Going Greek (Yogurt)

We all know that yogurt is good for us. Low fat yogurt provides a good source of dairy and calcium, helping to make our bones stronger. Yogurt is also packed with beneficial bacterial cultures that help support digestion and our immune system. But do you ever get bored of your watery, runny American-style yogurt? Have you been looking for a thicker more indulgent alternative that will still keep you healthy? Look no further…Greek yogurt is here to stay! Greek yogurt is a better alternative to the stuff we’re used to eating. Just make sure to opt for the low-fat or non-fat varieties of the yogurt.

Why is Greek Yogurt So Good?

1. Texture - Greek yogurt has a smooth, rich and thick consistency that tastes too good to be true! Part of what makes Greek yogurt different than regular yogurt is that it is strained to remove the whey, giving it a dense texture
   
   
2. Versatility - Greek yogurt can be used for both savory and sweet dishes. Due to its thick texture and rich taste, many people use it as a substitute for milk, sour cream and even crème fraiche when cooking or baking.
   
   
3. More Protein - With more protein than the average American yogurt, Greek yogurt is a protein powerhouse. Since it is strained, the protein content is concentrated, providing an average of 20g per cup as opposed to 13g per cup for the American style.
   
   
4. Easier to Digest - Greek yogurt contains less carbs than regular yogurt and therefore less lactose, the sugar in dairy products that can sometimes upset people’s stomachs.
   
   
5. Fullness Factor - Greek yogurt is dense and so high in protein that it keeps you feeling full and satisfied

Heather's Favorites

• Favorite Yogurt Brand: Fage 0 or 2% Yogurt
• Favorite things to Add to it: 1-2 tbsp of Knorr Soup Mix (or salsa if you’re salt-sensitive)
• Favorite Time of the Day to Use It: 4pm snack with sliced cucumber and peppers

Stephanie's Favorites

• Favorite Yogurt Brand: Oikos Organic Greek 0% Yogurt
• Favorite things to Add to it: Crushed garlic, onions and chopped cucumber (to make tzaziki)
• Favorite Time to Use It: At dinner on top of poached salmon or chicken kebabs

Dara's Favorites

• Favorite Yogurt Brand: Chobani ‘Fruit on the Bottom’ Blueberry Greek 0% Yogurt
• Favorite things to Add to it: ½ cup of KashiGoLean Cereal, cinnamon and 1 tsp of ground flax
• Favorite Time to Use It: Breakfast (a healthier version of a yogurt parfait)

Spice It Up With Cinnamon

Myth or Fact? Cinnamon Has Health Benefits

FACT. Cinnamon is a unique and flavorful seasoning, exotic to the taste buds. But besides being a perfect enhancer to some great dishes, cinnamon is also good for you! Cinnamon has lots of healthy attributes besides being able to give your palate something to smile about.

One of the first human studies on cinnamon was published in 2003 in a medical journal called Diabetes Care. Sixty people with type 2 diabetes took 1,3, or 6 grams of cinnamon in pill form daily, an amount roughly equivalent to ¼ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. After 40 days, all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting blood sugars and the bad ‘LDL’ cholesterol.

Besides reducing blood sugar and lowering bad cholesterol, many studies have revealed other potential health benefits of cinnamon:

1. Cinnamon acts as a natural preservative for food
2. Is a good source of manganese, iron and calcium
3. May aid in treating some bacterial infections
4. May help reduce inflammation

Cinnamon often gets a bad rap… because cinnamon buns, cinnamon toast or pumpkin pie are the foods that may come to mind. But cinnamon can be included in our daily diet in a much more healthy way. The best part of cinnamon is that it’s easy to add to foods you already eat. All you need is a ½ teaspoon a day.

