All Entries From Tanya Jolliffe
Tanya is known on SparkPeople.com as SP_COACH_TANYA
Tanya Jolliffe is a busy mother of two who works as an online dietitian by day and a child chauffeur by night. Her days are very busy balancing work, family, exercise and volunteering, and she loves every minute of it. Tanya has spent the last 20 years focusing on nutrition education for the family and those dealing with end-stage organ disease. A former college athlete, Tanya loves helping others better understand the role of nutrition in living their healthiest life. Like many other people, Tanya battles medical-related weight issues, and this fuels her passion for her work as well. On the home front, Tanya and her husband enjoy attending their children's activities, working on home improvement projects and serving in their community through a variety of volunteer activities.
Studies over the last two decades have revealed ways to chemically alter naturally digestible starches. The chemical modifications introduce bonds that make them non-digestible by human enzymes in the digestive tract. Benefits of the newly manufactured starch fiber additives are largely unknown.
We have talked about the new manufactured fibers known as stealth fiber. We have mentioned there is a new fiber category in the midst of the FDA rulemaking process apparently with the full backing of industry. New products are finding a place at the manufacturing table. New fiber enhancement products are being added so baked goods, snack foods, breakfast cereals, and nutrition bars can meet "good source of fiber" or "excellent source of fiber" labeling claims. Now we need to talk about how you can use this information.
You will not find "stealth fiber" listed on the food label. You may see or hear "modified natural fibers" used in marketing campaigns. Strange derivative terms for natural portions of wheat, potato, or corn are more likely to appear on labels. It will be important for consumers to have an understanding of such terms as an indicator of modification. Here are some specifics to help you decipher food labels as you interpret product fiber sources.
Posted 9/2/2010 6:48:16 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 40 comments
Since the early 1950's when the term was first coined, dietary fiber has been known as a type of carbohydrate from plant foods that is not digested or absorbed. They are talked about many times based on their two different types, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber touted for its blood cholesterol lowering benefits and ease to acquire from foods such as oats, beans, lentils, citrus fruits, and carrots. Insoluble fiber recommended for its benefits for the digestive system and healthy food sources such as bran, whole grain products, fruit, and vegetables.
Food manufacturers have begun adding fiber to foods that were previously fiber free. (Learn more about this "stealth fiber.") Foods such as yogurt, ice cream, or drinks with isolated fibers confuse the issue for many consumers. Since many of these isolated fibers can affect the gastrointestinal system and do not contain health protective benefits, it is important to know about new classifications of fiber and why these new additives are permitted.
In 2001, a Panel on the Definition of Dietary Fiber (an Institutes of Medicine panel) responded to an FDA request to formally define dietary fiber. The IOM referred to recommendations and work done by the AACC (American Association of Cereal Chemists) and developed definitions that were presented to the FDA. New definitions focus on diversity of non-digested carbohydrates in the food supply. They broaden the definition from just plants to include carbohydrates contributed by animal foods as well. They also open the door to manufactured fibers as well. So what does this mean to you when you are trying to monitor your fiber intake?
Posted 8/30/2010 6:07:59 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 52 comments
Fresh fruits and vegetables serve as a nutritional powerhouse for most healthy diets. Loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals, they also help protect against disease. Sure there are small health risks from pesticides, but those are easily dealt with by selecting organically certified produce. While fresh produce can be more costly and make them challenging for a tight budget, there are tips to make them more affordable. Fresh produce can require more time to peel, slice, dice, and chop, but pre-cut, pre-washed, and ready to serve options save time for a slightly higher cost.
When fresh vegetables are not available, practical, or economically feasible, canned and frozen provide another alternative. Both are convenient and readily available but which is better nutritionally?
Posted 8/26/2010 11:05:08 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 71 comments
Marketing can be a wonderful thing. It can also cause people to venture away from the truth in favor of false promises. The goal in marketing is to present products, goods, or services in such a way as to be desirable. The marketing process is most effective when a well-defined user or buyer's attention has been adequately captured to the point that new concepts or propositions are enticing. This process is most valuable when doubt about the alternatives have been created as well.
The diet industry has harnessed the power of marketing as well as any Fortune 500 company. People with a great desire to lose weight are willing to throw out long held scientific truths for industry marketing spin. Add to that the hope that desired results can be achieved quickly and easily and you have the fuel necessary to make the spin appealing. When results are not achieved with the first diet-focused product or service, apathy and disappointment pique curiosity in the next proposed option and the dieting cycle is born.
So what does this have to do with being like a sponge? Perhaps not what you think.
