Nourish Your Body | Food for Thought

Food is the source of some of our deepest pleasure, and there’s a biological reason for that: our body needs nutrients to operate, so it sends us pleasure signals as a reward for eating. We even receive those pleasure signals far past the point when we’ve been satiated – it’s a holdover from our old animal hunter/gatherer days to prevent starvation.

Remember those days? No? Of course you don’t, because I’m talking millions of years ago!

The trouble is that in this age of mass food availability, we now know that over-eating (buffet, anyone?) can shift the effect of food from nourishment to disease. Many studies link reduced-calorie intake with optimal health; nonetheless, our hard-wired animal brains behave as though daily food acquisition is still a challenge (which it still is, for many) – and even where food is plentiful, daily nutrition is not always optimal.

So how do we keep ourselves sane while navigating the mixed messages we’re receiving on food?

When looking for a good barometer to determine a healthy weight, doctors have often relied on a common tool of measurement: your BMI, or Body Mass Index. This tells you your optimal weight for your height using the old trusty scale. But is there a way to toss the scale altogether?

Science now says yes, and points to another tool: the measuring tape. That is, your waist-to-hip ratio, which studies indicate to be a far more effective measure of health + longevity. And here’s the good news: big thighs are fine! And honestly the bigger your hips + butt, the bigger your waist can be.

You don’t need a super-tiny waist… unless you also have super tiny hips. It’s the fat concentrated around your abdominal organs that is the most dangerous, health-wise. Ever wonder why so many people find curvy, small-waisted women + trim-waisted men to be attractive? It could be that visual indicators of health + fitness are not as surface-deep as we think.

So now that we know our diet impacts our health through our waistline, how can we achieve a trimmer waist while enjoying the incredible pleasure of food?

Here are 15 tips to keep you off a diet forever through small but effective changes you can make to keep your mouth happy + your waistline trim.

1. Start keeping a food journal.

Whether it’s a physical journal that or a convenient online version, there’s no doubt that simply tracking what you eat affects the quality + quantity of your food intake. My personal favorite is MyFitnessPal.com because it has an easy-to-use smartphone app which usually has all the nutrient + calorie content of a food you’re eating right there at your fingertips, and you can easily tweak (not twerk! But you can do that too 😉 ) entries for portion size.

Studies show that you make more nutritious choices when you know that those choices will be recorded, even if no one sees them but you. Just trust me + know that you will be SHOCKED at how much you are eating in one day when you haven’t been keeping track what you eat.

If you feel healthy and happy, and you tend to eat a lot of nutritious proteins, veggies, and calcium-rich foods, then you don’t even need this blog post! But if your doctor has said that you need to lose weight around the midsection, or if you’re just tired of your clothes getting tighter with every passing year, then track your food. By tracking your food you can see which nutrients you’re short on. Tracking your food just naturally makes you want to eat a higher-quality diet. Try it yourself!

2. Make sleep a priority.

There are so many benefits that we gain from sleep, including quite literally the power to make repairs inside our own body. But did you know that there are multiple ways that sleep helps us lose weight?

Poor sleep is a risk factor for obesity as it increases appetite, and while good sleep helps you make better food choices, poor sleep increases calorie intake (because on some level you feel like you are trying to replenish lost sleep with calories) while also decreasing your resting metabolic rate.

Getting enough sleep enhances physical activity because you are working with a rested + repaired “machine,” and it also helps you metabolically by preventing insulin resistance. This is where the term “beauty sleep” comes from: your body is regenerating cells throughout your body, repairing the wear-and-tear inflicted during the day while also ridding itself of impurities. So get those Zs!

3. Drink water regularly, especially before a meal.

Doing something as simple as drinking a glass of water before a meal can significantly reduce the amount of food you eat, and that stems partially from the feeling of fullness induced by ingesting a glass or two of water. In studies and anecdotally, more people are also discovering the fact that we often feel an urge to eat triggered simply by being thirsty. This may stem from ancient times when humans acquired water from water-rich fruits and vegetables, since clean water on-demand was rarely available.

Well guess what? Clean water is totally available here now. We are lucky to have access to unlimited amounts of clean water to drink, quite often right from our own tap. Why not quench your thirst with life-giving water, and reduce your appetite at the same time?

4. Eat lean protein where you can.

Eat lean protein to feel fuller, longer, and lose extra pounds. <— Studies show that protein satiates hunger in a highly effective way, releasing needed nutrients more slowly that carbohydrates and thus avoiding both the “carbo coma” sense of lethargy one often feels after a carb-heavy meal while also avoiding the inevitable “carbo crash” when those carbohydrates quickly break down.

