Fit Behavior Blog

Ingredient labels have never really been easy for the average person to not only understand for the purposes of evaluating what product to choose. Many foods have dozens of ingredients with complicated name that nobody can identify the value of or what they are or do.

 Here is a quick check list of how to read an ingredient label

• Ingredients are listed in descending order of predominance.
• The first two or three ingredients are the ones that matter most.
• The word “whole” should appear as the first or second ingredient if you are considering types of grains such as whole wheat, oats, rye, or another grain.
• Whole-grain foods should contain at least 3 grams of fiber per serving, but more is better.
• If sugar is listed in the top three ingredients, my recommendation is not to buy the product at all. To know how many grams of total sugar a product contains, check the nutrient facts label. Four to 5 grams of sugar is equal to a level teaspoon. For example, is the ingredient label has 40 grams of sugar in your “healthy drink” you have purchased, you will be consuming 10 teaspoons of sugar!
• Partially hydrogenated oils are the primary source of trans fats. If a food contains partially hydrogenated oils, it contains trans fats.

Other bedazzling ways to misrepresent foods

You’re trying to make the right choices in the foods you choose. Beware of manufactures tricks to deceive consumers into thinking that you are purchases healthier or better quality foods than they really are.

• It used to be you would look for sugar in the top three ingredients. Now a trick of manufactures is to distribute sugar among many ingredients that fall below the top three ingredients. They may use corn syrup, brown sugar, corn syrup solids, dextrose and other sugar products in smaller quantities so they do not fall in the top three spot.  Ingredients that end in the word “ose” are all forms of sugar, as are honey and corn sweeteners. These products still contain as much sugar as their counter parts.
• A food that states “trans fat free” may in fact contain up to 0.5 grams of partially hydrogenated oils, a source of trans fats, in the ingredient list.  In turn food companies have changed serving sizes to sell their product as fat free!
• Another trick is to list healthy ingredients and have the label state this clearly in the front as an added benefit.  Unfortunately the ingredients listed are in such small amounts or hardly even detectable amounts that you will derive no real value from the consumption of them in the product.
• Ingredients lists don‘t have to list chemical contaminants. Foods can contain pesticides, solvents, and other toxic chemicals without having to list them at all. The best way to minimize your ingestion of toxic chemicals is to buy organic, or go with fresh, minimally-processed foods.

I stood in line at the bakery today and overheard a very overweight woman say,”it’s so hard to come in here; I just want to buy one of every thing, I can’t resist”!  It made me think, wow, are we conditioned to see food, salivate and feel deprived if we don’t get to eat the 1000 calorie fat laden, sugar loaded killer (literally) muffin, donut or yummy gooey whatever?

Have you ever wondered why, if you have a choice, you CHOOSE to eat the wrong foods and too much of them at the expense of good health, energy, vitality, looking good and feeling fine in your favorite jeans, you choose the later?

For some people, maybe the deeper down response to food is that you are not aware of how the sight of food and taste of food elicits a deeper response to boredom, anger, happiness, comfort, and many other emotions that are connected to seeing food and responding with feeling of being deprived if you can’t have it. Your lack of self control may be lack of awareness of your feelings connection to food.

Unacknowledged feelings can manifest as over eating, drinking, gambling, shopping or many other “overindulgences” that you may just accept as “just eating too much or buying too much”.  If you acknowledge what part of your life is connected to your rewards to food and use of food for comfort then you can start to evaluate other options, solutions or mindsets to make better choices rather than food.

Finding the answer for overeating can be quite complex, however it may be the missing piece of the pie that you are looking for in the bakery of life:)

Consuming simple sugars elicits a burst of sugars released in your body. This burst causes many stresses to the body. Sugar will promote a sharp spike in insulin levels in the body resulting in accelerating the aging process, increased risk of heart disease, every form of cancer, memory loss, and mental deterioration and is function in accelerating aging skin and wrinkles.

 If you do choose to eat your refined sugars you should combine with good fats, fiber, and protein to slow absorption. Many times I hear people state they are addicted to sugar. Realize that eating sugar causes your body to crave more sugar. That may be the addiction you think you have. Read the contents on your labels. Don’t concentrate on the carbohydrate number; look at the grams of sugar listed on the label.

These meal planning suggestions are intended for an exercise routine that will last for approximately an hour of relatively intense cardiovascular and/ or weight training workouts. Proper nutrition is important and essential for weight loss and for energy during and after a workout.

