Not Quinn related, but food is still my life and passion and it's been awhile since I've given my 2 cents. And with my degree in dietetics...I have 2 cents to give today. :)
What do you look for when you're shopping for convenience foods? What's your deciding factor between items?
I look for a combination of all three--lowest sodium, sugar and kcals. It's hard to find. I look to better my diet, Q's diet, and Mike's diet (for when he's eating at home...).
I just read a "foods to avoid in the supermarket" article on msn.com. I can't believe some of the "healthier" options they give have more sodium. Yes, kcals and fat are important to watch when losing weight. But is an increase in sodium really going to help you out? No, not really. What confuses me is that some of the "chose this" options aren't even close to the same thing (in my mind). If I want alfredo...PLEASE don't give me olive oil noodles and call it square.
Anyway, I know many of you blog followers are losing weight, maintaining weight, trying to gain weight (you preggos), or wishing you could just magically drop a few pounds, cholesterol points and drop your blood pressure.
How do I do it? I managed to gain 65# (yes, 65#) when I was preggo, and I'm back down to where I was 2 years ago--pre-baby.
I recently had someone tell me "you're sure watching your fiber". Yes, I am. Why? To keep my cholesterol where it's at! Cheerios alone don't do it (if you read the box it's 3 cups a day to lower cholesterol significantly...how do you have time to have a balanced diet eating 3 cups or cheerios a day?!). I enjoy the Fiber One yogurt..as does Q. It's relatively low in the sugar and kcal and sodium columns...and it has that magical fiber we all love so dearly. I've recently become addicted to poptarts too...looked at the box and freaked out. The Fiber One poptarts are a good compromise (40% daily recommended fiber in ONE!!). I also enjoy all versions of cheerios, whole grain breads, grain crackers (fishie crackers recently...totally addicted which is unfortunate due to the sodium content!), and oatmeal.
In a recent addition of my parenting magazine, there was a great article about losing/maintaining weight too. It stated moderation is key, and you still need fat in your diet. An egg or two a few times a week is a good thing. Adding peanut butter to your morning routine (daily or a few times a week) is a good thing (ask Tom!). And 1/2 cup of whole fat dairy is a ... GOOD THING! I totally loved this little page long article, as it's what I live by. By allowing myself these whole fat foods a few times a week, I curb the need to over-indulge myself...really ever! Red wine and a few beers a week...yes, I allow myself to enjoy a few each week. Without that, I can only imagine what would happen each time I got the opportunity to go out (even though the few I had last Friday seemed to go straight to my head!!).
And of course, losing is not all about food. Exercise and movement are key too! I stretch each morning with Quinn. We dance a few times a day to whatever music she wants to listen too. Music Together classes encourage movement and dancing to songs, too, so that's an hour a week right there! We walk where we want to go. If we drive, it's a far spot from the door so it's a longer walk. If we're shopping, we walk the whole store (at least once) just to get some more steps in. AND...I'm ashamed to say (type) it, but I'm lucky if the treadmill is in operation weekly these days. Actual cardio workout would do me wonders. HEY, I have been trying to get to 100 sit-ups a day (Tom's challenge from what....6 months ago!?). I'm up to at least 20 a day...but I do 100 on days I hit the treadmill. Ugh...and it HURTS! And my weight lifting...well, Q's around 25#...and I lift and carry that more times than I can count on a daily basis. I do extra stretches as I do dishes. I walk almost each dish the step or so that it is...to/from the dishwasher. Folding laundry one piece at a time and putting it away (if Q doesn't get to it first....then I fold in a few times). Chasing the cats in circles with their toys and strings. Oh yeah, and we have 30 stairs from the basement to the top floor...I do those about a million times a day too!
Moral of my story...enjoy a few opportunities a week to allow a little fat, sodium, sugar and kcals. Enjoy the movement you get each day and try to find ways to make the "little" tasks a little more "worth it".
That's my rant for now. Hope it's helpful and not just a bunch of garbage.
3 comments:
I love convenience, but it always comes with a price usually sodium. I've been on a canned soup kick this week and I've noticed on the scale. Up a bit and I know it's because of the salt.
I always look at fiber and we eat a lot of fruits and veggies and popcorn for snacks. Not many convenience foods other than fruit snacks for lunches.
I don't look at sugar. There's so much to look for, a line has to drawn somewhere doesn't it?
Love my PB in oatmeal daily and the situps were given up LONG ago.
loved your blog today ;)
I look at the first 5 ingredients and try to stay away from certain oils, high fructose corn syrup, etc. I try to look to get 3 grams or more of fiber per 100 calories if possible. I really watch saturated fats and NEVER go for trans fats. I try to keep sugar under 5 grams per serving unless it's fruit.
I have a serving or 2 of metamucil along with all my fruits and veggies each day to get the double whammy of fiber ;)
One thing you want to avoid is high fructose corn syrup, for a number of reasons. One reason is the correlation between high fructose corn syrup and obesity. There are a few different hypotheses on the associations, many discussing how your body processes high fructose corn syrup -- i.e. stimulates your liver to produce triglycerides upon digestion, etc. Real sugar is better for you than that high fructose corn syrup crap.
Also, it's been shown that a lot of high fructose corn syrup has detectable levels of mercury in it. This is due to how HFCS is processed ... I guess it's hard to avoid having mercury in HFCS.
So, stay away from it! It's tough because it's in so many foods. I've started to buy only natural or organic peanut butter, and, if I want a soda, I buy Jones Sodas because they have real sugar, etc...
Oh, also, yes, sodium... You're dead on with avoiding that one, Katie. Sodium levels are so high because companies add it to give their products flavor. It's tough to find foods with lower sodium. Your kidneys will love you if you ingest less of it.
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