Proteins are so vital to our diet that some outspoken, thoughtful, and highly intelligent vegans and vegetarians have turned back to meat-eating to give their bodies optimum levels of the stuff… but not without sourcing their food carefully + considering animal welfare when they do so.

Two enlightening + entertaining reads for sourcing your proteins:

• The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for Sustenance, and
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.

Enjoy these – I really did!

5. Halve your meal when out at a restaurant.

When eating out, keep portions under control by simply halving your portion. American food portions in restaurants are notoriously super-sized, and nothing reveals this more than on the occasional restaurant menu that dares to include calorie content next to menu items. Some meals contain more than your recommended caloric intake for the entire day!

Note that food and nutrition choices are still important here, so while eating half a muffin is better than eating a whole one, eating half a muffin still doesn’t provide many nutrients for your body. Simply eating smaller portions does reduce caloric intake which can result in weight loss… but if you’re not getting enough veggies, fruit, lean meat, and whole grains, splitting your meal in half will leave you suffering nutritionally. You want to be healthy + satiated, not malnourished + hungry!

One great tip to keep your calories in check while still making sure you’re nourishing your body is to replace half of your main entree with vegetables. For me, if a meal comes with a nutritionally-deficient carb option (fries, baked/roasted potatoes, hashbrowns, rice, or pancake/toast), I ask for salad – even fruit salad – or double the side veggies. This keeps you from feeling deprived while amping up nutrients.

The side effect to this habit is that you will start to enjoy and crave these healthier foods, for real.

6. Choose “unsweetened” where possible.

Choose unsweetened items (with products such as almond milk + Greek yogurt) wherever possible for the simple ability to control the type of sweetener – and the quantity of sweetener – in your food.

What’s wrong with cane sugar? Unless you have diabetes or a sugar intolerance, the main issue with sugar is that all fructose that we ingest is sent to the liver for processing. The liver then turns it into droplets of fat called triglycerides.

But unlike, say – an apple, which has fructose + vitamin C + fiber, high fructose corn syrup offers no nutritional value other than calories borne of fructose – and a spike in those triglycerides circulating in your bloodstream leads to a reduction in HDL cholesterol (the so-called GOOD kind), which together form the foundation of heart disease that is so common in America today.

By choosing unsweetened foods, we can choose to sweeten with alternatives that offer more than just fructose. Two of my favorites are:

• Honey. Because it is derived from plants, it contains phytonutrient chemicals which help protect plants from germs, fungi, bugs, and other threats. In humans, they function as both antifungals + antibacterials to keep our immune systems happy, as well as delivering important vitamins + minerals depending on the forage from which the bees acquired their nectar. Studies show that it has natural anti-inflammatory properties, and many believe that ingestion of local honey can reduce allergy symptoms in those allergic to local pollen.
• Maple Syrup. It contains minerals manganese + zinc as well as bioactive compounds such as phenols (which act as antioxidants). Choosing darker Grade B maple syrup is said to maximize phenolic content.

Even with all these benefits, there’s still evidence that limiting your intake of all sweeteners is the prudent way to go, so tread lightly with your sweeteners. Easier said than done, I know! Honey is my favorite indulgence and I have even started drinking my coffee BLACK to give me the calorie cushion to enjoy it every morning.

7. Start your meal with soup!

Did you know that beginning your lunch or dinner with a healthy soup or a salad likely decreases your total caloric intake for the entire meal? Filling up on fiber- and water-rich foods first can help prevent you from overdoing high-calorie fare later. 

It’s similar logic to the water-before-eating premise, but perhaps even more effective because a soup (not cream-based! BROTH-based) has depth of flavor and is savory, which is satisfying in and of itself.

Try this the next time you go out for sushi: order some edamame to share, a miso soup, and your favorite healthy roll or several orders of nigiri. It might sound like a sparse order at first to those who usually order a bunch of rolls, but eat those three things in exactly that order and tell me that you aren’t satisfied afterward!

8. Create obstacles to mindless snacking.

Sometimes the simple act of having to open an individual candy wrapper or crack open a pistachio shell can slow the progress of mindless snacking.

Yale University psychologist Andrew Geier recently criticized the new packaging of bite-sized candy bars by Cadbury + Hershey, Co., which come available in large bags with each one unwrapped inside to allow for faster hand-to-mouth eating. Geier says, “I’ve taken lately to calling it portion derangement.” He argues that they are made for the very purpose of quick + mindless consumption, noting that if the bags were aimed at sharing the treats, each bar would be individually-wrapped to make them hygienic.

We tried this at home with pistachio nuts, though not on purpose. Pistachio nuts are a staple in our family, and we share conversations around the kitchen island (usually prepping other meals) while cracking open + snacking on pistachios. At most, we eat maybe 5-15 in a sitting each.

