Diet on Vacation
Jul 26, 2009 Author: Mary | Filed under: About
Summer Travel Tips: Stay on Your Diet During Vacation
By Jennifer R. Scott, About.com
Updated: June 22, 2009
About.com Health’s Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
See More About:
- weight loss on vacation
- dieting
- eating out on a diet
Smart snacking will keep your appetite in check.Image: © [2009] Jupiterimages Corporation
You’ve packed your bags and set the itinerary … you’ve put the pooch in the kennel and cancelled newspaper delivery … but there’s one more thing you need to do before you hit the road: Figure out how you will stay on your diet during vacation!
Just like you wouldn’t leave home without doing those other things, if you are trying to lose weight, you will need to make some plans and set some guidelines so you don’t come back from a relaxing vacation with extra weight as your souvenir.
Check out these easy ways to stay on your diet during vacation:
Ease Up on Imbibing
It’s easy to give in to a few “adult beverages” on summer vacation, even if you don’t normally drink them. When it’s hot, they’ll cool you down and when you’re not quite in “vacation mode,” they’ll help you relax. But enjoying a few drinks can add up your caloric intake quite quickly. Case in point: A strawberry daiquiri contains around 250 calories. Down two, and you’ve taken in as many calories as an average meal!
Solution: Alternate drinks with plain water to cut back on calories (and to stay hydrated). Add cucumber or lemon slices if the water gets boring. Iced herbal teas, diet lemonade, and low-cal fruit-flavored waters are also refreshing, diet-friendly options.
More: Alcoholic Drinks Quick Guide
Do Restaurant Reconnaissance
An …
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In New York City, Trans Fat Ban Is Working
Jul 22, 2009 Author: Mary | Filed under: MedicineNetBy Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
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MONDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) — When the New York City Health Department mandated that city restaurants change their menus to restrict trans fats, known to be a health hazard, the action was greeted with resistance and grumbling.”There were the usual ‘nanny state’ comments,” said Dr. Lynn Silver, assistant commissioner of the department’s Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control.Initially, the campaign was voluntary, Silver said. “But after one year, there was no change,” she said, so public health officials decided to make the ban mandatory.In December 2006, the city required that artificial trans fats be phased out of restaurant food, and the mandate was in full effect by November 2008. Silver and colleagues from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene report on the effort in the July 21 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.And they deem it a success. Total saturated fat and trans fat in French fries, for instance, decreased by more than 50% in New York City restaurants, according to the report. Overall, the health officials found, the use of trans fats for frying, baking or cooking and in spreads declined from 50% to less …
Read the whole story on Medicine Net.
Rethinking Bottled Water
Jul 17, 2009 Author: Mary | Filed under: WebMD
Gina Shaw
WebMD Feature
Brunilda Nazario, MD
Over the past decade, bottled water has become an ever-present part of American life. You’ll find bottles of Dasani, Poland Spring, Evian, or Aquafina at the gym, in the checkout line at the grocery store, in the office.
Sales of bottled water nearly doubled between 1997 and 2007, reaching about $11.5 billion. In 2007, Americans drank 29 gallons of water per capita.
But that’s begun to change. From a peak in 2007, bottled water consumption dropped in 2008, down by 3.8% from the previous year. Recently, cities, schools, natural food stores, and restaurants have begun to “buy local” — offering tap water rather than bottled — for environmental and economic reasons. For example, last year the majority of mayors at a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors voted to phase out the use of bottled water. And more and more individual consumers are following suit.
Picking up a bottle of water at the supermarket or the gym is quick and easy, but it has its costs.
-
Bottled water is expensive. Depending on where you live, you’ll pay between $1 and $2 for the average …
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Low-Sodium Diet: How to Eat Less Sodium at Restaurants
Jul 17, 2009 Author: Mary | Filed under: WebMD
Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Medical Reference
Louise Chang, MD
Health authorities have long been warning Americans to slash the sodium in our diets. Yet with restaurant meals and processed foods growing in popularity, the low-sodium diet remains elusive. Many of us are consuming more sodium than ever — and not just from the salt shaker.
In fact, 3/4 of the sodium in our diets comes from processed foods, says Columbia University researcher Wahida Karmally, DrPH, RD. And the watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest recently announced that 85 out of 102 meals found at popular restaurant chains contained more than a full day’s worth of sodium. Some of the meals had four days’ worth of sodium.
Consuming too much sodium is serious business because it’s a risk factor for high blood pressure. High blood pressure, …
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Sky-High Calories in Some Restaurant Meals
Jul 17, 2009 Author: Mary | Filed under: WebMD
Elizabeth Lee
WebMD Health News
Louise Chang, MD
June 2, 2009 — Restaurants are serving ever-larger portions of super-bad food to entice customers to start eating out again, according to a consumer watchdog group.
In a list of the most over-the-top, unhealthy restaurant foods, the Center for Science in the Public Interest singled out some dishes that provide more saturated fat or sodium than most people should eat in three days. The foods were also high in calories.
U.S. dietary guidelines call for healthy Americans to get less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, about the amount in a teaspoon of table salt, to lower blood pressure and reduce risk of heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease. But for the 70% of Americans who are middle-aged or older, African-American, or have high blood pressure, no more than 1,500 milligrams a day is recommended.
Federal nutrition guidelines also advise that less than 10% of daily calories come from saturated fat, about 20 grams for a 2,000-calorie diet. Eating lots of saturated …
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10 Tips for Eating Out
Jul 17, 2009 Author: Mary | Filed under: About
10 Tips for Eating Out While on a Diet
By Jennifer R. Scott, About.com
Updated: December 08, 2008
About.com Health’s Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
See More About:
- healthy eating
- eating out on a diet
- portion control
- healthy fast food
- healthy restaurant choices
Pasta can be a perilous proposition for dieters.
Dining out on a diet doesn’t have to be cause for panic. With a little planning and preparation, you can make it through eating out without blowing your diet.
- Order from the appetizer menu. Hungry? Order a side salad as well … a good way to ensure you’re still eating
instead of watching your date finish off his entree after you’ve polished off that shrimp cocktail. - Keep tabs on that tubini. Endless pasta may be your idea of bliss (Darn near nirvana for yours
truly!), but it’s a scary prospect to those of us who overeat. Stick with a single entree and don’t worry about being
a member of the clean plate club. I won’t tell your mom if you don’t tell mine.
- Meat …
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Mexican Dining
Jul 17, 2009 Author: Mary | Filed under: About
Mexican Dining “Quick Guide”
By Jennifer R. Scott, About.com
Updated: January 08, 2009
About.com Health’s Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
See More About:
- healthy mexican food
- eating out on a diet
- healthy eating
Check out our dining out “Quick Guides” for the best and worst dishes at many different types of restaurants. This guide will help you make better choices at Mexican restaurants.
Choose:
- gazpacho
- chicken or vegetable fajitas
- grilled chicken-based dishes (e.g., arroz con pollo)
- grilled seafood-based dishes (e.g. camarones de hacha)
- salsa and picante sauces
- soft tacos with chicken or beef
- tamales
- chicken flautas
- fish tacos
- chile con carne (hold the cheese)
- pico de gallo
Avoid:
- chips
- guacamole
- nachos
- chimichangas
- quesadillias
- crunchy …
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