Many of us are stressed beyond the usual.  Tougher economic times and unrest about the future have added to our already stressful lives.  I have several patients asking me about foods that can help with stress.  There are ways to help your body deal with stress through the foods you eat and how you eat.  First, let’s look at how your body responds to stress.  When you initially encounter a stressful situation your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenalin which temporarily increases your heart rate and blood pressure and activates your immune system and releases energy into your blood stream, i.e. fat and carbohydrates.  This natural response is a healthy response when dealing with a stressful or dangerous situation every once in a while.  Once your stress becomes the norm, it is called chronic stress and your health can be severely impacted.  This can increase your blood pressure, blood sugar, bad cholesterol as well as create an overactive immune system in addition to increasing the risk of insomnia, depression and anxiety.  Here are some ways that food can help you cope –

- First, make sure to eat something every 2-3 hours to avoid swings in blood sugar, which can make you jittery, anxious and cause headaches and fatigue. (Stress often leads to unhealthy eating behaviors, such as not eating for long periods of time, that can aggravate the feelings of stress.)

- Also, watch your caffeine intake.  Drinking too much caffeine to combat insomnia can also make you jittery and anxious.

- Eat foods rich in vitamin B6 that help make the feel good and calming hormone serotonin, such as fortified breakfast cereals, banana, salmon, turkey, chicken, potato and spinach.

- Eat carbohydrates (make sure they are whole grains) throughout the day which help to release serotonin.

- Eat foods that combat the unhealthy effects of stress, such as

1. flavonoid-containing foods like dark chocolate (about 30 calories or about 5-10 grams), all natural cocoa, green tea, berries (all kinds), onions, garlic, soy, etc.  These foods help to keep your blood vessels healthy.

2. DHA-containing foods like salmon and tuna as well as DHA fortified foods like eggs and yogurt (look for the Life’sDHA symbol on the package) help fight internal inflammation.

3. Fiber filled foods - look for breakfast cereals with at least 5 g of fiber and eat 1/2 cup lentils or beans everyday to help keep your cholesterol levels in check.

4. Antioxidants - try and eat 5-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day to load up on antioxidants, which serve to protect your cells.

Also, do not forget to exercise and include relaxation techniques throughout your day, such as yoga, short bouts of meditation and stretching.  In fact, one of the easiest techniques you can do is deepen and slow your breathing.

Tags: baby fat diet, food, healthful eating, healthy foods, lose weight, stress

Everywhere you turn there are articles, news segments, radio spots, and even ads talking about the dire state of the economy.  And along with our money woes, some have suggested that our eating habits are becoming pretty lousy as well.  Fast food is thriving, as people look to save money when they eat out, and it seems we’re drowning our sorrows in high fat, inexpensive comfort food.  In fact, I just read an article in USA Today that many chain restaurants are offering inexpensive meals ($7-$10) to entice consumers to start eating at their establishments again. After a quick perusal of these menus, most of the offerings are loaded with calories and fat.  The potential excess calories and weight gain from this trend is not good, especially as the majority of Americans are already overweight. 

Even though as a dietitian I feel sad about this scenario, I toy with the notion that there could be a silver lining.  Is it possible that the economy could in fact have the opposite effect by sending everyone back to the kitchen rather than eating out?  Studies show that the more you eat out, the more likely you are to be overweight. So, it stands to reason that getting back into the kitchen to cook homemade meals could have the opposite effect.  Now, I know that never eating out could be a real drag, so perhaps there’s a solution somewhere in between that can save you money and even cut calories. Here are my suggestions:

• Eat in or food from home most of the time — 5 or 6 days a week — and plan your shopping trip to save money and eat healthfully (Check the circular and use coupons, Buy frozen if fresh isn’t in season, Stick to a list)
• When eating out:

         - Start a meal with a salad or broth based soup and have an appetizer or split an entree

         - Don’t drink your calories or jack up the bill – order calorie-free, cost-free water

         - Be a kid again - order a children’s meal with the fruit cup side instead of fries

         - Skip the mega-calorie dessert at the restaurant and have a small sweet treat at home

Only time will tell how the economic situation will impact our waistlines on the population level. In the meanwhile, you can use these interesting times as an opportunity to get back to basics by cooking with your family and sitting around the dining room table to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You’ll save money and likely find a “downturn,” on the scale.

Tags: comfort food, eating out, economy, fast food, high calorie, high fat

My favorite snack for today was a plain cup of yogurt with a dash of cinnamon and a handful of dried cranberries thrown in.  It helps me meet my calcium needs - about 1/3 of a day’s worth - and satisfies my sweet tooth, too. At about 130 calories, it’s certainly a good snack choice and there’s even evidence that dairy can help with weight control. Give it a try!

Tags: cinnamon, cranberries, dairy, snack, weight control, yogurt

Eating certain foods during pregnancy and while nursing is important to a baby’s developing brain, but there’s also good evidence that these same foods should be served up during toddlerhood, preschool and beyond.  Not only can they help with hand-eye coordination and school performance, but well beyond by possibly preventing dementia and memory loss that comes with aging.  I try to eat and feed to my kids as many of these as possible every day.  Here are the best brain boosting foods:

• Fish (salmon, light tuna, sardines, herring, halibut, etc) — fatty fish are rich in omega-3s, which promote brain development
• DHA-fortified foods (Horizon Organic 2% Milk w/DHA; Crisco Canola Oil w/DHA; Yoplait Kids w/DHA; Minute Maid Blueberry Pomegranate Juice; Silk Soymilk Plus w/DHA) — DHA is the type of omega-3 fat that promotes brain growth and development in kids and may prevent memory loss in adults
• Blueberries and Strawberries — rich in anthocyanins shown to maintain motor skills and short term memory
• Cocoa and Dark Chocolate — rich in flavanols, which promote blood flow to the brain, thought to reduce dementia risk 
• Whole Grain Cereal (eg. Raisin Bran) — eating breakfast has been shown to result in better performance in school and better focus on tasks at work    

Tags: Add new tag, blueberries, brain boosting foods, cocoa, DHA, fatty fish, omega-3s, strawberries

I was just inspired to write about eating your calories by an article in the Jan/Feb issue of Nutrition Today.  In counseling women to help them lose weight, I always reach for the lowest hanging fruit first, i.e. the easiest behaviors to change.  Liquid calories are one of the easiest changes you can make to lose weight.  Studies show that hunger is not satisfied through the calories you drink and that you do not compensate for those calories in your meals.  So, if you drink 150-250 calories from a Dr. Pepper or a Lipton Iced Green Tea bottled drink, you will consume an extra 150-250 calories that day.  You will not naturally decrease your food calories by that amount.  For example, just two 200 calorie drinks a day is worth almost a pound of fat a week.  A very easy thing for you to do to lose weight — if you drink beverages that contain calories - cut them down by two a day and replace them with water until the only beverages containing calories that you are drinking a day are 2-3 cups of skim milk and as much water as you want.

Tags: baby fat diet, calories, healthy eating, weight loss