So one day when I went to replace them, the in-shell variety were sold out – so I purchased shelled pistachios. I noticed as soon as I opened the bag to put some into a dish that I poured maybe 20 into my hand. I popped a few at a time, and they went down so much quicker. It’s not rocket science, but it is the psychology of convenience snacking.

It’s not something you think about often with stuff like peanuts + dishes full of candy, but the simple act of presenting in-the-shell nuts + individually-wrapped candies can bring back their “treat” status and eliminate the mindlessness of eating.

9. Keep a fruit basket on your kitchen counter.

It turns out that what’s on your countertop might predict your weight, and when it’s a fruit basket or bowl, it’s significantly less than when it’s something like boxes of cereal. This is just simple psychology of food yet again.

If I kept the apples stowed away inside a cabinet or up on a shelf, I’m not sure how often my kids would reach for them. But I can tell you that having them (+ bananas, oranges, and some nuts) right smack dab in the center of the kitchen island makes them the first thing in their line of sight, and they’re too tempting to resist when the kids are looking for a quick snack.

10. If you eat dairy, opt for the full-fat variety.

This has been one of the studies that I’ve been happiest to find: almost
counter-intuitively, full-fat dairy helps keep you lean by providing a rich source of nutrients, and you cannot get those same benefits from skim milk + fat-free yogurt even though they are technically dairy products.

Full-fat dairy has been shown to provide essential nutrients which are difficult to obtain from low-fat or dairy-restrictive diets. Dairy foods are nutrient-dense in their natural, full-fat form – often without the added sugars which are frequently added to the lower-fat versions. As we know, consuming excess sugar contributes to weight gain, obesity, and other health problems.

The health benefits of full-fat dairy include:

• The enzymes in milk proteins actually inhibit fat cells. This inhibitory effect is said to potentially reduce obesity + high blood pressure;
• Full-fat dairy contains calcium, protein, potassium + phosphorus; and
• The saturated fatty acids (SFA) in full-fat dairy products help lower cholesterol via the combination of the bio-active peptides, minerals + fat in dairy.

Excellent full-fat dairy sources:

• Whole Milk – nutrient-dense along with a creamy taste + texture, whole milk provides a decently low-calorie drink with lots of health benefits. Each 8-oz. serving contains: about 149 calories, 8 grams of protein, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of fat + 275 mg. of calcium (ding ding ding! Calcium). If I feel like I don’t have enough calories left for the day, I’ll have just half a cup at the end of the night. Very soothing to the throat + stomach before bed.
• Whole Milk Yogurt – more flavorful than non-fat and reduced-fat versions, whole milk yogurt is a rich source of calcium + protein. Each 8-oz. serving contains: about 140 calories, 8 grams of protein, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of fat, and 275 mg of calcium.
• Full-Fat Cheeses (including cottage cheese!) – these are dairy foods made from milk + available in an assortment of colors, flavors, and textures. The nutrient breakdown of cheese is highly variable + depends on the type of cheese. Each 1-cup serving of cottage cheese though, for example, contains about 220 calories, 25 grams of protein (!), 7 grams of carbohydrates, 9.7 grams of fat, and 187 mg of calcium.
• Butter – a dairy product containing 80% butterfat. I know a lot of people are shunning creams + butters with the recent popularity of the pure Mediterranean diet + such (using only oils), but real butter contains short-chain fatty acids shown to reduce inflammation in the digestive system. Grass-fed butter is also rich in omega-3s, CLA, beta-carotene, antioxidants + vitamins A, K, D & E.

11. Chew sugar-free gum between meals.

Gum is somewhat of an appetite suppressant, it turns out. This is another psychological trick to some extent, as some of us (with or without oral fixations) feel pleasure just from the act of chewing or from tasting something sweet, even if the sweetness fades over time the way it does in gum.

That said, if you are feeling munchy rather than legitimately hungry, just grab some gum. My favorite is Orbit Bubblemint.

12. Have a cuppa Joe.

Coffee-drinking is fascinatingly associated with a lower risk of dying from all causes of death. That’s really great news considering all the mixed messages we’ve been sent about coffee… but did you know that coffee can also literally increase your metabolism? It also improves focus + also acts as a bit of an appetite suppressant. How does it manage this amazing feat? Via caffeine, along with antioxidants from the coffee beans.

Remember that the sugar + cream can undo some of those good effects! When I’m in a rush or headed to a hard workout where I don’t want a big belly full of coffee sloshing around in my stomach, I’ll opt for a little double espresso, black. If you want a creamy flavor, try whole milk, or even a pat of butter to make your coffee extra creamy. If you want delicious flavor with zero sugar (+ also zero dairy for the lactose intolerant), try Coffee Mate’s plant-based half-n-half (half almond milk, half coconut milk). It’s delicious!

