9 Ways to Have a Leaner Body Right Now, Say Dietitians — Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

As 2021 draws to a close, there are a lot of holidays to look forward to. While these celebrations give everyone a great chance to come together and indulge in some delicious food, it can feel overwhelming to anyone trying to keep a lean body this season. According to Harvard Medical School, adults typically gain about a pound of weight per year and one study correlates this weight gain primarily to the upcoming winter holidays.

Luckily, we assembled a master list of advice from a handful of experts that guarantee to keep you slim this holiday season. While these tips focus on your overall weight, don't assume you can't also focus on keeping the pounds off certain parts of your body. For even more holiday advice, don't miss the 7 Healthy Eating Habits for the Holidays, Say Dietitians.

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If you're looking to stay lean, keeping track of your snack intake can make a major difference.

"One easy way to lose weight during the holidays is to fit treats into your daily calorie goal," says Ben Tzeel, MPH, RD, CSCS, and founder of Your Diabetes Insider. "With just a little bit of preplanning, you decide that you want a holiday cookie or a slice of pie, all you have to do is plug it into your day and decide how you are going to adjust your other meals in order to eat around said treat. That way if you are trying to lose weight and are in a calorie deficit, you can adjust and still fit those foods into your calorie deficit."

RELATED: Get even more healthy tips straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter!

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If you need a quick shortcut to trim down some calories in your snacks, consider a sugar alternative.

"Another idea would be to make some of your treats and sweets with an alternative to table sugar," says Tzeel. "For example, you could utilize allulose of stevia which would replace sugar without sacrificing taste. Using one and 1/4 cup of allulose in place of one cup of sugar would save 800 calories within the pie without changing the taste or requiring any additional effort."

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"Mindful eating is an effective way to improve your relationship with food while also preventing over eating and reducing the amount of time you spend thinking about eating, even during the holidays," says Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD at Balance One Supplements. "This approach to eating has the individual rate their hunger on a scale from one to ten prior to eating and their fullness on the same scale while they eat."

Eating mindfully is easier said than done. For some quick tips, check out 11 Mindfulness Hacks to Eat Less, According to Experts for foolproof strategies on how to manage how you eat this holiday season.

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When you can, try to switch out empty calories for more nutritious options.

"You can also make healthier choices where you're able," says Best. "Some minor changes and exchanges can make many of our favorite comfort and cultural dishes nutrient-dense. For instance, a side item like mashed sweet potatoes will be appreciated for providing guests with immune-supporting nutrients from vitamins A and C. Just one cup of sweet potatoes provides you with almost half the daily recommendation of vitamin C!"

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"A lot of people use the holidays to let go of all healthy habits because [your] 'diet starts in January,'" says Paula Doebrich, RDN, MPH, owner of Happea Nutrition. "But this mentality is setting you up for failure because you may feel like you absolutely need to load up on foods that will be off-limits soon."

"Instead of this black and white approach, try including a few comfort foods, while sticking to healthy habits and know that you can always have a small treat but your overall lifestyle will also stay healthy throughout the year," says Doebrich.

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Drinking has the potential to add on some extra unnecessary calories, and big gatherings seem like the optimal place to indulge in a few cocktails or glasses of wine. If you want to avoid the extra holiday pounds, avoid hitting the bar too hard this holiday season.

"Alcohol has a lot of calories that are usually consumed in addition to a meal," Doebrich continues. "Limit drinking alcohol as much as possible and if you are drinking, opt for wine instead of egg nog or sugary cocktails."

"The holiday season is stressful and sleeping is usually not a priority," says Doebrich. "But sleep deprivation can actually cause sugar cravings and makes you more hungry because it throws off hunger and satiety hormones. This is why getting at least 6 or more hours per night will help you stay in shape."

Getting the right amount of sleep ties into how and what you eat. For a good night's rest, here are the 40 Best and Worst Foods to Eat Before Sleep in order to wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day.

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You have likely heard about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, but the advice holds some extra weight during the winter holidays.

"Include lots of vegetables and fruits in your diet," says Jay Cowin, NNCP, RNT, RNC, CHN, CSNA, and ASYSTEM's registered nutritionist and director of formulations. "This will help you get plenty of vitamins and nutrients that can help keep you healthy. Instead of taking seconds, go for seconds on vegetables and fruits to ensure you do not overeat."

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Going hard on the snacks just seems like a natural part of the holidays. With so many finger foods like chips or pretzels available at gatherings, loading up on sodium seems like an inevitability. If you're looking to stay lean, keep an eye on this nutritional figure.

"Limit sodium intake from fries, chips, processed foods, and other sources to less than 1600 milligrams," says Cowin. "Use low sodium soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce—it has less than half the sodium content!"

For even more healthy tips this season, read these next:

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9 Ways to Have a Leaner Body Right Now, Say Dietitians — Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That
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Night-shift workers who eat only in the day may cut diabetes risk - New Scientist

People who work overnight are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, but the risk may be reduced by eating only between 7am and 7pm

Health 3 December 2021

By Clare Wilson

A night-shift worker using a metal cutter on a subway line in Ankara, Turkey

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People who work night shifts may be able to avoid the resulting harm to their blood sugar control by eating only in the daytime.

