Oh YES. We love that word during the holidays. "Can you come to my cookie party? Should I send cards to all of them? Do I shop for gifts for those less fortunate?"
If you're like most of the women I meet through pilates classes, the word "yes" adds a good bit more running in our schedules this time of year. Attendance at my pilates studio tends to go down during the holidays.
We need to create as many hours as we can in each day. Having mental clarity and energy creates time. So what are some ways that we can keep energy flowing naturally throughout the day?
Eating well while stabilizing our blood sugar can be difficult when we're in and out of the car, stores, and all the other giving that many of us do. Here are a few tips that can help.
Keep low glycemic snacks in the car, your purse, and in backpacks. I do not mean carrot sticks and fat free snack bars. GORP (good old raisins and peanuts) minus the M+Ms, nuts, even cheese sticks will stay fresh this time of year. You can boil and shell several eggs, sprinkle a little paprika or salt on them in a ziplock bag and there's your energy through the afternoon until dinner. Turkey jerky is a great satisfying snack. Very dark chocolate with some almonds can boost energy without boosting and crashing blood sugar. Invest in a nice large travel mug and get in the habit of filling it with some wonderful tea before leaving the house. You'll be less tempted to get highly sweetened drinks.
Be creative and make a plan. All these will will reduce cravings for the endless sweets we are exposed to this time of year. You will also feel a sense of peace in controlling your eating that many of you haven't felt in a while.
Have more energy. Enjoy the people around you. Accomplish more. What could make you feel better than that this holiday season?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Killer Fat
When we hear the word "diet" we often think about regimens, group meetings, and paying money. What we know is that eating is part of living every day for all of us. Why are those two pictures so different?
For the last two weeks we have been discussing ways of eating so as not to spike blood sugar. We used a glycemic index chart to begin to make sense of it. One of the comments on the film was that foods that are white and mushy create white and mushy around our middle. Biochemically, storing fat in the tummy is most often a symptom of insulin resistance. Lisa's story illustrated the point in our filmed discussion (found in the greatpilatesnow.com library) two weeks ago.
" I was in my thirties and the fat-free craze was in. Up to that, my weight was fine but I thought 'maybe I should'. Then I quickly gained probably about 10 or 15 pounds, and for me that was a lot of weight. It probably took be about five or six years to loose that weight."
Why did this happen? When we reduce a food group in our diet, we naturally need to compensate for that. Taking away fat often means eating more carbohydrate. Consuming more carbohydrate without the fat which buffers its effect on our blood sugar, means we need more insulin to handle the eating pattern. The result is not just weight gain.
What Dr. Ray Strand calls "killer fat" is symptomatic of impending cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus (adult onset), and lots of inflammation in the body. What many scientists are agreeing on now is that insulin resistance is the true underlying cause of high blood pressure and rising levels of bad fat in the blood.
It's so much more than looking good ladies. Its about extending our healthy days on this planet. More days to tell people we love them. More days to write that book, feel sunshine and wet feet; to read, to create, to snuggle.
More days to feel good.
For the last two weeks we have been discussing ways of eating so as not to spike blood sugar. We used a glycemic index chart to begin to make sense of it. One of the comments on the film was that foods that are white and mushy create white and mushy around our middle. Biochemically, storing fat in the tummy is most often a symptom of insulin resistance. Lisa's story illustrated the point in our filmed discussion (found in the greatpilatesnow.com library) two weeks ago.
" I was in my thirties and the fat-free craze was in. Up to that, my weight was fine but I thought 'maybe I should'. Then I quickly gained probably about 10 or 15 pounds, and for me that was a lot of weight. It probably took be about five or six years to loose that weight."
Why did this happen? When we reduce a food group in our diet, we naturally need to compensate for that. Taking away fat often means eating more carbohydrate. Consuming more carbohydrate without the fat which buffers its effect on our blood sugar, means we need more insulin to handle the eating pattern. The result is not just weight gain.
What Dr. Ray Strand calls "killer fat" is symptomatic of impending cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus (adult onset), and lots of inflammation in the body. What many scientists are agreeing on now is that insulin resistance is the true underlying cause of high blood pressure and rising levels of bad fat in the blood.
It's so much more than looking good ladies. Its about extending our healthy days on this planet. More days to tell people we love them. More days to write that book, feel sunshine and wet feet; to read, to create, to snuggle.
More days to feel good.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
A Better Way to Manage a Meal
Since we now understand why a calorie is no longer a calorie, lets look at how to more effectively manage a meal.
Simply put Glycemic Index is a number ranking given to a food based on how quickly it causes blood sugar to rise. Anything with an index above 60 is to be avoided. Glycemic Load means finding out the sugar impact of a combination of foods, like a meal. The base for the ranking is glucose, which has a Glycemic Index of 100 and glycemic load of 10. The load is based on the complexity of a carbohydrate and its fiber, fat or protein content.
Low Glycemic Load foods are those foods with a value of 10 or below; medium Glycemic Load foods are those foods with a value from 11 up to 19; high Glycemic Load foods are foods with a value of 20+. Since foods that are low in Glycemic Load are typically fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean proteins, a low Glycemic diet is a healthy, balanced diet.
