Make Friends with Your Scale

Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

Just what role do your scale and regular weighing play in weight loss and long-term maintenance? You’ve heard both sides. The PRO: Studies show that regular weighing (once a day, or once a week) is a key feature of long-term weight maintenance. The CON: A focus on weight can be discouraging and lower self-esteem, and it emphasizes the wrong thing – weight, instead of better health.

Like most areas of health debate, each side is a little bit right. Although tracking your weight while losing and maintaining is one essential component to success, too great a focus on the pounds can sabotage an effort.

So, what is the best advice? Regular weighing is an important part of weight management, but it requires a little bit of an attitude adjustment. Make friends with your bathroom scale, and use it as just ONE reflection of how you’re doing. Other ways are how your clothes fit, the waistband on your skirt, or the notch on your belt.

Remember that NOT gaining weight (stability) is also a positive goal that takes a lot of work – you’re defending that number you see on the scale.

And while the latest studies show that daily weighing is optimal for many people, once a week is also a good plan.

Eat Food, Not Nutrients

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

We’re all in a state of what I call “nutrient overload.” We’re always reading about a food of the week linked to reducing disease risk for illnesses ranging from diabetes and heart disease to stroke and cancer.

Despite the promotion of individual nutrients as important nutritional keys to healthy eating, most studies continue to support the consumption of a healthy diet, which includes a variety of foods as nature intended. Lean proteins (both plant and animal sources, including dairy), an abundance of colorful fruits and vegetables, fiber-rich starches, and water for hydration are the basics of a healthy diet. And these same foods, studies show, promote health benefits for all body systems, including digestive, brain, cardiac, and immune systems. 

I am always concerned when people explain their eating habits to me based on individual nutrients.  “I eat oranges for vitamin C, and I’m looking for a food with vitamin A – so I added some carrots. Now I’m looking for more vitamin B6.” Real food contains overlapping nutrients and serves double or triple duty.

My best advice for healthy eating is to enjoy a variety of foods. And if you take special medications or have a chronic illness (or are at high risk for one), you might require a vitamin or mineral supplement to meet your personal needs; food might not be enough to support this. Check with your doctor to make sure your overall nutrient needs are met. 

Food “Holidays”?

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

It brought a smile to my face when I learned that another “food holiday” occurs in the same month as Nutrition Month (March). That’s right – I’m talking about National Chip and Dip Day – Friday, March 23! 

Who doesn’t love a salty, crunchy snack? And while mounds of fried chips and cheese and sour-cream-based sauces might come to mind to “celebrate,” I’d like to suggest a few healthier ways you might indulge in the American favorite of “chips and dip.”

First, the chips. If you find it tough to limit your intake to a single serving of regular chips (corn, potato, or any other kind), then swap for baked chips or popchips as a tasty replacement. You won’t compromise taste and flavor with the drop in oil, but can indulge in more chips for the same calories (about 10 with full-fat, compared to about 16 with lower-fat alternatives). That’s a huge plus for real-life eating! You might be curious to try the increasingly popular kale chips – but they’re not a calorie savings (alas, they’re fried), and you’d have to eat loads of them to get any significant nutritional punch.

An easy swap for sour-cream-based dips is low- or non-fat Greek yogurt. It’s thick and creamy and cuts the calories and fat in the standard version by about 60%. Or try a thick and chunky variety of salsa – nearly calorie-free, and filled with taste. Packed with fiber and protein, hummus is readily available in supermarkets or easy to make yourself by blending a can of chickpeas with some chopped garlic and lemon juice (and if you choose, a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil). A related dip is black bean, which can be spiced up or down to your liking (think chopped jalapenos).

As the weather warms up, and we’re looking for easy appetizers, chips and dip can be a healthy addition. And one more tip: Add a plate of raw mini carrots, celery, or red pepper sticks – or other fresh veggies of your choosing – as another option for dipping.

Other healthy ideas for chips and dips?

Vegetable Imposters

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

We’re all looking for ways to boost our vegetable intake. With national guidelines creeping up regularly, it’s a challenge for most people to get even the minimum recommendation of five daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

We usually look for the name “vegetable” as a clue in daily eating, and this works for products like 100% vegetable juice or chunky vegetable soup. But beware of products that boast a vegetable in the name of the product when in reality that claim is far from the truth.

Check out these products you’ll want to avoid when it comes to increasing your daily veggie intake. 

Skip the bags of vegetable chips, with vivid photos of vegetables on the bag; while these chips are made from vegetables, they are usually deep fried and salted. Besides, potato chips are also a type of vegetable chip! 

Vegetable tortilla wraps, usually branded as sun-dried tomato (bright red) or spinach (deep green), have a very low vegetable content that mostly just provides color to the product.

Pastas with spinach and tomato in the name are similar to the wraps; they have deep color but only a hint of a vegetable. And skip the tricolored vegetable pastas that convey the message that you’re buying a more nutrient-dense pasta combination.

What other vegetable imposters have you found? Please share your thoughts.

Save or Splurge Foods

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

Healthy eating can be pricey. But did you ever wonder if a food is "worth the splurge"? There are many food choices that allow you to both save some money and get good nutrition. You probably know a lot of these already! But there are other “healthy” foods that are more expensive and may not be worth the extra cost. Here's where I'd like to weigh in on some of my favorite "saves and splurges."

Organic Milk: SPLURGE. While all milk is safe to drink, organic milk is guaranteed free of added hormones and antibiotics. This is important for everyone, but especially for young children. And, the flavor and mouth-feel is a taste plus. 

Free-Range Chicken: SAVE. The term “free–range” only means that the chicken had access to the outdoors; the chicken coop door is open. The thought that the chickens are outside wandering around in the barnyard is comforting but is not usually the case. Free-range poultry can be twice the price of regular chicken.

