For most of us on Thanksgiving, we did NOT prepare the food. How can we eat right when the food is so wrong? The scavenger hunt of the healthy food at the buffet table!
Most veggies on Thanksgiving are prepared in a lot of fat, ton of sodium and don’t get me started on the grease. We can’t control what is in front of our face. However, we can control the amount of food that enters our body. It is all about portion control.
Remember, it is still NOvember. Its okay to say YES to some things but even it out with a NO! If you had a slice of pie on first serving then skip it on the second.
Wait in between rounds. (Trust me your stomach will appreciate it). Walk around and enjoy company. When you have a conversation, you forget to stuff your face. It is scientifically proven by Dr. Reynolds.
I made a video from our Thanksgiving banquet. I went around the potlucks and decided if it is a YAY or NAY to eat. Then, I show you guys what the perfect thanksgiving plate should look like.
Nutrition Labels are Tricksters
Here is your guide to read labels and conquer failing diets.
SERVING SIZE
The first things to look at on the Nutrition label is the serving size. The serving size dictates how much calories you are putting into your system. What most people don’t realize, they eat double or triple servings of the mandated “serving size” without realizing it.
Comparing snacks or cereals can be tricky because the serving size is different and so is the calories. This means people have to do math in the aisles and it can get frustrating.
For instance you might see:
Cereal A: 3/4 cups - 100 calories
Cereal B: 1 cup - 120 calories
But which one is better?
its basically like this in math 3/4 =100 4/4 = 120, Find out how many calories are in 1 cup in cereal A using math. If 3/4 cups is 100 calories than 1/3 is 33 calories then 4/4 cups is 133 calories.
It gets confusing! What can really help to visualize the serving size is to look at the amount of servings in container. If there are 8 servings in the container then you can visual divide the contents to see how much food vs calories you are getting. Its true gamesmanship.
CALORIES
Its said that 3,500 calories make up ONE pound of fat. To lose weight, we need to lower our intake. Try using this calorie calculator. Enter your data and it calculates how many calories you need to lose weight or maintain your weight.
CARBS
The next thing I look for is the grams of carbs. Depending on the type of diet you are doing, looking at carbs is just as important as your caloric intake. Too much carbs can lead to your body to not break it down which turns into sugars and causes fat. Unless, your an athlete who needs physical endurance, carbohydrate intake should be at a moderate low.
SODIUM
Avoid consuming products with high sodium levels. Sodium is a major factor for high blood pressure. Also, sodium retains water. Therefore, if you need to lose a few pounds quick, sodium-free diets are the way to go. Now, I will never promote get-lean fast diets.
% DAILY VALUE
This part of the label is actually helpful. On labels, you will see a percentage of each nutrient that makes up your FDA approved daily food intake. Following the correct serving size, anyone can tell the percentage of each nutrient they are putting in their body for that meal. This percentage factors in all meals of the day so don’t think it dictates one meal, but one day.
Using all this information. You are now able to to march down the aisles and pay attention to what you are buying and consuming. Remember, that it takes math to understand these labels so a calculator would not hurt.
