While children are rarely too concerned with their eating habits, we know that their parents are. At AFC we offer many programs, literature and even individual counseling to help both the child and the parent to make better choices.  

All Foods Can Be Part of a Healthy Diet!

ALL FOODS!  

 

It's time to take just a minute and think of the over-all goal of changing your eating habits and patterns. The purpose of everything you're learning is for you to start eating more healthy choices. You're going to achieve your goals and become thinner. And in the process you will, and should, continue to enjoy a wide variety of foods. You just have to be a little more selective about how much of certain foods you eat.

 

It's very important that you understand what we're about to say next. Are you listening.....here it is..... All foods can be part of a healthy diet! That's right! All foods!

 

There is no such thing as a bad food. Some foods will prevent you from getting to your goal as fast as you want to, but that doesn't mean it bad food, or bad for you, given certain considerations. But you have to be selective. You have to do a little more thinking about what you're eating.  

 

You do need to know about what makes foods higher in calories so that you can better understand what foods to cut down on and which ones to eat more of. This isn't really that complicated, and you probably know a lot of this already. But it doesn't hurt to review some basics. After all, the more you know about what you are eating, the better able you are to make healthier food choices, and that is what this whole program is all about, making better choices! 

 

It's really that simple. Once you control what goes into your body, you're on your way to achieving your best body weight.  We'll talk specifics later, but right now, let's just look at a few general rules to follow.

 

What is Nutrient Dense Food? 

 

Let's start by defining a couple of important terms. The first is nutrient dense foods. What are these? They're probably just what you think they are! Those foods that contain lots of nutritional value for their portion size. In other words, these foods provide lots of vitamins and minerals and other important nutrients for the calories. An example of a nutrient dense food is carrots. A half of cup of carrots provides more vitamin a than you need all day long, and all for only 21 calories. That is a nutrient dense food. In other words lots of nutritional value for the number of calories.  

 

But, lets stop for a minute and take a look at our second term, what we call calorie dense foods. These are foods that contain lots of calories for the number of nutrients. Like a chocolate candy bar. One chocolate candy bar has about 260 calories and practically no nutritional value, other than the calories themselves.

 

So it's getting pretty obvious huh! Our goal is to start eating more of nutrient dense foods, and fewer calorie dense foods. We want to get lots of nutrients for every calorie we eat. Not the other way around. It’s important that you understand we didn’t say you can only eat certain foods, but pay attention and eat more of the nutrient dense and less of the calorie dense.

 

If you're like me, you love to eat, right? We all do. You can still eat plenty of good foods and achieve a healthier body weight by eating nutrient dense foods. Look at it this way... you're not really sacrificing. You're just eating a different type of food -- nutrient dense food instead of calorie dense food. 

 

Here's a little information about food you need to know. All foods are composed of one or more of six types of nutrients. These are:

• protein

• carbohydrate

• fat

• vitamins minerals

• and water 

Protein, carbohydrate and fat furnish calories. Vitamins, minerals and water do not.

 

Let's take them one at a time, and gain some basic understanding of each.  

 

Protein

Protein is vital to all living cells, and it's helps to build and repair your body. Protein is the chemical building blocks that your body uses to make skin, tissue, muscle, blood, bones, as even the enzymes we need to burn fat. That's right! We need protein to make the enzymes we need to burn the fat! You just gotta have it! And it's found in various foods.  

 

Now don't get the idea that any one food is all protein or all carbohydrate or all fat for that matter...most foods contain more than one of these nutrients. So foods that are high in protein, may also contain some carbohydrates and even some fat, but protein dense foods, will contain more protein than the others.  

 

Carbohydrates  

Carbohydrates provides your primary energy source. There are two types of carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates sometimes called concentrated sugars....and....complex carbohydrates, sometimes referred to as starches. Pay attention now, this is important and kind of fun.  

 

Some sugars contain nutrients and others don't. If you think about for just a minute, I'll bet you already know what I'm going to say. You know for example that soda pop has sugar in it right? Now what do you think, does it have any nutritional value? Of course not! But what about orange juice? You know that fruit has natural sugar in it, but it's also `loaded' with nutrients. Got it? I thought you would. The difference is the amount of nutrients you're getting for the calories you're taking in!  

 

Complex carbohydrates are the starches. Foods like bread, potatoes, rice and pasta are good examples of foods that have a lot of starch. Now remember what I said a few minutes ago....most foods contains several nutrients. So don't go thinking that bread and rice only have starch in them and nothing else. Keep remembering that foods are composed of various nutrients, not just one. Even though they may be heavy in one or the other, they are still combinations of several nutrients. You still with me?  

