If you are the typical American, the answer is no! When was the last time you ate 4 1/2 cups of fruits and veggies in a single day?  Hmmm… bet you can’t remember. And for those of you who do eat a fair amount of fruits and veggies, I bet many of you get stuck in rut and eat the same thing day after day. While this is better than not eating produce at all, it’s not giving you the variety of nutrients that your body needs.

We tend to score especially poor when it comes to our intake of vegetables.  While we can easily grab a piece of fruit on the run, I don’t see too many city girls or guys chomping on a head of broccoli as they walk down the street. It’s estimated that  75% of Americans don’t eat the recommended intake of 2 1/2 cups a day.  Did you know that the most commonly consumed veggies are iceberg lettuce, ketchup and French fries? Scary!  (pic is of me and Alix Weiner)

Watch my interview with Behind the Burner’s Alix Weiner on tips to increase your intake of fruits and veggies.

Tips to increase your intake of fruits/veggies
So assuming you are the average person with a suboptimal intake of fruits and veggies … here are some tips to point you in the right direction.

1.  Buy fresh produce in season. It tends to cost less, tastes better and contains more nutrients. Visit your local farmers market. The sooner you eat produce after it is picked, the more nutrients you’ll get.

Fall vegetables in season include: beet greens, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, eggplant, endive, escarole, fennel, jicama, leeks, onions, parsnips, rutabaga, spinach, sweet potatoes, turnip, turnip greens, winter squash

Fall fruits in season include: apples, avocados, bananas, blackberries, cherries, dates, figs, grapes, kiwi, melon, oranges, papaya, passion fruit, pears, persimmons, plums, pomegranates, raspberries

2. Keep it in sight. Place a bowl of fruit on your kitchen table. Or cut up carrot sticks and place in sight in your refrigerator. Chance are if you stick in the produce bin in your refrigerator, you’ll forget about it.

3.  If you are pressed for time … or are on the lazier side ….  pick up pre-washed bags of salad greens and add baby carrots or grape tomatoes for a salad in minutes. Buy packages of veggies such as baby carrots or celery sticks for quick snacks.

4.  If you find your fresh fruits and veggies are always going bad, try frozen ones. Frozen veggies have a comparable nutritional profile to fresh veggies. Check out Birds Eye Steamers. You just stick the bag into the microwave (don’t even have to dirty a bowl!)

5.  Add produce to your favorite dishes. Shredded carrots and add to meatloaf  or zucchini slices into lasagna. Add veggies to your slice of pizza. Add some chopped carrots and onions to your soup..

6.  Get out of a rut and try something new. Take a walk down the produce isle and pick a fruit/veggie that you haven’t tried before.

7.  If you are bored by your usual cooking methods, try something new. If you always steam,  try roasting or grilling (with a little olive oil!). These cooking methods can change the texture and tend to impart more flavor. For example, I’m not a huge fat of steamed asparagus, but love grilled asparagus that is brushed with a little olive oil. The same goes for eggplant.

8.  Add different veggies to salads (red pepper, shredded carrots, grape tomatoes, chopped steamed broccoli, etc). Try to use a darker green lettuce or spinach as your base to increase the nutritional content.

9.  If you don’t love the taste of veggies or are bored with plain old steamed veggies, add interesting sauces to vegetables to help disguise them. Here are some to try:
Teriyaki sauce, a little olive oil and sprinkle of parmesan cheese, tomato sauce, butter spray, low fat salad dressing (there are tons of good ones. I love the light Paul Newman’s “Lighten Up” line including Lime Vinaigrette or Sesame Ginger), stir-fry with garlic, ginger, a splash of soy sauce and a little rice wine vinegar or add a sprinkle a handful of low fat shredded cheese and melt. If you like hot and spicy foods, try adding a little hot sauce to your veggies. If you like sweeter foods, find a marinade or sauce that has a sweeter taste. Of course, if you are watching your weight, check the calorie content of these sauces.

10. If your preference is for sweet foods, try mashed sweet potatoes or winter squash with a little brown sugar and cinnamon.

11. Instead of a rich sweet dessert, try a baked apple or poached pear … delicious and healthy!

 If you are a chocoholic like me, eating one piece will open the floodgates. I get chocolate on the brain and demonstrate “chocolate seeking behavior”. When you have trouble controlling an intake of a certain food, it is called a trigger food. I bet many of you city girls and guys have trigger foods. So what would you do if you were now spending time in an environment that was filled with these trigger foods?   How would you control your “chocolate seeking behavior’ before you started packing on the pounds?

