Associates in Nutrition & Sports Specialty

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is celebrating national Fruit & Veggies – More Matters Month during September. They are offering tips to help you fit more fruit and vegetables into your diet while keeping within your budget. You can still get your daily intake of fruit and vegetables without breaking the bank. Check out their Web site to learn 30 ways to add more fruits and vegetables in your diet in just 30 days, including some good recipes! http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Fruits%26Veggies/.

Elaine Hastings is a registered dietitian of Associates in Nutrition in Florida. She has been practicing for 18 years and was recently named president of the Southwest Florida Dietetic Association. A “nutrition entrepreneur,” she works contractually and is also a writer, motivational speaker, product researcher, counselor, sports-nutritionist and eating disorder advocate. Continue to read her series on Tuesdays. You can contact Elaine at www.AssociatesinNutrition.com, Email her at Elaine@associatesinnutrition.com.

It’s Friday again, time to fit in fun for the weekend!

The most popular game in Florida is golf! Try putt-putt golf for the family, or take on an 18-hole challenge if you dare! It’s great exercise! Many courses offer summer specials, so you can enjoy the course on a budget. Be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated in the heat.

Enjoy!

My latest News-Press article made the ADA’s news service!  Be sure to read  the article below on the significance of RD credentials. You can also link to the ADA’s Web site at www.eatright.org. They have the very latest news on food and nutrition. With so much information on the Web, it’s important to find credible sources. The ADA is a valuable resource for both health care professionals and consumers.

There is so much emphasis on the importance of food and nutrition that it is understandable why consumers may be confused. Who are you getting your nutrition advice from? Your gym? Magazines? A weight-loss program? The Web?

All of these sources can offer valuable information; however, you need to know that some of the advice you will receive from them is not necessarily accurate. New diet recommendations constantly emerge, making it sometimes difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. You should be especially careful if anyone offers you quick fixes that seem too good to be true.

If you are confused about the science of nutrition and weight loss, or have been receiving conflicting advice and not seeing the results you want, consider making an appointment with a registered dietitian, a specialist in the study of nutrition, who can assist you with planning a diet to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Certified by the state, RDs undertake the practical application of nutrition to prevent nutrition-related problems.

They are also involved in the diagnoses and dietary treatment of disease.

Dietitians in many settings work with people who have special dietary needs, inform the general public about nutrition, give unbiased advice, evaluate and improve treatments and educate clients, doctors, nurses, health professionals and community groups.

Sometimes, RDs will refer to themselves as “nutritionists,” because it is a term the public is familiar with. However, not all “nutritionists” are necessarily RDs.

Make sure the person you choose to see has RD credentials to ensure that person has received the necessary specialized accredited training.

That training includes classes in food and nutrition sciences, food service systems management, business, economics, computer science, culinary arts, sociology, chemistry, communications, education, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, pharmacology and psychology.

To make the transition from dietitian to RD requires the completion of an internship and the successful passing of a national board exam.

Why should you consider a dietitian instead of relying on the trainers at your local gym or your monthly fitness magazine? Dietitians have special skills in translating scientific and medical decisions related to food and health to inform the general public. They also play an important role in health promotion.

A dietitian will work with your doctor to assist you in fine-tuning your medications, meals and exercise requirements. Dietitians also will be able to assist you with reading food labels, and provide cooking and grocery tips.

Elaine Hastings is a registered dietitian of Associates in Nutrition and Sports Specialty in Florida. She has been practicing for 18 years and was recently named president of the Southwest Florida Dietetic Association. A “nutrition entrepreneur,” she works contractually and is also a writer, motivational speaker, product researcher, counselor, sports-nutritionist and eating disorder advocate. Continue to read her series on Tuesdays. You can contact Elaine at www.AssociatesinNutrition.com, Email her at elaine@associatesinnutrition.com

It’s Labor Day weekend so it’s time to enjoy parties, food and fun but be sure to fit fitness into your holiday weekend plans.

Here are some ideas:

-Take a family walk around your community or local park.
-Hit the beach for a swim. Remember to wear sunscreen!
-Enjoy a Labor Day weekend swim party with friends and family!

Exercise is more fun when you involve your friends and family!

Back-to-school means back to the courts and fields for student athletes. Reaching peak athletic performance doesn’t mean you have bulk up on carbohydrates or chug the latest sports and energy drinks. Student athletes have unique nutritional needs, requiring approximately 2,000 to 5,000 calories per day, depending on body composition, amount of exercise and other health factors.