 

Many people classify the carbohydrates based on their being simple,... such as sugars...or complex...like the starches and fibers. From a dieter's standpoint however, it may be more advantageous to categorize carbohydrates as refined....like sugar and starch...or unrefined, which are largely fiber. 

 

Fiber! Fiber! Fiber!  

There's quite a lot written and discussed about fiber these days. You may have heard that fiber plays an important part in a diet plan, and that most of us don't get enough fiber. But do you really know what fiber is and why it's so important? Ok....pay attention! 

 

Fiber is also called roughage...residue or bulk. It is found only in fruits, vegetables and whole grain products and consists of the indigestible parts of cell walls that form the plant skeletons. (Sounds yucky....but good for you) the chief function of fiber is to help rid the body of wastes and to help liberate essential fatty acids that help lower cholesterol levels.  

 

Fiber not only helps carry off wastes but also excess fats, sugars, and starches. Increasing the fiber in your diet will also help to regulate blood sugar levels....maintain healthy function of your stomach and intestines and control serum cholesterol levers. It also helps you feel full and cuts the hunger. Sounds like a pretty terrific food right? It is when used with your complete diet. You get fiber from almost all summer fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grain breads. Ok...let's go eat a carrot! But only if you want a carrot. Remember you can never eat enough of something you don’t want to satisfy you. That is very important!

 

Fat, it’s not all bad! 

Now let's look at fat. Fat is not all bad. It does provide some nutrients, and a little makes food more satisfying. We need some fat every day. The problem is, most of us eat way too much. 

 

Fat furnishes many more calories than carbohydrates and protein. Protein and carbohydrates for example, each contain four calories per gram, while fat contains nine calories per gram. What's a gram, well it's a unit of weight measurement. Don't get concerned with that, if you need something to relate to, then think of a gram as a marble. Like kids play with, or you use in Chinese checkers. Just for the purpose of discussion pretend a gram is a marble. 

 

Now picture that you have two marbles in on your plate in front of you. A blue on and a red one. Both are exactly the same size. The blue one is protein dense and the red one is fat dense. It's time to choose which one to eat.  

Remember what we just learned.....protein and carbohydrates each contain four calories per gram, (per blue marble) while fat contains nine calories per gram. (Per red marble). In other words, fat has more than twice as many calories as protein and carbohydrate. So it starts to get pretty obvious huh! Which marble do you want to eat? The blue protein marble right? If we reduce our intake of fat, we reduce our calorie intake. And that's the name of the game right?

 

Now you haven't heard me say `eat' less .... have you? Fact of the matter is, many times when people reduce their intake of fat, they can actually eat more food than they were eating before. Remember the marbles are exactly the same size. You're eating just as much food, but now, it's nutrient dense. How's that for an eating plan, eat more and lose weight!  

 

Where does fat come from? Fat sources include margarine, butter and vegetable oils, such as olive, cannola, soy bean, corn, safflower and cotton seed, to name a few. Shortening is another fat source. Nuts and seeds are also rich in fat. And so are salad dressings, unless they are one of the fat free versions. Now when we talk about calorie dense foods, these guys are the grandaddy's of all time. Loads of calories for a fairly small amount of food. It's time to know what you're eating. 

 

Sometimes fat exists where you don't expect it. It kind of hides. This is why the more knowledge you gain about what's in the foods you eat, the more ammunition you have to control what you eat. You need to know where fat and calories might be hiding. Which foods are nutrient dense and which foods are calorie dense. Now you can start to eat more nutrient dense foods, and less of the calorie dense foods. Because now you know which is which. 

 

The last of the six nutrients are vitamins, minerals and water. Water is the easy one, so let's start there. You probably already know that water is the one of the most important

 

Substances on our planet. After all, our world is nearly 70 % water, and so are we by the way, which ought to tell you just how important water is to us. But did you know that water is a nutrient? It is.  

 

Your body needs water to help regulate it's temperature. Water is involved in building new body tissue, and breaking down foods for the body to use. It is considered the most essential of all nutrients and the major constituent of all living cells.  

 

Vitamins 

 So what are vitamins? They come in little bottles and look like Fred Flintstone right? Well those are artificial vitamins, and not the kind we're talking about. Vitamins are organic substances found in foods, that are necessary for good health and to perform specific functions in our bodies. Now if you didn't like that definition, then remember this.... vitamins are good for you. You need them. That's all you need to know. And best of all they don't have any calories. But like the other nutrients, they are present in most food.  