Try these tricks to get some more spice in your life:

1. Add some cinnamon to hot oatmeal or cold fiber cereal
2. Mix some into 1 tbsp of peanut butter and spread onto celery sticks
3. Stir some into plain yogurt
4. Sprinkle some over baked sweet potatoes or carrots
5. Add some to a store-bought rub to go on grilled chicken

Sprinkle some straight into your coffee, skim latte or skim cappuccino

Are frozen fruits and vegetables less healthy than fresh fruits and vegetables?

I am happy to report that this is a Myth. Common sense might lead us to believe that fresh fruits and vegetables would be far more nutritious than their frozen counterparts. Although this is generally accepted, did you know that fresh produce is picked, boxed, often transported over long distances and then left to sit on store shelves for up to several weeks? The time lapse between picking fresh produce and purchasing them at a store can often cause them to lose some of their nutritional value as they are exposed to light and air. Both taste and texture may also be diminished.

Before getting to the freezer, frozen fruits and vegetables are first picked, they are quickly blanched (cooked for a short time in boiling water or steamed) and immediately frozen and packaged, generally when nutrient levels are at their highest. So frozen fruits and vegetables are processed at their peak, in terms of freshness, and nutrition. This means that the vitamins and nutrients are preserved until the next time the package is opened.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the International Food Information Council (IFIC) both report that nutrients in produce are generally NOT lost during freezing (and canning) and they provide the same essential nutrients and health benefits as fresh. Another bonus of going frozen is that it’s often less expensive than their fresh counterparts. Though fresh fruits and veggies may be more visually appealing and taste better, they don’t last as long in your fridge and may not be the most nutritious.

At the end of the day, any fruits and vegetables are better than none at all. Just remember:

• Buy fresh produce in season and buy local when possible
• Buy non-seasonal produce frozen (if possible)
• Even using canned fruits and veggies without added salt or sugar is also a good choice

Here are some great ways to include fruits and veggies into your daily routine:

Buy a variety of fruits and vegetables (choose a wide range of colors!) in the fresh and frozen form

• Keep a fruit bowl on the kitchen counter and in the office
• Have some cut-up vegetables in the refrigerator at all times for easy snacking
• Add fresh or frozen fruit to your breakfast meal in cereal, oatmeal or yogurt
• Choose fruit for dessert (frozen grapes anyone?!)
• Add a mix of frozen vegetables when you prepare soups, sauces and casseroles

A Possible Connection Between High Frustose Corn Syrup and Mercury

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has already been deemed a possible suspect in the obesity epidemic. Now, two studies published last month report that mercury has been found in many tested samples of commercial HFCS and in brand name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first or second-highest labeled ingredient.

HFCS has replaced sugar as a sweetener in many common food items like BBQ sauce, jam, cereals, yogurt, ketchup, and other condiments. Many popular sodas also contain HFCS. HFCS has been widely used because it extends the shelf life of processed foods and has replaced table sugar because it is cheaper.

Given that mercury is toxic at all levels and the fact that so many of the products we consume contain HFCS, I have included a few commonly consumed culprits and their HFCS-free alternatives below:

	Contains HFCS	HFCS-Free
Bread	Weight Watchers 100% whole wheat bread	Ezekiel 4:9
Yogurt	Yoplait	Fage
Cereal	Kellog's Corn Flakes	Barbara's puffins
Nutrition Bars	Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars	Lara or Cliff Nectar bars
Ketchup	Heinz	Annie's Natural Organic Ketchup
Salad Dressing	Wishbone Salad Spritzer Classic Caesar	Most Newman's Own
Crackers	Wheat Thins	FiberRich
Soup	Campbells tomato soup	Amy's light in Sodium
Oatmeal	Quaker Oatmeal to Go	McCann's Irish Oatmeal

Although this is an interesting study, there still needs to be more research conducted to truly understand its health consequences. Truth is, HFCS, like other sugars, when consumed in excess have many negative health consequences. Just like other forms of sugar/sweeteners, it provides no nutrients. If you are concerned about the amount of HFCS in your diet: Eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins and limit your intake of junk food!:

