Eat Like an Olympic Athlete

I LOVE the Olympics and from February 12-18, I will be watching as the world comes together 'with glowing hearts' to witness as the saying goes, 'the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat' during the Vancouver Winter Olympic.

A couple years back during the Beijing Summer Olympics, we learned gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps consumes 12,000 calories a day when he is in training. In stark comparison, a male of about the same age and height that is only moderately active would require around 2,000 calories a day.

Do all Olympic athletes need a diet significantly different than ours?

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Diet Friendly Dining: Mimi's Café

This French-cottage themed restaurant first opened in 1978 as a comfortable place to relax and enjoy a freshly prepared meal. The Simms family started the Café in Anaheim, California and introduced a new combination of ambience and service with convenience and value.

Today you can find Mimi's Cafés operating in 22 states across the U.S. and you will still find warm hospitality and delicious fresh cooked meals. My family recently enjoyed a wonderful lunch at a Mimi's in our community and their menu really caught my eye. I thought it would be helpful to review the healthier menu items as part of our ongoing Diet Friendly Dining series.

The varied Fit and Fresh menu can allow you enjoy an evening away from home while also keeping a meal intake under 500 calories and 15-20 grams of fat or less.

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Obesity is a World Problem

Being overweight or obese is not an American problem. It is a world problem. A November 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) projection indicated at least one in three adults in the world was overweight while one in ten was considered obese. The expansion of obesity and diabetes around the world provides international health experts new concerns, while they are still dealing with the problems of wide spread malnutrition. It is scary to think that today, many people around the world are more likely to die from issues related to being overweight than those that die from being underfed.

Recently, Reader's Digest interviewed 16,000 people from 16 different countries around the world to learn about weight related attitudes and behaviors. What did they find out?

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Diet Friendly Dining: Applebee's

The world's largest casual dining chain has started the New Year with items that are 'unbelievably great tasting & under 550 calories'.

Since Applebee's does 'not provide nutritional information on items, except where required by law', it has been difficult to fully review and highlight healthier menu items as part of our ongoing Diet Friendly Dining series.

For several years, the best we have been able to use as a guide at Applebee's has been those entrees highlighted with Weight Watcher POINTS values. For those of us that do not use the POINTS program, it has not been extremely helpful and many times, I simply avoid eating at this restaurant chain. While the new menu items only provide guidance related to calories and doesn't provide other helpful nutrient info such as fat, carbohydrates and sodium, it is better than nothing at all. In our ongoing attempt to arm you with healthier options before you dine away from home, here are some new menu items that may help you keep your meal intake under 500 calories and 15-20 grams of fat or less when you visit Applebee's.

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Are You Following Steps to Live a Long Healthy Life?

As I was working yesterday, I heard a news report about a new heart health program by the American Heart Association. With an older brother that has already suffered a mild heart attack as well as a grandmother that died of heart related issues, I was interested in the report and set out to learn more.

By evaluating seven key health areas, setting goals for those areas where we fall short and establishing a plan to improve, all adults can improve their cardiovascular health according to the American Heart Association. To help people accomplish this, they have developed a seven step assessment tool. The tool will help people from ages 2-99 to:

• Understand current levels of cardiovascular health
  
  
• Assess individual health needs
  
  
• Commit to steps to improve health and quality of life
  
  
• Move closer to personal health goals

How can this assessment help you?

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Is Wheaties FUEL the New Breakfast for Champions?

The familiar orange box and 'breakfast of champions' slogan has been an American icon for generations. For many athletes, being featured on the box is a goal and dream come true when it happens. In 1921, Wheaties was discovered by accident and because of wise marketing decisions, an association with sports started a decade later. Since that time, Wheaties has been associated with many accomplished athletes such as Mary Lou Retton and Michael Jordan as well as other well-known icons such as Ronald Regan, The Lone Ranger, and Mickey Mouse. The tie with sports and fitness has helped Wheaties remained 'The Breakfast of Champions'.

Now there is a new cereal, 'By Champions, For Champions'. Will Wheaties FUEL with its distinctive black box accomplish the same iconic status? Is it something you should consider including in your healthy diet?

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If the Calorie Information Isn't Accurate, What Should You Do?

Researchers at Tufts University recently looked at 29 restaurant meals from casual dining establishments such as Wendy's and Ruby Tuesday and 10 frozen supermarket meals like Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, and Healthy Choices. The study findings regarding the accuracy of the stated energy content have been published in this month's The Journal of the American Dietetic Association. What did they reveal?

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Diet Friendly Dining: Golden Corral

When eating away from home, it is important to have an eating plan and strategy to help you remain successful as you move toward your weight loss goals.

One of the typical recommendations when choosing a restaurant is to avoid "all-you-can-eat" places. However, sometimes despite your plans, that is where you end up dining. Here are some things to keep in mind next time you visit Golden Corral

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What's the Deal with Taco Bell's Drive-Thru Diet?