Here are some tips for fueling your body for optimal strength and energy:

-Eat a variety of foods including protein, carbohydrates, fats, calcium, minerals and vitamins; lean proteins, fruits and vegetables and dairy for calcium provide a balanced diet

-Avoid supplements and steroids, which can have negative side effects on your health

-Avoid extreme diets. Youth athletes require the proper amount of nutrition and depriving your body of proper nutrients can cause decreased energy, muscle loss and sometimes, more serious health problems

-Hydrate with water; avoid caffeine and sugary drinks
Before practices and games:

-Be sure to eat a small, balanced meal approximately 2 to 4 hours before the event and include proteins and carbohydrates such as a turkey sandwich, or pasta and tomato sauce

-No time for a meal? Eat a light snack less than 2 hours before the event such as low-fiber fruits, crackers or yogurt

-Hydrate by drinking plenty of water before, during and after sports activities; avoid caffeine

Because body sizes and activity levels vary from person-to-person, you need to alter your diet to fit your individual needs. For more information, visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/ and create a personalized plan that works best for you.

Nutrition Notes: Improve snack habits

Elaine Hastings • Special to news-press.com • September 1, 2009

When it comes to nutrition, the school year brings a new set of challenges for teachers, parents and children who are moving at a fast pace. By planning ahead and structuring schedules, you can improve snacking habits.

Snacking doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but you need to know how to make better choices. Eating healthy snacks throughout the day can be beneficial by preventing overeating at mealtime, increasing your energy level throughout the day, keeping you more alert and controlling hunger pangs.

The best way to ensure that you are making healthy snack choices is to plan ahead. This way, when the “snack attack” hits, you won’t reach for those potato chips or cookies.

By selecting healthy snacks, having them readily available when you are hungry, and limiting the quantity of snacks to support a balanced diet, you are better prepared to snack more healthfully.

Remember that while snacking can be healthy, you must remember to watch your total calorie intake per day in order to maintain a healthy weight.

— Elaine Hastings is a registered dietitian and owner of Associates in Nutrition and Sports Specialty in Florida. Contact her at AssociatesinNutrition.com or Elaine@AssociatesinNutrition.com.

© Copyright 2009 Elaine Hastings, RD. All rights reserved.

Keeping your family active is especially challenging as kids go back-to-school. With the pressures of homework and busy schedules, it’s easy to fall into the routine of watching television or playing video games after school.

It’s important that families be active to help reduce stress, maintain a healthy weight and live a more balanced lifestyle. Here are some ideas for keeping you and your family active:

•Play catch (football, baseball, softball, or Frisbee)
•Make chores such as vacuuming, sweeping or raking, your chance to be active
•Go for family walks after meal times
•Limit recreational screen time (television, video games, and computer) to less than 2 hours per day

I recommend scheduling regular times for activity throughout the week so it becomes a habit, rather than an afterthought.

We are portion distorted. That is most of us, despite our best intentions, seriously underestimate how much we are eating. In fact, this is one of the biggest roadblocks to weight loss success that I see in the people I counsel as a registered dietitian.

Restaurants and grocery stores have programmed us to have a “more is better” mentality when it comes to food. Fast food restaurants entice us to super-size our meals for just a few additional cents, and sit-down restaurants serve huge plates stacked high with pasta and enough meat for three people.

Package sizes for individual bottles of soda, salty snack foods and frozen meals have slowly grown bigger over the decades.

But because the only way to maintain long-term weight loss is portion control, we need to know what a true portion should look like.

Simply speaking, a portion is a designated amount of food for one person at one seating – or a serving size. The purpose of a serving size is to give people healthy and appropriate nutrition information and guidelines.

Serving sizes also help to standardize what you see on Nutrition Facts labels and allow government agencies, such as the USDA, to recommend amounts of different types of foods for optimal health and weight control.

One way to determine portion size is to weigh all of your food; however, that is impractical for most of us.

I have found in my experience that the next best thing is to use the following visual tips as guidelines:

- 1 cooked pasta serving (1Ú3 to 1Ú2 cup) = the size of a tennis ball sliced in half.
- 1 meat, poultry or fish serving (2 to 3 ounces) = the size of a deck of cards
- 1 milk or yogurt serving = approximately the size of your fist.
- 1 natural cheese serving (11Ú2 ounces) = 4 dice stacked on top of each other or the average thumb
- 1 serving of fruit = a tennis ball sliced in half. (With whole fruit, a serving is a medium-sized apple, banana, orange, or pear – keep in mind most of what we see in grocery stores is portion distortion. We tend to get large to extra-large varieties. If it’s chopped, cooked or canned, the serving size is one-half cup.)
- 1 serving of grains cooked, such as oatmeal = one-half cup an ice cream scoop.
- 1 serving cold cereal = 3Ú4 to 1 teacup or a fist.