So here is the scenerio:
- You keep minimal food in your apartment. Now you start dating someone and his apartment is filled with tempting treats (i.e. chocolate). A large bowl of M&M’s in the kitchen and huge bowl of assorted mini chocolates (Dove, Hershey’s mini bars, kisses) on the dining room table. And variety makes it even worse because you find the urge to sample more …  (yes, that is my hand)

- You can’t get the chocolate out of your mind.  You think “I’ll just have 2 little pieces”. But every time you walk by the kitchen or dining room your hand dips into the bowl. Before the weekend is over, half of the candy has moved from the bowls to your hips!

Tips to control your chocolate intake
1. Explain to Mr. Chocolate Lover that you have trouble controlling your intake of certain foods (ie. chocolate) and that it would be really helpful to you if he keeps them out of sight hidden in the cabinet. Explain the benefit to him  —>  that hiding the chocolates would help you to maintain your svelte figure. (um… my hand again)

2. Maybe he will take the hint and get rid of the chocolate totally and replace it with fruit!  (this would only happen in my foolish nutrition dreams…)

3. If he insists on keeping chocolate in the house, maybe he can buy a type that is not as appealing to you. For example, I’m not as tempted by Rollo’s, but am very tempted by Dove and Hershey’s. I find dark chocolate to be more satisfying, so I may eat fewer of them.

4. Cover the bowl of chocolates with a towel/napkin. Keeping it out of sight MAY help you to reduce your intake.

5. At the very least, keep the chocolate bowl far away from your reach. Obviously you wouldn’t want to keep it near the computer you work on or near the couch where you watch tv.

6. Tell yourself that you are allowed to have ~ 100 calories a day from your trigger food. (this would be 2 mini chocolate bars)

7. If you find that once you start, you can’t stop, then don’t even start with one.

8. If all else fails, think positive. It is possible that as time goes by, you may get used to having the chocolate there and won’t be so obsessed with it.

As you’re waiting in line at Starbucks for your afternoon java jolt, you can’t help but notice all the treats behind the counter – scones, muffins, cookies, coffee cake, etc. They would taste so good with your coffee. But then you notice the calorie content of these treats ranging from 350 – 600 calories.  Does this mean you can never enjoy a sweet with your coffe again? No – luckily Starbucks is now offering some mini treats  that won’t bloat your belly!  Check out these satisfying little indulgences:

Starbucks Mini Treats for under 200 caloriesMini Sparkler Doughnut, chocolate or vanilla. Satisfy your sweet tooth for only a quarter of the damage done with a regular donut. Calories:120 Fat grams:6  Carb grams:17

Petite Vanilla Bean Scone
Flavored with pure vanilla extract and speckled ground coffee beans. Calories: 140,  Fat grams: 5, Carb grams:21

Starbucks Dark Chocolate Bar
Just the thing to fullful your chocolate craving. And not only does it taste good, but it provides taste benefits as well!  Calories: 180, Fat grams: 12, Carb grams: 18

The following products are sold (or will be sold in the near future) at participating Starbucks:

Kind Bars
These bars with wholesome ingredients you can see and pronounce are the perfect grab-and-go snack, and just 170-190 calories.  The bars are free of gluten, dairy and wheat.  Available favors include Mango Macadamia, Almond Cashew, Fruit & Nut Delight, and Cranberry & Almond. 

Annie’s Snacks
 Annie’s White Cheddar Bunnies and Snack Mix Bunnies are available in exclusive portion-controlled sizes for Starbucks and have just 130-150 calories, 5 gm fat and 20 gm carbs per serving.

FoodShouldTasteGood
Available in Multigrain, a distinctively nutty flavored chip made with flax, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, and Sweet Potato, lightly sweetened with cane sugar to enhance the natural nuttiness of a sweet potato in a chip.  Both varieties are 210 calories per 1.5 oz. serving size,  9 gm fat,  27 gm carbs.  

Valentines Day is just about here.  Instead of giving your sweetie the same old box of chocolates, try some of these tantalizing ideas from Behind the Burner. 

-   What is a better way to “get in the mood” than to have a seductive cocktail! Check out these Valentine’s Day cocktails.  Love Potion Number 299 sounds particularly tempting …

-   Make chocolate covered strawberries for your sweetie. If you don’t have a sweetie, make them for yourself! (not too many of course…)  Check out this delicious recipe by Divya Gugnani from Behind the Burner.

-   Check out these Amourous Treats to get you in the mood   (written by me)

-    No time to cook (do city girls really cook anyway?) … check out this Valentines Dinner guide to special meals with the one you love

Happy Valentines Day!

Is food the quickest way to a man’s (or woman’s) heart? Maybe! With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you may be wondering if there are any foods to get in you “in the mood.”  Read on…  

Some foods are considered to be aphrodisiacs because they look like sexual organs. Other foods are loaded with vitamins and minerals and supposedly affect sex organs and sexual desires. For example, oysters contain zinc which may increase testosterone. So does this mean that if you eat a meal containing oysters, bananas and asparagus that you will be ready to pounce on your partner? Research has yet to back this theory up – but it can’t hurt to try!