A decade ago, Jared Fogle lost 245 pounds eating two Subway sandwiches a day and the Subway diet was born. Today, Subway has capitalized on his publicized success by focusing their marketing and menu on healthier eating alternatives for those dining away from home.

A decade later, Christine has lost 54 pounds with the Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet. Is this fast food diet your key to success?

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The Basics of Building a Food Stockpile

Winter has officially just arrived but there have already been countrywide weather related issues that have changed plans, caused need to rush to the store as well as panic. At the same time, the unemployment rate is high, budgets are tight, and there is constant talk about the need to eat healthier.

Recently I have seen ads for special companies and services to buy long-term emergency food insurance or shelf stable emergency food kits to help your family be prepared for whatever may come. Building a stockpile takes time but the right approach can get you started in a cost effective and health conscious manner. Here are some basic tips to help as you start a stockpile in the New Year.

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Did Your 2009 Wishes Come True?

As we close out 2009, many of us review the year and take inventory regarding what we have or have not accomplished throughout the year.



Last year at this time, I suggested we list 3 wishes and resolve to make them come true during 2009.

Here where my three wishes for 2009:

1. Redecorate my dining room
   
   
2. Take the family to New York City
   
   
3. Run in at least one race

To make my wishes come true, I resolved to:

• Set time and money aside each month for the dining room project until it was complete.
  
  
• Change my weekly/monthly budget as necessary to save money for our trip while planning a trip based on the money saved.
  
  
• Eat, exercise and live a Spark life that allows me to be at the fitness level necessary to run in a race.

How did I do?

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Food on the Run: Mixt Greens

Mixt Greens was established in San Francisco in 2005. Several weeks ago, QSR magazine.com announced this green initiative driven restaurant will be expanding with four new locations in the Washington D.C. area. So exactly what is an eco-gourmet restaurant?

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Walden Farms Products Claim No Calories, Fat, Carbs, Gluten, or Sugar – Can They Be Good For You?

Recently we received an e-mail about Walden Farms products. The writer wondered what is in these zero calorie, carbohydrate, fat, gluten and sugar free products and if they were healthy or chemical ridden. We decided to take a closer look. Here is what we found.

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Is Gluten Intolerance on the Rise? What You Should Know

Gluten is a protein found in products made from wheat, rye and some forms of oats. In some people, gluten can trigger an immune response, which damages the fingerlike projections of the small intestine known as villi causing them to become flattened which limits their ability to absorb nutrients properly.

People that suffer from gluten-sensitivity may become diagnosed with an autoimmune condition known as gluten-sensitive enteropathy, non-tropical sprue, or celiac sprue, which are three different names for the same condition. Since the exact cause of celiac disease is unknown, prevention is difficult. For those that can recognize risk factors or identify multiple suggestive symptoms, early diagnosis and treatment can limit long-term complications and ensure a long and healthy life. Celiac disease diagnosis is typically based on results of a series of blood tests and perhaps small intestine tissue evaluation to look at specific antigens and antibodies.

A New York Times article last week reported that celiac disease is frequently overlooked and under diagnosed.

Here are some facts from the article that I found interesting.

• One out of every 133 people in America has diagnosed celiac disease compared to 10 years ago when it was only about one out of every 10,000 people across the United States.
  
  
• There are approximately three million Americans with celiac disease.
  
  
• It takes about ten years for a person with symptoms to receive a diagnosis of celiac disease.
  
  
• In 2003 there were approximately 135 gluten-free products on the market compared to today where there are over 830.
  
  

Back in the 1990's when I was working as a Registered Dietitian in a teaching hospital, it was very rare that I would have a client in need of gluten-restricted diet education or restriction. When someone did have that need, we used a resource list for specialty products that could be mail ordered and eating away from home was strongly discouraged. Today, you can walk into many large supermarkets and find a complete gluten-free section and there are resources such as the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program to help people find gluten-free dining opportunities. However, the increased awareness and availability of gluten-free foods for those that need them also opens a door for food marketers and fad diet promoters as well.

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Be Nutrition Wise While Flying the Friendly Skies

Surveys indicate that the majority of the American public wants to know the nutritional information for the food they eat. This is also true when it comes to flying the friendly skies.

Recently, an article about how U.S. airlines rate on the nutrition scale, revealed the 2009 DietDetective.com airline survey results. The survey found that American Airlines was "most improved" over previous studies because of some sensible substitutions that were made. Continental took the top food spot because they offer free meals that are lower in calories, nutrient rich and provide variety.

Here is some highlight information for some of the more common airlines to help you make nutrient wise choices while traveling by air this holiday season as identified by the Annual Airline Snacking and Onboard Food Survey.

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