A small trial in people who simulated a night-working pattern by staying awake all night found that those who ate only between 7am and 7pm had normal blood sugar regulation after a single test meal. In this regimen, people woke up during the day to eat, but abstained from food during night-shift hours. But those who ate some meals at night, as is common in people who work night shifts, had worse blood sugar control.

The body tries to keep blood sugar within a certain range, as high blood sugar damages blood vessels, but if levels gets too low, cells go short of energy. Poor blood sugar control can progress to type 2 diabetes, which usually needs managing with diet and medications and can lead to heart disease.

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Previous work has found that night-shift workers are more prone to poor blood sugar control and type 2 diabetes. So Frank Scheer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and his colleagues wondered if they could counteract the effects on blood sugar by keeping eating patterns more aligned with people’s normal “body clock”.

They asked 19 volunteers to eat a carefully measured test meal for breakfast, after which their blood sugar levels were measured. Then, the participants gradually shifted their waking patterns so that after three days, they were in a fully reversed pattern, sleeping in the daytime. The next day, the group was split in two.

About half had some meals in the daytime and some at night, which is how many night-shift workers behave. They then had the same test meal for their 7pm “breakfast”; their blood sugar levels rose by 19 per cent more than they did after the same test was carried out at the start of the experiment.

The others were given food only between 7am and 7pm, and were woken up twice during their main sleep in the day to eat a meal. They had no significant change in blood sugar response to the test meal.

Most night-shift workers wouldn’t like to wake up in the day to eat meals, says Scheer, so his group is going to test a new regime, in which people fit in all their food immediately before and after sleeping, while still keeping meals to between 7am and 7pm. “The next step is to develop a more practical meal schedule,” he says.

While it could be unpleasant to work all night without a meal, says Scheer, it may help to eat just small amounts and avoid carbohydrate-rich food that raises blood sugar quickly.

Jonathan Cedernaes at Uppsala University in Sweden says that while the results are interesting, “we don’t know based on this data how these metabolic outcomes would change if someone was in a fixed night-time schedule for a week”.

Journal reference: Science Advances, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg9910

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Let doshas determine what you eat - Hindustan Times

Ayurveda is touted to be a holistic science based on the belief that health depends on the balance of the mind, body and spirit

Health enthusiasts are unearthing age-old herbs and practises to treat a host of ailments

Published on Dec 03, 2021 10:31 AM IST

BySwati Chaturvedi

Ayurveda is touted to be a holistic science based on the belief that health depends on the balance of the mind, body and spirit. It focuses on wholesome healing and is founded on the principles that a person’s dosha, a type of energy, determines their health, and any imbalance in these can prove detrimental. As reliance on Ayurveda continues to rise in this Covid-19 era, more and more health enthusiasts are jumping on to the bandwagon of rethinking and modifying their diets as per their doshas.

“According to Ayurveda, the human body is a living assembly of three doshas, namely vata, pitta and kapha, seven dhatus (basic tissues: rasa, rakta, mamsa, meda, asthi, majja and sukra) and waste products such as faeces, urine and sweat. Doshas are intelligent life principles which determine the characteristics, traits and features of an infant from among the hereditary options in both parents,” says Vikas Chawla, Ayurveda expert from Vedas Cure.

While there are three doshas present in the body, every individual has a prominent dosha. But, the other two must be equally balanced for optimal health. “Once you get to know which is your dominant energy force, it is recommended to eat specific foods for that dosha. This will in turn nourish your body and promote balance. Also, avoid foods that will cause any imbalance, which Ayurveda considers to be the root of many health issues,” asserts Vaidya Shakuntala Devi, an Ayurveda expert.

Finding your dominant dosha

“You can identify your dosha by consulting an Ayurveda practitioner, who will do the necessary assessment,” says Namita Piparaiya, yoga and Ayurveda lifestyle specialist, who lists out the general characteristics of each dosha.

Vata is the kinetic energy of the body, and is a mix of air and other elements.

Pitta is fire and water, and represents the metabolic and digestive capacity of the human body.

Kapha is the potential energy which is a mix of earth and water. It provides structure, stability and grounding.

FOODS TO EAT

Since Vata is dry and light, it is balanced by warm, nourishing foods such as one-pot meals, healthy fats, stews and khichdi. Oats, brown rice, lean meat and eggs are recommended. Raw, low-fat and junk food can severely aggravate vata. “One with this principle energy can create a balance with the intake of warm cooked food such as rice and oats, fruits and vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, berries, bananas,” says Shrawan Daga, Ayurveda expert, Krishna’s Herbal and Ayurveda. It is also advisable to include basil, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, ginger, oregano and thyme.

For pitta dosha, whole grains, fruits that are sweet and ripe, vegetables that are cooling and sweet are considered to be beneficial. “According to Ayurveda, pitta doshas should eat light, cold, sweet and energising foods such as fruits, non-starchy vegetables, oats and eggs,” says Ayush Aggarwal, Ayurveda expert from Rasayanam.in. It is advisable to include herbs and spices such as basil, ginger, cinnamon, mint, saffron and turmeric to create a balance.