Foods to Get You in the Mood
1. While a romantic dinner can be a great way to start the night, try not to overeat. This might not be the best night to try out the five course meal your local restaurant. There is nothing worse than a bloated belly to kill the mood!

2. Avoid gassy foods such as legumes, cruciferous vegetables. I don’t need to say anything else in this topic…

3. Alcohol in moderation may lower inhibitions and help to set the mood.  However, when consumed in excess, it definitely impairs sexual performance.

4. Red wine has been linked to higher levels of sexual desire in women who were moderate drinkers than in their counterparts who preferred other alcoholic drinks, or who did not drink at all. Just how red wine could have such an effect is not clear, although there are a number of theories. One suggestion is that antioxidants in red wine have a beneficial effect on the lining of blood vessels, widening the vessels and increasing blood flow to key areas of the body. Once again, moderateion is the key word here!

5.You may have heard that oysters fuel sexual desire/performance. Oysters, along with other seafood, meats, seafood and liver are rich sources of zinc. Zinc is essential for production of testosterone. Healthy zinc levels are also vital to maintain sperm counts. In addition, the experience of shucking an oyster can be erotic. However, there is no scientific evidence that proves oysters – or any other zinc rich food – actually lives up to its claims of enhancing libido.

5. Chocolate contains small amounts of a chemical called phenylethylamin (PEA), an amino acid that raises the body’s endorphins. It’s been linked to the regulation of physical energy, mood, and attention. A tiny amount of PEA is released at moments of emotional euphoria, elevating blood pressure and heart rate. However, evidence is lacking that PEA found in foods increases PEA in the brain – although many chocolate lovers may beg to differ! On a positive note, Italian researchers found that women who had a daily intake of chocolate showed higher levels of desire than women who did not have this habit. Their conclusion: chocolate can have a positive physiological impact on a woman’s sexuality.

 6. Check out this fun website Seduction Meals  for sexy ideas on getting in the mood with food.

The Erotic Element
Now that we’ve discussed some nutrition tips, it’s time to have fun! Here are some additional tips to get you in the mood:
- Start by taking the time to savor each meal. The art of eating that can be truly erotic
- Champagne and strawberries
 -Candles and a dark atmosphere
- Better yet, try dimming the lights, blindfolding your partner and feeding him/her
- Serve fingerfoods such as olives or raw vegetables and dip
- Working out together (ever try taking a bikram yoga class… now that’s hot!)
- Massages with body oil (foot and full body)

The final word
Your best bet to get in the mood is to maintain a healthy lifestyle with regards to your diet and exercise. Keeping fit and healthy is the best way to boost your libido! It also can’t hurt to serve food in an attractive way versus just slopping it down on the plate. Light candles and dim the lights. You never know what can happen next. Your food may end up getting VERY COLD ….

Chances are that most of  you city guys and many city girls will be putting on your drinking shoes (or hats – see pic) this Sunday. Whether you are really into watching the game or just like the excuse to indulge, Super bowl Sunday is probably one of the biggest drinking days of the year (aside from St. Patricks Day and New Years Eve of course!)

You can easily consume over 3000 calories on Super Bowl Sunday. Think about it … hours of swigging beer, munching on nachos, wings, potato skins, fries, etc. The more you drink, the hungrier you get … the less you seem to care about watching what you eat. But with a little planning, you can minimize the damage done with your Super bowl splurge!

Super bowl damage control tips:
1. Get a good workout in sometime before the game. This will help you to feel more in control.

2. Make sure you are hydrated before heading out to your Super bowl party. Being dehydrated can cause you to drink more alcohol. Thirsty = more swigging beer. The more beer you swig, the more you will likely eat. A buzz will decrease your willpower to watch what you eat.

3. Drink a lot of water while watching the game. Alternate between water and beer. If anyone comments on your extreme thirst, you can say you had a kick butt workout that morning and are dehydrated. No need to share that you are using this tactic to drink less beer!

4. Even better, drink a lot of club soda. It will make you feel full and bloated so you will consume less beer and food.

5. Don’t head to the party starving. Have a good lunch with protein and maybe a light afternoon snack. This help to bolster your discipline at least somewhat.

6. Don’t sit near the highest calorie snacks. Picking the seat near the bucket of wings or fries is asking for trouble.  Take a seat far away from these troublesome snacks. Let the other guys gorge themselves.

7. Eat and drink slow. May sound silly but it works. No one really cares how fast you eat or drink. People will be paying attention to the game – not you. On the contrary, here is how guys think: the less that other guy eats or drinks, the more will be left for me!