Reduced-Cholesterol/Saturated Fat Eggs: SAVE. While you can trim cholesterol and saturated fat by consuming eggs from chickens that have been fed a healthier diet, the price differential can be at least double, or even nearly triple, the cost of standard eggs. A better idea is to combine egg whites and whole eggs for your cooking and eating.

High-Quality "First-Press" Olive Oil: SPLURGE. The first pressing of green olives produces the most nutrient-dense and flavorful olive oil. And, a little goes a long way for flavor. A high-quality olive oil can serve multiple uses, from salad dressing, to roasted vegetables, to marinades. ("Light" olive oils are only lighter in color, are obtained after several pressings of the olives, and are not lower in calories).

Canned Albacore (solid white) Tuna: SAVE. Whether packed in water or oil, canned albacore tuna is often twice the price of chunk light tuna. The two are equal in nutrient quality, and the pure white color of the albacore type does not indicate a higher-quality product, just different.

7-Grain Bread: SPLURGE. A dense, chewy, fiber-rich 7-grain bread is a great choice. A slice or two can be very satisfying, helping you with portion control. Even for home bakers, a 7-grain bread can be pricey (unless you are baking daily!) with all the extra ingredients that are needed. 

What are some of your favorite "save or splurge" foods? I'd love to know!

Thinning Hair and Your Health

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

Each of us normally loses 100 strands of hair every day from brushing, combing, and showering. While that might sound like a lot, it’s really a tiny percentage, since we have about 100,000 hair follicles! But excessive hair loss should not be ignored and could be connected to a specific health concern.

Thinning hair can be related to a nutritional deficiency (like protein and/or vitamins), medications, stress, hormonal changes, or medical conditions, including abnormal thyroid function. Even your family history can play a role.

Hair loss is not related to the normal activities of your daily routine, such as vigorous brushing, daily shampooing, wearing hats, or pulling your hair back into a pony tail. These are all old wives tales, with no evidence to back them up.

If you suspect that your hair is thinning over a period of weeks and months (not years – sorry to all of you men with male-pattern baldness!), take a look at your lifestyle. If you’ve started some new medications (either prescription or over-the-counter products) or changed your diet significantly (especially extreme dieting), this might be a clue to your thinning hair.

After you’ve taken a look at your lifestyle, share this information with your doctor to determine if a more comprehensive evaluation is needed. 

Are Raw Food Diets Safe?

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

We like to think of “raw foods” as the closest to nature – the most nutrient-dense, and totally healthy. Now, in a perfect world, that would be true. And many raw foods are a great choice – raw fruits and vegetables are always a healthy go-to group (washed thoroughly or washed and peeled). 

But are all raw foods are safe to consume? No! Raw foods – meaning completely uncooked – can have bacterial contamination that you can’t ignore. Here are a few foods public health reports indicate that you should not consume because they pose a significant risk of food-borne illness.

Raw milk: It’s not the milk coming from the cow that is contaminated, but the handling of it until it gets to the consumer. Bacterial contamination can easily occur during the transition from the dairy to your doorstep (or local market). Always look for pasteurized milk, which has been raised to high temperatures to kill off any bacteria. 

Raw juice: A serious bacterial contamination, called botulism, has repeatedly been connected to consumption of raw juice purchased outside the home in various locations. I’m not talking about blending your own at home from raw fruits or vegetables and drinking it immediately – and then putting your juicer or blender jar in the dishwasher. repeatedly. As you do with milk, look for pasteurized juice products to ensure safety. 

Raw sprouts: While these are nutrient-dense little morsels, there are major problems with the processing of these greens to get them to market. Repeated reports and recalls for bacterial contamination make this a raw food you’ll often want to skip. There are loads of other nutrient-rich greens to use.

Just part of being a smart consumer! Other foods you think should be on this list?

And remember that children, the elderly, and those with a compromised immune system need to be especially careful, as these groups are the most susceptible to food-borne illness.

What to Do About Leg Cramps

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

You might be surprised to know that many healthy people experience night-time leg cramps, especially in their calves. And you or one of your loved ones may be one of them. The reasons for this are unknown, and for most people, this cramping is bothersome but not harmful.

Your risk of leg cramps can increase with age, living with a condition like diabetes or peripheral artery disease, or even taking certain prescription medications. 

Some easy lifestyle changes that might help include: (1) increasing your fluid intake (to prevent dehydration); (2) stretching your legs prior to bedtime; and  (3) keeping your bedding untucked at the foot of your bed. 

Newer studies suggest that calcium supplements may help, so review your calcium intake, and aim for 1000 mg per day from foods and supplements.  

It’s always best to schedule a visit with your doctor to rule out any medical causes, particularly if the cramps are persistent and interrupt a sound sleep, or are associated with muscle weakness.

Simple Stress Relief: Just Breathe!

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom 

We live in a pumped up, stressed out world. And while we often see recommendations for stress-relieving activities that take “only 20 minutes a day” (or longer) most of us just can’t make time to do this daily. 

I’m a glass-half-full person – all about what you can do, not what you don’t have time to do (good-bye perfect world!). Trying to fit in daily stress reduction often just creates more stress.

One of my favorite de-stressors takes just two minutes. It’s my version of deep breathing. While this doesn’t compare to a one-hour yoga class, it can give you a quick pick-me-up and a great sense of well being.

Stand up (if you have some privacy), or just stay seated at your desk. Sit up straight and take a very deep breath – slowly – in through your nose, filling your lungs, and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat for a total of 10 times. The key is to do this slowly and to be mindful of the moment – think about your breathing in and out.

This is one baby step that definitely supports healthy living. Let me know if it works for you!