Fruit sugar has an index of 19 and a load of 2 (fruit juice is substantially higher). Table sugar has an index of 61 with a load of 6. Some foods will surprise you. a fresh peach has a glycemic index of 22 and load of 3. Mashed potatoes have an index of 92 and a load of 18! Happily this doesn't mean that you must never eat mashed taters again.
The combination of foods and order in which they are eaten can absolutely bring that number down. For example, If you have a meal of turkey, a small portion of mashed potatoes and a bigger portion of broccoli or squash, the mashed taters won't spike your blood sugar the way they will if eaten first or without other foods. This has to do with the level of fat, protein, and fiber in that combination. This is why I always suggest that you add a good fat or protein to your snack. Many people think that this will make them put on weight. On the contrary, if portions are kept small, you will be surprised at how satisfied you become after only a small snack. With a little practice, you will learn how to manage any party or food buffet that comes your way without binging or being distracted by the tired feeling of overeating and feel really good!
Simply put Glycemic Index is a number ranking given to a food based on how quickly it causes blood sugar to rise. Anything with an index above 60 is to be avoided. Glycemic Load means finding out the sugar impact of a combination of foods, like a meal. The base for the ranking is glucose, which has a Glycemic Index of 100 and glycemic load of 10. The load is based on the complexity of a carbohydrate and its fiber, fat or protein content.
Low Glycemic Load foods are those foods with a value of 10 or below; medium Glycemic Load foods are those foods with a value from 11 up to 19; high Glycemic Load foods are foods with a value of 20+. Since foods that are low in Glycemic Load are typically fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean proteins, a low Glycemic diet is a healthy, balanced diet.
Fruit sugar has an index of 19 and a load of 2 (fruit juice is substantially higher). Table sugar has an index of 61 with a load of 6. Some foods will surprise you. a fresh peach has a glycemic index of 22 and load of 3. Mashed potatoes have an index of 92 and a load of 18! Happily this doesn't mean that you must never eat mashed taters again.
The combination of foods and order in which they are eaten can absolutely bring that number down. For example, If you have a meal of turkey, a small portion of mashed potatoes and a bigger portion of broccoli or squash, the mashed taters won't spike your blood sugar the way they will if eaten first or without other foods. This has to do with the level of fat, protein, and fiber in that combination. This is why I always suggest that you add a good fat or protein to your snack. Many people think that this will make them put on weight. On the contrary, if portions are kept small, you will be surprised at how satisfied you become after only a small snack. With a little practice, you will learn how to manage any party or food buffet that comes your way without binging or being distracted by the tired feeling of overeating and feel really good!
Friday, November 5, 2010
A Calorie is No Longer a Calorie
Many of us were raised counting calories. We bought calorie books and tried to calculate the amount on our plate only to find ourselves hungry shortly after the meal.
During the eighties new science began showing us that the method we were so comfortable with was becoming obsolete. Dr Jenkins' work published in the JAMA began to rock the diet world and flip the food pyramid. The great news is that we now know how to avoid weight and health problems better that our parents did, if we choose to use it.
For example we now understand that two foods with the same amount of calories my have very different effects on the body. A white bagel with fat free cream cheese and a caesar salad have the same amount of calories yet one will spike your blood sugar as quickly as a large candy bar. And that baked potato with fat free sour cream? Same as eating ice-cream. Want more? That fat free yogurt with fruit with that name brand tasty fat free health bar? Regarding the effect on blood sugar you may as well have a piece of apple pie for lunch.
Many of us are unknowingly eating this way several times a day, and becoming addicted to it. In his book, Healthy for Life, Dr. Ray Strand explains that when we become resistant to our own insulin "a calorie is no longer a calorie". Let me put it in a simple way. Our pancreas was not made to put out insulin at the rate our eating demands it. Insulin is a storage hormone. As we over-produce it after eating, the calories that should be used for energy are converted to belly fat. Then the process begins over again with cravings and more stored fat.
For the next two weeks we will discuss glycemic index and glycemic load. We will learn to begin using this to maintain mental clarity, lasting energy, reduce cravings, and move toward your perfect weight for a lifetime!
Won't that feel good?
During the eighties new science began showing us that the method we were so comfortable with was becoming obsolete. Dr Jenkins' work published in the JAMA began to rock the diet world and flip the food pyramid. The great news is that we now know how to avoid weight and health problems better that our parents did, if we choose to use it.
For example we now understand that two foods with the same amount of calories my have very different effects on the body. A white bagel with fat free cream cheese and a caesar salad have the same amount of calories yet one will spike your blood sugar as quickly as a large candy bar. And that baked potato with fat free sour cream? Same as eating ice-cream. Want more? That fat free yogurt with fruit with that name brand tasty fat free health bar? Regarding the effect on blood sugar you may as well have a piece of apple pie for lunch.
Many of us are unknowingly eating this way several times a day, and becoming addicted to it. In his book, Healthy for Life, Dr. Ray Strand explains that when we become resistant to our own insulin "a calorie is no longer a calorie". Let me put it in a simple way. Our pancreas was not made to put out insulin at the rate our eating demands it. Insulin is a storage hormone. As we over-produce it after eating, the calories that should be used for energy are converted to belly fat. Then the process begins over again with cravings and more stored fat.
For the next two weeks we will discuss glycemic index and glycemic load. We will learn to begin using this to maintain mental clarity, lasting energy, reduce cravings, and move toward your perfect weight for a lifetime!
Won't that feel good?
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