8. If possible, choose a light beer. You can really save on calories.  (You don’t want to end up like this city man!)

9. Order wings really hot so it is difficult to eat too many of them. Quench your thirst with water, not beer!

10. While I wouldn’t consider any bar food to be a healthy choice, your best bets would be sliders (without cheese) and wings (without blue cheese dip). The worst are loaded nachoes and any other fried appetizer (french fries, fried mozzarella sticks, fried chicken fingers, etc).  Of course, the ideal choice would be to order grilled chicken on a salad with dressing on the side or a grilled chicken sandwich. But I would say the chances of a city guy doing this is slim….

It’s 9 pm. You’ve had a full dinner, yet all you can think about is more food. A few cookies, a spoonful of ice cream (or two…), then the box of cereal is calling your name. You are so careful about your diet during the day. Why does it fall apart at night? How many times have you vowed to stay out of the kitchen after 9 pm, yet all discipline falls by the wayside as the hours move on?

Causes of night snacking
I see this night snacking syndrome with many of my clients. There are several possible reasons for this problem, including:
- not having adequate protein, fat, carbs or fiber during the day
- skipping meals
- emotional eating due to stress, boredom, anxiety, etc.
- mentality that “I’ve had a tough day so I can reward myself” or “I’ll start my diet tomorrow”
- keeping too many tempting snacks around

Tips to curb night time snacking
Putting the brakes on your night time snacking might feel like a hopeless situation, but it isn’t! Some of the following tactics should be able to rein you in:

1. Don’t skip meals. You may wonder what this has to do with late night snacking. There definitely is a connection! When you skip meals earlier in the day, your brain sends out signals to eat later on. These cravings are usually for fat or carbs  (think ice cream or other fatty sweets)

2. Don’t let too many hours go between meals, especially between lunch and dinner. Plan a healthy afternoon snack. This will help to keep your blood sugar more level. You may not feel hungry later in the afternoon, but once you start eating dinner, it’s almost like you can’t stop. The floodgates have been opened and the food fest continues into the evening. The best kind of snacks are ones that contains some protein, fat and fiber. More on my favorite snacks at a later post.

3. Don’t take your total calorie or protein/fat level too low. This will cause a drop in blood sugar, same reason as in #2.

4. Don’t take your overall carb intake too low, especially if you exercise on a regular basis. Not eating adequate carbs will cause your energy stores (glycogen) to deplete. The consequence —–> those sugar cravings will hit you … often late at night!

5. Keep trigger foods out of your house. (For me, that would be chocolate!) These foods will only tempt you and call out your name. If you have family members who insist on having these kind of snacks around, try to buy snacks that you don’t love. Or at least keep these foods out of sight.

6. Buy portion controlled snacks such as 100 calorie packs of nuts, popcorn, pretzels, pudding, ice cream treats on a stick, etc. This is assuming you stick to one pack! And don’t buy too many different snack packs as variety tends to increase intake.

7. Find an alternate activity to keep you busy to take your mind off food. Take up knitting, start a blog or get involved in a project on the computer.  Try going to the gym at night. Call a friend. Plan an evening activity such as cleaning out closet or file drawers. This will help to take your mind off eating.

8. Keep a detailed food record. You are less likely to inhale the sleeve of cookies if you know you have to write it down. Work with a nutritionist (such as myself!). I would also suggest you keep a food/emotion journal. This can help to identify which emotions are triggering you to eat. Check out my previous post on why eating doesn’t make it better.

9. Save a moderate amount of calories for a light evening snack. I usually suggest approximately 150 calories or so. Let yourself have whatever you like, as long as you can control your portion. Check out my FREE Downloadable Snack Survival Guide.

10. Lastly, if you really feel out of control with your night time eating, I would suggest meeting with a therapist who specializes in eating issues.

With the Superbowl around the corner, I bet many of you city girls and guys have been spending time in bars watching sports games.  What goes hand in hand with watching a game in sports bar? Beer and bar food of course! Two weeks ago when the Jets were playing,  I took part in this “bar food/booze  fest” and decided to tally up the damage.

So here is what I ate/drank:
- 3 pints of beer = 640 calories, 0 fat (Ok - guess I was a little thirsty!) 
- 1 cheeseburger slider = 280 calories, 10 gm fat   (I could have had another one … but controlled myself)
- 7 buffalo wings = 455 calories, 28 gm fat  (Definitely could have had more, but they were so hot it was burning my mouth. Luckily I skipped the blue cheese dip as that is 80 calories and 10 gm of fat per tablespoon. My companion ate quite a bit of the blue cheese dip…) 

Total: 1375 calories and 38 grams of fat  

To burn these calories off, you would need to:
 - Jump rope for 1 hour 45 minutes
- Cycle for 3 hrs
- Run 5 mph for 2  hours 30 minutes
- Walk 13 miles

Stay tuned for my tips to minimize damage while watching the SuperBowl this Sunday!