Healthy Seasonal Foods For Fall

The Fall season is officially here!  And, the new season brings a great variety of fruits and vegetables that can help you stay on track with your healthy eating plan without compromising great taste!

Explore local farmer’s markets, roadside stands, and grocery stores for an abundance of good eats this time of year.  To help you get started, here’s a list of in-season fruits and vegetables and ideas on how to incorporate them in your weekly diet.

Try these tasty fruits and vegetables for fall!

1) Apples.  Harvest Season: August-November.

Apples make great on the go snacks.  Use them in salads, with savory dishes like pork chops; or chop them up and put them in yoghurt.

2)  Dates.  Harvest Season: September-December.

Dates are great in baked goods. Try chopping up a few for your oatmeal or over the top of frozen yoghurt.  For savory dishes, look for low-cal middle eastern recipes that include dates.

3)  Grapefruit.  Harvest Season: September-April.

Add over greens or squeeze fresh for a healthy juice.

4)  Kiwi.  Harvest Season:  September-March.

Kiwis are a great add to spice up a fruit salad or a smoothie.

5)  Pears.  Harvest Season: August-February.

Pears are one of my favorites because they are so versatile.  This fruit is great as a snack, added to mixed greens, used in savory dishes, or poached with a bit of cinnamon for a low-cal healthy dessert.

6)  Tangerines.  Harvest season:  November-April

Add these sweet little low-cal treats to yoghurt, pack in lunches, snack on them, use as dessert, or add to a salad.

7)  Brussel Sprouts.  Harvest Season: September-March.

I must confess, it took me awhile to like these wonderful little cabbages.  Now, they are one of my favorites this time of year! Try roasting brussel sprouts with olive oil, or sauteing with butter and garlic.  Serve with roasted meat and mashed potatoes.

8)  Cauliflower:  Harvest Season: September-June.

Use cauliflower to make fantastic soups, in stir-fries, or steamed with other vegetables as a side. Chop up cauliflower with other veggies and serve with a low-cal yoghurt dip for parties.

9) Squash.  Harvest Season:  October-February

There are so many varieties of squash and ways to prepare them. Try them steamed,  stir-fried, or in soups.  I’ve even used butternut squash to make a low-cal bechamel sauce!

10)  Pumpkin.  Harvest Season:  October-February.

Pumpkin is used mostly in desserts like pies and cakes. You can use it for waffles, pancakes, and breads.  Search for low-cal substitutes of these sweeter treats and keep portions in check.

11)  Sweet Potatoes.  Harvest Season:  September-December.

Not just for Thanksgiving Day anymore. Roast them. Make mashed sweet potatoes, or baked french fries.  If you’re cooking for 1-2 people, save time in the kitchen by microwaving a large sweet potato.

12)  Turnips.  Harvest Season:  September-April.

Try these tasty root vegetables roasted with olive oil or in stews.

13)  Parsnips.  Harvest Season:  October-April.

Add parsnips to other root vegetables and puree for a sweeter soup, or roast with potatoes and carrots for a wonderful blend.

14)  Rutabaga.  Harvest Season:  October-April.

Honestly, I haven’t cooked with this one yet.  I discovered it when researching my list for this article.  It’s a cross between a turnip and a cabbage.  Suggested uses include  roasting, or adding to casseroles and soups along with turnips and carrots.  I’ll report. You decide!

Decide which fruits and vegetables you’d like to incorporate into your healthy eating plan and use low-cal recipes that include these foods as ingredients.  You can find great low-cal seasonal recipes in Cooking Light  and Eating Well magazines.

Have fun experimenting with healthy seasonal foods. Browse your produce stand and farmer’s market.  When eating out, ask your food server what’s fresh — and depending where you live — ask what’s local on the menu.

Please feel free to share any great recipes or snack ideas you come up with.  I want to hear from you!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 

Cravings Vs Hunger, How To Tell The Difference!

Is this scenario familiar? The kids are in bed, you’ve settled in to watch your favorite show, and now you’re craving something to eat. Or, you’re in your office and you start dreaming of that other 1/2 sandwich you left in the fridge. You try to suppress it until you just can’t stand it any longer and head for the kitchen. Don’t worry, this happens to everyone at some point!

It’s important for you to know when it’s a craving and when you are experiencing real hunger. Knowing the difference between the two can help you lose weight and maintain it for life. When the craving or potential hunger signal occurs all you have to do is ask yourself a few questions.

How to tell if it’s hunger or a craving in 30 seconds or less!

1)  Check the time!  Ask yourself when was the last time you ate? Your blood sugar begins to drop within two hours after eating so, after about 3-4 hours you are justifiably hungry.

2)  Did you eat enough? If you are hungry within two hours after eating you may not be eating enough calories during your meal. A meal should be a minimum of 300 calories for a woman and 450-500 calories for a man.