Posted 8/23/2010 6:40:23 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 68 comments
Last week we learned eating a less than ideal breakfast is better than skipping breakfast all together. Planning ahead helps make breakfast selections healthful and limits the need to face that choice. Working out first thing in the morning can make breakfast schedules difficult and planning that much more important. One member shared her morning routine includes getting up at 3:30 AM to be at the gym by 4:00 AM for a workout. I myself head out for my workouts at 5:30 AM most mornings. Although everyone is different, some people like me have no problem exercising on an empty stomach while other people experience negative effects. Professionals and experts alike do not recommend exercising on an empty stomach. Other points of view suggest not eating breakfast especially before a work out is more beneficial. This caused me to ask the question, "which is better, exercising before or after breakfast?"
Posted 8/19/2010 11:56:50 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 123 comments
We started our new series by focusing on the long-term commitment of healthy living. A big part of healthy living is learning to make healthy choices. Since we eat every day, learning to make healthy choices with food is an important beginning step. For some people, meal planning is an easy and enjoyable process. Many have also mastered the process of creating a healthy grocery list. For others, meal planning is a big obstacle that keeps them consuming fast and processed foods.
Meal planning can make any dietitian's head spin when they are trying to balance many nutrients at one time. Some of the most difficult meal plans I ever developed at the hospital were those that required controlled levels of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, sodium, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. It was even worse for the family of the patient once released from the hospital. Lucky for most of us, our meal planning doesn't have to be that involved. Even if you need to limit sodium or simple carbohydrates, meal planning can be a simple puzzle. Here are some basic steps to help you learn to build a healthy meal, one piece at a time.
Posted 8/16/2010 1:10:46 PM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 55 comments
Balancing energy intake with energy expenditure is a key to successful weight management. Nutrition tools like databases, trackers, and fact labels can help. However, the help they provide is limited by the accuracy of the information each tool includes.
The same is true with calorie information on restaurant menus. The nutrition calculations are derived from a variety of sources. Restaurants frequently use laboratory testing, published resource information, and food supplier information to help them calculate estimated nutrition information. If the source information is not accurate, the inaccuracy will be handed down and perhaps multiplied. Tufts University researchers tested meals from several familiar chain restaurants. The tested meals were eighteen percent higher in calories on average than the listed menu information. The scariest part of their findings to me was the wide range of variation between actual calorie content and reported content. Some meals were 36 percent lower than the restaurant calculation. For most of us, that is an error in our favor that doesn't bother us too much. Others were 200 percent higher than the reported calorie information. That variation can make a large impact that is more unsettling.
Some people have ordered their lifestyle so that eating away from home isn't something they do often. Others of us eat away from home from time to time for a variety of reasons. When we do, we rely on helpful recommendations to plan before we go in order to successfully navigate the menu for the healthiest choices. We also try to apply many of the healthy eating habits we have learned as well. Unfortunately, we also trust in the nutrition information provided for the restaurant we are visiting. Here are some things to consider when reviewing and relying on menu nutrition information while dining away from home.
Posted 8/12/2010 5:59:35 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 46 comments
We recently had a dailySpark team-brainstorming meeting. As we tossed around blog topics and ideas, Coach Nicole had a question that caught all of our attention. She asked, "If someone is running late in the morning, is it better to grab a doughnut on the go or skip breakfast?" I said it was better to grab the doughnut. I think my answer surprised her. Why would a doughnut be a better choice you ask?
Posted 8/9/2010 6:08:28 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 226 comments
When a Health News headline popped up recently on SparkPeople.com, it caught our attention. Survey results reported last month indicate Australian researchers confirmed what we already believed. People desire help to change their lifestyle instead of programs that label and stigmatize or dieting quick fixes that break their bank.
A report published in the July issue of BMC Health summarized the views of 142 obese Australians related to weight intervention approaches. Here is what was discovered.
Posted 8/5/2010 11:55:17 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 55 comments
We have all said the magic phrase, "I feel fat" at one time or another. While it may be a common saying, does it accurately describe what we are feeling? What exactly does fat feel like? If fat doesn't have a feeling, what exactly are we feeling? Looking deeper at this question might help you decide the best course of action to take to feel something different.
Posted 8/2/2010 1:16:32 PM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 81 comments
Several common assumptions about dietitians are that they should be pencil thin and love to cook. Well, many are and do, however, I am not and don't. Do not get me wrong, I CAN cook. Thanks to food science and cooking fundamentals courses in college, I am fairly good at it but I do not find enjoyment in the activity. Except for a couple times a year during holidays, it brings no more joy than cleaning my house, washing the clothes, or paying bills. To me, cooking is another task that must be done to care for my family. I do it because I believe it is important for my family. However, it wasn't always that way.
