Dining Out Well

Americans love to eat out. When I was growing up, we ate out less than once a month, and most of the time when we did, it was due to traveling. Today, according to greenanswers.com, the National Restaurant Association reports that "an average of one out of five meals consumed by Americans — 4.2 meals per week — is prepared in a commercial setting.” Is it possible to eat well, that is – healthy, while dining out? Yes!

There are several basic, common sense strategies you can use to stay well while eating out. First, don’t see it as a treat or special event, because as the data show, we’re don’t reserve eating in restaurants for special occasions. If you only dine out once a month or less, splurging when you do is not nearly the problem it would be if you ate out every other day, as most of us do on average. Try to order the kinds of healthy foods you would prepare yourself, in the quantities you would eat at home.

Pay attention to the extras: alcohol, appetizers, the bread basket, the bowl of chips, sauces, and desserts. How of many these do you typically include in your meals at home? The calories and fat from these add-ons really add up!

Avoid buffets where the quantities and calories are virtually unlimited. If you do find yourself faced with a salad bar or buffet, be sure to walk the entire length first. Plan out what you don’t want to miss and what you can easily skip that is common but “costly,” such as cheese cubes, crackers/breads, fatty meats, and fried foods. Fill at least half of your plate with vegetables (here common items are okay) and take just a tablespoon-sized taste of the salads and hot dishes, remembering that many small portions will add up.

Finally, whether you’re eating at home or out, I recommend the approach my father’s doctor suggested after his bypass surgery when Dad was put on a low fat diet. Once a week he could have one treat not found on the diet, such as an ice cream cone, and once a month he could have special meal where he could eat anything he wanted. Knowing he had this freedom to look forward to enabled him to stay on course the rest of the time. He really savored those special foods and meals, too.

More Small Steps to Wellness

Everyone has a lifestyle or manner of living, a set of habits they engage in every day. Some experts have estimated that up to 70% of visits to the doctor are lifestyle related. This is good news, because unlike genetics, lifestyle is something you can change. Here are some more of the small steps to wellness we started last week:

• Engage in physical activity four days out of five during the week and on at least one weekend day, for at least 30 minutes if possible. Exercise is essential to a long, healthy life, and with over 600 major muscle groups, you are designed for movement! Small steps: start with ten minutes a day. Walk the dog, weed the garden, or dance. Go swimming with the grandchildren, clean out your closet, or just stretch for ten minutes. Be sure to have fun and get moving.

• Set yourself up to succeed by having what you need in the house and handy. If it’s not in the house, you can’t eat it. That goes for fruit when you want it and ice cream when you’re trying to avoid it. Small steps: make a grocery list throughout the week. Shop once a week and prepare food ahead of time. Divide your snacks into individual servings for convenience during the week and to avoid overeating. Wash the grapes and cut up the melon. Hide the chips in the back of the pantry and keep the healthy snacks right up front. Keep a food scale and the measuring cups within easy reach, too.

• The holidays are coming, so plan ahead, beginning with Halloween. As you prepare for visits from little ghosts and goblins, be strategic at home and work. Small steps: buy candy you don’t like or can easily pass up. Use my “no eating food at work that you didn’t bring” rule and avoid all the bowls of candy located around the office. Bring your own healthy treat. Set a goal not to eat any Halloween candy and reward yourself with present such as a massage or new CD.

Remember to start small and build on each success for last results.

Small Steps to Eating Better

There are certain habits that consistently correlate with positive health indicators, such as a lower risk for disease or the ability to maintain a healthy weight. The good news is that these behaviors are not all or nothing. Here are a few ideas about eating well and small steps you can take to get you started in the right direction:

• Eat breakfast every day. Many people believe they don’t need or can’t eat breakfast, when really they never have had a habit of eating breakfast, don’t enjoy it, or don’t want to take the time for it. The brain needs carbohydrates to function properly, and the metabolism wanes without anything to fuel it, so the body physically requires that you eat within the first two hours of rising. Small steps: start the breakfast habit with a glass of juice or piece of fruit, a cup of yogurt, a hardboiled egg, or a cheese stick.

• Eat every four – six hours to keep the metabolism from dropping and help you avoid overeating later in the day. Studies show that eating regularly also helps to maintain a healthy weight. Small steps: keep healthy snacks handy, such as those just mentioned above or breakfast/granola bars, nuts, whole wheat crackers, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

• Make healthy choices when dining out. Small steps: choose water, iced tea, or coffee rather than soda; select a side salad rather than fries; opt for grilled meats rather than sautéed, breaded or fried; ask for your salad dressing and sauces on the side and a take-home box right away; and don’t eat portions any larger than you would at home.

Choose one or two of the small steps to begin with. Once you’re comfortable with those, add another. Check back next week for more ideas.