SOURCE: Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, news release, Jan. 26, 2009

The Peanut Butter Outbreak

Myth or Fact? All peanut butter products are contaminated by Salmonella

MYTH. If the recent Salmonella scare has made you think twice about eating anything containing peanuts, you're not alone. Over 500 Americans have been affected in over 43 states by various peanut butter and peanut paste-containing products (including 9 deaths). Officials have isolated the source of the outbreak to contaminated peanut butter and peanut paste produced by The Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) at its Blakely, Georgia processing plant. PCA’s products are used in hundreds of different food items including cookies, crackers, cereal, candy and ice cream.

As unfortunate as this situation is, not all peanut products are affected. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “major national brands of jarred peanut butter found in grocery stores are not affected by the PCA recall” and the makers of my favorite peanut butter product, Justin’s 100 Calorie Nut Butter Pack (available at Whole Foods) claim that their products are still safe to eat as well.

For information about the Salmonella outbreak, including a searchable list of products recalled by the FDA, visit www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall

How Our Food Choices Impact The Environment

Myth or Fact? Weight gain leads to global warming?

FACT! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average weight of Americans increased by 10 pounds during the 1990’s. This increase in weight required airlines to consume an additional 350 million gallons of jet fuel in 2000 leading to the release of 3.8 million more tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. So what can you do about this? Either start holding your breath, stop flying, or better yet considering shedding those extra pounds.

Here are some easy (food-related) ways that we can all support the environment:

• Support local farmers by buying whole, locally produced foods such as fruits and vegetables to avoid the extra energy costs associated with the production and transportation of processed foods.
  
  
• Buy organic dairy products to ensure that you are not promoting the use of growth hormones or antibiotics in cows.
  
  
• Choose certified organic meats to avoid contributing to the widespread use of antibiotics.
  
  
• Eat species of fish that aren’t overfished and are also lowest in mercury and other toxins (avoid Chilean sea bass, Atlantic cod, King crab, Grouper, Sea scallops, Albacore, blue fin, big eye, yellow fin tuna). Go to: http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/115/nofish for the complete guide.
  
  
• Instead of bottled water, buy a reusable water container that is BPA-free certified. Also use a water filter at home and at work.
  
  
• Use sustainable, reusable storage containers.

Recipe: Easy Super Bowl Veggie Dip

• Knorr® Vegetable recipe mix
• 2 containers (160z) of Greek 0 or 2% yogurt

Combine both ingredients in a medium bowl. A great treat to dip your favorite veggies in.

Super Bowl Snack Shocker

Myth or Fact? A few Super Bowl bar snacks can equal the total number of calories I should consume in one day?

SAD BUT TRUE (FACT)! Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest eating day of the year (second only to Thanksgiving) - But don’t let this interfere with your weight loss goals! Instead, let me offer you some simple, healthy substitutions that will keep you feeling energized and on track.

I recommend that you steer clear of snacks like these...

5 fried chicken wings - Calories 800; Fat g 50
Nachos (6 chips with cheese) - Calories 600; Fat g 34
Potato chips (10) with 2 tbsp onion dip- Calories 210; Fat g 15
3 beers (12 oz each) - Calories 450; Fat g 0

Grand Total: 2060 Calories 99 grams of fat

And instead gravitate toward snacks like these...

5 Baked Chicken Wings - Calories 375; Fat g 23
4 baked whole wheat pitas slices and 1/3 cup garlic/white bean dip - Calories 175; Fat g 5
4 cups non fat air popped popcorn - Calories 110; Fat g 0
All the water you want

Grand Total: 660 Calories 28 grams of fat

And if the above aren't enough, here are a few more snacking secrets that I recommend to all my clients:

• Substitute low-fat Greek yogurt for sour cream
• Drink light beer instead of regular beer
• Order pizza with veggies and light cheese instead of meat lovers pizza
• Eat vegetarian chili instead of beef chili
• Make subs using mustard instead of mayo
• Order a fruit platter
• Take a walk during halftime

And remember, if you indulged a little more than usual, it’s just one day. Make sure to get right back on track the next morning.

