Eating Healthy On A Budget: College Edition!

If I could get a $100 for every time a client says to me, “Eating healthy is expensive”, I’d have a profitably side business just off that. The truth is, many, especially college students,  think that in order to eat healthy, you have to beak the bank. Subsequently, many students just put their diet and health on the back burner until they ten or fifteen pounds heavier and baffled as to how they gained so much weight. With a little forethought and planning, eating healthy on a budget is possible! Here are a few tips to help you lose weight or maintain your healthy weight.   

Cook Your Own Meals

Rather than buying expensive cooked meals, cook your own at home. This will save you calories and money. All you need are a few good recipes and a shopping list. Then you can make your own delicious low-calorie and low-cost meals. According to one study, planning out your meals for the whole day really does help you lose weight. Substituting fatty meats and over processed grain for high fibre food options such beans and whole grains not only makes you feel fuller for longer but its also more affordable.

 Eat More Veggies!

Eating lots of fruit and vegetables are a must when it comes to losing weight. Because they're high in water and fibre and low in calories, the fill you up without adding pounds. But they don't have to be expensive once you buy them in season. Frozen veggies can be another great option, with just as much nutrition as fresh ones.

Learn What A Portion Looks Like

Its interesting for me to listen to clients whenever I ask them to do a 24-hour recall of what they’ve eaten. What I find is that most people, whether thin or overweight, underestimate how much they eat. They’re often shocked when I show them what a real standardized portion looks like. So, instead of buying expensive pre-portioned meals, I advise clients to get themselves familiar with proper portion sizes so they can help stop overeating. Easy way to do this is by using a kitchen scale or measuring cups to measure proper servings of your favorite foods. Do this a few times until you can eyeball portions. And try making recipes that offer built-in portion control, like mini casseroles in muffin tins.

Make Your Own Low-Calorie Snack

Grab your measuring cups and measure out individual servings of your favorite healthy snacks (whole-grain crackers, nuts, popcorn) to pack up in reusable containers or small zip-lock bags. You’ll be more mindful of the portions you’re consuming as well as saving money by buying less of those small packaged snacks. One of my favourite snacks is the extremely inexpensive and super healthy homemade popcorn. Popcorn kernels don’t cost much and you can air-pop them in the microwave. All you do is add 2 tablespoons of popcorn kernels in a brown paper lunch bag, fold over several times to seal and cook it in the microwave for a couple minutes or until you hear pops become more infrequent. Three cups of popped popcorn contains 3 grams of fiber and just 105 calories—provided you don’t add butter—and it’s a whole grain!

Write It Down!

Studies show that keeping a food journal helps you not only to keep track of what you're eating but it also helps you to lose weight. Technology has made it so much easier to keep track of what you eat. There are so many free apps like 40-30-30 or Lose It! - and then there's regular pen and paper. writing down everything you eat helps you lose weight. You can use a notebook and pencil or try one of the many free food-tracking apps, like Lose It! The important is to write down everything you eat. That will compel you to become more aware of what you’re eating.

Skip the Gym

Forget shelling out a bunch of money for gym membership. Instead, search for fun activities you enjoy for free like a sport. If you’re new to exercise start out with something as simple as daily walks. As you feel yourself getting stronger, you can increase the time and speed of your walks. Other options include hiking, jogging, playing a sport like football or netball and dancing. You can also find a ton of free workout videos online such as those on PopSugar Fitness on Youtube.

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Eat less

Yes, if you just eat less food you will lose weight and save money. Start by splitting your

meals in half or substituting expensive meat options for cheaper vegetarian options like

beans, lentils and eggs.

2013 Summer Diet Survival Guide

Now that summer is well underway, we’re all ready to have more fun under the sun.  The great thing about summer is that everyone is more laid-back. School is out, the traffic is lighter so we can afford to sleep a little later in the mornings. This could spell disaster for our waistline since most activities during this season are centered around eating and drinking. So what’s a fit foodie to do?

Here are a few tips I’ve come up with to help you enjoy summer without busting the belt:

TGIF!!!

Here on our sweet island, we’ve become accustomed to the "woman a yaad" taking a break from the kitchen on Fridays. So Friday is usually the day we eat out. Even so, try to resist the urge to just “let go”. No matter what your weekend is like, always remember to:

•  Eat a healthy and satisfying breakfast.
• Always carry a healthy snack with you. Whether it’s a bag of nuts, protein or snack bar, having healthy snacks on hand makes it less likely to give into temptations.
• Devise a strategy. Think about your healthy options well before you’re starving and almost anything looks good to eat.
• If you’re eating out, try to cut back on how much you eat during the day since you’re more likely to eat more when dining out.
• Be mindful of how much you drink. While some make poor diet choices after a few drinks, alcohol can help to reduce anxiety-driven eating. Always remember, alcohol can almost double calories of carbs and protein so try to cut back when drinking on weekends.
• Give a little more during your workout sessions. Since we may be eating a little more, its only logical to sweat a little more to compensate.

Get This Party Started!

Summer and parties go hand in hand like bread and butter or chicken and chips. Many use such occasions as an excuse to forego your diet plans.  Here’s how to avoid these party tricks:

• Never go to a party on an empty stomach. Try a high protein snack or a small meal that loaded with protein and fibre to keep those stomach growls to a minimum. If you’re thinking of having a drink or two try to add some fat to meal, say almonds, to slow alcohol absorption to the bloodstream.
• Rather than hoping for healthy food options, why not bring some to the family get-together?
• Before going in the buffet line, survey and see which foods are your best bet and the select few you’d like to indulge on. This way you’ll avoid just piling things on your plate.
• Avoid going back for seconds. If your host insist and getting rid of the food, make sure to take along with you a small container to pack away seconds for taking home. Then station yourself away from the food table. Out of sight, out of mind.
• Never forget to fill up on water. Choose water over sugary drinks such as sodas and juice. Drinking alcohol? Alternate water a glass of water between drinks.
• Fill two thirds of your plate with the good stuff like veggies and protein and leave half for the not-so-healthy stuff like creamy Mac & Cheese. That way, you won’t feel so deprived. And avoid the regular stuff like rolls and chips that you can eat anytime.
• Dress to kill. The more fitted your clothing is, the more you’re conscience about what you’re putting into your mouth. So avoid the baggy, loose fitting clothes, or you won’t realize just how your waistline has expanded. 

Can You Trust Food Labels? Part II

So  we learned that even though some labels say products are low fat or fat free, they make still contribute to a considerable amount of fat when the servings are added up and they may contain a lot more sugar than the full-fat versions. “Hydrogenated” oil equals trans fat no matter what the labels say. This installment of the Nutrition Files, I’ll be addressing the biggest craze since low carb: Gluten-Free

Can You Trust Food Labels? (Part I)

 

 

I, like so many others, have been trying to find new ways to be healthier. That means exercising more, making healthier and cleaner food choices – cutting down on processed foods - and eating in smaller portions. To the untrained eye, though, it can be so easy to get fooled by all the gimmicks and misleading advertising that are so common in the supermarket or grocery store.  We may look out for “whole grain” or “low fat” products thinking we’re making healthy choices. We may even get carried away into thinking that we can get away with more serving because it won’t budge our waistlines. But just because something says “whole grain” or “low fat” doesn’t necessarily mean its completely harmless.  So how do I avoid these deceptive traps? Read on to find out more!