Stop drinking empty calories!

Addicted to soda or other sweetened beverages because of the bubbles? 

Start drinking Sparkling Water! That will instantly cut your sugar intake and many unnecessary calories! See my previous post to see how much weight gain you can avoid if you stop drinking beverages with added sugar.

Try ones sparkling waters with no sweeteners, only the essence of fruits for a little flavor. Some of my favorites: Arrowhead Sparkling Water and La Croix, and Trader Joe's.  Do you have a Trader Joe's in your area? They have sparkling water too. My favorite flavor: Berry. It's oh so good!! Better than soda any day!! 

A 20 oz bottle of coke = 240 calories.  Those calories can add up faster than you think.  Here is some food for thought...

Do you have a weekly habit of drinking soda or another sweetened beverage (i.e. sweet tea, juice, or coffee beverage with added sugar)?  One drink consumed on a weekly basis equals nearly a 4 pound weight gain a year.    

Do you drink 3 beverages a week?  That would equal nearly an 11 pound weight gain annually.  

Do you have a habit of drinking one 20oz soda a day?  This would equal roughly a 2 pound weight gain every FOUR weeks!  Which would be a 25 pound weight gain each year!  All from one beverage, consumed daily.  

Start today and cut back on the number of soda or sweetened beverages you consume each week, or month.  If you were to cut out 4 sodas a month, you would reduce your weight gain by 3 pounds a year.  Can you cut out more than that? Reduce the amount of soda or sweetened beverage consumed annually by 3 sweetened beverages a week, and you could save yourself an 11 pound weight gain annually,  or nearly a pound a month!  

Think about your drink, pick a better beverage... one without empty calories (or calories just from sugar, which are found in sweetened beverages).  A great substitute is sparkling water!  Not the kinds with sweetener in them, but one such as Arrowhead sparkling water, La Croix, or Trader Joe's sparkling water.  These all have carbonated water with a hint of NATURAL flavor (usually from the essence of fruit, you know the kind of stuff you get when you squeeze the peel of an orange).  

**All calculations are based on a 240calorie beverage.  If you consume a beverage with more calories, you will gain even more weight annually!!!**

Quick Nutrition Tip

Watching what you are eating? Take a step in the right direction by taking pictures of everything you eat and drink. Its like a digital food journal! It may open you eyes, and/or make you more aware of the choices you are making daily.

Watch your budget and your waistline

One of the best ways to improve your diet and your food budget is portion control!  

As Americans, we eat very large portions.  Think steak house dinner with a 12 or 16oz steak for one person, served with a huge baked potato.  This is after your appetizer of bread and salad, and maybe even a bloomin' onion or baked potato skins.  All of which is way more food than any one person needs in one sitting.  The steak alone exceeds one person's protein portion for the entire day! 

By learning proper portion sizes and using portion control in your eveyday life, not only will you cut your food costs, but you will also cut down on your waist line!   That 12oz steak dinner could be shared with someone else at the dinner table, and you split the bill.  In fact, you could even split a 6 oz steak and get the proper amount of protein needed with an even smaller price tag.  You save on cost, and calories. Don't forget it will also save you from that horrible feeling of being overly full.  

Get started today by watching how big your portions are while eating.  Think your portions are alright, consider comparing them to recommendations by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans or Choose Your Plate. You may be surprised at how far off your portions are compared to what you should be eating.  For example, a baked potato should be the size of a computer mouse… not the size of your plate. 

Welcome to Me

Who am I?

I am a registered dietitian, mother, wife and student.  Currently I am juggling caring for my family, household duties, work, and my Master's thesis.  Most importantly, I am trying to feed my family right. 

I decided to start blogging:

To apply my knowledge of nutrition

with my trials and triumphs of feeding my family...

In an effort to help others learn to eat right.  

Background Info:

Food has been my whole life. 

A majority of memories as a childhood revolve around food.  

I remember helping my mom all day long prep Thanksgiving dinner.  Now Thanksgiving dinner is my holiday!

In the summer I lived with my dad, some of my fondest memories are wearing an apron in the kitchen while picking parsley leaves or walking to the farmer’s market to buy fresh fruit, veggies and herbs.  

For years I teased my grandmother for planning meals days, weeks, and even months in advance.  Now, I do the same thing and I love it!  

Although my life had always revolved around food, I had never thought about having a career involving food or nutrition.  It wasn’t until I took a class at the local community college and the instructor asked me if I had ever considered a career in dietetics (nutrition).  The next semester, I started taking a nutrition class and knew I was destined to be a dietitian.  I spent the next 5 years dedicated to becoming a dietitian.  

Now, I am proud to say I am a registered dietitian!!

Educational moment:

What is a registered dietitian?  A registered dietitian is your nutrition health professional.  To become a registered dietitian, you have to complete a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and nutrition at an accredited school, then complete an internship (aka supervised practice), and then pass the certification exam.  Once you become a dietitian, you need to continue your education to maintain your registration.  

But then what about a nutritionist?  A dietitian may use the title nutritionist, but not all nutritionist are dietitians.  The definition of nutritionist varies from state to state, and not all states regulate the requirements for the title of nutritionist (in California anyone can use the title nutritionist, so be careful).  A nutritionist may or may not have the educational background, supervised practice, certification exam, or required continuing education that is required of a dietitian.  Be cautious when you see this title used.  Make sure they are also a registered dietitian.