13 Differences between Good Eating and Healthy Eating

I received a text message from my brother yesterday.  When I opened the message it was a picture of my one year old niece Emma.   I immediately smiled.  She is beautiful.  However, I couldn't notice how big she gotten since the last time I saw her.  Wow. Emma is a little tubby for a one year old.   I couldn't hold my peace; therefore, I immediately called my brother.   After saying our hellos, I just started firing away— you need to start watching what Emma eats.  She is getting too big too fast.  What are you feeding her?  My brother laughed and said, “Don’t worry.  She is just one years old.  Emma is getting big because that’s what ‘good eating’ does to you.”  “She’ll thin out as she gets older.”  I just held the phone and cringed.   

After taking a long deep sigh, I told him I would send him a list of healthier foods and a portion size chart that will help replace those high-sugary snacks and large portion meals.  This list will ensure that Emma eats the recommended servings of fruits, vegetables and proteins for her age group.    

So many of us have confused “Good Eating” with “Healthy Eating;” and therefore, it is my duty as a food and nutrition advocate, registered dietitian nutritionist  to help clarify this cliché, which could be a reason why so many of us overeat and over indulged in high-fat and high sugary foods.

 

Good Eating                               vs.                      Healthy Eating
1. There is more meat on your plate than vegetables	Half your plate are vegetables
2. Your eyes dictate how you pack your plate	You control your hunger urge by having a light snack before your meal and fixing your meal using a small plate
3. You devour your meal quickly just to have seconds	You eat slowly. You enjoy your food and guest (s) by having a good discussion  It takes 20 minutes for the brain to signal the stomach you’re full
4. Your food is prepared in solid fat (i.e. butter, beef fat, chicken fat, lard, stick margarine, and shortening oil)	Your food is prepared with healthier oils such as canola, olive, peanut, corn, safflower, sunflower oils
5. When your food is smothered or topped with butter or some creamy sauce i.e. Alfredo sauce	You replace creamy sauces with tomato based sauces such as Mariana sauce or creamy sauces made with low-fat dairy or mayonnaise Plain pasta with a small amount of butter and herb spices (i.e. basil) is always healthy choice
6. Your food portions are huge: Your meat is larger than your hand palm (about ½ cup or 3 to 5 ounces), your mash potatoes is bigger than half your fist  (about 1/2 cup), and your pat of butter is bigger than your thumb tip (about 1 tsp)	You use a small plate such as a lunch plate to control food portions     Your dinner plate looks like this:  5-6 oz steak, ½ cup of mashed sweet potato with skin, ½ cup of steamed broccoli and ½ cup of steamed carrots
7. You overindulge in high-fat and high-sugar desserts such as cookies, cakes, pies, milkshake, ice cream	You eat desserts that are made with fresh fruit or fruit puree to reduce the amount of sugar and calories
8.  You over use seasonings such as salt, garlic salt, seasoning salt, sea salt, celery salt or onion salt	Your food is boost with flavor from delicious herbs and spices such as basil, black pepper, rosemary, garlic, thyme, or curry powder
9. You eat until you feel stuffed	You eat before you get too hungry and stop when you’re satisfied,  You have a good sense of listening to your hunger and satiety cues. This is a good way of controlling your weight and curbing your urge for a second helping   Leftovers are properly stored in the refrigerator to be eaten the next day
10. You can’t control your fat tooth or sweet tooth	You trick your fat tooth or sweet tooth by eating low-fat desserts made with fresh fruits or healthier ingredients to reduce the amount of sugar and calories
11.   You eat fried foods more than 3-4 times a week with heavily buttered bread or roll	You eat lean meats that are either baked, broiled, grilled, sautéed or boiled You select  whole grain bread or roll with a light spread of  olive oil  or a pat of butter (equivalent to a poker chip)
12.  You choose greasy French fries as an vegetable	Instead you select a small baked potato or sweet potato with the skin.  Oven baked fries are great option too.
13.  You overindulged at Fast-food restaurants and carry-outs	You simply love home cooked meals because they are simply healthier.

                                       

Take away Health and Nutrition Tips:

1. Learn body signals for fullness and real hunger.  Forget the “clean-plate club.”  You don’t need to eat everything on your plate if you’re satisfied. 

2. Sit down to eat, rather than nibble while you do other things.  Focus on your food.  That way you know that you’ve eaten. 

