While Monica is in the midst of breastfeeding her newborn - BRAVO! - (see posting on Jan 27th), I happen to run across an interesting study, which found that while breastfeeding offers protection against developing asthma, if the child eats too much fast food when they get older, the benefit is wiped out.  Specifically, the kids at highest risk were eating fast food more than twice a week, whereas those at the lowest risk were both breastfed for more than 12 weeks and only ate fast food on occasion. So, while we all know that eating too much fast food isn’t a great idea, there are definite health consequences as well.  And think about this - how many times have you stopped to get your kids fast food and not eaten some of it yourself? A few fries here and there can really add up.

While twice a week may seem like a lot, with hectic schedules of running to sports practice, gymnastics class, or dance rehearsals, relying on the drive-through can become routine.  Believe me, I can be as guilty as anyone. A few months ago, when my son had a tennis lesson at 5 PM on Wednesdays, we got in the weekly habit of running to the drive-through for a quick dinner - and even though my kids got the apples with their kids meal rather than fries, it’s not nearly as nutritious as food I make at home and much higher in salt and fat. After a month or two of this, I realized that it would be nearly as easy and so much healthier if I just made bulk meals on the weekend that I could pop in the microwave and they could eat at home.  It’s working  - I’ve made baked chicken breast fingers, lowfat whole grain mac and cheese, spaghetti with turkey meatballs, and even the occasional veggie burger.  Luckily we’ve all broken the habit fairly easily - and I don’t even hear the whines about it anymore.

Tags: asthma, breastfeeding, fast food, home cooked, nutrition

Breastfeeding is not easy for all.  With my first two, I struggled for the first 2 months before it got easier and now with my third I am in the midst of trying to get a good latch and wondering if she is getting enough.  However, the struggle is worth it — not only is breastfeeding wonderful for mom’s long-term health and baby-weight loss, but it’s also what’s best for her baby.  Recently, A new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, provides yet another reason why moms should breastfeed.  The study found that those who breastfed had a much better mother-infant relationship than those who did not.  According to the senior researcher, the findings are more than likely related to the mommy hormone oxytocin, which is produced in the brain during breastfeeding.  This hormone promotes mother-child bonding and supports maternal behavior.  In fact, in animal studies, this hormone is needed to initiate maternal actions.  Now, for those who cannot breastfeed for whatever reason, this does not mean that you will not have a strong bond with your child - it just means you have to make sure to get plenty of skin to skin contact and cuddle time with your little one.

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Ever since I’ve had kids, I’ve been more aware that what I do, buy and throw away impacts the environment.  Like most, I want for us to leave this earth in decent shape for future generations.  A concept that I just love is the idea of eating green. (No, I don’t mean living on lettuce.) It’s about being mindful of the foods we eat and how it impacts the environment.  Vegetarianism is a great example of eating green since foods that are grown - fruits, vegetables, grains - use much less energy and water to produce than do animal foods that are raised for meat.  While I’m not a vegetarian, I like the idea that we can all make a little more effort to eat lower energy cost foods, so I do try to go meatless several days a week. The best part is that being more friendly to the earth is also more friendly to your waistline and to your health.  Studies find that vegetarians have less heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. (Check out the website www.meatlessmonday.com for more ideas and info on this concept.) Don’t know where to start? Build a meal around beans, legumes or whole grains - with plenty of protein and fiber they leave you full and satisfied. Pair this bean salad, from the Canyon Ranch Cookbook, with some whole wheat cous cous or whole grain bread and you’ve got a complete meal.

Canyon Ranch Kidney Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1/4 c red wine vinegar

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 c diced cucumber

1/2 c diced red bell pepper

1/4 c diced yellow bell pepper

1/4 c diced carrots

1/4 c diced red onion

1/4 c diced pitted black olives

3/4 tsp chopped oregano

2 tsp chopped fresh basil

3/4 tsp diced tomato

1/2 c canned white beans, drained rinsed

1/2 c canned garbanzo beans, drained rinsed

1 c kidney beans, drained rinsed

1/2 c chopped hearts of palm

Directions: In small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add salad dressing and toss lightly. Serves 4.

Tags: eating green, environment, meatless monday, vegetarian

I recently had the opportunity to discuss several of the tips from this blog and our Baby Fat Diet book with abc Channel 13 news.  They came to my home and had me not only discuss the tips for losing the baby weight but also had me show what I am doing to successfully lose my baby fat.  I do follow my own advice and so far am losing my baby fat steadily.  If you have access to local Houston news, the segment will air tomorrow, Thursday 1-22-09, on abc 13 local Houston 5:00 news (channel 13).  You can see how I do it from my own kitchen.

