Nutrition and Healthy Diet

Mission Makeover Season 2, 2013  | Comments

Traci Scaletta is a registered dietician with a BS in Medical Dietetics from The Ohio State University. Traci has been practicing private nutrition counseling for over 20 years, specializing in weight loss and sports nutrition. In addition to her passion for nutrition, she is an AFAA certified personal trainer and aerobics instructor. She has been able to utilize her knowledge in nutrition combined with her fitness expertise to help her clients achieve their optimum fitness and weight loss goals. When Traci isn't helping her clients, she is busy with raising four children with her husband Paul.

• 13. Use Mindful-Eating techniques - Take your time eating. It takes roughly 20 minutes for your brain to register its full. Most of us with our busy schedules end up woofing down our food in less than 10 minutes, resulting in high consumption of calories and feeling miserable shortly after when our brains catch up to our stomachs. Slow down and listen to your hunger cues and allow at least 30 minutes to eat your meal.
• 12. Don't Skip meals - A big mistake most people make is they skip breakfast even lunch and then consume all their calories and then some in the evening. This eating pattern slows down the metabolism and causing over eating as well as weight gain. Try eating 3 moderate sized meals with 2 healthy small snacks. And never skip breakfast! Start your day right with healthy whole grains, fruits and lean proteins. Try a greek yogurt with a cup of fresh berries to start your day.
• 11. Avoid Trigger Foods - Clean out your pantry, freezer and refrigerator of all the foods that cause you to over eat. If cookies and ice cream is your weakness than get rid of it and avoid buying them. Instead stock up on fresh fruits, nuts and low calorie dairy products. So when hunger hits youŠyou'll have better choices.
• 10. Sleep - Sleep is key during weight loss. During our deepest sleep is when our body's adrenal glands and muscles build and repair to get ready for the work ahead the next day. A good way to ensure proper sleep is to go to bed early and get up early. Staying up to late can decrease the amount of hours needed as well as cause you to get the late night munchies. It doesn't matter if you are a night person; change into a morning person. When you go to bed early, you don't think about food all night.
• 9. Dine out but don't pig out. Figure out what you are going to eat in advance. Most restaurants have a website that will provide you with a breakdown of their menu items and the calories. Having a plan on what you will eat will help you make better food choices. Get salad dressing on the side and dip your fork into the dressing and then into the salad. Avoid the bread and butter basket! And if you must have dessert, get 1 dessert for the table so that everyone can have a bite.
• 8. Cut out liquid calories. Eliminate soda and sugary drinks such as sweetened iced tea, sports drinks and alcoholic beverages. Liven up the taste of water by adding lemon, lime, cucumber or mint. Choose skim and 1% milk.
• 7. Pay attention to portions. A 3-ounce portion of meat, poultry or fish is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards. Fruit should be the size of a tennis ball, pastas and rice half of a softball and above all your plate should be a least 2/3 filled with fresh non-starchy vegetables. Try avoiding going for that second helping!
• 6. Hydrate - Water is key to any weight loss program. Many people make the mistake of not getting enough water through out the day. Water is needed for almost all chemical reactions in the body. Some signs of dehydration can be fatigue, increase hunger, light-headedness, leg cramps and slowed metabolic rate. The recommended water intake should be a minimum of 64 fluid ounces.
• 5. Fill up on fiber - statistics show that the typical American diet provides less than 10 grams of fiber a day. The recommended fiber intake should be 25-30 grams. Consuming 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains and legumes will provide the appropriate fiber needed as well as help keep you full and regular.
• 4. Eat closest to the vine - Process foods contain a lot of calories, fat, sugar and preservatives. The term eating closest to the vine means eating fresh unprocessed foods. Having a diet full of fresh vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins like fish and chicken as well as low fat dairy products will promote healthy weight loss.
• 3. Think Lifestyle change - Not short term weight loss programs. If permanent weight loss is your goal than you need to make some positive lifestyle changes. Commit to changing your eating habits for the rest of your life.
• 2. You Bite You Write - keeping a food journal will help you stick to your meal plan. It will help you keep track of your calories and if you have to write chances are you wont be tempted to cheat!
• 1. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN! Planning out your meals is key to weight loss. Having healthy lean proteins, vegetables and complex carbohydrates on hand is going to ensure that you stick to your meal plan. When we don't have the appropriate foods is when we get into trouble.