NEW PRODUCT

Did your New Year’s resolutions include a vow to “eat right”?  Many of us make that promise to ourselves in January, but by about March we find our old eating habits sneaking back up on us. Maybe you tried to tackle too much – or maybe you hadn’t really thought about what ‘eating right’ really means.  Eating right involves more than just  making the right food choices – it’s also about eating the right foods at the right time.  So here are seven tips to help you to ‘eat right.’

 Eat right when you get up.  You don’t need to eat immediately upon awakening, but it’s really important to eat in the morning.  Those who eat breakfast regularly are better able to control their weight, while breakfast skippers are likely to over-compensate and eat too much at lunch. If you can’t face much in the morning, try a bowl of oatmeal with a bit of protein powder stirred in, some fresh fruit with a scoop of cottage cheese or yogurt, or a protein shake made with protein powder, milk and fruit. 

 Eat right before you grocery shop.  If you do your shopping on an empty stomach, you’ll be like a kid in a candy store – everything will look good to you.  Grab a protein bar, a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts before you go out the door so you’ll be less tempted.  And make a list – and do your best to stick to it.  

 Eat right when it comes to fats.  We need small amounts of fat in the diet, but most of us eat too much.  And, some fats – like the ones naturally present in fish, tree nuts, olives and avocados – are healthier than others. Healthy fats add flavor, so add avocado or nuts to your salad, or a dab of flavorful olive oil to steamed veggies.

 Eat right before you work out.  You need to fuel up before your exercise – especially if you work out first thing in the morning.  If you don’t have much time to eat beforehand, easy-to-digest foods like smoothies, soups or yogurt do the trick.  If you have a few hours to digest before you head out, have a regular meal with plenty of healthy carbs – whole grain breads, brown rice, pasta, fruits and veggies – to keep you going strong.  

 Eat right after you exercise.  After a good workout, your body might be low on fuel, so try to eat something within 30-45 minutes after you finish your exercise.  Your muscles are looking to fruits, vegetables and whole grains to help replenish their stock of carbohydrates – and a shot of protein to help them recover.

 Eat right when you eat out.   We eat so many meals out these days that dining out isn’t the special occasion it used to be.  Resist the urge to splurge when you’re out.  If you’re trying to cut your calories, split an entrée with a friend and order an extra salad.  Or, skip the starchy sides and double up on veggies.  Ask for dressings and sauces on the side so you can control how much you eat. 

 Eat right at night.  A lot of people eat lightly or skip meals during the day, only to eat huge amounts of calories between dinner and bedtime.  But when you do most of your eating at night, your brain and muscles don’t get the fuel they need for your daily physical and mental activities.  Instead, distribute your calories over fairly evenly over your meals and snacks.  If after-dinner snacking is piling on the pounds, try brushing your teeth right after dinner  – it’s one of the best ways to signal that you’re done eating for the day.

Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.

*Herbalife markets products that include protein shakes and snacks, sports and fitness drinks.

By Luigi Gratton, M.D., M.P.H.

Eating a balanced diet means that you're taking in a variety of healthy foods at reasonable intervals throughout the day - it doesn't mean that you "balance" healthy foods eaten during the day with junk foods like pizza and ice cream at night.

But for many people, when the sun goes down, so does their willpower. While they can maintain their sensible eating habits during the day, evening often signals the start of an unending food fest until bedtime.

Strange as it may seem, one of the best solutions to controlling your appetite after dark is to eat more often during the daylight hours. Heavy evening snackers often lack a regular eating pattern – one that includes sensible meals combined with healthy and nutritious snacks.

Putting the Myth to Rest
You've probably been told that eating late at night is detrimental. But while your calorie needs are lowest during the night, there is no conclusive scientific evidence that the calories ingested at night are stored more efficiently than those eaten at other times.

Eating foods later in the day rather than earlier is not what leads to weight gain – what matters is your daily caloric intake as a whole. No matter when you eat, if you take in more than you need, your body stores any extra calories as fat. Curbing evening snacking habits leads to weight loss simply because fewer calories are being taken in over the course of the day.

Feeding Frenzy
We do tend to eat most of calories late in the day - Americans eat more calories during dinner than at any other meal. And if you tack on the calories eaten after dinner, it really adds up.