DIET CLEANSES Myth or Fact: Cleansing/Detox diets are a good way to jump start my diet?

SORRY, BIG MYTH! There is little evidence to support that detox diets, such as The Master Cleanse, do much more than lead to unhealthy, unpleasant side effects. In fact, detox diets can actually do more harm than good as they lead to muscle breakdown and a shortage of some very important vitamins and minerals which weakens our immune system and our ability to fight off infection.

In addition, most detox-type diets incorporate little to no protein, which are not only the basic building blocks of cells but also a key ingredient to losing weight. Our body naturally cleanses itself through the kidneys and liver, so a diet that promises to “cleanse” really isn’t necessary.

Still not convinced? Detox diets can also make you feel lightheaded, lethargic and cranky – making you not so fun to be around (can anyone spell bad breath?).

Our recommendation: “cleanse” your diet by introducing more whole fruits and vegetables and by avoiding refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread and sugar, which provide minimal nutrients and can be calorically-dense.

Try Trading This For That...

To satisfy a sweet tooth, trade that slice of hot apple pie for a steamy skim latte dusted with apple-pie spice. Calorie savings: 200

Stave off winter’s chill with a third of the calories—and 4 times more filling fiber—by replacing your standby cup of creamy New England clam chowder with hearty minestrone. Calorie savings: 180

For a satisfying on-the-go breakfast, grab a bowl of piping hot oatmeal with almonds instead of a sausage, egg, and cheese on a bagel. Calorie savings: 335

4 Easy Ways to Keep Your Waistline in Check Over The Holidays

1. Pencil in physical activity. Treat exercise as you would any other important event—a party, a business meeting, a date—and write it on your calendar. And this doesn’t mean you need to make a trip to the gym. If you’ve nixed the trainer and gym membership to save your pennies, go outside and walk or run for 20 to 30 minutes; before your morning shower is a great time to do this. Think about what you want to wear, eat, and accomplish that day. You’ll start your days with a renewed sense of purpose and empowerment that will help keep you on track.
2. Plan your meals ahead. Doing so is a great want to control cost and calories. Do you have leftovers from a healthy dinner you made? Bring them for lunch. Or grab staples like yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese, and fresh fruit from your fridge and pantry and bring them to work for breakfast and a snack. Not only will you eat healthier and save money, but you’ll feel prepared to turn down office fare like donuts and bagels at breakfast, the never-ending spread of mystery sandwiches for lunch, and those ubiquitous holidays gifts of chocolate, cookies, and cupcakes that seems to arrive at the same time daily. And if the 1:00 lunch meeting is absolutely unavoidable, peruse the restaurant’s menu ahead of time and arrive knowing what you want to order.
3. Don’t arrive hungry… to holiday dinners and parties, that is. Many people forgo food before an event to save up calories, but being ravenous upon arrival makes it that much easier to binge and that much harder to select healthier options in the face of temptation. And we’re all familiar with the allure of those mini quiches, tuna tartars, bite-size burgers, bacon-wrapped scallops… Need I go on? Make it a point to have a healthy (and satisfying) snack before heading to the bar or party. My favorites include a Luna or Gnu bar, or two fiber-rich crackers with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light cheese. And don’t forget: Ladies, wear something fitted like a little black dress and gentlemen, buckle your belts one notch tighter—the more aware you are of your body, the less you’ll eat.
4. Celebrate with limits. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of the holidays, but set boundaries for yourself when it comes to the never-ending supply of canapés and alcohol. For each hors d’oeuvres you grab, take a napkin and aim not to exceed four. As for alcohol, I am not about to advise you abstain entirely. That’s simply not realistic. However, make it your modus operandi to alternate your elixir of choice with a glass of water or seltzer with a lime. Not only will you save calories (and money if it’s not an open bar), but you’ll also maintain control over what you eat.