Tags: baby fat, healthy, Houston, local news, lose weight, nutrition, TX

I am in the midst of losing my baby fat and toning back up, so I am adding more protein to my typical breakfast routine.  Studies show that protein assists in weight loss, plus it is useful in helping build muscle.  Last Sunday, I was inspired by a recipe in Cookie magazine and came up with a healthy and great-tasting version of their potato chip frittata.  They were so good that my kids ate some (with ketchup) and my husband now eats them after his morning workouts.

You need (you may need to play around with the amounts as I did not measure everything) –

Muffin tin pan - mine has 12 muffin holes

2/3 of a 15 oz carton of egg beaters (you can also use the flavored ones)

1/4 cup skim milk

Okay - at this point you can get creative, but here is what I did.

1/2 cup ground carrots (since I was making meatloaf the next day, I had already ground some carrots - so I used them.)

crushed baked tortilla chips about 10

a little garlic salt and pepper

about 1/8 cup wheat germ - I started small, you may be able to increase to 1/4 cup

1 small shredded chicken breast (it was leftover and I did not want it to go bad, so I hand-shredded it and threw it in — it is not necessary, but this illustrates how you can add whatever is in your fridge)

Combine the egg beaters and milk with whisk.  Add rest of ingredients. Spray olive oil into muffin holes then pour your eggs into the muffin holes - only fill half way.  Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes or until fluffy and the eggs are thoroughly cooked.  Then eat some and save the rest.  We kept them for 3 days and microwaved them in the morning - it was easy and delicious.  Just add a fruit, a glass of skim milk and a slice or two of whole wheat toast and you have a great and delicious breakfast!

Tags: baby fat diet, healthy, healthy breakfast, high protein breakfast, lose weight, nutrition, weightloss

Following up on yesterday’s list of ways to save money and eat a healthy diet, here’s one more breakfast idea for you.

Use quick cooking oatmeal, the kind that comes in the big cannister, rather than the packets of instant. You get 30 servings for about the price of ten packets and a little more fiber –  Since I like some flavor and sweetness, I mix 1/2 cup of the oats with one packet of apple & cinnamon flavored oatmeal and for a calcium boost, I’ll use 1/2 cup skim milk with the cup of water in the mix. It’s a hearty, filling breakfast made in a few minutes in the microwave.  The whole meal is about 300 calories, 7 grams of fiber and I’m not hungry again until the early afternoon.

Tags: breakfast, fiber, money saving, oatmeal

I’ve seen tons of articles recently mentioning that the economic situation will have a negative effect on our waistlines - citing that healthy foods cost more and higher calorie, higher fat foods are cheaper.  When I went to the grocery store earlier this week, I was keeping my grocery bill in mind to see what I could feed my family while keeping an eye on our health.  Here’s what I found:

- Convenience foods are the most costly, so buy in bulk, cook a bunch and freeze it — Chicken breasts were on sale for $1.68 a pound (same price as ground beef but much, much leaner) you had to buy 3 pounds or more so I came home grilled the 3.5 pounds and froze half in small baggies. Now I can just defrost them as I need them. My kids have been eating the grilled breasts dipped in BBQ sauce for dinners this week.  

- Fresh fruits and veggies can be expensive if not in season, so stick to only those in season and buy frozen otherwise; and if you can find a produce market, they are probably even cheaper – I make a special weekly trip to a fruit and vegetable market because I find that their prices are much less, especially for the produce in season.  I spent about $15 this week on produce and it would easily be double if I bought the same amount in the grocery store. We’re stocked with apples, bananas, grapes, broccoli, a pineapple, green beans, salad greens, baby tomatoes, red peppers and baby carrots. 

- Beans are the bargain of the century so fill up on these nutrient packed powerhouses – I bought four cans of varius types of beans for 59 cents each and made a chili with a chopped onion, red pepper, tomatoes and some spices.  Along with some homemade cornbread, it lasted for 3 dinners for three of us and one person’s lunch.  I used the canned beans and rinsed them just for convenience but you could buy/cook the dry beans if you have more time and save even more money (about 79 cents for a one pound bag).