There are several reasons these unhealthy patterns are so commonplace. Some people don't eat enough during the day which can cause blood sugar levels to drop. This can make people overly hungry and result in overconsumption at night.

Many people are too busy to plan meals – they may dash out the door in the morning with little more than a cup of coffee, and then try to power through the day without taking time to eat properly. It's no wonder that by the time they get home at night, they're literally out of gas.

Others are simply eating as an emotional escape from stress or to beat boredom. We tend to mindlessly reach for junk food during sedentary activities such as watching television or using the computer – and we then associate these high calorie foods with relaxation and keep the habit going.

Meal Planning and Suitable Snacks
Putting in the right fuel – and at the regular intervals during the day – is one of the best defenses against nighttime nibbling. Breakfast and lunch meals should provide plenty of protein to keep your mind sharp and hunger at bay as well as some healthy carbs like fruits, veggies and whole grains to maintain blood sugar. A protein shake with fruit is a great way to start the day – otherwise, try an egg white omelet with fruit, a dish of plain nonfat yogurt with fruit, or a quick bowl of oatmeal with some protein powder stirred in.

A protein shake also makes a quick and satisfying lunch, especially when you're too busy to stop and prepare a meal. Other good choices? Try a salad with some grilled chicken or fish, or a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with some fruit for dessert.

When energy starts to slide in the afternoon, one tactic that works is to have a substantial snack – almost a "second lunch" – between lunch and dinner. A protein shake or bar, a half sandwich, some soy nuts, or a dish of cottage cheese and fruit are all appropriate choices.

By putting more nutritional emphasis on your daytime meals and snacks, it's likely you won't be nearly as hungry at night, so your dinner meal can be lighter and smaller.

The next time you feel like "midnight munching," think about the benefits of a healthy, protein-powered snack earlier in the day. The nutritional difference will be like night and day.

Dr. Gratton also serves as vice-president of medical affairs at Herbalife.

It’s amazing how just a handful of small changes to everyday habits can add up to big rewards.  I’ve mentioned before that when someone tells me they’re ready for a major diet and lifestyle overhaul, I usually tell them to proceed with caution. There are a couple of reasons for this. For one thing, when you try to make too many changes at once, you run the risk of …if you’ll excuse the pun… biting off more than you can chew. And, I think that once you’re successful at making a change – no matter how small – it gives you the confidence to keep going, and to keep chipping away at new challenges.  On top of that, just a handful of small changes to your everyday habits can add up to bigger reward than you might think. 

 Here’s a way to look at it.  Think of the changes you’re going to make in your lifestyle as an investment.  You could rely on an aggressive strategy that might give you quick rewards – but there’s also a high risk that it won’t.  On the other hand, you could ‘diversify’ – and use blend of strategies that are more likely to give you the results you’re after, even though it may take a little longer.  So when you’re investing in your health for the long term, slow and steady usually wins the race.

When you take a closer look at the foods you routinely eat – and your everyday exercise patterns -  it’s amazing how a little fine tuning can add up to big rewards. Here are some recent changes I worked out with a patient of mine – enough to lead to the loss of 60 pounds in a year:

• Add 20 extra minutes to daily exercise – could be an additional 20 minutes of brisk walking in the morning, or a second walk later in the day.  The extra 100 calories burned per day could equal 10 pounds less at the end of a year.
• If your usual breakfast five days a week is a coffee drink and a bagel with cream cheese.  A switch to a protein shake will shave off about 250 calories a day – enough to drop more than 18 pounds in a year.
• A healthy habit of eating salad about 7 times a week is a bit counterproductive if the greens are drenched in dressing.  Reduce salad dressing from three tablespoons to one will lead to savings of more than 1000 calories a week – and the loss of about 16 pounds in a year.
• About three times a week, instead of having a candy bar as an afternoon pick-me-up, have a small protein bar and a cup of tea instead. You could be cutting as much as 600 a week – enough to shed nearly 9 pounds in a year.
• Sandwiches are eaten 5 times a week on average and always include a slice of cheese.  Lose the cheese and replace with veggies, and save 500 calories a week.  Another 7 pounds could be lost in a year with this one change.
• Dessert is eaten six times a week – usually cookies or ice cream, to the tune of about 200 calories.  Swap for a piece of fruit, and cut enough calories to lose another 10 pounds in a year.

Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.