Monday, July 11, 2011

Guest Blogger: Lisa Fields, Registered Dietitian

From Ashley: As we finish our first week of Romance Biggest Winner and head into the second, I thought this would be a great time to hear from one of the experts in the field. Please welcome Lisa Fields, Registered Dietitian!

Congratulations! It took plenty of gumption to compete in the RBW challenge. Life is hectic, and it’s not always easy to make real, meaningful changes toward your overall well-being. So I’m hoping to make things a little easier for you.

Now, I’m quite confident that my intelligent romance ladies have a pretty good idea of what constitutes healthy eating. In fact, I’m sure some of you could teach me a thing or two about nutrition, but for the sake of it being my first blog post I’m going to keep things rather simple with…

7 STEPS TO A HEALTHIER YOU

Drink 8 glasses of water/Day
Yes, yes, I know you’ve heard this before, but do you do it? Besides healthier skin & less fatigue, drinking more water reduces hunger.

*While you’re at it, stay away from: Gatorade, soda, juice, lemonade, Ice-Tea, V-8 Fusion, Snapple, Nantucket Nectars…The list can go on and on, but the message is SOLAMENTE AGUA.

Eat more Fiber
Fresh fruits. Vegetables. Beans. Nuts. Oats. Brown Rice. Whole wheat bread. Whole wheat pasta.
Studies show that high fiber diets can lower blood cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, aid in weight loss and help control blood sugar levels.

Move your Tukhus
Don’t join a fancy gym or order some crazy workout program from a TV infomercial. JUST WALK. 30-45 minutes, 4X/week 

Regular physical activity can help improve your mood, boost energy levels, prevent disease and manage your weight.

Catch some ZZZ’S
The majority of overweight people who come to my office are sleep deprived. BIG SCHOCKER. Studies show sleep deprived individuals have an increased appetite and lose more muscle mass, rather than fat, when dieting.

Adequate sleep has also been shown to trigger creativity. Personally, my writing suffers when I’m tired. I always do my best work on a good night sleep.

Slow down
If speed eating was a competition I would take the gold medal, but I’ve learned to slow down and enjoy my meal. In my practice I’ve advised patients to literally put down their fork ten times during a meal, or to make dinner last a full thirty minutes. This way you give your brain the chance to realize you’ve eaten. You will feel full and are less likely to take seconds.

No more ‘darn it’ moments
"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there." Edwin Louis Cole

No one ever became overweight from eating a piece of cake.  They became overweight by eating a piece of cake and saying “DARN IT (let’s all pretend we don’t use saltier language), might as well eat the entire block of GOUDA and wash it down with a liter of Pepsi”. 

By all means, EAT CAKE, maybe not every day of your life, but if you’re having a craving or at a birthday celebration you should indulge and not feel guilty about it. The trick is to not go off the deep end and turn the rest of the day into a binging frenzy. Okay, you had a slice of Red Velvet, now go make some Salmon for dinner.

Be kind to yourself
No one is the picture of perfect health 100% of the time. And who would want to be for that matter? So please, don’t beat yourself up for not choosing the best option. Move on and make better choices the next day.

Lisa is a registered dietitian who spent nearly a decade at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. Currently, she works as an outpatient dietitian at a government health center. Lisa received her B.S. in nutrition from Pennsylvania State University and earned her masters degree in counseling and guidance at New York University. She recently joined the Long Island Romance Writers to pursue her passion of writing romance.

RBW readers/competitors can ask Lisa nutrition questions at lisafieldsbooks@gmail.com or shoot me a DM on Twitter @LFieldsBooks.

8 comments:

  1. Love the quote about staying down in the water & drowning in it. For us who beat ourselves up over missteps & mistakes, that's what I need to hear.

    Question about water: Can I drink those sugar free flavorings? How about tea? I've given up sodas, but I crave caffeine & sugar oh... right about now, mid afternoon.

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  2. I drink nothing but water. No soda. No coffee. No juice. Just water. But I still can't manage more than 5 glasses in a full day. 6 if I really push it. That's still something, right? (Maybe?)

    I've been feeling bad for months, due to how I was eating. Adding fiber has already made a diffference. Great blog!

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  3. drinking enough water is hard for me (I only like it icy cold) so I bought a couple large plastic drink bottles, fill it 1/2 - 2/3 full of water & put in the freezer. keeps my water nice and cold till I'm almost finished with it. I keep a smaller one in that I use for evenings & have 2 larger ones that I alternate for taking to work (put one into the freezer in the am to replace the one I took out for work). I top off my work bottle with cold water when I get into the office & it'll last me with nice cold water till almost days end. I still can't get 8 glasses in often, but get a whole lot closer than I ever did before.

    stevia is a great natural sweetner (no calories either) to use in replace of sugar. it's actually sweeter than sugar so you don't need as much. added to water w/ some fresh lemon or lime juice can make a nice change from plain water.

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  4. I've been trying to keep water close at hand all day because then i reach for it instead of other drinks. My hubby drinks it by the gallons and he's a over the troad truck driver. I've been able to cut out all soda/pop this week and that's a big deal for me.

    Lisa

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  5. I, too, love, love, love the quotation about drowning!

    As for drinking water - I've started to carry my water bottle with me to exercise class, and in the car on errands, and I'm adding an easy 40 ounces there.

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  6. Hey All,

    I'm proud of everyone for drinking their water (or at least trying). As commented, try to cut up fresh lemons and limes to make it less boring. It will also give it a Vitamin C Boost.

    Pam, as a nutritionist, I'm never going to push sugar-free stuff (try the lemon/lime).

    In regards to the afternoon caffeine/sugar fix, could it be boredom? or if your doing it b/c your tired maybe your not getting enough sleep at night?

    Caffeine is completely allowed, in moderation (two 8oz cups). But remember, drinking caffeine after 2 pm can interfere with a restful night sleep, which can lead to a vicious cycle.
    Perhaps try a fun flavored herbal tea with one sugar packet.

    Looking forward to hearing about your experiences.

    Lisa Fields, RD

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  7. I love the quote...and it is so perfect here! I drink tons of water...sometimes I think I drink too much...but that isn't possible...not really...is it?

    Thanks for reminding us of these tips!

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