 

The Good Stuff

 

Now that all the boring stuff is out of the way, let's talk about the good stuff, what to eat. We're going to take a look at various types of foods, so you will learn which foods are nutrient dense and which are calorie dense. 

Let's start with the group we call breads, bread substitutes and other starches. This group includes whole grains, breads, cereals, crackers, pasta, rice and various other bread products and starchy vegetables. Whole wheat bread, rye bread, multi-grain breads, hamburger buns, pita bread and sour dough bread, generally have very little or no fat and are considered excellent complex carbohydrate sources. 

 

A word of caution here. `Some' breads are calorie dense and we need to be aware of these. For example, biscuits, croissants, rich dinner rolls, buttered breads, cheese bread, Texas toast, garlic bread and corn bread normally contain more fat than the other breads we just mentioned. That's because biscuits, croissants, dinner rolls etc. are normally made or prepared with added fat like oils, butter, shortening or margarine. Even dinner rolls can be basted with things like melted butter prior to cooking. You don't always see the added fat, but it's there! 

 

Biscuits and croissants have fat in the recipe. Again you don't see it, but it's there. These are examples of the hidden fats we talked about a few minutes ago.

 

You might also want to prepare lower fat versions of the normally higher fat breads when you're cooking at home. For example, when you're making corn bread, use the recipe on the back of the corn meal box, but use skim milk instead of whole milk, use two egg whites instead a whole egg, and omit the oil. You can still have your cornbread and eat it too. 

 

How about the cereals. If you're a cereal lover, then here's some good news. Most cereals, hot and cold, are naturally low in fat. Examples of low fat cold cereals are shredded wheat, puffed wheat, puffed rice, corn flakes, most bran cereals and many others. Examples of low fat hot cereals are oatmeal, oat bran, cream of wheat and cream of rice. There are others, just look at the nutrition information on the container, and especially at the fat content.  

 

Of course some cereals have fat added in the processing. Regular granola is an example. Also, cereals with nuts contain more calories, since nuts are fat sources. So stay with the cereals that are naturally low in fat and you can't go wrong. 

 

Crackers are another common fat source. Why, well think of how they are made! Some of the primary ingredients used in making them are lard, shortening, butter, oil or some other fat source. Fortunately, today there are many crackers that are fat free or low in fat. Check around, you're going to like many of the new products on the market. And don't just think end product any more, give some thought as to how they are made, what ingredients are used, and how those ingredients are going to affect your body.  

 

Here's another option that's gaining in popularity. Make pita chips to use as crackers. It's easy! Take pita bread -- you know, it's the same as pocket bread -- and split it in half so that you have two flat, thin, round discs. Spray the inside lightly with a non-stick spray, like Pam, and then sprinkle with a seasoning such as garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, seasoned salt, or other favorite. Cut discs in eights, like a pie, put on a cookie sheet and bake in 350 degree oven and bake until crisp, about ten to twelve minutes. Try them you'll like them. 

 

Here's another idea -- take a slice of whole grain bread and flatten with a rolling pin. Cut in squares or caddy cornered. Again, place on a cookie sheet and toast, like the pita chips. These can be seasoned if you want like the pita chips. 

 

Now for pasta lovers, you know, spaghetti, macaroni, noodles. It's time to knock down an old wives tale. For those of you who've been avoiding pasta, because you think it's fattening.....stop! Here's great news.... pasta is fat free or very low in fat, and is also a excellent complex carbohydrate source. If you've been under the impression that the pasta is making you fat, it's not. The problem is the sauce you've been pouring all over it. If it's a fat-based sauce, such as Alfredo, a meat sauce, butter sauce or cheese sauce, it becomes a much more fat dense meal.

 

However, if it's served with a low fat sauce, such as tomato sauce, marinara sauce, or one made with skim milk, it will be more nutrient dense. 

 

Other bread type products that are calorie dense are those with lots of fat added, such as pastry, cinnamon rolls, sweet rolls, pop-overs and doughnuts. All of these contain significant amounts of fat. I'll bet you know why now, right?  

