Hunger Level Scale – Is It Hunger or Habit?

It is important that you learn to distinguish between physical hunger and the psychological inclination to eat. Physical hunger is generally accompanied by symptoms such as abdominal pain or discomfort, dizziness, light headedness, headaches or a feeling of emptiness in your stomach. Your body needs nutrition every 3-4 hours, hence some of these symptoms should occur 3-4 hours after your last meal. Physical hunger is a useful and appropriate eating cue.

Psychological inclination to eat is when you are influenced to eat or drink in the absence of physical hunger. It can stem from cues such as social situations, your surrounding environment or from within you. An example of psychological inclination to eat is craving chocolate because you were given a box and you know that it is in the pantry. Your body does not actually need the specific nutrients in chocolate – it cannot tell you what type of nutrition it needs; it can only exhibit general physical symptoms when it needs nutrients. This craving is purely psychological.

It is important that you learn to distinguish between physical hunger and the psychological inclination to eat. The following scale can help you determine your level of physiological hunger, start and stop eating at an appropriate time and differentiate between physiological hunger and psychological inclination to eat:

Using the Scale
The best way to use the scale is to follow three steps:

1. Before eating, rate your level of hunger using the scale
2. Five minutes after you have started eating, rate your level of hunger again
3. Rate your hunger when you have finished eating.

Try using this scale the next time you eat a meal. People who are successful at weight loss generally wait until they are at a rating of 2 or 3 before they eat, and then they only eat to a rating of 6.

Foods that Boost Immunity

With winter now upon us, it’s important to be prepared for the onslaught of colds and coughs that can go around. And what better way to be prepared than to strengthen the body’s natural defence system. Improving your immunity is as easy as eating a wide range of nutritious foods, however, as outlined below some nutrients in particular will give your defences that extra boost!

While the temptation may be to use supplements rather than make good food choices, research has shown that supplements are not necessarily as safe or effective as food-derived nutrients.

Beta-Carotene
Is an important antioxidant and will increase immune function. The best sources are carrots, sweet potato and green, leafy vegetables. So start including some in your diet now, before the winter bugs attack! Research studies have shown that the amount of beta-carotene in two large carrots consumed daily has a measurable immune boosting effect.

Vitamin C
Vegetables and fruits are the preferred sources, with broccoli, strawberries, oranges, and orange juice containing high amounts. There appear to be no adverse effects from these higher doses of vitamin C, so eat up on these nutritious immunity boosters!

Vitamin E
Researchers have found that individuals eating vitamin E-rich foods (avocado, asparagus, olive, sunflower, safflower oils and apples) tend to have improved immunity. However, increasing vitamin E intake to high levels through supplements can impair immune function. So stick with food sources.

Zinc
The mineral zinc has “cold-fighting abilities” and the best sources include wheat germ, tahini, chickpeas and most breakfast cereals.

Foods that interfere with Immunity
Just as the right foods and nutrients can boost your immune function, other nutrients may have a negative affect when if comes to immunity.  Fatty foods, in particular, impair your immune cells’ ability to work with research showing that animal fats in particular can have an immunity lowering affect.  So it’s best to avoid the deep fried take out food and cut all visible fat off meat.

So remember to eat well and you’ll stay well this winter season.  And remember to consult an Accredited Practicing Dietitian before attempting any dietary or lifestyle change.  Their expert advice will help ensure you’re on the right track to good health over winter.

References

Exercise Your Way Through Winter

As we start to feel that cool crisp change in the air and with the morning and evening drawing closer together, motivation levels and regular exercise compliance can start to dwindle. Keeping enthusiasm, motivation and exercise levels high for the next few months can be easy with plenty of options to stay out of the cold and be safe with less sunlight and shorter days. There are many benefits of regular exercise, in addition to weight loss and management; it will help keep you fighting fit and healthy with a stronger immune system, therefore limiting the amount of coughs and colds that you may pick up during this time of the year. Below are four strategies to help maintain your levels of exercise over the next few months.

DVD, Wifit and I-Phone applications
With the developments in technology, there are no more excuses!! These devices are a great alternative in the cooler months as they can increase your heart-rate and can provide an overall body workout while in the comfort of your own home. On your I-Phone there are options ranging from yoga and running to resistance training and many more depending on your interests. So start searching on that I-Phone today!!

Walk in pairs
If you love your morning or evening walks but feel it is becoming harder to maintain due to the shorter days, why not walk with a friend, partner or family member to feel more secure and help with that commitment to exercise regularly? By having a partner, you have made a commitment to each other to stay motivated. This is also a great time to join a group/activity that you can do inside. Whether it be signing up to dance classes, joining up to a gym for three months or finding a community group that you can join, will help maintain your spirit throughout these colder months.

Make the most of exercise on the weekends
As weekdays become harder to exercise around work hours and less sunlight, make the most of your time on the weekends. Exercising on the weekends allows you to do this as a family and with friends, i.e. go for walk/ride all together, go to the park and play a game such as soccer. Also due to not being committed to racing off to work, you can walk, run or cycle later in the morning. In the winter months there are a lot of community and organized fun runs/walks on weekends that you can participate in which helps you stay fit and motivated.

Manage your time
With light restrictions, instead of making the annual excuse, you might just need a little readjusting in your exercise routine. Walking or riding to and from work is a great way to manage your time and exercise. This is a great alternative as it is not as hot and it can be done before you start your working day. If your work is too far to walk/ride, an alternative is to park 20 minutes away, meaning you have scheduled a 40 minute return trip into your daily routine.  Make use of your lunch break. Rather than using the hour to sit at the computer, make use of this time by packing your exercise gear and take 20 minutes to go for a walk.  Incidental exercise can also be a great way to get your steps up! Instead of couriering documents to another office or going to the closest coffee shop, go for a walk and get steps up.

Incorporating exercise into your daily routine is always possible. Just because the days are getting colder and shorter, does not mean there are no options for exercise. With all the technology available and the use of improvisation along with good use of your time, it is easy to get exercise in all year round. 

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The New Food Plate & You & Your WLS

After 19 years the USDA has this week updated food guidelines in a move that makes a lot of sense: a Food Plate. The flagship icon is a color-blocked dinner plate (shown at left) with sections to represent four food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains and protein, with a side serving of dairy. According to Kathleen Zelman, RD with WebMD,  "We now have an easy-to-understand layout of what

Curry Dressing For Green or Pasta Salad

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1½ teaspoons vinegar
  
  


• 1 teaspoon curry powder
  
  


• ¼ cup low-fat or non-fat plain yogurt
  
  


• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  
  


• 1 tablespoon non-fat milk
  
  


• 1 teaspoon salt
  
  

Preparation:

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except pasta and stir together.
  
  


• Thin the dressing with more milk of desired. Chill well before serving.
  
  


• Toss the pasta with dressing, enough to lightly coat, just before serving.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (28 g)): 63 Calories, 1 g Protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 0 g Dietary Fiber, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 632 mg sodium