Here are a few suggestions for meal planning before during and after a workout.

You should never exercise on an empty stomach. The pre workout meal is important in regards to the foods you choose and timing of your meals.  Without any or enough carbohydrates, blood sugar levels cannot be sustained. Sustaining blood sugar levels is essential in burning body fat most efficiently and sustaining energy levels during exercise.

If you are planning to eat 4 hours before a workout, your meal should consist of carbohydrates, protein and fats. This combination will help to stabilize blood sugar levels during your work out. Here is a simple list to choose from: fresh fruit, or vegetable juices, bread, bagels, baked potatoes, and sandwiches with a small amount of peanut butter, lean meat, or low fat cheese.
3 hours before a work out your meal/snack should comprise carbohydrates only. If you choose to add protein before you exercise up to 3 hour before you work out, these foods can result in delayed emptying of the stomach and you could potentially experience uncomfortable gastrointestinal side effects during your workout. Consider these snack ideas: A half of a bagel with jam, a banana and 20 mini-pretzels or an energy bar.
2 hours and up until your work out should consist of simple carbohydrates only. Approximately 200 calories is the suggested amount of calories you should consume. The majority of these calories should come from simple carbohydrates. Here are a few suggestions: fruit or vegetable juice and/or a sport drink.
During Exercise, listen to your body. If you start to feel light headed or tired during your workouts, you may want to add some simple sugars to your workouts. A suggestion is a sports drink of some kind. Feeling hungry is not an indication that you are burning fat. It is an indication that your blood sugar level is dropping and you should adjust your nutritional needs for your workouts.
Post Workout meals depend on the time and intensity of your workout. No snacks or meals need to be eaten if your workout is less than a half hour and mild intensity. If your routine is intense and last more than 45 minutes, a proper light snack or meal is suggested. A recovery meal of both carbohydrates and protein is important in a four to one ratio of carbohydrates to protein consumption.
Carbohydrates need to be consumed to replenish the glycogen stores that have been depleted during exercise. Eating within one hour after a work out will aid in the bodies ability to utilize the nutrition most efficiently. Waiting longer than an hour results in 50 percent less glycogen stored in the muscle.
Protein provides the amino acids that will aid in rebuilding muscle tissue that is damaged during intense, prolonged exercise. Too much protein can inhibit re-hydration. The amount of protein in a recovery snack/meal will depend on your age, weight, medical conditions, not  the intensity or duration of your workout.  You may want to consult USDA guidelines for more information on protein intake.

These are general guidelines for nutrition and exercise. Each person may find that slight variations may work better for each individual. This advice should be modified or approved by a consulting a qualified health professional for your particular needs or medical modifications.

Carolyn Phillips- Founder/CEO

Menu of Life- Carolynsmenuoflife.com

Fit Behavior- Fitbehavior.com

Consuming smaller portions of foods at each meal is one of the easiest ways to cut back on calories and loose weight. Not knowing how much food you eat could result in eating hundreds of extra calories every day. Knowing what is a proper portion size could be challenging with the challenges of super-sizing, over sized portions, all-you-can-eat-buffets, 32 oz sodas, jumbo candy bars, and other snack foods all contributing to excess calories your body cannot do anything with except store as fat.
It can be difficult to know what the proper amounts of food to eat looks like. Here are suggested servings sizes and some tips to get you started in reducing your serving sizes.
 3 oz. meat: size of a deck of cards is the recommended portion for a meal
 Medium potato: size of a computer mouse
 2 Tbs.: size of a ping pong ball
 Average bagel: size of a hockey puck(even bagels are super sized now)
 A 1/2 cup serving of potatoes, rice or pasta looks like a tennis ball.
 A kitchen scale may help to identify how much something should look like.
Try the following ideas to eat smaller portions when dining out.
 A small soda is about 150 fewer calories than the large one.
 Choose a regular hamburger at a fast food restaurant instead of the larger burger, and save about 150 calories.
 Small fries instead of the super-sized will save you save about 300 calories.
 Start thinking about how you can cut down serving sizes to cut out calories.
At home
 Be careful with your plate size. If you have a smaller size plate you will generally eat less.
 When snacking, place a few chips or crackers in a bowl to help prevent overeating. Don’t eat from the bag.
 Buy single portions of snack foods so you’re don’t eat the whole bag or box.
 Be careful with butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, and cream cheese. Use half the amount you usually do and save lots of calories.