 

We know that you have been told that breads have starch in them, and if you're old enough, you've also been told that starch is bad, and makes you fat. But did you also know that a number of other foods do too. Potatoes, corn, winter squash, black eyed peas, green peas and dried beans are all starches. These are also rich in complex carbohydrates and believe it or not are naturally low in fat. And here's one more wives tale that's about to hit the dust. Starch is not bad for you. It's actually good for you. Now that doesn't mean they stay low in fat, if fat has been added in the preparation. For example, a baked potato is very low in fat and stays low in fat if you flavor it with the butter flavored sprinkles, pepper , salsa or the new fat free sour creams. But pile on the butter, regular sour cream, real bacon bits, cheese and a few others that other such concoctions that folks come up with, and that innocent little potato just became a real fat builder. Or if that poor little potato has been made into french fries....deep fried in oil.....it becomes much more calorie dense. 

 

Just remember, when preparing starchy vegetables, don't add the fat in the cooking or anywhere else. Steam them, bake them or simmer them in a small amount of liquid -- but no fat. 

 

Protein Sources 

Next, let's look at the animal protein sources. Some are lean, some are high in fat. And we want to emphasize the lean ones. 

 

Are you a fish lover? If so here's some great news. Fish can be fresh, frozen or canned in water. All fish, such as Orange Roughy, cod, catfish, salmon, perch, swordfish, tuna and all others are great. Be sure they're not breaded. They should be baked, broiled or poached, without added fat.  

 

Shell fish, such as crab, lobster, scallops, shrimp, clams and oysters are also great options. So all you fish eaters...have a ball.  

 

Here's something you need to know about poultry? The white meat is lower in fat than the dark meat whether it's chicken or turkey. It's preferable to remove the skin prior to cooking. Remember if you order poultry in a restaurant, to ask that the skin be removed prior to cooking. Avoid frying, and go for the char-broiled, baked or stewed. Ditto for Cornish hen.

 

Enough about the birds. Where's the beef. 

 

Veal is very lean. Beef and pork vary considerably in the amount of fat based on the cut. Lean cuts of beef include round steak, sirloin, flank, tenderloin, rib, chuck and rump roasts, cubed, porterhouse and t-bone steaks.

 

Lean cuts of pork include some ham -- but of course not all ham, as ham can also be high in fat. So be sure to select ham that's labeled at least 96 percent or more fat free. Other lean cuts of pork are Canadian bacon, tenderloin, chops, loin roast and lean cutlets. Please note, that meat does vary in fat content and these guidelines are fairly general. You should trim all visible fat prior to cooking, and avoid heavily marbled cuts. 

Lean lamb is another good option. Chops, leg and roast are best. 

 

A word for you hunters and lovers of game meats. Venison, rabbit, wild duck and pheasant. They're great. Wild animals get lots of exercise and are naturally low in fat.  

 

Eggs

A quick word about eggs. Eggs have really gotten a bad rap from the diet guru’s . They are an excellent protein source, but yes, they also contain fat. The fat is in the yolk. Not the whites. Now you know, approach accordingly. And here's a quick tip...if a recipe calls for three eggs, then try one whole egg, and two egg whites. You'll get the same taste and about 1/3 the fat of using three whole eggs. 

 

Meats 

Meats that are fried, fatty or heavily marbled are quite high in fat. Ribs, both beef and pork, ham hocks, chittlins, ground lamb, ground pork and ground beef are high in fat. As are regular sausage and luncheon meats. But here's a bright spot.....there are new varieties of luncheon meats that at least 96 percent fat free. Some manufacturers still list the fat content by weight, so you need to be careful and be sure to pay extra attention to the going shopping segment of this program to know what to look for. Watch for the right ones, or request your grocer to stock them for you. He will, and you'll love them. 

Milk 

Milk and milk products are the other animal protein sources. Again, the key is non-fat or very low fat. Skim or low fat milk is preferable to whole milk. What if you don't like skim milk? Be patient....give it a week on skim milk. Start with it in a bowl of cereal one morning. Use some in your next recipe, rather than whole milk. Try a glass for lunch or as a snack. Or try 1/2 whole milk and 1/2 skim if you need to. If you use a powder diet supplement or meal replacement on the occasion, use skim milk. In a very short period of time, you won't like the whole milk any more. It will start to taste like butter milk, and far to heavy to enjoy. It works! Try it. Remember, it's going to take some effort on your part, but the rewards are huge.  

 

There are numerous fat free or reduced fat cheeses and yogurt available today. These are much lower in fat than those made from whole milk. And you're going to be quite surprised at the taste. The producers have found wonderful ways to keep the flavor and not the fat. Try them, you're going to like them. Or given a short period of time, you'll learn to love them.

 

The same is true for low fat and fat free cottage cheese. 

 

Here's a great idea. There are protein sources that are not of animal origin. Use these for substituting in main dishes instead of meat, fish or poultry. For example try vegetable lasagna, but don't forget to use fat free cheese. Others you might like to experiment with are dried beans, peas, lentils and tofu. Remember we talked about foods containing more than one nutrient? Well these foods are protein sources that also contain complex carbohydrates.  

 

The Veggies  

Now for those veggies. The list is endless. Asparagus, carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, summer squash, green pepper, spinach and greens of all kinds, mushrooms, okra, green beans, tomatoes....oh....you know what a vegetable is. They're great raw, steamed or simmered in a small amount of liquid. These provide lots of vitamins and fiber for very few calories. This makes these foods very nutrient dense. And as you have learned by now, there are exceptions to every rule...here's the exception to the `all veggie are good' rule.....olives and avocado's are quite high in fat....avoid, or using sparingly.  

 

Fruits 

And now a real favorite.....fruits. Fruits contain sugar naturally, but in addition contain lots of other nutrients and fiber. So these are still nutrient dense. Good choices include apples, pears, plums, peaches, pineapple, apricots, grapefruit, orange, cantaloupe, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, applesauce, tangerines, bananas, oh here we go again...you know what a fruit is too. In addition, fruit juices are good options but don't have the fiber that the fruits contain. But remember, they do contain sugar and therefore contain more calories than vegetables. Fruit juices are more concentrated than regular fruit, and even more calorie dense.  

 

Drinks 

What about beverages? We've already talked water, and you know how important it really is. Coffee and tea are fine, but you might want to consider the decaffeinated versions if you drink large quantities. Sugar free carbonated beverages are good choices, as are sugar free lemonade and the sugar free fruit flavored drink mixes. For variety you might want to try some mineral or flavored waters, but be careful some flavored waters have sugar added. Look on the ingredient listing for words that end in o-s-e...like fructose or glucose...it's an indication that sugar has been added. Also when sugar syrup is listed is a dead giveaway. Stay simple...stay natural.  

 

There are lots of ingredients to add flavor with few or no calories to your foods. Herbs and spices, artificial sweeteners, mustard, horseradish, vinegars, fat free salad dressings, butter flavored sprinkles and extracts are fun to try. Be creative. 

 

Take Control 

Take control. Keep eating, but eat smart. You don't necessarily have to eat a lot less food. You just have to know what's in the food you're eating. I suggest that you listen to this section again and again. It is especially helpful to listen to it on the way to the grocery store...or just before going out to dinner.  

Remember it's a combination of how much and what you eat....you can eat more, but eating nutrient dense foods...or those that are high in nutrition, and lower in fat. Let me give you a quick example. Let's take two quick lunches. One is your standard fast food fare....a cheeseburger, fries and soft drink. The other has a little more common sense approach, huge baked potato with low fat cottage cheese on it, a platter of veggies, some fruit and ice tea. You already know which is going to be better for your system....don't you...but did you know how much better. The cheeseburger, fries and coke have about 1200 calories, which contain over 66 grams of fat. That's right 66 grams of fat. The baked potato, and veggies with fruit has about 400 calories, and about 6 grams of fat. Now if eat the burger for lunch today....you're basically finished eating for the day. You have exceeded your fat gram intake, and have come dangerously close to your total daily calorie intake as well.  

 

But if you eat the baked potato and veggie lunch instead. You are full and satisfied, you have given you body some fabulous nutrients to work with and keep you healthy....and....you still have the ability to eat a great dinner, without blowing the daily calorie and fat levels you set for yourself.  

 

Oh! The office staff has decided to go to the pizza joint for lunch today right! And how can you do anything about that? Use your head again...and use what you have learned. A salad with a low cal./ fat free dressing and small vegetarian pizza is tasty and good, with about 450 calories and 14 grams of fat in the entire meal. But if you choose the Caesar salad, with the sausage pizza, you more than double the calorie and fat content.

 

It doesn't matter what kind of food or which restaurant you go to...you have choices...good choices! 

 

So if you think that eating the cheeseburger and fries or the sausage pizza is worth the hunger and suffering that you'll do later that night....then go ahead! But if you would like to go out to dinner, and eat with the rest of the family tonight....use your head, do the right thing....then join the family for dinner. 

 

Like everything else, the choice is yours.

Choose wisely. And enjoy much more!