When I first got out of college and married, I could not wait to take what I had learned and put it into action. My husband (the son of a home economics teacher) and I both worked full time and shared the tasks and chores around our new home and enjoyed spending time together as we did. We shopped and cooked together frequently and since neither of us were picky eaters, we liked trying new recipes. We tried to eat very healthy so I could "practice what I preached" to my patients at the hospital. We set up a compost bin in the back yard for our kitchen waste and made most everything from scratch using wholesome foods before they were easy to find.
Fast-forward about ten years and I am a stay-at-home mother of two young children. I worked hard to be the type of mother I had while growing up. We used cloth diapers, dried our clothes on an outdoor line when the weather permitted, shopped with cloth bags, and used natural cleaners in our home. We planted a garden each spring, enjoyed the organic fruits of our labor during the summer, benefited from homemade tomato sauce, and frozen produce in the freezer during the winter. For half a dozen years, I focused on maintaining the perfect home, teaching my children how to respect the earth, eat a well-balanced meal, the basics of portion control and how to cook as they helped me around the house. They learned about grocery shopping, making nutritious choices while finding the best price, and using coupons as we did our shopping each week. I was happy with all that I was providing them but frustrated by how fast my days went by and how hard it was to fit everything in that had to be done while still finding time and energy to enjoy doing things with them. Since I was a perfectionist I took great pride in what I thought I was doing right and set goals to improve those things that I felt didn't yet measure up. At the beginning of 2002, my perspective on cooking totally changed as well as how I viewed many other aspects of caring for my family.
Posted 7/29/2010 1:26:00 PM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 77 comments
One of the valuable lessons I learned during my track and field days was the importance of running the correct pace for the distance. When running 100-meters, I would run as fast as I could right out of the blocks. If I were running 800-meters, I needed to start out at a slightly slower pace to be certain I could sustain the pace for the entire distance.
Sprinting requires a very fast pace sustained for a short distance. A marathon on the other hand is a longer, more arduous undertaking. Is your weight loss journey a sprint or a marathon? If you are not sure, perhaps that is where part of your barrier to success originates.
Posted 7/26/2010 6:35:21 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 97 comments
Wendy's was the fast-food salad leader in the 1980's with their expansive salad bar. After nearly two decades, the company removed the salad bars. Pre-portioned Garden Sensation salads were introduced in 2002 and have remained popular. The Mandarin Chicken salad was my personal favorite. Last week four new salads took center stage in the Garden Sensation category. Marketing officials hope the focus on wholesome ingredients will appeal to the nutrition conscious when they eat away from home. So how do these new salads measure up?
Posted 7/22/2010 6:13:12 AM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 252 comments
Successfully achieving weight loss goals usually requires reaching many smaller goals along the way. Whether you are trying to lose 15 or 150 pounds, experiencing peaks and valleys throughout the journey is common.
I previously worked as a Clinical Dietitian in a large teaching hospital. Part of my work included nutrition education for patients (and the family members that cared for them) with various medical conditions. This nutrition education was a mix of healthy eating guidelines and necessary nutrient modification information. For those that were dealing with poor kidney function, low potassium and low protein nutrient modification were typical. Those with heart or liver dysfunction needed information for a sodium restriction. I learned many valuable lessons over the years sitting in hospital rooms and outpatient clinic offices. People wanted to do the right thing but saw the mountain of the prescribed eating plan too high and the valley they were currently in too low for success to ever be possible. Many times my number one goal was to help both the patient and their family understand that success could be achieved taking one step at a time.
Posted 7/19/2010 12:45:30 PM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 159 comments
The smoothie has increased in popularity over the last several years. So much so that the smoothie maker has recently become one of the hottest selling small appliances. At the same time, smoothie and juice bars have popped up in malls and communities all over the country.
Earlier this week my son asked to stop for a smoothie. Since he is a growing teenager that eats almost hourly as well as being a "fruit boy," as we fondly refer to him, I made the stop. Since this was my first trip to this particular smoothie cafe, I let him make his selection while I looked over the menu boards. While we waited and I reviewed the "supercharged power up" vitamin and protein additive options, I wondered exactly what was in the concoction he had selected that set me back $4.58. He walked out happy with his selection of a 24-ounce Island Lemonade Smoothie (frozen lemonade) while I was a bit disappointed that he ended up with nothing more than a specialty frozen sugar drink instead of something more nutrient rich. The next day I came across an article discussing the new McDonald's McCafe real fruit smoothies that caused me to take a deeper look. I wondered if this could be a more nutrient wise option for the next time my son wanted a smoothie.
Posted 7/15/2010 1:26:28 PM By: Tanya Jolliffe : 200 comments 
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