And kapha, being the heaviest of all doshas, does well with light, low-fat food. As kapha is sluggish, stale food should be avoided. “Foods that are pungent, bitter and astringent should be consumed. Hot ginger tea, beans, apples and pears should be preferred. Barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats (dry), black beans, chickpeas, lentils and white beans are recommended,” says dietitian Garima Goyal. When it comes to herbs and spices, include black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, paprika, saffron and turmeric.

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Kroger boosts full-year sales forecast as people continue to eat in - New York Post

Kroger raised full-year sales and profit forecasts after its results topped estimates on Thursday, as a sustained boom in at-home cooking lifts demand for the retailer’s groceries, sending its shares up 12%.

A rise in US COVID-19 cases during the third quarter also boosted sales at grocers, with some such as Costco forced to reinstate limits on purchases of items including tissues, roll towels and bottled water, as consumers resumed hoarding some goods.

“We believe the food at home change is structural and not temporary, with most people consuming meals at home and grocery stores continuing to capture the majority share of stomach,” Kroger Chief Executive Officer Rodney McMullen said in an analyst call.

Concerns over the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus could also potentially boost sales at Kroger in the coming weeks if consumers return to pantry stocking, CFRA analyst Arun Sundaram said.

“If there are more restrictions at restaurants or service outlets, it would result in more consumers eating at home, and Kroger, being the largest conventional food retailer in the U.S., is well positioned to benefit from that.”

Kroger said it is keeping tabs on the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 but is advising Kroger shoppers not to feel pressure to hoard groceries and to only buy what they need.

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A Kroger spokesperson told Reuters the company was closely monitoring the situation around the Omicron variant and was encouraging shoppers “to only buy what they need.”

Kroger said it expects full-year adjusted earnings per share of $3.40 to $3.50, compared with its prior forecast of $3.25 to $3.35.

The higher forecast comes against the backdrop of a 41-basis-point decline in the company’s third-quarter adjusted gross margin rate as Kroger spent heavily on increasing shipping capacity to mitigate supply-chain disruptions and also due to cost inflation.

Some grocers, like Costco, have reimposed limits on buying items like toilet tissue as a rise in COVID-19 cases has led to a boost in sales at supermarkets overall.

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The company expects annual same-store sales to dip 0.2% to 0.4%, compared to a fall of 1% to 1.5% it forecast previously.

Kroger’s sales rose 7.2% to $31.86 billion in the third quarter.

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What to Eat When You Have Cancer - Psychology Today

Source: Trang Doan / Pexels

“Eat whatever you want.”

“Eliminate sugar.”

“Eat clean and detoxify.”

“Keto cures!”

As soon as we’re diagnosed with cancer, we’re constantly bombarded by messages about how to eat. From the grocery store checkout line to ads and recipes online, everyone seems to have an idea of what’s best for us.

You know what you eat is important, but what’s important if you want to slow the growth of cancer cells, boost your energy, get through chemo, or recover from surgery? And what if all you want to do is curl up under a blanket and eat for comfort? Is that so bad?

Body, mind, and spirit eating

We’re here to give you a message you won’t hear everywhere else. The message of integrative health is that the whole person, the whole you, matters. Body, mind, and spirit are all involved in healing. And in eating.

What to eat when you have cancer becomes more complex and simpler at the same time. More complex because there is no single, easy answer. Simpler if you remember to nurture the whole you.

Your body

Your body needs energy. It also needs anti-inflammatory foods and drinks to combat the inflammation and cellular distress happening with the growth of cancer cells and the action of treatment.

If you are losing weight without trying, your doctor or other health-care provider may tell you to eat whatever you feel like eating. Their goal is to keep calories flowing into your system to help combat the loss of muscle tissue and strength that can happen with cancer. But nutritious proteins serve your body better than heavily processed foods or fast food.

Your mind

Your mind likely needs calm and clarity. When you’re dealing with a cancer diagnosis, focus can be difficult or impossible. Anti-inflammatory foods and drinks help here, too. Massive doses of caffeine and sugar won’t help you sleep or relax, and they will lead to energy crashes. They jack your body up and let it drop. When your body and mind are busy dealing with cancer, it’s best to minimize stress. Consider an alternative to coffee such as matcha, which is calming and has anti-cancer effects.

Your spirit

Pushing yourself to eat perfectly—no processed food, no junk food, only the highest quality proteins—may or may not help you here. You may already be wondering, “Did I give myself cancer? Is this my fault?” Holding yourself to a higher nutrition standard than ever before can create stress, or even guilt if you eat a fish sandwich from your favorite drive-through instead of grilled fish from the specialty market. Perfection is the enemy of good, and in cancer, there is no perfection, only good.

Eating with other people has emotional and spiritual power, too, so preparing or bringing home foods your family enjoys will help support everyone during the cancer journey.

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