I want some pool time, some fun in the sun and some summer time treats! Do you treat yourself to things on the weekends? Do you have a cheat day on your diet? Honestly, I don't believe in "cheat days". I think that if anything maybe a cheat MEAL is ok but to say that a whole day is a free for all can actually undo all the hard work you have put in for the whole week. No kidding. I have seen some of my clients cheat days and they have ranged from 2,000-4,000 cals. That is just too much! I am not saying that I don't cheat here and there but I am saying that I don't think that one should just deprive themselves of what they want until they get to Saturday and then eat everything that they have been wanting for the whole day to get back on track on Monday. Truth is, if your diet is in place you shouldn't be craving crap. I mean that. If you are on a clean diet you will notice that craving for sweets, greasy food and calorie packed crap is just not appealing. I can remember a time when I would "crave" romen noodles. WHAT??? I know right! I did though and it was because I ate like crap. Sorry for the words but it is just that, crap.
I had a women come up to me at the gym and was trying to yet again sell me her brand of vitamins. She has tried to sell me her vitamins like a million times but usually someone catches her eye and I can just slip out. This time however, I was cornered. She went through the whole speel of the company and products but I already knew my reply. She asks "What multi vitamin do you take?" My response "I don't take a vitamin." "You don't take a vitamin!?!?" she said. "No, I don't have to...." I said. She stood there for a second and looked at me with a blank look on her face. "But why? You NEED a vitamin and I would have thought that someone as in shape as you are would take one." I said "I don't take a multi vitamin because I get all the nutrients I need through my FOOD. If your diet is in place, you shouldn't have to supplement." She laughed at me and said "Heather, there is no way that you are getting the vitamins you need through your food, not even if you were to eat only raw vegetables." I disagree" I said and then said "I would rather just leave it at that." I didn't have time to council her (she would not have listened to me anyway.) I thought I would make a post of it. So here we go!
Can you get all your nutrients from food alone?
We all know that vitamin supplements are no substitute for a healthy diet, but nobody’s perfect when it comes to healthful eating. It can be particularly challenging to get the nutrients you need if you’re dieting or if you avoid animal or dairy products. So, many of us take a daily multivitamin as nutritional insurance. But research suggests that multivitamins may not be all they’re cracked up to be.
Recent research findings raise questions about the use of multivitamins, and whether or not to take one daily has become a harder call. Many multivitamins contain some micro nutrients in excess of the recommended intake, which can lead to unsafe levels. Some studies have shown that there’s little or no evidence of protection against cardiovascular disease or cancers from a number of vitamin supplements. As the negative findings of studies of vitamins have piled up, they have raised questions about the use of multivitamins as a safety net.
The Challenge
Experts agree that the best way to get the nutrients we need is through food. A balanced diet — one containing plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains — offers a mix of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that collectively meet the body’s needs. But many of us doubt whether we can get all the nutrients we need from food alone.
For one thing, the “percent daily values” featured on food labels are based on a 2,000-calories-a-day diet. Many of us can’t eat that much without gaining weight. What if your energy needs are closer to 1,500 calories a day? What if you’re dieting? Can you eat enough to take in the recommended micro nutrients without falling back on a multivitamin?
The Good News
It’s not an issue of food quantity, but rather food quality. Even a low-calorie diet can deliver all the vitamins and minerals you need, with one exception — vitamin D. So plan to take a vitamin D supplement. Getting the rest of your nutrients through diet requires some planning and some knowledge about food. The focus should be on nutrient-dense foods such as legumes, Brussels sprouts, kale, eggs, seeds, almonds, and fish, which are packed with vitamins and minerals and have relatively few calories (see examples below)
Here are some nutrient-dense foods*
Avocados
Chard, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach
Bell peppers
Brussels sprouts
Mushrooms (crimini and shitake)
Baked potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Cantaloupe, papaya, raspberries, strawberries
Low-fat yogurt
Eggs
Seeds (flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower)
Dried beans (garbanzo, kidney, navy, pinto)
Lentils, peas
Almonds, cashews, peanuts
Barley, oats, quinoa, brown rice
Salmon, halibut, cod, scallops, shrimp, tuna
Lean beef, lamb, venison
Chicken, turkey
*Foods that have a lot of nutrients relative to the number of calories.
What you can do:
One way to set up a plan that precisely meets your nutritional needs is to work with a registered dietitian, who can take into account your food preferences and allergies or other health issues (such as lactose intolerance). Many dietitians have access to computer programs and databases that ease the most difficult calculations, such as nutrient analyses of menus. You can ask your clinician for a referral (check to see if your insurance covers the cost of nutritional counseling), or ask at a local hospital or medical center. But if you have the time and the inclination to do the work yourself, there are free tools and calculators on the Web that can help. I also provided a 1,200-calorie sample menu below:
1,200-calorie sample menu that meets the daily DRIs* for a woman 51 to 70 years of age
Breakfast
8 oz nonfat yogurt
½ cup sliced papaya
Snack:
½ cup sliced kiwi
1 oz (14 halves) walnuts
4 oz skim milk
Lunch:
1/2 small whole-wheat pita with a
Green salad:
1 cup dark green lettuce
1 red or orange pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes
½ cup edamame beans
1 tbsp. unsalted sunflower seeds.
Salad dressing made with 1 tbsp. olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and pepper
Snack:
have the other half of the pita and the rest of the salad
Dinner:
4 oz broiled wild salmon and yogurt sauce (1 tbsp. Greek-style nonfat yogurt, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 clove chopped garlic)
¼ cup cooked barley and ¼ cup cooked lentils with spices to taste
1 cup steamed baby bok choy
I wanted to show you how you can take three meals and divide them up into smaller meals. Instead of having yogurt, walnuts, two pieces of fruit and some milk for break fast I divided it into two "meals". Ex: Yogurt (go for the Greek kind, you will get the perfect balance of protein and dairy), fruit. Then three hours later have your milk, fruit and nuts. Both meals have the perfect balance of Protein, dairy, fat, fiber and carbs. You get the idea!
This is a post that I really feel like I needed to get out there! See you on Friday peeps! We made it yet again!
xoxoxox
-Heather
