How to survive the holidays and not gain a pound!

The most common question asked by my patients last week was... "How do I keep off the weight I have lost in your program through the holidays?".

The answer is simple: PORTION CONTROL

Truthfully you can indulge on what you want to, but you must exercise self-control. If you must have a cookie at the holiday party, have one - not four. Remember that the more sugar you consume, the more you will crave.

1. Meet yourself halfway - You can cut the calories of your favorite foods by 50% without changing anything about them -- just eat half. For example, if you usually eat a deli sandwich at lunch, eat half it, but replace your chips with carrot sticks. Still hungry? Before you reach for the rest of your sandwich, munch on a piece of fruit. Produce takes longer to eat and digest than other foods, which means you'll have more time to notice you're getting full. Plus, the added fiber in both the carrots and fruit will help you feel more satisfied, for much longer, than chips would have.When you are dining at a restaurant, ask the waiter for a take-out container as soon as he gets your order. Put half of your meal in the box as soon as it arrives.
2. Eat Slowly - Try to eat slowly and enjoy the conversation and the restaurant's ambiance. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes to start to feel full, so eating at a slower pace will prevent you from overeating.
3. Size up your servings - Just how many of those chips are in a serving? Check the nutrition label to find out -- you may be surprised at how small an actual serving looks compared to what you usually eat. Learn what is a serving of your favorite snacks; start by measuring them out the next few times you eat them. Once you get into the habit of seeing how much a serving really looks like, you'll eventually be able to "eyeball" servings and know how much is too much. 
4. Make a fist - That is the most you should have of anything at one time. If you stay smaller than a fist-full you will be on the safe side.
5. Compare to control - A really nifty way of learning to control portions is to mentally compare them with common everyday objects that you are used to seeing. Some of the reminders I use are that three ounces of meat is the size of a deck of cards; one ounce of meat is the size of a matchbook; one cup of potatoes, rice or pasta looks like a tennis ball; and use one shot glass worth of salad dressing at the most.
6. Unlimited fruits and vegetables - Really, let your hair down on this one. Get in as many fruits and vegetables as you can during the holidays and eat the fruits and/or veggies first, then other foods later. You will fill up quicker and be a lot more satisfied.
7. Drink up - Plenty of water that is. If you are hungry or craving a certain food, start drinking water right away. Often times thirst can be disguised as hunger. Also, drinking water will help you to not eat as much.

Hopefully these are helpful tips for you to survive this holiday season! Remember you can do it and I can help.

Happy Holidays,

Dr. M

Hot potato, Hot potato!

Although sweet potatoes may be part of the Thanksgiving tradition, be sure to add these wonderful naturally sweet vegetables to your meals throughout the year; they are some of the most nutritious vegetables around. Sweet potatoes can be found in your local markets year-round, however they are in season in November and December.

The sweet potato has yellow or orange flesh, and its thin skin may either be white, yellow, orange, red or purple. Sometimes this root vegetable will be shaped like a potato, being short and blocky with rounded ends, while other times it will be longer with tapered ends. There is often much confusion between sweet potatoes and yams; the moist-fleshed, orange-colored root vegetable that is often called a "yam" is actually a sweet potato.

Health Benefits

How sweet it is for your health to eat sweet potatoes! Not only do they taste like dessert, here's the latest research on sweet potatoes surprising benefits.

Unique Proteins with Potent Antioxidant Effects

Sweet potato contain unique root storage proteins that have been observed to have significant antioxidant capacities. In one study, these proteins had about one-third the antioxidant activity of glutathione-one of the body's most impressive internally produced antioxidants. Although future studies are needed in this area, count on these root proteins to help explain sweet potatoes' healing properties.

A Sweet Source of Good Nutrition

Our food ranking system also showed sweet potato to be a strong performer in terms of traditional nutrients. This root vegetable qualified as an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. How do these sweet potato nutrients support our health?

An Antioxidant-Rich, Anti-Inflammatory Food

As an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene) and a very good source of vitamin C, sweet potatoes have healing properties as an antioxidant food. Both beta-carotene and vitamin C are very powerful antioxidants that work in the body to eliminate free radicals. Free radicals are chemicals that damage cells and cell membranes and are associated with the development of conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, and colon cancer. This may explain why beta-carotene and vitamin C have both been shown to be helpful for preventing these conditions.

Since these nutrients are also anti-inflammatory, they can be helpful in reducing the severity of conditions where inflammation plays a role, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

In addition, sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin B6, which is needed to convert homocysteine, an interim product created during an important chemical process in cells called methylation, into other benign molecules. Since high homocysteine levels are associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, having a little extra vitamin B6 on hand is a good idea.

If you or someone you love is a smoker, or if you are frequently exposed to secondhand smoke, then making vitamin A-rich foods, such as sweet potatoes, part of your healthy way of eating, may save your life, suggests research conducted at Kansas State University.

How to Enjoy

You can bake a sweet potato in the oven at 350 degrees until the potato is sizzling and you can easily insert a fork to the center.

You can also make mashed potatoes with sweet potatoes. Add cinnamon in for extra delight.

You can make a sweet potato pie or a sweet potato casserole.

Be well!

Dr. M