Heart Healthy Diets and STEP CHALLENGE!!

We're in the last week!! Hopefully our little chat about motivation has re-sparked that fire to lose weight and become healthier - one step at a time.

The bottom line regarding heart healthy diets - specifically, the DASH and TLC diets that are designed to lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, respectively, is that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is key to maintaining a healthy body.

I want to talk a little bit about the perception of food and diet in the media. Not to play the blame game, but companies understand that by advertising "healthy products" on television or getting celebrity endorsers, they are in a way brainwashing us to believe that powders, gels, and bars are the way to a healthy weight. "You won't have to eat another vegetable again if you start taking this vitamin!" or, my personal favorite, "Should have had a V-8". (Why actually encourage your kids to eat fruits and vegetables when they can just drink juice instead? :-/

Nutrition is a business, and I get that. It's when the business of food and nutrition starts to completely change the mindset of the general population for the worse that I start to get concerned. Keep in mind that I'm a dietitian and I'm going to say this: eating the right stuff isn't that complicated. Yes, there are formulas to find out exactly how many calories you need and what percentage from fat, carbohydrate, protein; what levels of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) you need. I'm not at all trying to retract from that, because there are many instances where medical nutrition therapy plays a key role in preventing and treating illness.

Achieving the proper weight for you is actually much simpler than the media portrays it to be. I challenge you to actually listen to your body and figure out your own hunger cues. When are you hungriest? Why? When are not hungry? Do you eat anyway? Why did you eat your last meal - routine, hunger, boredom? These are just some of the questions that you can ask yourself to better understand your relationship with food.

Next week, we'll be discussing hunger and fullness cues - it will he helpful for you to have a general idea of the point of hunger that you usually start eating at, and how you feel when you stop eating (not hungry vs. full vs stuffed).

Remember, you're supposed to be watching your salt intake this week! What foods do you notice are especially high in sodium?

Have a great week - and post your pedometer readings!!

Rachel