Important things to know about eating

The food industry is expanding and presenting multiple options to use to make cooking taste good and look good.  Willing to try something new?  A few quick suggestions: hearts of palm sliced up in a salad or eaten alone; dried lemon peel and low sodium soy sauce for marinating tuna steak; black beans stir fried and topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese…….   stay tuned, more ideas on the way…..

phone’s ringing, car needs gas, family member ill, weight causing fatigue, job is intense, etc., etc., etc., etc.  stress never ends. something always causes it to go up.  Accepting, actually accepting, the stress has been suggested to help eliminate some of it. Furthermore, handle it without food indulging.  Stress eating is a continual reason for weight gain.  NONFOOD IDEAS for stressful times: dancing to music while cleaning house,  journaling or writing, painting, crafts, model cars, yoga.  Plan something to do in those stressful times.   

Beverages are quite a treat.  The market has things that are quite neat.   Does that mean we have to choose them?  For our beverages quench our thirst.  No negativity needed there.  Water is made naturally in our world.  Finally, water has been used to create treats in a bottle.  Flavored waters, flavoring for water and just water are all available conveinently.  Once with a patient I calculated what 5 regular cans of soda a day would add to the weight gain.  It came out to something greater than 50 lbs a year of excess weight, pounds to eliminate.  

In the world of “Sugar Free” and “Low Carb”, products being used as sweetners need reviewed.  It is the sugar alcohols that can cause the most issues.  Sweetners like Sorbitol was once prescribed as a laxative.  Used in sugar free gums and candies, consumption can cause this stomach problem.  Sorbitol, Xylitol, and Mannitol all end in “ol” and are included in the group “sugar alcohols”.  Beware!!!

Recent sightings have bewildered me. Businesses feeding off the size issues we currently face. How obnoxious. Instead of creating communities that provide ability for good health, businesses are delving into what they can get from your money next. It’s a food-clothing industry partnership of sorts who wow the government with business in the area. Putting free outdoor fitness centers in all neighborhoods would give incentive for kids to get buff. Stronger human race to fight the future.

Food is the essence of the body’s energy. Foods are for strengthening the mind and allowing the machine to go.

A major element with eating and blood sugar care is consistent meal times. Every day, every meal. The same meal times for week days and weekends and holidays. Write a schedule with the times planned and paste it to the fridge. Follow it. Don’t guess, follow it.

During the holidays, food is festive and abundant. Delicious and flowing. The best way to eat well and still have the treats is to eat and then stop. Don’t keep eating just because the food keeps coming, however. The beginning of the meal is when feelings of hunger are strongest. It is then that one needs to enjoy the flavors and eat slowly. When the feeling of hunger is lessened, even a small bit, stop consuming and wait. The food will continue to be presented. Find something else to do. Talk to a friend, dance, get some water, look at the wall art. Take the focus off the food. You’ve covered that already. Until next time.

Meal planning is a word usually left for books: however, it is a great way to be in control. If a person sets out clothes for the next day, getting dressed in the morning is easy. It is the same idea for meals. Think ahead and have what you need ready to go. Doing this everyday is difficult. Starting with three days a week will help monumentally. For example: breakfast: small bagel, peanut butter, banana, and a small cup of milk. Lunch: slice of watermelon, sliced yellow pepper wedges, small tuna sandwich. Dinner: Small hamburger, stir-fried zucchini and a pear. Snacks: small handful of cashews, and a cup of orange juice. I have to cook the hamburger, mix the tuna, slice the melon and slice the pepper. Ready to grab. Be calmer and more in control with planning ahead.