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Do you wish to weigh the same right from Thanksgiving to the New Year? It is possible to enjoy holiday eating while you weigh the same till you welcome the New Year. Here are few tips in helping you to do so…

All you need to do is some planning and thinking about holiday food a little differently. First you need to plan your food properly. Fix your plate size and ensure that it has more of vegetables and protein rich food.

Remember to eat before you go for any holiday food invitation. Having a small piece of fruit with some peanut butter or a small container of yogurt will help you reduce the temptation of overeating.

Picking and choosing is a better idea to follow if you wish to maintain your weight. Instead of choosing all the three desserts, choose the one that seems tempting and limit yourself to just one. Avoid binging and overeating.

Alcohol is loaded with calories. So it is wise to substitute alcohol to fresh juices like fruit juice or vegetables juice.

If you are the host or hostess of a party, you need to take control. Prepare broth based soups that are loaded with vegetables as your first course. Switch from buffets to meals that are served as this will help pace-eating.

By following such simple strategies you can help yourself and ensure that your weight is under control.

(Source)

Turkey is usually not thought of for 11 months out of the year, but come November, a beautiful turkey is the center of attention.

Fat & Calories:

Turkey is very low in calories and won’t wreck your diet, especially with it’s rich protein benefits. Turkey breast is lowest in fat, but dark meat turkey is still not a bad choice. Go for a second helping of turkey before you go for more bread or dressing!

Vitamins:

The antioxidant selenium and B3 and B6 vitamins are all abundant in a serving of the Thanksgiving bird.

Tryptophan?:

Turkey is indeed loaded with tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that is a natural sedative, but it doesn’t affect us unless we eat it on an empty stomach and separate from other amino acids. When tryptophan is consumed along with the other amino acids found in turkey, it’s no longer sleep-inducing.

For those of you who are not meat eaters, Tofurky Vegetarian Roast makes a fantastic vegan substitute, but if you’re having guests, keep in mind that they may want the real thing.

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Any orange vegetable is a nutrition power house … carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin, and Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to get a huge boost of Vitamin A along with excellent fiber and carbohydrates benefits.

Pumpkin is absolutely loaded with beta-carotene, and antioxidant that is converted to vitamin A in the body. Beta-carotene may reduce risk of cancer and heart disease.

Other nutrients in pumpkin such as lutein, help reduce some effects of aging. Lutein helps reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.

A few great ways to have pumpkin at Thanksgiving … pumpkin pie of course, pumpkin custard, pumpkin bread.

You can also toast the pumpkin seeds, which is so great for you, but that’s a whole other post!

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Did you know that there is an “Almond Board of California”? We didn’t either. But now we do. And now you do too. And the good folks at the Almond Board of California have put out some pretty interesting information about almonds and heath health.

According to the World Health Organization report (2004), heart disease accounts for 17.5 million deaths worldwide annually. One way to improve heart health is to make dietary choices that reduce triglyceride levels, an established risk factor for developing heart disease.

The Almond Board recently funded a study to investigate heart health risk factors, namely high triglyceride levels. During the study, human subjects ate muffin products made with pieces of whole almonds, compared to those made with oil. Researchers witnessed a delayed release of fats from the almonds into the body, which resulted in a lower rise in triglyceride levels.

“This new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, expands upon previous cardiovascular research by investigating not only how the plant cell wall may impact how fats are absorbed into the body, but also the potential impact on acute changes in triglyceride levels,” noted Dr. Sarah Berry, Nutritional Sciences Division, Kings CollegeLondon, United Kingdom. “The data suggest that an intact plant cell wall, as found in whole almonds, may impact on how much and how quickly fat is released into the blood, contributing to a lower acute rise in blood triglyceride levels.”

Now that’s a scientific mouthful, so let’s get a little more basic. Triglycerides are the primary form of fat in foods, regardless of the type of fat i.e., unsaturated or saturated. Blood triglycerides normally increase after eating a meal containing dietary fat. Elevated blood triglyceride levels are a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease.

The study indicates that the fat found in whole almonds is not as quickly absorbed by the body as that found in almond oil or sunflower oil, which researchers attributed to the plant cell walls found in the whole almond nut. Researchers believe that the plant cell walls found in almonds, act as a physical barrier hindering the rate and release of the lipid during digestion. The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

So what else can be found in almonds? One ounce of almonds, about a handful, offers: Fiber (3g); Calcium (75mg); Protein (6g); Iron (1.0mg); Potassium (200 mg); Saturated Fat (1g); Unsaturated Fat (13g).

Source: Almond Board of California - Wed, 12/17/2008
Source: eMaxHealth

Here at Good Elements we love to eat.   We recognize of course that it is healthier and more cost effective to eat at home.   After all, where do you think all of those great  Good Elements Monthly Recipes come from?  But eating out can be a great pleasure - but one that may come with hidden risks to the waistline.

A new study in Review of Agricultural Economics has compared fast food and table service meals at restaurants.  The results of the study show that both types of meals are larger and have more calories than meals prepared at home.  Now here’s the surprise - the typical fast food meal is smaller and has fewer calories than the average meal from a table service restaurant.  Seems intuitive yet counter-intuitive at the same time, right?