3)  Are you satisfied?  I am a huge believer in portion control versus dieting. However, you also need to satisfy your body so that it feels full. Super small portions of high calorie foods make it difficult to feel full. Choose high volume low calorie meals for optimal results. Eat a balanced meal of veggies, whole grains, and protein so your body has to take time to digest or “burn off” the meal.

One of the best ways to get high volume low calorie foods is to meal plan with light recipes. You can cook them yourself using magazines like Cooking Light and Eating Well, or you can order premade low cal meals from companies like Magic Kitchen.

4)  Are you dehydrated? If after going through the above checklist you’ve decided you really shouldn’t need more food, try drinking an 8 oz glass of water. See if the hunger disappears. A dehydrated body can send hunger signals!

5)  Do you need to get some rest?  When you lack sleep, the body tends to crave sugar for a pick me up.

6)  Are you bored? I know it’s hard to believe that anyone can be bored these days! However, just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you are not bored with the task at hand. Procrastination and boredom can send you right into the kitchen. Ask yourself if you are trying to avoid something or are looking for something to do.

7)  Are you stressed? About 50% of the population turn to food when they are stressed. The other 50% don’t eat at all.  Stress can trigger cravings for things like sugar, salt, & fat. Pay attention to stressful situations that come up. See what types of eating patterns the circumstances  trigger.

If  after asking yourself the above questions you have determined that you really are justifiably hungry — eat! Do not starve yourself! If your larger meal is in the next hour or two or you just had dinner, then have a light snack to tide you over before the larger meal or bedtime.

Some examples of good snacks are a single serving of crackers with hummus, yoghurt with a sprinkle of granola, a single serving of chips and salsa with 1/4 cup of yoghurt, a piece of fruit, oatmeal, or a piece of toast with a tablespoon of peanut or a 1/2 tablespoon of butter.

Hopefully these tips will help you tell when you are experiencing cravings versus hunger. If you have determined that you are craving food without being hungry, do not worry! You are normal! In my next article I am going to teach you how to manage and satisfy your cravings without sabotaging your weight loss/management. So stay tuned!

Please let me know if you have any questions about cravings versus hunger. Or, please feel free to share your own personal weight loss tip.  I want to hear from you!

To your health!

Jennifer

The Right Foods For Weight Loss

Have you been struggling to lose or maintain your weight? Don’t worry! You’re not alone. The good news is you can begin to make simple changes in the foods you eat and lose weight for good!

For the past 22 plus years, I’ve helped clients make easy changes in their daily/weekly food intake and lose weight. No deprivation diets or crazy workouts, I promise! Just simply swapping out some of the higher calorie foods with good tasting low-cal substitutes helped them lose weight. It can help you too.

Try food swap magic!

Here are some small yet powerful changes you can make to lose and maintain your weight:

1)  What’s for breakfast?  Do you know that one cup of granola can pack in 450 calories? Yikes! You can eat a serving of oatmeal (with blueberries and butter), and two eggs for only 360 calories. Granola is a healthy food, but if you are trying to lose or maintain your weight, avoid the high calorie cereals in the morning. They make better toppings than meals.

If you eat breakfast at your favorite coffee shop, you will want to find out how many calories are in that on the go meal. Keep it to 350 calories and have a plain cup of coffee with a small amount of creamer. This simple tweak alone helped one of my clients stop gaining weight and lose three pounds in five weeks!

2)  Snack wisely. A small serving of chips is about 150 calories on average. But, did you know you can eat four cups of popcorn for only 60 calories? Popcorn is way more filling, and will keep ,you satisfied longer. Not crazy about popcorn? Eat a piece of fruit.

3)  Entertain with lower calorie choices. Having company? Offer hummus and yoghurt based dips. Offer whole grain crackers as well as fruit and cut vegetables to go alongside the dips. Serve smaller portions of the higher calorie fare such as cheese and cured meats. You and your guests are likely to eat less when the portions are sized smaller.

4)  Limit the fast food!  I realize this may be obvious to some. However, with 25% of our nation eating fast food daily, I do not like to ignore this one. Most of us picture a drive through window when we think of fast food. However fast food can be healthy take out as well. When you let someone else cook the meal, you have zero control over the calories.

Just like with the breakfast meals, find out how many calories are in your favorite take out and decide if it meets your weight loss goals. Or, have some healthy frozen food on hand and combine it with a fresh salad for a last minute dinner option.

5)  Watch the sweets! There are 196 calories in a large chocolate chip cookie. Switch to a piece of dark chocolate (60 calories), a small cookie (49 calories), or a small serving of sorbet (110 calories).

These tips will help you cut calories and stay on track without feeling deprived! Please let me know if you have a food swap you’d like to share or a question about your daily food intake by leaving a comment below.  I really enjoy hearing from you!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer