According to a recent article at Medical News Today, a study published in the Journal of Obesity is causing concern in the medical and research arenas. The study “concluded that overweight and obese people experience no adverse health effects until they turn 40, and that between the ages of 25 and 70 there is little difference in the health of normal compared with overweight people.”

The findings of this study clearly contradict much of the evidence that has come before it, which generally links obesity with chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer. While there are certainly cases of overweight and obese people who do not develop chronic illnesses and live a relatively healthy life, past research strongly suggests that being obese or overweight is a serious risk factor for developing chronic health problems at some point in one’s life.

It might be nice to believe that we can eat as much as we like and exercise as little as we choose and still live a healthy, happy life. But the overwhelming evidence just doesn’t indicate that this is the case. And one study that suggests it might be won’t change what so many studies before it point to: being overweight is bad for your health.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

Around here, we hate to talk about diets. Feed the Soul is of the school that diets shouldn’t be restrictive and temporary. They should be about moderation and should be sustainable for a lifetime. Otherwise, they’re pointless. That’s why Intuitive Eating is one of the healthy living strategies we encourage clients to try.

What is Intuitive Eating?

Basically, intuitive eating is the practice of paying close attention to your body’s hunger signals and giving it what it needs. According to the Intuitive Eating website:

Intuitive eating is an approach that teaches you how to create a healthy relationship with your food, mind, and body–where you ultimately become the expert of your own body. You learn how  to distinguish between physical and emotional feelings, and gain a sense of body wisdom. It’s also a process of making peace with food—so that you no longer have constant “food worry” thoughts. It’s knowing that your health and your worth as a person does not change because you ate a so-called “bad” or “fattening” food.

For more information, you can check out the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating or read Intuitive Eating, by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD and Elyse Resch, MS, RD, FADA.

What are the benefits?

Intuitive eating allows you to break the cycle of yo-yo dieting, silence the food judges (in your head and in your life), and teach you new ways to approach food and eating. Practiced regularly, it can improve your relationship with food, allow you to ditch your food scales and calorie counters, and still help you to lose weight.

Unlike diets, intuitive eating focuses on connecting with your body and its signals. It takes time to learn to trust what your body is telling you, but eventually, with practice, you can learn to eat when you’re physically hungry and stop when you’re satisfied. Intuitive eating can help you separate emotional eating from eating for physical nourishment.

How can you eat more intuitively?

Learning to eat intuitively will take time and conscious effort, but it will be worth it. To practice eating intuitively, try some of these basic strategies:

• Before eating anything, check in with your body and ask yourself if you are really hungry.
• Use a hunger scale (try this one from MIT) to gauge how hungry you really are before and after you eat.
• Eat mindfully. Put your food on a plate and sit at a table. Look at your food and pay attention to its colors, texture and smell. Chew slowly and really taste each bite.

If you really want to try eating intuitively or learn more about the process, pick up the Intuitive Eating book. Remember, it will take time to overcome your current eating mindset and habits, but learning to eat intuitively will mean saying good-bye to diets. Forever.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

It’s time to answer another question in our Ask Your RD series. Thanks to our Twitter friend @KitchenParade, we’ve got another great question. @KitchenParade’s question references the Glycemic Index, so before we get to the answer, let’s start with some background information for those who aren’t familiar with the Glycemic Index (GI).

What is the Glycemic Index?

The Glycemic Index rates foods based on how they affect a person’s blood sugar levels. Foods are rated as High (70 or above), Medium (56 to 69) or Low (55 or below) on the index. The lower a food’s GI rating, the less fluctuation in blood sugar and insulin levels it causes.

What are the benefits of eating according to the Glycemic Index?

Some studies have shown that eating a diet that includes mostly low-GI foods and limits high GI foods as well as foods high in saturated fat can decrease the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and possibly even heart disease. The basic tenets of GI-based diets (eat more whole grains, high-fiber fruits and vegetables and limit sweet treats, refined grains and high-fat foods) are good healthy living guidelines, whether your aware of the GI value of your foods or not.

And now for the question:

Do steel-cut oats have a lower glycemic impact than old-fashioned rolled oats?

It turns out that the GI rating for steel-cut oats and old-fashioned rolled oats is very similar. Both types of oats fall into the Low to Low-Medium range (about 45-59) on the Glycemic Index, depending on the brand and how they’re prepared. So no matter which type of oats you choose to eat, they’ll probably have a very similar affect on your blood sugar and insulin levels.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

You keep hearing about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). One day you read a report that says it’s linked to weight gain and obesity, and the next there’s one that says it’s no worse than regular sugar. The truth is, no matter what the research says, HFCS should be treated like what it is.

What is HFCS then?

As it’s name suggests, HFCS a sweetener made from corn. Because it is much cheaper to produce than cane sugar, it is extremely common and is used in almost all of the processed foods available today. In fact, HFCS is so common that it’s in foods that you might not even suspect, like salad dressings, breads, processed meats and fast food.

But what’s the big deal?

Sugar is sugar, whether it’s table sugar you put in your coffee or the HFCS in the cereal you eat for breakfast. But because HFCS is often “hiding” in foods you might not suspect, you may be eating more sugar than you think. Whether it’s HFCS or another form of sugar, limiting your sugar intake should be your goal if you want to live a healthy life. And added sugar, no matter where it comes from, can mean added calories–which can mean added pounds in the long run.

So what should you do?

To decrease you HFCS and overall sugar consumption, try to center your diet around natural, whole foods and limit the processed and packaged foods you eat. If you do choose processed or packaged foods, look for products that have fewer total grams of sugar. Read nutrition labels. Check the ingredients for HFCS and note how early it appears in the list. The higher on the list it appears, the more of it is in the product.

Knowing what foods have HFCS in them is important in helping you figure out where your sugar intake is coming from, an positive step toward maintaining or losing weight. And watching HFCS intake is especially important for people who are at risk for or already diagnosed with diabetes, because just like any other sugar, HFCS can seriously impact blood sugar levels.

While HFCS isn’t an evil ingredient, you shoud do your best to be aware of what foods contain it and limit how much of those foods you eat. Just like everything else, moderation is key.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

Yesterday was National Start! Walking Day, sponsored by the American Heart Association. The goal of the day was to get American’s moving toward an active and healthy lifestyle. With obesity rates rising fast, increasing physical activity is important for so many Americans, but especially for those who spend their workdays sitting behind a desk.

Just because National Start! Walking Day is over, doesn’t mean the American Heart Association’s Start! movement stops, though. They’re just getting started (no pun intended). Based on research that has shown physical activity can improve heart health and increase life expectancy, the mission of the movement is to get people to walk more and eat well so that they’ll live longer.

This may seem like a simple goal, but with more and more of us working long hours at desk jobs, making time for physical activity has become difficult. That’s where Start! comes in, encouraging Americans to wear or take walking shoes to work and take frequent breaks to get in at least 30 minutes of walking every day. All it takes is two or three 10-minute walking breaks to have a positive impact on your health.

If you’re interested in joining the Start! movement, you’ll find plenty of resources at their website, including tools to develop a personalized walking plan and track your activity and meals. Don’t want to walk alone? There are also resources for getting your company and co-workers involved in the movement. But if your HR department isn’t ready to Start!, don’t get discouraged. You can still enlist a work friend or two to Start! with you. Ask around and you might find others at your company who want to get active and Start! moving more, too!

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

Are you ready to shed those extra pounds once and for all? Are you motivated to feel healthy and be well?

Then it’s time to Cre8 A New You! Join Nicole Garnsey, MA, RD, CDN, CDE and Brigit O’Donnell, MS, RD, CDN of Feed the Soul Nutrition, Inc. as we teach and empower you to meet your nutrition and health goals.

Cre8 A New You© is our unique 8-week program, created to teach you the skills you need to take control of your health and well-being through gradual behavior change.

Sign up for this spring’s session, beginning April 19th and running through June 7th, and for just $199 you’ll receive:

• a baseline health assessment
• eight 1-hour educational and motivational sessions
• weekly weigh-ins
• a follow-up reunion upon completion of the program

Classes will be held Monday evenings from 5:30-6:30pm in two locations:

Feed the Soul Nutrition, Inc.
727 Washington St., Watertown, NY

OR

Northern Physical Therapy
Clayton, NY

If you’re interested, sign up fast! Space is limited and classes start soon!

To sign up for the Watertown class, contact Nicole at (315) 783-6810 or kngarnsey@yahoo.com. To sign up for the Clayton class, contact Brigit at (315) 767-8926 or eathealthy09@hotmail.com.

If you’re still not convinced that the Cre8 A New You program is for you, check out our series of posts highlighting some of the topics covered during the eight week instructional sessions.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

We often use the excuse of not having enough time to keep us from going to the gym or getting some exercise. There’s no need to fight the clock, though. Instead of going out for lunch, why not use your lunch break to get fit? Try some of the ideas below to take advantage of a mid-day break.

If you have an hour:

• Head to the gym and workout for 30 minutes, giving you 30 minutes for changing, showering and travel time.
• Take a brisk 3- to 4-mile walk around the neighborhood.

If you have 30 minutes:

• Close your office door and do a yoga workout or weight-lifting routine.
• Take a brisk 1.5- to 2-mile walk around the neighborhood.
• Do calisthenics (jumping jacks, squats, lunges, sit ups, push ups, etc.) in your office.

What do you do to fit exercise into your day? Share your ideas in the comments.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

Are you crazy about all things sweet? Do you have a hard time passing up cake or cookies when they’re around? Do you add sugar or another sweetener to everything from tea to cereal? If so, your sweet tooth may be building up a tolerance to sweet flavors. The more sweet you eat, the more you may crave.

Thankfully, there’s something you can do about your sweet leanings. With a little bit of effort and some gradual changes, you can retrain your sweet tooth, decrease your sweet cravings and reduce your calorie intake, too.