Goodbye Summer; Hello Skinny

Did you have a shocking morning? Did you try to zip up those back-to-work pants and find that a gruesome little bulge followed you home from vacation along with the sand in your shoes? There’s something about summer.... the margaritas, the lobster with drawn butter, the caftans. It’s all too easy to find that the relaxed days and long evenings encourage a bit less self-discipline. Some people can put on as much as ten pounds between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Really!

But don’t despair. My team of dietitians at Nu-Train and my book, The Wall Street Diet, can help you get back on track and into your skinny-jeans by Columbus Day.

Here’s what you have going in your favor: there’s a snap in the air and you’re more stimulated and focused. It’s back to business! So start your fall strong and get into your best shape ever. Here’s how: Take a look at your routine and your diet and see where you could use some improvement. Some quick tips are below:

Get back to Phase Eating
Phase Eating is a tip that I explain in detail in The Wall Street Diet (on page 30). Phase Eaters eat the same thing for breakfast and/or lunch for weeks on end. Why? Because for many people variety can prompt overeating. If a meal is simple and automatic - say yogurt and fruit or an egg-white omelet every day for breakfast; a chicken Caesar salad with light dressing for lunch - you won’t be tempted to overindulge. Phase Eating can work at dinner too when you can find a couple of frozen dinner entrees that you enjoy. When you get home after a long day of work, you can pop something into the micro and be enjoying your meal before you even have a chance to consider dialing out for Chinese or pasta. Phase Eating can help you shift your focus from food to family, work and activities and it’s a great technique for shedding excess summer weight.

Limit Alcohol
Many people drink more in the summer and they often drink more highly-caloric frozen type drinks. Many of my clients have had great success when they’ve skipped their alcohol, or limited themselves to one drink, when they’re trying to get back in shape after summer. Just skipping two glasses of wine daily can add up to 5.76 pounds lost in three months. Most people can do this without difficulty. Skipping alcohol can also help you boost energy levels and increase your focus and productivity at work. (For more detailed tips on skipping alcohol, see The Wall Street Diet, page 135.)

Change Up Your Exercise Routine
Have you been playing tennis? Jogging on the beach? Riding your bike? The change in weather could mean that these activities will no longer appeal. Or perhaps you’ve been going to the same exercise class at the gym for the past year. Or maybe you haven’t been exercising at all. Fall is a good time to re-assess your exercise goals. Maybe a session with a personal trainer or finding an exercise buddy or perhaps joining a gym for the first time will be the motivation you need to keep active into the winter months.

Streamline Your Fall Wardrobe
Nothing makes y ou feel better and more in control than looking good. Adding a few pieces to your fall wardrobe is a great way to reinforce your weight loss goals. But remember, wearing form-fitting clothes help to keep eating in check. Ban the leggings and loose dresses and look for things that hug your body. My clients frequently tell me that this tip is extremely helpful: when they’re well dressed in form-fitting clothes that flatter them, they’re much less likely to fall prey to the kind of mindless eating that can sneak on the pounds.

Lazy Summer Diet Tips

Summertime and the dieting is lazy! That's right. The hot, humid days of mid-summer encourage us to take the easy route. And if you think dieting always has to be a challenge, you'll be happy to learn some of my favorite lazy dieting tips which will help you cut calories effortlessly. These simple suggestions can turn mindless eating into mindless losing. Adopt just a few of them and by the time you're ready for your fall wardrobe, you'll be that much closer to your goal weight.

Most of us eat too fast and our brain doesn't have time to register that we're full. So we keep eating! A simple trick to break out of this pattern is to put your knife and fork own three times during a meal. Stop. Take a breath. Join the conversation. You'll eat slower and you'll consume less.