- Stock up when dry goods go on sale and look for coupons — Fiber One cereal, a family favorite, was on sale and I had a coupon (bonus) so got four boxes for just $1 each.  Whenever high fiber cereals, like All Bran, Raisin Bran or Shredded Wheat go on sale, I stock up.  For my kids, I mix them with a little of the sugary cereal, which seems to go on sale all the time, so they get the fiber and the taste they prefer.

- Find those store brand foods that you like and are nutritious – I bought a box of the store brand frozen whole wheat waffles for $1.50. They have 3-5 times the fiber of the name brand, my kids really like them, and they cost about half the price.

So, what did my shopping trip tell me about being cost conscious while being weight conscious? It can be done! Just be a little savvy, be willing to do a little more prep and use your freezer.  I’d love to hear your cost saving, yet nutrient packed tips.

Tags: cost saving, groceries, weight conscious

With nearly two weeks at home this year for a holiday break - kids off of school, husband and myself off of work - we enjoyed lots of togetherness.  There were some definite positive lifestyle effects — I exercised daily, my husband actively cleaned out many closets and did some formal exercise in the last week, my kids played hockey together in the basement and went to the playground several times, I cooked many meals from scratch, and we ate together as a family for just about every meal.  But, of course with all of these positives, there were some downsides (to our waistlines) of so much time at home.  The unstructured day left us with more opportunity to mindlessly graze, especially on the not-so-low-calorie leftovers from all of the holiday entertaining.  As the hosts of several friends-and-family get togethers, over the two weeks we had received chocolate chip and sugar cookies, chocolate truffles, brownies, donuts (twice), chocolate covered hazelnuts, and an apple pie.  And as the goodies piled up, the noshing increased.  So, on Sunday as my family and I got mentally prepared to get back into our work and school routines, we trashed the last of the leftovers and woke up Monday ready to really begin our new year.  I haven’t weighed myself since my last doctor’s appointment on Dec 24th, but I’m hoping all of the activity I did countered some of the extra desserts. (I’ll find out on Jan 21st at my next appointment.)  While gaining weight during pregnancy is certainly a good thing, I don’t want it all to happen in one two week period! 

I hope you enjoyed some downtime at home during the holiday break, too. If there are any leftover goodies still in your fridge or on the counter, now’s the time to trash them and resolve to get back on track.  Last night we had big salads topped with grilled chicken for dinner and some frozen mango for dessert.  Not a baked good in sight!

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In case you missed it there was an article in yesterday’s USA Today on the Baby Fat Diet, along with other recommended, expert-written diet books for the new year.  Also, Shara will be appearing tomorrow, 1/7/09, on the 10! Show in Philadelphia to talk about the book (11 AM EST on NBC Channel 10).

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Happy New Year!  I was compelled to blog today given the bitter-sweet feelings that I always experience on New Year’s Day.  I actually start the day kind of depressed, thinking about all of the decorations that we need to put back in the attic — between the physical work of putting everything back and the emotional let-down of another holiday gone by, the day starts out to be a downer for me.  However, by mid-day I usually start to think of the day as a new beginning and begin to plan what I what to accomplish for the year and what I want to improve and polish about myself and my life.  Having had a new baby right before Christmas, many of my thoughts are about getting back into my pre-pregnancy clothes and recycling my maternity garb.  Although, I am not released to begin exercising, I am fantasizing about my workouts and how good I will feel once I am able to begin them again.   For now, I am focused on eating right for breastfeeding as well as prepping myself for getting back into shape.  So, with all of my thinking today, I wanted to share with you what I am committing to do to start the new year in a healthy way -

1. slow down! I am going to slow down and make time for sitting and not multi-tasking while I eat.  This means to continue to make the effort to eat breakfast at the table with the kids (we will have to see how this works with my breastfeeding schedule and getting the kids to school in time).

2. 7 a day - I will eat at least 7 fruits and veggies a day.  This means preparing snacks the night before and making sure that I eat them throughout the work day.

3. stretch and breath - I will not only work out, but will make sure to take the time to stretch or do yoga for 30 minutes, 3 days/week.  I will add this to the tail-end of my workouts.

4. play - I will make sure to spend at least 30 minutes every day playing with my kids.  To do this, my hubby, the kids and I (yes, I make sure all are involved with preparing our meals) will have to do a better job planning our dinners and doing all prep work on Sunday nights.

Okay - your turn.  Write down a reasonable number of goals for yourself and how you will accomplish them.  You may need to put them in a visible spot, like your fridge, to help you stick with it.

Tags: baby fat diet, goals, health, healthy eating, new year resolution, weight loss