13. Limit your exposure to food porn.

So we’ve often been told that we can look – as long as we don’t touch – when it comes to the things that tempt us, right? Wrong. It tends to fire up your brain in very specific ways. I’ve noticed that while watching cooking shows like Top Chef I start crafting menus in my mind, and those menus are not always healthy. I also have an overwhelming urge to drink a glass of wine or bring over some desserts to savor while watching any food show.

I know this sounds harsh, but if you’re truly on a fitness tear, you should unfollow super indulgent or “triggering” foodie porn on Insta. Likewise, start following more people who post inspirational food posts – healthy ones that also look delicious and which you can recreate easily at home. This is you crafting your own reality here.

14. Reduce empty calories by cutting back on bread.

Bread is not the enemy! But too much bread is. 😉

Ask any weight-loss guru and the first thing that they will normally have you cut down on (if not cut out entirely!) is bread. Personally, to me there’s nothing better than a slice of whole-wheat, multi-grain bread with lots of seeds in it, toasted + ready for a nice fried egg on top or some honey or jam. Lately though I’ve been enjoying Ezekiel bread (one slice in the morning with a fried egg for breakfast) and it’s tasty + quite filling without giving me that lump-in-my-gut that bread can sometimes deliver.

In particular, if “abs are made in the kitchen” I’d say that abs are made in the absence of bread more than by any number of sit-ups. But if you’re a bread lover, simply cutting back on bread can save you calories + carbs. Cut 100 calories in one second simply by making your sandwich “open-faced,” as seen above.

15. Indulge like the French: The 3-Bite Rule.

Try absolutely anything! Just limit it to three bites. This is what my husband jokes to be my “French way of eating dessert” but apparently this is actually a known “Frenchie” kind of thing to do. I just know that it’s saved me a LOT of calories, yet I’ve tried a lot of very delicious things.

The interesting theory here is that – get ready for science + psychology again! – the first bite of something tasty is always the very best bite. It never gets better in the same sitting, as your brain immediately shifts into consumption mode. And studies show that typically after the third bite, enjoyment of a dessert (or anything decadent, really) falls off sharply. You are just moving into more automated eating at that point, often with a weird “need to finish” whatever’s on your plate.

Really if you think about it, that’s so true. How many times have you stuffed a dessert down because the first few bites were bliss, so you kept eating more to recreate that same joy? Well it doesn’t usually happen in the same sitting. And where desserts go, you’ve usually consumed an entire meal by that point, so it’s not like you’re actually hungry anymore. You’re satiated, hunger-wise.

You could say that the perfect dessert is a French macaron, which can be eaten in three bites!

Seriously though, I hope that this tip was more inspirational for you than not – I can imagine that it might be kind of a bummer for those who love to tuck into a giant piece of cake. Have the cake if you like! Just know that it won’t be the same after the third bite. 😉

A note about the “F” Word: “Fat.”

I have to say that while this post is health- and waist-conscious, it is not intended to body shame anyone, nor do I expect to be body-shamed myself simply because I want to be more fit in middle age. I know – and am inspired daily – by some larger-than-life personalities with larger figures, and they are beautiful in every meaning of the word. Our fitness journey should be only with ourselves + what makes sense for our bodies: do we have celiac? A dairy intolerance? Sugar allergies? Maybe we’re happy in our bodies just as they are + the doctor has given us a green light to “keep doing what we’re doing.”

Some people prefer to be heavier + carry that cushion around with them, and I’m thinking in particular about some of the superior open-water swimmers I’ve witnessed speed right past me in the water, bigger belly + all. Some sports serve you better to carry that extra weight, so be careful before making any big changes in your diet – especially when what we’re going for is a lifestyle change + not a temporary “fix.”

For me personally, my joints act up if my weight creeps too high (I first noticed this at the end of my pregnancies when I was very large + very happy, otherwise) and this is the same reason that I no longer run anymore – it puts too much pressure on my knees, hips, + back. It’s a major bonus to me, though, that keeping a lean, steady weight also keeps me from feeling like my clothes are slowly trying to kill me by getting tighter + tighter!

If you’re interested in calorie-counting as a way to achieve your weight-loss goals + you’re looking for a place to start, calorie-wise (and you have never tracked your caloric intake before), take a look at what 1500 calories looks like (this is for ladies, with maybe 2200-2500 being a fair goal for an “average” man). It’s not bad, I promise! Especially while integrating the tips above into your everyday lifestyle.

Thanks so much for visiting. I truly hope that there are some gems here for you to take with you, as there have been for me. – xxoo