Drink water with your meals. If you're eating in a restaurant, have the goal of three fill-ups in the course of the meal. If you're sipping water, you're not eating; You're getting closer to your daily water intake goal (see The Wall Street Diet, page 38 for tips on water drinking) and you're filling up on non-cal fluids rather than more fattening things.

Order two appetizers for dinner. This is a great, lazy way to a healthy, low-cal dinner. Skip the heavy entrees and go for two light, tasty appetizers instead. You'll cut calories and you'll keep pace with other diners who might be having an appetizer plus an entree. See The Wall Street Diet, page 129, for some recommended appetizer choices. A couple of good bets include fresh gazpacho, shrimp cocktail, caprese salad (mozzarella and tomato) or steamed mussels in white wine and garlic.

Wear fitted clothes. This is a great mindless way to keep your eating goals at the top of your 'to-do' list. Nothing says "eat light" like a pair of snug pants and/or a belt. It's a constant reminder that you don't ever want to feel stuffed and that eating light feels right.

Kill your cravings. If you're going out to eat or expect to have a nice dinner at home but you're hungry enough to eat a buffalo, put a lid on your appetite with a pre-dinner nibble. Many of my clients do this routinely and swear it's a lifesaver. Have two Fiber Rich crackers and a large drink of water about an hour or so before dinner. You'll be master of the menu as you order healthy selections and push the bread away.

Pop a breath strip. The taste of peppermint, or any mint, kills appetite. So enjoy a breath strip at any time during the day when you want to avoid a snack. If you're headed to an office birthday party, trying to fight late-night cravings or facing a breakfast buffet that's
a carb carnival, a breath strip can put the brakes on your mindless indulgence.

That was easy, right? Reaching your goal weight can be as simple as adopting some simple strategies that help keep you on track. You can find a host of these strategies in The Wall Street Diet.

How to Turn Snacks Into Your Secret Diet Weapon

Let's face it: the pothole in every dieter's road to success is hunger. We don't eat just because something tastes good: we eat because we're totally starving! That is why I want to convert you to the Wall Street Diet approach to snacks. Strategic snacking is one of the most effective weapons you have against a poor food choice or (shudder!) a binge. When you keep your hunger in check with an appropriate snack, you're making it much easier to stick to your healthy food choices. But there's a key word here - strategic. If you snack mindlessly (and sometimes stress or fatigue can promote mindless snacking) you'll be adding extra calories to your daily intake without accomplishing your goal of minimizing hunger.

Here are my top Strategic Snacking Tips (you'll find many more in my book, The Wall Street Diet).

Know yourself. Some of my clients have told me that strategic snacking has enabled them to lose weight that they've never been able to lose before. But other clients learn that they don't need snacks at all. How do you tell? It's simple: try going from lunch to dinner without a snack. If you find that you are able to make good choices at dinner and that you're not utterly starving, you probably don't need a snack. If, on the other hand, you're desperate to eat just about anything by the time 5pm rolls around, you are a good candidate for a mid-afternoon snack. I've got lots more details on how to figure out your eating style in The Wall Street Diet (pages 19 - 44). In general, most people who feel they need a snack do well to have a single mid-afternoon snack. People who require more calories because of size or activity level might also choose a mid-morning snack and/or an evening snack. Again, the key is to know yourself and limit your snacking to what's useful and strategic in helping you reach your goals.

Meet the Snacks. OK, so you know you really need a snack to help keep you on track. What do you choose? I have lots of snack recommendations in The Wall Street Diet but here's a condensed version:

If you need a mid-morning snack: Choose a light snack of no more than 80 calories. This might be an apple. 6 ounces of Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, one Laughing Cow Light cheese and a Fiber Rich cracker.

If you need an afternoon snack: The Wall Street Diet (pages 311 -312) includes a complete list of recommended afternoon snacks. They are all up to 200 calories. A few good choices include: a Larabar, a Luna bar, a Nature Valley Granola bar, a 1.3 oz bag of Glenny's Soy Crisps.