Fast food was found to be more energy dense than food from a table service restaurant, but fast food meals also tend to be smaller. As a result, the typical fast food meal had fewer calories than the average meal from a table service restaurant.

Now here’s where it gets interesting.  Table service diners were more likely to reduce their food consumption during the rest of the day, most likely because of the difference in energy density of the food they consumed.  As a result, fast food may ultimately result in more calories as fast food diners tend to eat more throughout the day.

Not all table service restaurants are created equal, and not all diners are either.  But the moral of this Good Elements blog is - be mindful of what you consume when eating out.  Eating incorrectly when eating out can be more damaging to the waistline than that fast food that you avoided.

We have to be honest – we love sugar treats. But we love our health and our teeth more so we at Good Elements promote and live the mantra of “moderation.” The easiest way to avoid sugar? Skip the soda. The Good Elements family is soda free (though Lyle occasionally cheats with a Diet Sprite. We are working on him!) Today, the average size soft drink is 20 ounces and contains 17 teaspoons of sugar. Thinking about a fruit drink instead? Think again. Some citric acids found in fruit drinks are more erosive than hydrochloric or sulfuric acid — which is also known as battery acid. These refined sugars and acids found in soda and citrus juice promote tooth erosion, which wears away the hard part of the teeth, or the enamel.

Once tooth enamel is lost, it’s gone forever. And there’s nothing good about that. So we recommend brewed tea. Nothing bad about that according to a study in the July/August issue of General Dentistry, the clinical, peer-reviewed journal of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD).

Apart from tasting good, brewed tea has many health benefits. Tea is loaded with natural antioxidants, which are thought to decrease incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Mohamed A. Bassiouny, DMD, BDS, MSc, PhD, the lead author of the study, compared green and black tea to soda and orange juice in terms of their short- and long-term erosive effect on human teeth. The study found that the erosive effect of tea was similar to that of water, which has no erosive effect. And, when comparing green versus black, he discovered that there is a better option among those as well.

Dr. Bassiouny says that “when we look at tea and read about the benefits, it’s amazing — not because green tea is ‘the in thing’ — but because there are advantages.” He adds that much research done overseas, in countries such as Japan and Europe, found that green tea was identified to being superior over black due to its natural flavonoids (plant nutrients) and antioxidants.

But, if you do drink tea, experts suggest avoiding additives such as milk, lemon, or sugar because they combine with tea’s natural flavonoids and decrease the benefits. In addition, stay away from prepackaged iced teas because they contain citric acid and high amounts of sugars. It does not matter whether the tea is warm or cold — as long as it is home brewed without additives.

Kenton Ross, DMD, FAGD, AGD spokesperson, sees patients’ erosion problems on a daily basis in his practice. “Severe cases of erosion occur monthly and are frequently associated with high rates of soft drink consumption,” he says. “This study clearly shows that brewed teas resulted in dramatically less enamel loss than soft drinks and acidic juices,” says Dr. Ross. “I would highly recommend patients choose tea as an alternative to more erosive drinks like soda and fruit juice.”

Tips to decrease erosion:

* Reduce or eliminate carbonated beverages. Instead, drink water, milk, or tea
* Skip the additives such as sugar, lemon, and milk
* Drink acidic drinks quickly and through a straw
* Chew sugar-free gum to increase saliva flow in your mouth
* Rinse with water to neutralize the acids, and wait an hour before brushing

Tips to decrease sugar cravings
* Good Elements Craving Control

Source: Academy of General Dentistry

While the holiday cake baking (and eating!) season may be over, and our thoughts are turning to how to eat healthier in the new year, we wanted to address the seemingly age old margarine vs. butter question.  Which is healthier?

It seems like margarine has been the choice of health professionals as a substitute for butter.  But we’re here to say….not so fast.  Margarine is usually made from hydrogenated oils - which we all know better as the dreaded trans fats.  Butter is a source of saturated fats, and though not recommended for excessive consumption, saturated fats still beat hydrogenated oils in the healthy department.

Butter is comprised of about 80 percent butterfat and 20 percent liquid and is held together with natural emulsifiers. This makes the cooking properties of butter unique compared with other types of fat.  It also  allows sauces to blend and adds flavor and moisture to baked goods.

Margarine is made using either hydrogenated oils or a combination of saturated tropical fats mixed with oils to provide the consistency of butter.  Research suggests that consumption of trans fats is even more closely linked to heart disease risk than saturated fat.

But we’d rather that neither butter or margarine be used! If you must use butter or margarine when cooking or baking, we suggest that you use “cholesterol-lowering margarines” made without hydrogenated oils.  These “margarines” are pricier and don’t taste quite the same as butter or “regular margarine.”  But it’s worth it to avoid the trans fats.  If you must use margarine, and can’t stomach those without hydrogenated oils, then the rule of thumb is to use tub margarine.  Stick margarines are more likely to contain trans fats than tub-style margarines.  As always, read the labels before you buy.