• Optimize gut health: since they improve bowel movement, reducing the risk of gastrointestinal infections, decreasing inflammation and increasing intestinal flora.

However, to achieve these benefits we need to eat at least 48g of whole grains each day.

But, how much do I need to eat to achieve this recommendation? Here are some examples:

1 piece of bread = 16 g of whole grains

½ cup corn kernels = 16 g of whole grains

2 cups popcorn = 16 g of whole grains

½ cup cooked wild rice or whole = 16 g of whole grains

¼ cup oatmeal or granola = 16 g of whole grains

½ cup cooked pasta = 16 g of whole grains

2.5 cups of amaranth = 24 g of whole grains

Also, in the supermarket, you can identify products that contain whole grains, through the "Whole Grain Stamp" which specifies how many grams contained in each product.

The next time you shop, play detective and find the healthiest version of the products your family likes!

If you want to achieve a healthy diet, try to have a healthy pantry.

Glycemic ... WHAT?!!

How many of us have dreaded carbohydrates? How many times have we heard the typical phrase "eating bread makes you fat" or "As soon as I cut out bread, I lost 5 Kg"?

Bread, tortillas, rice, pasta, dairy, fruits and vegetables are foods that contain carbohydrates to a greater or lesser extent. The brain and many vital organs need glucose to function, so completely cutting out carbs will never be a healthy way to lose weight.

There are 2 types of carbohydrates:

Simple, as refined sugar, white flour, polished rice and white bread. These carbohydrates can be easily absorbed, so that they rapidly rise our blood glucose.

Complex, which are contained in vegetables, dairy, whole grains/flours and fruits. These carbohydrates contain starch and fiber that are absorbed more slowly, keeping our blood sugar levels more stable.

Carbohydrates and proteins provide the same amount of energy per gram (4kcal), however, carbohydrates have the quality to become fat in our body, so they have become infamous for "fattening".

Not all carbohydrates have the same effect in our health.  Choosing those that are the most beneficial can help us lose weight, recover from a workout, reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and even some cancers.

A simple way to "grade" carbohydrates we eat is called the Glycemic Index (GI) method:

This index measures how much 50g of food increases our glucose (sugar) level. Foods with high GI increase our glucose very quickly, so we will need a lot of insulin to absorb them. By contrast, a low GI food will raise glucose to a lesser extent, which will keep us from being hungry longer and save insulin.

This index is starting to be included on food labels, but you will probably not find it in most of the products you buy in the supermarket.

I'll give you some tips to choose low GI foods:

• Choose foods with fiber or starches (unpeeled fruit, vegetables and whole grains)
• Choose foods that are prepared with vegetable fats such as olive oil or canola oil. Foods containing fat have a lower GI, since fat takes more time to be digested.
• The next time you go to the supermarket remember this: The more fat and /or fiber the lower GI.
• It is important to remember that the final preparation of food will define the final GI, so I recommend that when you get home, try to combine high GI foods with a little fat.  For example: if you prepare pasta, add a little olive oil or protein (meat or cheese) to the recipe.  If you eat cereal with milk, add some nuts to it.

I hope that with this information you feel more confident when choosing your foods and recipes.

If you are interested in the GI of foods, click HERE

And for a list f GI in food click HERE

Do not forget to LOG OUT these VACATIONS

A small reminder:

Healthy tip: Try to choose BIG fruits like watermelon, melon, orange or papaya. These contain more water, fiber and less calories.

Go on VACATION without fearing WEIGHT GAIN.

 Does the thought of taking a vacation remind you of snacks, soft drinks, alcohol, food and losing control of your weight? Do you predispose yourself to gain the weight you lost this last period?

Don’t freak out! This time I'll give some tips for you to go on vacation without guilt when eating and enjoying the most without gaining weight:

• Try to prepare healthy snacks with fruits, vegetables and healthy dressings.
• If you want to avoid small eating all day, choose the snacks that you like, put them on a plate and eat only that amount.
• Always choose snacks that contain vegetables and have a fat-free dressing.
• Choose fat-free dressings such as vinegar, chili powder, lemon, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
• If you know you're going out for dinner at a restaurant, try to have a very light lunch.
• Do not skip meals, try to eat at least 3 times a day, even a little.
• If you like alcohol, choose low calorie beverages such as wine and beer. Drinks with more degrees of alcohol like vodka, tequila and rum have much more calories.
• If you drink beverages containing soda, use those that don’t contain sugar.
• Whenever you can, drink natural water and add sliced fruit like watermelon, strawberry, kiwi, lemon, tangerine or orange to give it a little taste. You can add some Stevia to achieve the sweetness you want.
• Try taking a walk a day, at least 30 minutes and preferably after eating.
• Choose to be active this holiday, climb stairs, play with your children, do group sports, and go for a walk with your family.
• Relax and sleep.

Remember that holidays are to recover and take new energy.  If you go up a few extra pounds, that is no reason not to enjoy your family.  You will eventually come back home and start your healthy routines.

"There is only one life, sizes are many" M. Godoy

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!