If you need an evening snack: An evening snack should be less than 80 calories and it should be eaten right after dinner. A few good choices include Tofutti pops, Edy's Fruit Bars, a frozen Dannon Light & Fit yogurt.

Watch your Weekends. Weekends can be a tough time to diet. You're off schedule. You're socializing and spending time with friends and family. Snacks can play a big role in helping your stick to your eating goals. I suggest you keep lots of healthy snacks on hand for weekends. It's better to over-indulge in a healthy snack than to lose control at a brunch buffet! Some good choices include all the snacks mentioned above a well as low-sodium V-8 juice with lemon over ice, sugar free hot chocolate, cut up cucumber or peppers, soy crisps and herbal teas. For more tips on weekend snacking, see The Wall Street Diet (pages 190-191).

Don't be a health-snack-nut. Have you noticed all those portion-controlled healthy snacks that fill the supermarket aisles these days? What could be wrong with a whole-grain, organic snack? Well, first there are the calories...Even portion controlled snacks can pile on calories. Many of my clients tell me that they find it impossible to stop at one little snack! Moreover, for many dieters, the practice is worse than the calories. Once you get accustomed to downing a nibble here and a bite there it can be a hard habit to break. So limit your snacks to my Wall Street Diet recommended choices and enjoy them strategically, not mindlessly!

Travel Light:How to Turn Your Next Business Trip Into a Spa Trip

Here’s a fresh idea that can change your whole approach to travel. Many of my clients swear by this strategy. Think of your trip – whether for business or pleasure, for two days or a week – as a spa trip. You’ll be away from the usual distractions of your home and family life and it’s your opportunity to focus on…. You! Begin with your flight. A few of my clients use air travel as a ‘cleanse’. They request only hot water and lemon to drink and they fast (unless the flight is quite long). They arrive at their destinations refreshed and light. In fact, an interesting recent study from Harvard researchers published in Science reveals that skipping food in the air may help beat jet lag. It seems the body has a ‘feeding’ clock in the brain and skipping food prompts you to stay awake until you can eat. So what could be better: more alert and more slim! I have lots of details on how to turn an ordinary trip into a Spa Trip. See pages 160 – 165 of The Wall Street Diet.

Travel Light: Eating Well While Enroute

It’s not hard to eat well en route no matter what the sky demons throw at you. Consider the time of day that you’ll be traveling as well as the duration of your flight.

Breakfast. If you’re grabbing an early morning flight, you need to be prepared for a terminal breakfast. I have lots of very specific tips in the The Wall Street Diet on how to find an excellent breakfast at the airport (see pages150-151) even if nothing but Hudson News is open. Here’s my famous “One-Stop Breakfast”: Dash into Starbucks or any coffee shop for a venti skim latte. Yes, it really is half of a healthy breakfast. It’s a shot of espresso along with roughly 9 ounces of milk that will cost you about 200 calories. The second stop is a piece of fruit. Grab a banana or any other fruit. There. You’re done! And you won’t be sitting at the gate or on the tarmac, starving!

Lunch and dinner are really nutrition twins when it comes to travel. The two top choices are a sandwich (choose a turkey on whole wheat with mustard and lettuce) or a chicken Caesar salad with a light balsamic vinaigrette dressing. You can find these at most any airport. Starbucks, which is everywhere, make a good stop because they list the calories on their packaged sandwiches. (In The Wall Street Diet you’ll find detailed airport-by-airport “cheat sheets” on where to eat at most major airports in the world. See pages 261-303.)

Snacks. Don’t forget snacks. They’re lifesavers for when you’re stalled on the tarmac or delayed in the terminal. I have a full list of recommended snacks in The Wall Street Diet. (See pages 153-155.) Excellent snacks include cut up veggies or a piece of fruit or Crispy Delite fruit or Nature Valley Fruit Crisps. An energy bar such as Luna toasted nuts and cranberry, Balance honey yogurt or Kashi TLC granola bar make good choices. Good protein choices include Justin’s nut butter and 2 Fiber Rich crackers or 2 mini Babybel Light or Laughing Cow Light and 2 Fiber Rich crackers.