Reduce or eliminate your use of artificial sweeteners. Limit purchases of food and drinks that contain artificial sweeteners and decrease the amount of added sweetener using the technique below. Artificial sweeteners are often sweeter than their natural counterparts, can contribute to sweet cravings, and may even affect how much you eat throughout the day.

Halve the amount of sweetener (sugar or otherwise) that you use in your coffee and tea. It may take a few days to get used to it, but once you do you’ll realize it’s plenty sweet. After a week, try halving the amount again. Keep halving until you reach your limit or until you’ve eliminated the need for sweetener altogether.

Buy unsweetened cereals. If you find they’re not sweet enough for your liking, control the sweetness by adding your own sweetener. Try starting with less sweetener than you think you’ll need. You can also use the technique above to decrease the amount of sweetener you need over time.

When you crave sweets, eat some fruit. It’s still sugar, and it’s still a sweet, but you’re getting fiber and other nutrients, too.

It’s not necessary to completely eliminate sweets from your diet, but the less you eat them, the less you’ll crave them. And that can add up to weight loss and improved health over the long run.

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

It’s February and there are hearts all over the place. Which is probably why the American Heart Association chose February as American Heart Month. What better reminder to check in with your heart than a holiday celebrating love?

Women are especially at risk for heart disease, with more women dying from heart disease and related conditions than all forms of cancer combined. The good news is, February is just as good for making changes as it is for giving chocolates. To improve your heart health and reduce your chances of developing heart disease, follow some of these recommendations.

Eat right. A diet with plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein (especially fish high in omega-3 fatty acids) can be good for your heart. And being within an appropriate weight range can reduce your risk of heart disease, as well.

Quit. Smoking, that is. Especially if you’re using birth control pills. You’ll reduce your risk of heart disease significantly if you do.

Know your numbers. The next time you visit your doctor, take note of your blood pressure, lipid levels, and HDL and LDL cholesterol numbers. If they’re outside the healthy range, ask your doctor for suggestions on how to improve your numbers, and if necessary, get them under control with medication.

Get moving. Regular, moderate aerobic exercise will help keep your heart strong. It will also help you lose weight if you need to, and can improve your cholesterol levels as well as your blood pressure. Exercise is as close to a cure-all as you can get when it comes to your heart. (Remember, for your safety, consult with your doctor before you start an exercise routine.)

Take care of your heart and you’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day for years to come!

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."

If you generally exercise outdoors–taking walks, running or hiking–the cold winter weather may have you searching for indoor alternatives. In fact, most of us tend toward hibernation as soon as the temperature starts to drop.

You don’t have to turn to the treadmill or, worse yet, forgo your exercise routine altogether when the snow starts to fall, though. Find a winter activity that you enjoy and dress right, and you can exercise outside all winter long.

Winter Activities to Try*

• Snowshoeing - Find an open field and strap on the snowshoes for an excellent workout that will burn more than 550 calories in an hour.
• Skiing - Cross-country or downhill, skiing is the perfect winter activity to get you outside and active. Even at a light effort level, skiing can burn between 350 and 500 calories per hour.
• Sledding - Bundle up the kids and head to the hills! Sledding burns about 500 calories per hour, and it’s fun for the whole family.
• Ice skating – We wait all year for the opportunity to lace up those skates and hit the ice. Make a trip to the rink and burn about 400 calories per hour floating across the ice. And don’t forget to take the kids along for some family fun.
• Shoveling - It may not be your favorite winter activity, but clearing that driveway can burn about 200 calories in a half hour. Bring on the snow!

Bundle Up and Get Out There

If the thought of the cold air keeps you indoors, try some of these tips for making it easier to get outside and get active during the winter months.

• Warm up indoors. It takes longer for your muscles to warm up when you start exercising outside. Instead of warming up outdoors, try jogging in place, walking up and down the stairs or doing some jumping jacks for 5 minutes or so before you head outside.
• Layer it up. Wearing layers allows you to stay warm when you need to but also gives you the option of removing layers as your body warms up. The bottom layer should be a thin, wicking material like silk, Thinsulate or wool, but NOT cotton. You want a material that doesn’t stay wet. The middle layer should be an insulating material like fleece, wool or down. The outer layer should be a wind and water resistant material that holds in the heat but allows moisture to escape. As you get warm, you can remove layers and keep moving.
• Don’t forget your hat and gloves. A hat keeps heat from escaping through your head and protects your ears, while gloves keep your hands and fingers protected.
• Protect your toes. Wear appropriate shoes and socks for your exercise as well as the weather. Water-resistant boots, wool socks, or multiple pairs of socks may be necessary depending on the activity, the weather and the temperature.

Enjoying the outdoors even after the temperature drops can keep your exercise routine fresh and fun all winter long. Don’t let the cold keep you from being active. Find an activity that you enjoy and dress right and you’ll burn plenty of calories during the winter months.

*Calories burned are based on a 155-pound person. Source: NutriStrategy

"Eat well. Live well. Be well."