If you bake a lot, the calories of tasting can add up. This can be a problem if you bake when you are bored as well. Baking, like eating, can waste time but leave you with tasty treats and extra calories that are bad for your waistline. If you are worried about your weight try brushing your teeth before you bake or try chewing gum. The toothpaste and the gum flavorings will alter your taste buds so the dough or the batter doesn’t taste good, saving all of those calories. Now the problem becomes, how do you avoid calories on the finished product. Try baking with Splenda or another low calorie sweetener to save calories. Also limiting your portions will be helpful. Remember the joy of baking is for others…bake it and give it away.

Tags: Baking With Splenda, Bored, Brushing Your Teeth, Calories, Chewing Gum, Finished Product, Flavorings, Joy Of Baking, Lot, Low Calorie Sweetener, Taste Buds, Tasty Treats, Toothpaste, Waistline

Are you familiar with food portions? Do you limit yourself on portions if you are given more? In reality, many people don’t. A recent study was done to test portion control and restraint and to determine how factors such as package size, serving bowl size, and plate size influenced how much people consumed. One group was an “exaggerated treatment” condition in which they received larger size packages, bowls and plates. The second group received normal size packages, plates and bowls. It was found that on average, 73% of those in the “exaggerated treatment” group thought they ate as much as they normally would, when in actuality, they ate 31% more than individuals eating from regular sized packages, plates and bowls. In this case, the caloric intake of the extra food would be significant. Furthermore, when informed of the average higher consumption for the group and asked why they thought they might have eaten more, only 8% admitted they might have eaten more, 21% claimed they did not eat more and 69% said that if they did eat more, it was because they were hungry.

Portion control is a big problem in the U.S. Many grew up in a time when food was scarce or many were told they had to clean their plates. Do not be afraid to leave food on your plate or to refuse second helpings. Do not think that by not eating everything served, you will draw attention to yourself. Research shows that other people are much less aware of what you eat than you might think. If you become familiar with portions like ½ cup, 1 cup, 6 oz., etc. you will understand how much you should have. That way you will be able to recognize larger portions and ultimately manage your weight long term.

Tags: Actuality, Bowls, Caloric Intake, Consumption, Control And Restraint, Extra, Food Portions, Key Control, Plate Size, Portion Control, Second Group, Second Helpings, Treatment Group

Are you a mindless eater? Do you really think about what you eat or where or even why? A research study done at Cornell University looked at the number of decisions people thought they made regarding food everyday. They surveyed individuals and asked them initially to estimate how many total decisions they made about food and beverages in one day and looked at their decisions over a period of time. This included “when, what, how much, where and who” decisions they made for a typical meal, snack, and beverage. Results showed that the average participant guessed they made 14.4 food related decisions per day. In actuality, they found that the average participant made an estimated number of 226.7 food related decisions per day. It was found that overweight and obese individuals make many more decisions per day regarding food than healthy weight individuals. Why was there such a discrepancy? Many decisions regarding food are mindless. We reach for or something without thinking because we think it is not really an important decision that impacts our day. However, it does impact our health, the calories we consume and the effect on our weight. It is imperative that people become more mindful of their choices regarding food. One way to help this decision making process is to keep a food log so you can acknowledge and write down all the food taken in during the day.

Tags: Actuality, Calories, Choices, Cornell University, Decision Making Process, Decisions, Discrepancy, Food And Beverages, Food Log, Health, Mindless Eating, Obese Individuals, Participant, People, Period Of Time, Snack, Typical Meal

Are you tired of winter and being stuck in the house? In our area of the country, we are bracing for a huge winter storm this weekend. So what can you do if you can’t get out of the house but don’t want to eat your way through the days and the boredom? The key is to keep yourself busy so you don’t eat all day long. Try cleaning or doing laundry. Start a project that you have been wanting to do but never had time, like cleaning out the basement or garage. Shovel snow a little at a time to burn those calories and avoid injury. Try exercising in your home, try an exercise DVD or be creative and use what you have access to. For example, run up and down your stairs 10 times.

With regard to food, start with eating protein in the morning for breakfast like eggs or breakfast meats to satisfy your hunger and keep you full longer. Be sure you are getting in protein at evry meal not just carbs. To improve your mood, try eating citrus fruit, like an orange as a snack. The vitamin C helps reduce stress and return blood pressure and cortisol to normal levels after a stressful situation. Or try a few dried apricots, they are rich in magnesium, which is a stress-buster and a natural muscle relaxant. If you are really stressed about your schedule being messed up try a few walnuts or pistachios, they can help reduce blood pressure. Watch your beverages. Stick to low calorie beverages like water, tea, diet sodas and Crystal Light so you can spend more calories on real food. Keep busy and be mindful of what you are eating and you will easily get through the weather in the same size.

Tags: Boredom, Breakfast Meats, Citrus Fruit, Cortisol Levels, Crystal Light, Diet Sodas, Doing Laundry, Dried Apricots, Little At A Time, Natural Muscle Relaxant, Real Food, Return Blood, Shovel Snow, Snow Day, Stress Buster, Stressful Situation, Vitamin C, Walnuts, Water Tea, Winter Storm

Listening to music can improve your health and reduce your stress. A new study shows that listening to self-selected joyful music can improve blood flow and perhaps promote vascular health. In effect, it calms you and improves their blood flow. Also endorphins or endorphin-like compounds are released from the brain in response to pleasurable emotions. This causes blood vessels to dilate, it reduces inflammation, it prevents platelets from sticking and cholesterol from being taken up into plaque. With regard to stress reduction, listening to good music is known to reduce people’s stress and actually have physiological effects on lowering the stress hormone cortisol.

Tags: Blood Flow, Blood Vessels, Brain, Cholesterol, Compounds, Emotions, Good Music, Health New, Inflammation, Joyful Music, Listening Music, Listening To Music, People, Physiological Effects, Plaque, Reduce Stress, Regard, Stress Hormone Cortisol, Stress Reduction, Vascular Health