Diet Recovery Strategies: The Veggie Night

Want to jump-start your diet week? Try a Veggie Night on Sunday night. Or perhaps you had an over-indulgence at a barbeque or picnic. A Veggie Night will re-set your eating clock and get you back to clean and mean. Like a Protein Day, a Veggie Night is just what it sounds like: a night where your dinner is comprised of simply vegetables. (You can find lots of details and suggestions about Veggie Nights in The Wall Street Diet, page 88.) Some of my clients routinely use Veggie Nights one night a week until they reach their goal weight. Others reserve their Veggie Nights as a re-set tool. Whichever works for you… A Veggie Night dinner might be a baked white or sweet potato and two measured cups of steamed vegetables. This meal can be on your plate in under ten minutes if you use your trusty microwave.

Diet Recovery Strategy: The Protein Day

A Protein Day is a super-effective tool that will help you re-set your eating patterns. (It’s described in detail on page 87 of The Wall Street Diet) It’s nothing complicated but it’s surprisingly effective. My clients especially like to use it after a trip or a vacation where they’ve overindulged. A Protein Day is just what it says: a day where you eat primarily protein. For example, breakfast might be 2 eggs, any style, or a 4 to 6-egg-white vegetable omelet. Lunch could be a grilled chicken, fish or any protein over greens with a very, very light dressing. Dinner would be the same as lunch plus perhaps some steamed vegetables. These meals are filling and readily available anywhere. A Protein Day will get you back on diet track.

Banning the "Pickable, Poppable, Dippable, Unstoppable"

Eating is fun. Eating is sometimes unconscious. Put those two facts together with large quantities of food and you’ve got a diet disaster in the making. You know what I’m talking about: those chips in laundry bag sizes, those chocolate samplers that layer on forever… It’s just too tempting. Even healthy foods like cherry tomatoes and carrot sticks and hummus dips can wreak havoc when eaten in large quantities. Many of my clients are champion “mindless eaters” and, when faced with a big bowl of, well, just about anything, they’ll keep going until they reach the bottom. The solution to this is obvious: don’t expose yourself to the Pickable, Poppable... See The Wall Street Diet, page 29 for some specific Pickable, Poppable solutions. But it’s helpful just to recognize that you can’t have vast quantities of food around. Rely on portion-controlled snacks. But small quantities of items like energy bars. Don’t keep a drawer full of healthy, tempting snacks at work. And when you put out the bowl of cherry tomatoes out for the kids, keep it out of your reach!

How to Recover from the “Might-as-Well” Day

We’ve all had “Might-as-Well” Days. We begin brilliantly with a healthy breakfast, a light lunch of a salad with a protein and a piece of fruit in the afternoon. And then (can you hear the horror movie sound track?) you come undone. There’s a birthday party down the hall or the Girl Scouts make their cookie delivery or, well, you know what happens next. You justify eating just about anything because you already blew your diet and you “might as well”. You’ve begun a downward spiral that will only end when your head hits the pillow. This can add up to many, many calories. To say nothing of the bad feeling of failure and frustration. Don’t let it happen to you! Don’t be a “I’ll start again on Monday” dieter. Start again right now! How? See The Wall Street Diet, pages 31, 40, 87, etc. for tons of “Might-as-Well” tips, but for most people, just recognizing a “Might-as-Well” day for what it is helps you firm up resolve even after you’ve had that whopping piece of cake or half box of Thin Mints. Stop and think: isn’t it better to stop at 300 or 500 or even 1000 extra calories than to continue on the road to ruin? For lots of tips on how to recover from “Might-as-Well” Days, see The Wall Street Diet, page 87.)