3. Rethink your ways of eating.  Do any habits promote weight gain? Consider what, when, why, where, and how you eat.  If you need to, make some changes!

4. Lastly, think before you eat.  Ask yourself: Is it worth the calories.

Resource: The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Complete Food & Nutrition Guide by Roberta Larson Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS

I'm a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who has a fit when it's time to exercise!

Please don’t judge me.  But, I have to be honest—it’s tough working out for 45 minutes a day. {Sighed} I feel liberated now that I said that!  As my mother would say, “now that’s a crying shame.”   Ok.  I’m ready to hear what y’all have to say.  Let me have it.   I’ll take that. And that. And that too.  I can hear y’all screaming, “You’re

Photo by: Dwayne "Boots" Hopkins
Me getting ready to fall out on the treadmill!

a HYPOCRIT!  “How can you give advice when you’re struggling too?” LOL.   

In my defense, I wasn't always like this. In my early twenties, I was on it. I exercised for an hour each day.  I did boot-camps, intense spinning classes, weight lifting, jogged up to 4 miles a day.  You name it; I was up for the challenge.  Something happened. I completely stopped liking exercising.   Honestly, I can’t place my finger on when I started to feel this way about exercising.  I mean, it has gotten so bad that even when I think about exercising, I instantly become tired.  And, God have mercy on me when each time someone invites me to the gym, I always feel like passing out.  When I do workout, my legs start feeling like dangling noodles, my head hurts, and I try to talk to anyone to past time.  I just can’t shake this feeling.  Perhaps, my age caught up with me? Or, I simply don’t have the energy as I once had since going back to school while working a highly demanding job.  I swear my energy level plummeted over the years. 

Surely, I am not some lazy, insensitive nutritionist who simply tells people how to change their eating habits and lifestyle behaviors to improve their current health conditions or lose weight.  Nope, that’s not me.   When I feel like I need a stress relief or have a specific fitness goal then I become motivated and hit the gym hard for several weeks. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what the dietary guidelines says about exercising that it is recommended that all adults should participate in at least 45 minutes of physical activity, your way, on most days.  Shoot, I find it hard to even meet that simple recommendation on any given day.  Is there anyone or RD feels the same way?  I’m just saying.

Since, I self-proclaim myself as a foodie and not a fitness guru, I will cut myself some slack. And, not to mention, I am also human too. So, I do I have some areas of improvement.

Therefore, I have made a commitment to participate in some type of physical activity at least four times a week for the remaining of this year.  That’s right.  That means I will commit two days out the week and every Saturday and Sunday to do some type of physical activity.   The main goal here is to add fitness back into my life again. 

I would love for you to share this journey with me.  The one thing I always tell my clients is make sure you surround yourself with a super supportive team to cheer you on as you strive towards your nutrition and fitness goals.  This team could be family members, close friends, children or partner.  There is nothing in the world of having a buddy rooting in your corner.  

I will keep you posted of this RD’s journey back to fitness by sharing my workout schedules, fitness videos with my trainers and friends.   I am so excited.  Next week, I will post my workout schedule for the first two weeks.

 I love to hear all about your fitness and nutrition goals too. Please feel free to share them. If you also have general health or nutrition questions about your eating habits as you become fit; I don’t mind sharing evidence-based nutrition facts, so please feel free to ask them.  It is my plan to have fitness experts featured on my blog to help answer your workout questions .

Eating 12 Grapes at Midnight

Happy New Year’s Eve!

This is my favorite time of the year!  I simply enjoy the sense of starting fresh for a new year.  During this time of the year,

I am inspired, filled with hope and gratitude, and mostly motivated to continue crafting the path that God’s has planned for me.  For me, this time of year is like:

•   Being an eagle soaring above clouds
•   Taking a deep breath of fresh cold air after letting go all your fears and bad habits. 
•  Getting bear hugs from my nephews (Boots and Emmanuel). 
•  Jumping for joy when you pass that major examination.  Yes.  Today marks my one year anniversary of being a Registered  Dietitian Nutritionist.

To this end, I would like to share one more reason why I am so fascinated about the New Year.  I have come to love the Spanish's tradition and superstition of eating “Eating 12 Grapes at midnight” on New Year’s Eve.   Within the first 12 seconds of the New Year, individuals of the Hispanic origin focuses on eating 12 “miraculous red grapes” that symbolize 12 lucky months ahead.   One by one, an individual eat a 
grape and make a wish for something extraordinary to happen in that month.   I love this.  And, I challenge you to do the same. 

Go and buy a bundle of grapes.  Wash them.  Place them in a small bowl.  Pop a grape in your mouth.  As you chewing, make a wish or think of a goal that you would like to happen in that month.  Write it down on a paper.  Repeat these steps 11 more times.  Then work hard to accomplish those goals and watch your wishes come true throughout the year.  I am pretty superstitious…but I always have something amazing to look forward to.    

Have a Prosperous and Healthy New Year!

-- Food Jonezi--

Health Benefits of Grapes:

-  Grape skin has resveratrol, the powerful antioxidant that have shown to fight off cancer, heart disease, nerve disease such as Alzheimer’s disease and viral infections

- The plant chemicals in grape skin can keep blood vessels open wide by producing nitric oxide, a hormone that has shown to cause blood vessels to dilate or open.

-  1 cup of grapes only provides 25% of Vitamin K, 21% of copper, 8% of Vitamin B2, and between 62-100 calories, a perfect food for waistline management.

3 Fun Facts about Grapes

1. Brought From Spain 

Spanish explorers introduced the fruit to America about 300 years ago.

2. They're Berries!

Yes, grapes are a kind of berry. They have a leathery covering and a fleshy inside, similar to blueberries.

3. Many Colors

Grapes come in many colors, including green, red, black, yellow, pink, and purple. "White" grapes are actually green.

Sources:

Retelny,V and Milivojevic J. The Essential Guide to Healthy Healing Foods. New York, NY. Publishe by Penguin Group. Pgs. 102-103.  

Food Republic. http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/12/28/12-grapes-midnight-spains-great-new-years-eve-trad. Accessed on December 31, 2014.

Webmd.com.  http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/8-healthy-facts-about-grapes.  Accessed on December 31, 2014.

World’s Healthiest Foods. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=40.  Accessed on December 31, 2014.

Turn-up on carrot juice with a dab of cinnamon

Turn-up on carrot juice with a dab of cinnamon’

If you are still desperately seeking to find an overall nutritious food, try a carrot.  Here is a short list of why a carrot is super good for you--- A carrot is a….

1) Cancer Fighter

2) Bones and Teeth Supporter

3) Natural beauty consultant for healthy skin

4) “Visionariest” (Carrots are great for eye health.  Eating carrots at least twice a week can lower your risk of developing glaucoma and protects you from  

LOL! If I haven’t convinced you, yet read the detailed summary below of why eating carrot is the one!

Freshly pressed carrot juice with a dab of cinnamon is a way to cleanse your body with something healthy and good.  This healthy juice can equally satisfy your taste buds and give you a burst of energy without the extra fat, sugar and calories that are found in sugary juices and sodas. The smell of cinnamon alone can get your mouth watery for a slice of good ‘ole’ apple, pumpkin or sweet potato pie; right?   In fact, you will reap all these delicious benefits:

From Carrots:

- Antioxidants (Vitamin A & Vitamin C)—these two powerful nutrients can protect your cardiovascular system by lowering your risk to having a stroke, heart attack and cancer.  Vitamin A also promotes healthy eyes, supports the health of your skin, teeth and bones. 

- Beta-carotene- a compound that is naturally converted to Vitamin A when consumed.

- Carotenoid- a beta-carotene that protect your skin against damage caused by ultraviolet rays. 

-  Vitamin K - The most crucial role that vitamin K plays is in clotting your blood. Vitamin K supports the health of your bones as well, which can reduce your risk of fractures, breaks and osteoporosis as you age.

From Cinnamon: although, research has not confirmed the health claims of cinnamon, it is used to prevent:

- Gas (flatulence)

- Muscle and stomach spasm

- Nausea

- Vomiting, diarrhea, infections, common colds and loss of appetite

Cinnamon is also used in massage therapy. It is a well known warming agent mixed in therapeutic oils to relax and relieve muscle pain.   Some people put a few drops in their bath to relax and to sooth tired and aching muscles.

Now, you have it….Turn-up on carrot juice!

My awesome carrot juice recipe!

 

1-2lbs of whole carrots

2-ripe, fresh or frozen mangoes

1-cup of any other frozen fruit of choice such as, papaya, strawberries, raspberries, pineapple etc (optional)   

1-tsp of cinnamon

- Juicer

- Blender

- 2 24 oz Ball’s mason jars

Freshly press or juice carrots.  Pour the juice into a Ball’s Mason jar.

Peel, slice mangoes in cubes, and place in blender jar.  Add an additional 1-cup of frozen or fresh fruits of choice with mangoes in blender jar.  Pour carrots juice with fruit into blender jar. Secure the blender with lid. Turn the blender on full speed or liquefy.   Blend for 30 seconds.  Pour juice into a 24 oz Ball’s Mason jar, dab a pinch of cinnamon on top and enjoy!

 

Nutritional Value and Interesting Facts of Carrots

A medium-size carrot has 25 calories, 6 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of fiber.

Colors of Carrots

We think of carrots as orange, but they can also be white, yellow, red, and purple.

A Surprising Hater of Carrots

Mel Blanc, the voice of the iconic cartoon character Bugs Bunny, reportedly did not like carrots. (I got this news from the Webmd at http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/5-healthy-facts-about-carrots)

It’s National Nutritional Month…What Y’all Eating?

Is it fruits and vegetables? How about a good lentil soup? Or, are you enjoying a juicy piece of baked meat of your choice with a fresh garden salad as a side?  Well, whatever it is, you should ‘Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right!’  Yep, that’s the theme for National Nutritional Month 2014!  Enjoy the taste of eating fresh fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, lean meats, beans, nuts, seeds, and low-fat dairy products. 

And, don’t just eat plain and boring; have fun with your foods. Make refreshing fruit juices or fruit cubes using ice trays.  Make your own concoction of a vegetable juice by juicing all your favorite vegetables at once.  My favorite is beets, strawberry and raspberry juice. I swear it’s good. When you prepare your meals, add new spices such as oregano, parsley, rosemary, dill or thyme. Oh, there is nothing like a good ‘ole’ garden salad topped with nuts, seeds or dried fruits.   

During this month, there are many ways you can ‘Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right!’  In particularly, you can join the National Meatless Monday Challenge each week. You already know what this means—No Darn Meat on Mondays—believe me you will live! Just ask my best friend who bullied her fiancé, who is a die-hard meat-eater, to doing the two weeks vegan challenge! I highly encourage you to participate in this weekly challenge and invite others to join you for extra support.  

As for me¸ I will definitely enjoy indulging in my favorite healthy snacks, and continue encouraging  individuals, especially in urban communities to eat better.  I am so dedicated to getting my urban neighbors to commit to ‘enjoying the taste of eating right’ for a lifetime!

For more information on National Nutrition Month, healthy eating tips and recipes, visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at www.eatright.org

Don’t forget to send some luv to your favorite Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Wednesday, March 14th!  Its Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day!   

Happy RDN Day to me and all my fellow peeps!!!!

The Nutrition Salon is NOW Open!

Did you know that your hair tells your eating secrets?  It is definitely a way that practitioners can determine your nutritional status.   What can you eat to grow healthy hair, regardless if you are vegans/vegetarians or not?

Protein is the primary nutrient that provides the structure for our hair.  In addition to proteins, there are supplemental nutrients such as zinc, sulfur, essential fatty acids that give us that rich and ‘bangin’ hair that we all hope for.       

For Vegans/Vegetarians:   

Best protein sources:  beans, green peas, chickpeas, tempeh, tofu, edamame, nuts, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah),  butternuts, leafy green vegetables, hemp, chia seeds, sesame, sunflower and poppy seeds, seitan (wheat gluten that looks like duck meat, but taste delicious when added to meals), non-dairy milk, and unsweetened cocoa powder (1 tbsp =1g of protein)

Zinc: bran cereal, roasted cashews and almonds, chickpeas, boiled lentils and lima beans, and tofu

Sulfur: as for sulfur, it is a component of two vitamins thiamin and biotin that helps with cell metabolism, and is essential to the structure of hair, skin, and nail.  Therefore, taking an organic multivitamin-mineral supplement can help meet your recommended nutrient needs to promote growth.   Food sources:  legumes, nuts, onions, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, garlic, leeks and shallots

Essential fatty acid: olives and olive oil, sunflower and safflower oil, seeds, flaxseeds, grapeseeds, walnuts, whole grains, avocados, canola oil, hempseeds, and chia seeds, sea vegetables and microalgae, dark green leafy vegetables

For Meat Eaters:

Best Protein sources:  lean meats, eggs, fish, seafood, beans, lentils, peas, nuts and nut butters, and low-fat milk and dairy products  

Zinc: red meats, oyster, soybeans, nuts and wheat germ

Sulfur:  lean meats, eggs, cheese, milk, nuts and legumes

Essential fatty acid:  fatty fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel, eggs, olives and olive oil, sunflower and safflower oil, whole grain, flax seeds, walnuts and almonds, green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts,

Whether your hair is long, short, relax, perm, natural, or colored -- there is one thing for certain, we all want healthy, lustrous hair.

Until next time, love and take care of ‘yo’ hair.

Food Jonezi, RDN

_________________________________________________________________________________

 In since we are talking about hair… I uploaded the “Beautiful hair” scene from my favorite movie “School Daze,” by Spike Lee. There is no such thing of good or bad hair just HEALTHY HAIR!

Additional Sources:

Webmd: http://www.webmd.com/beauty/hair-styling/top-10-foods-for-healthy-hair 

Twenty-ONE Days of Veganism! Jay and Beyonce are doing it. And, Tia Mowry has decided to make it a LIFESTYLE!

               

Tia Mowry promotes veganism--"Don't knock it before you try it"
Source: www.peta.org 

“I’m like hold up, who you smacking on?/ I’m only trying to eat what you snacking on.”   If you are truly a Jay-Z fan, you would know this famous line from his song, “Dead Prez’ Hell Yeah” remix.  And, I think it fits perfectly with his new 21-days vegan challenge. 

In case you haven’t heard, Queen Bey and Jigga are going vegan for 21 days.  What’s the noise about being “veggie vegans?”   First, being vegan requires a full commitment to a 100% plant-based diet.  It means everything you eat, must be grown from the ground up—from seeds, beans, soy, oats, to fruits and vegetables.  You get the picture.  

Extreme veganism requires that an individual must not wear products or clothes derived from any animal source.  Therefore, your favorite leather shoes, fur coat, or non-organic make-up must go!

However, if you decided to take on the 21-days vegan challenge like the Carters, I want to offer a few nutrition tips and resources as you plan nutritious meatless meals throughout the day!

Make Sure You’re Eating Well Balance Meatless Meals!                                                                   

Let’s be clear, going vegetarian or vegan does not always make you healthier than your meat-eating friends.  You have to make sure that your body is getting the recommended servings of protein, fat carbohydrates, water vitamins and minerals for daily maintenance.   I bolded the word “protein” because eating enough high-protein foods seem to be the biggest issue with veganism, since no animal-source foods are consumed. I  recommend that you try eating:   

• Beans/lentils and rice
• Bean burritos
• Bean chili or soup
• Vegetable hummus wraps
• Peanut butter, soy milk, banana smoothies

Check out ChooseMyPlate.gov for vegetarian/vegan recipes that are high in proteins and those essential nutrients.

Don’t Forget About Bone Health!

Don’t believe the news hype that soy causes breast cancer! There has not been any link to soy and cancer.  In fact, fortified-calcium soy products are convenient ways that vegans and vegetarians can get their recommended servings of proteins and calcium. Actually, research has shown that consuming soy products can lower your risk of cancer, and also add variety to your meals.  So drink your soy milk my fellow veggie vegans!   

However, soy is not the only food that provides calcium for your bones.  Kale, broccoli, bok-choy, to name a few, are vegetables that can give your body calcium.  However, some vegetables such as spinach and rhubarb are good sources of calcium, but they are high in oxalates, which decrease calcium absorption, so include a wide variety of other green vegetable more often.

Remember, calcium, Vitamin D and protein works together to build strong bones.  To ensure that you get the recommended 1,000 mg of calcium daily intake, I suggest that you spread your green veggies intake throughout the day and choose calcium-fortified foods such as non-dairy milk, ready-to-eat cereals, orange juice and tofu.  

In addition to following a nutrient-rich diet, weight-bearing exercise such as yoga, running, walking and strength training is an essential component for increasing bone strength.

Good luck with your meatless challenge everyone!  You will definitely be snacking on a whole lot of fruits and vegetables…and that’s a good thing!

~ Food Jonezi, RDN~