5 Fat Loss Snacks to Keep You Full

NutritionData.com (now owned by Self) has a cool fullness factor rating for certain foods.

Here are five snacks that rank high on the list

Turkey slices with bread-and-butter pickles  Fullness Factor 3.0
Buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes  Fullness Factor 2.9 
Edamame   Fullness Factor 2.7 
Subway Turkey Breast Wrap  Fullness Factor 2.4 
Hummus and carrot sticks   Fullnses Factor 2.3

Edamame and Buffalo Mozzarella with tomatoes are perfect for any fat loss diet and fill me up everytime.

Top 10 Snacks (not just for kids)

The folks at Fooducate put together a great list of top 10 snacks for kids

Ants on a Log – a classic. Celery sticks filled with peanut butter or cream cheese, dotted with raisins, or dark chocolate chips.

(I loved that one as a kid). The list is great but remember they aren't just for kids - these would be great snacks for you as well!

Don't give them this:

Here's one of my favorite fat loss diet snacks

Grilling meat without increasing risk of cancer

Grilling is one of my favorite ways to cook foods. However, charred meats (and even vegetables) may increase your risk of certain cancers. Here's one way to fight cancer and oxidative stress without putting your grill away before the winter.

Marinate your foods in antioxidant-containing ingredients-such as rosemary, citrus fruits, and green tea-which may reduce HA levels. Additionally, if you are going to brush the foods with oil, use one that has a high-smoke point, such as avocado oil or high-oleic safflower oil, to help lower the extent of oxidative damage to the oil itself.

Remember that food safety is key. Check out 5 more tips for safe cooking on my blog.

What is the Healthiest Way of Grilling? [WHFoods.org]

Read it before you eat it

Nutrition got you confused? Here is some solid advice extracted from an interview with Bonnie Taub Dix

1. Don’t be fooled by the flashy front of the package — flip the bag or box over to get the real “facts” about what’s in the food you’re spending your money on and putting into your body.

2. Beware of buzz words like “free”, “natural” and “organic”, just to name a few. These terms are not always what they seem. In my book I have a whole chapter on misleading terms because they bug me the most! Bottom line: words like “free” could cost you unnecessary dollars and calories!

3. And of course, most importantly, Read It Before You Eat It (couldn’t help using that line!)

Have you read Read It Before You Eat It: How to Decode Food Labels and Make the Healthiest Choice Every Time

It is now top on my list!

Don't forget to checkout my warnings regarding organic masking

Fat Loss Goal Setting

Here is some great goal setting advice from Mike Robertson

Whether you have achieved your goals for this year or not is irrelevant.  That’s in the past.  The only thing you have control over is the present, and by extension, the future.

Always remember The #12 Rule of Fat Loss as well.

Childhood Obesity Facts - just scary

If you read my blog on insulin resistance and prediabetes then you know it is a huge problem. The scariest part is that it isn't just a big problem among adults

6. Type 2 diabetes: Whereas in 1990 only 4% of newly diagnosed childhood diabetes was type 2, by 2001 the proportion was 45% in adolescents  in areas with a large population of African-American, Mexican-American, or Native-American children. Also noteworthy, type 2 diabetes in youth is more common in girls than in boys, with one study showing that up to 80 percent of children who develop type 2 diabetes are female.

You can check out 9 more scary facts about childhood obesity at Diet-Blog.com

Healthy Eating While Traveling

Eating right on the road can be an utter disaster if you don't plan ahead. This single best thing you can do is to bring healthy food with you as you're not going to find it on the road:

1. Stock up on the healthy stuff. One reason we eat crap on the road is because we're bored. After a long drive of a whole lotta nothing, what's more exciting than injecting a little fat and sugar into old bloodstream? Perhaps what's not so exciting is the size of your rear after several days of that type of behavior. One way to avoid the crap is to have plenty of healthy items available. Stock a cooler with plenty of water, fruit, yogurt and cut veggies to munch on to help you avoid temptation.

Don't forget to read my top 5 tips for healthy eating while traveling either.

Road Trip - Avoid Weight Gain on the Road [About.com]

Insulin Resistance Dangers - Start Fighting Now!

I recently blogged about insulin resistance and how it is become a huge problem.

Here's some cool info from WebMD about how you can crush your risk of getting diabetes by just some simple diet and exercise hacks

Studies have shown that people with prediabetes can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes by up to 58 percent through changes to their lifestyle, including modest weight loss (as little as 5 to 7 percent of your current weight) and increasing physical exercise.

If you have prediabetes, do something about it now [WebMD]

Healthy Eating in 3 Easy Steps

Marion Nestle's tips on healthy eat are right in line with the 6 Pillars of Nutrition.

Tell patients that healthy eating simply means three things: variety, minimal processing and moderation.

Variety means choosing many different kinds of foods from the various food groups: meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, grains. It counts because foods vary in nutrient content. Varying foods within and among food groups takes care of needs for nutrients without having to think about them. People who consume adequate amounts of varied diets rarely exhibit nutrient deficiencies. It’s the most restrictive diets that are likely to be deficient in one or another nutrient.

Minimal processing means that the foods should be as close as possible to how they came from the animal or plant. The greater the level of processing, the less the foods resemble their origins, the less nutritious they may be, and the more salt, sugar and calories get added to disguise the changes.

Minimal processing excludes foods high in salt and sugars and low in fiber, as well as sugary sodas and juice drinks, those popularly known as junk foods.

My definition of minimal processing is only slightly facetious: Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients or an ingredient you can’t pronounce.

Moderation is about balancing calorie intake with expenditure and maintaining a healthy weight through food choices and physical activity.

 

San Francisco Chronicle column: nutrition advice to doctors [Food Politics]