The Tools of the Wellness Trade

Like any trade or hobby, there are tools that you can help you look, feel, and be your very best. Here are a few of my favorites:
- A food scale is so helpful for portion control. A good one will calculate both ounces and grams and allow you to weigh food directly on the scale or in a container. Keep it handy so you can conveniently and accurately measure an ounce of chips or nuts, shredded cheese, pasta, meat, cereal, and other food where the serving size is determined by weight.
- An extra pair of tennis shoes is great to have in the trunk of your car or at work. Replace your workout pair before you need to and stash the old pair so you can take advantage of that unexpected down time by going for a walk.
- Hand held fruits such as apples and bananas are excellent snacks and are quick to grab and go on busy mornings, when traveling, or heading out shopping.
- Exercise bands are light weight and easy to pack, an indispensible tool to have at your desk or on a trip. They come in varying levels of tension and take the place of weights, enabling you to stretch and strength train every part of your body.
- Individual serving-sized snacks are ideal for the kids, busy parents, and anyone who wants easy, accurate portion control. Choose snacks such as crackers or cereal bars for your glove compartment or to take to the movies.

Let me know if you need any help locating these tools. A critical step in being well is being prepared.

Change Your Thinking to Change Your Results

Many people today realize that the thoughts they hold have an impact on their results when it comes to professional goals or business results. They don’t seem to be as clear when it relates to their health or bodies in general. It disturbs me to hear people say that they “hate” their bodies or to have them run through the inventory of body parts they would change if they could.

Many overweight women struggle with finding something good to say about their bodies. A new approach might be to take the focus off of the body and onto behaviors. One of the key shifts I had when I successfully lost weight was to begin asking myself, "What would a thin person do in this situation?" Shifting my thoughts to those of a thin person led to changing my behaviors to those of a thin person, and those changes ultimately affected my weight.

Remember in The Secret how Rhonda Byrne said she can now eat anything she wants and still weigh 116? I think an important point that isn’t stated as clearly as it might be is that she no longer wants to eat the kind or quantity of food that would cause her to gain weight. She thinks like a thin person, buys clothes to fit a thin person, and eats the way a thin person does, savoring her food. Her behaviors are aligned with her thoughts, and thinness is the result. Next time you’re at a choice point, ask yourself what a thin person, an athlete, or someone you consider successful would do and emulate that behavior.

Supplementing Your Healthy Lifestyle

I am often approached by clients and readers with questions about supplements. With so much misinformation out there and the fact that the FDA does not regulate supplements, I’m glad they ask. I do take supplements, as recommended by my physicians. These include calcium, vitamin D, fish oil, iron (with vitamin C to aid absorption), and glucosamine. I encourage you to inform your doctor of any supplement you take, as there can be adverse reactions, side-effects, or conflicts with prescribed or over-the-counter medications.

Tufts University agrees with my suggestion to check with your health care provider and offers these other tips regarding the use of supplements:

• Be skeptical of claims on product websites that sound over the top, such as those in all CAPITAL LETTERS or with multiple exclamation points. If studies are cited, see if they have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. You can check for the study in the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed database .
• Investigate the experts quoted. Are they independent researchers or physicians who are qualified to speak in the field being addressed – or are they paid for their endorsement?
• Use good judgment. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
• Don’t assume that the product can’t hurt you, even if it doesn’t help you. The FDA warns that “dietary supplement manufacturers may not necessarily include warnings about potential adverse effects on the labels of their products.” Remember that claims that a product is “herbal” and “natural” do not guarantee its safety.

From the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter Volume 10G

Does Money Buy Happiness?

Yes, but not as much as you might think. This seems strange, since money gives people choices, allowing them to buy higher quality food; engage professionals to assist them, such as personal trainers or gardeners; and spend more time with family and friends. So why are happiness scores only a little higher for wealthy people and countries compared to poor ones? According to the Journal of Consumer Psychology, it’s because people don’t spend their money on things that significantly enhance happiness.

Here are the authors’ suggestions for spending money that will increase your sense of happiness:

1. Spend your money to do or experience things, such as on vacations, classes, or concerts, rather than to get more stuff. Memories and learning stay with us, but possessions require care and break, and the pleasure of acquiring them wears off.
2. Spend your money on others. Giving strengthens relationships and stimulates areas of the brain related to receiving rewards.
3. Indulge in many small pleasures rather than one large one, especially if you’re on a budget. As pointed out previously, the enjoyment of the large purchase wears off quickly, but the good feelings from little treasures can be extended over time.
4. Plan as much in advance as possible, so you have the joy of anticipation. Looking forward to an event is very pleasurable, even if the activity itself isn’t all you’d hoped for.
5. Consider how much the item you’re purchasing will affect your daily life and how it has affected others. Aim for things you will enjoy often, to enhance happiness. If you’re unsure how beneficial something will be, consult others; their experiences are typically a good predictor of how you’ll feel.

Source: University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, September 2011