Avoid portion distortion
1. When looking at the Nutrition Facts label on a product, get in the habit of glancing at the serving size (this may be futile; sometimes it’s in grams or another unit that’s not user-friendly) and automatically double or triple the calories, carbs and other nutrients you check to see how it all adds up when you eat more than a single serving.
2. At restaurants, send half your plate back to the kitchen to be put in a doggie bag as soon as you can. It is not rude.
3. Take out your measuring cups and train yourself – using water, dry rice or beans, a deck of cards, ice cream scoop, tennis ball, dice and some Play-Doh – to know what recommended portion sizes look like in your everyday bowls.
4. Train yourself to order only small or kid’s sizes when ordering anything at a restaurant, snack bar, etc.
5. Use a smaller plate when eating at home, and away from home, always leave some food on your plate.

- Elaine Hastings is a registered dietitian of Associates in Nutrition in Florida and was recently named president of the Southwest Florida Dietetic Association. Contact her at Elaine@AssociatesinNutrition.com or AssociatesinNutrition. com.

With back-to-school time here already, I thought I’d share the American Dietetic Association’s list of healthy snacks for kids. They are perfect for after school or on-the-go!  Adults can enjoy them as well!

When a snack attack strikes, refuel with these nutrition-packed snacks. You may need an adult to help with some of these snacks.

1. Peel a banana and dip it in yogurt. Roll in crushed cereal and freeze.
2. Spread celery sticks with peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese. Top with raisins. Enjoy your “ants on a log.”
3. Stuff a whole-grain pita pocket with ricotta cheese and Granny Smith apple slices. Add a dash of cinnamon.
4. Mix together ready-to-eat cereal, dried fruit and nuts in a sandwich bag for an on-the-go snack.
5. Smear a scoop of frozen yogurt on two graham crackers and add sliced banana to make a yummy sandwich.
6. Top low-fat vanilla yogurt with crunchy granola and sprinkle with blueberries.
7. Microwave a small baked potato. Top with reduced-fat cheddar cheese and salsa.
8. Make snack kabobs. Put cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks.
9. Toast a whole grain waffle and top with low-fat yogurt and sliced peaches.
10. Spread peanut butter on apple slices.
11. Blend low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana for thirty seconds for a delicious smoothie.
12. Make a mini-sandwich with tuna or egg salad on a dinner roll.
13. Sprinkle grated Monterey Jack cheese over a corn tortilla; fold in half and microwave for twenty seconds. Top with salsa.
14. Toss dried cranberries and chopped walnuts in instant oatmeal.
15. Mix together peanut butter and cornflakes in a bowl. Shape into balls and roll in crushed graham crackers.
16. Microwave a cup of tomato or vegetable soup and enjoy with whole grain crackers.
17. Fill a waffle cone with cut-up fruit and top with low-fat vanilla yogurt.
18. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on hot popcorn.
19. Banana Split: Top a banana with low-fat vanilla and strawberry frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with your favorite whole-grain cereal.
20. Sandwich Cut-Outs: Make a sandwich on whole grain bread. Cut out your favorite shape using a big cookie cutter. Eat the fun shape and the edges, too!
21. Spread mustard on a flour tortilla. Top with a slice of turkey or ham, low-fat cheese and lettuce. Then roll it up.
22. Mini Pizza: Toast an English muffin, drizzle with pizza sauce and sprinkle with low-fat mozzarella cheese.
23. Rocky Road: Break a graham cracker into bite-size pieces. Add to low-fat chocolate pudding along with a few miniature marshmallows.
24. Inside-Out Sandwich: Spread mustard on a slice of deli turkey. Wrap around a sesame breadstick.
25. Parfait: Layer vanilla yogurt and mandarin oranges or blueberries in a tall glass. Top with a sprinkle of granola.

Now that you are refueled, take a trip to Planet Power. Play the MyPyramid Blast-Off game at www.mypyramid.gov.

Enjoy!

Making weekend plans? Be sure to fit in some fun fitness activities that the whole family can enjoy.

It’s hot, it’s summer, cool off and take a swim! Enjoy a dip in the pool or hit the beach!

Swimming is one of the safest, most effective forms of exercise and recruits all of the major muscle groups. Be sure to stay hydrated by drinking fluids, especially when swimming for extended periods in the heat. Beginning swimmers should be well-supervised and should consider swim lessons by a certified instructor. Check your local colleges and community centers for a list of instructors and locations.

Be safe and be fit with friends and family!