masvida

By Dr. Madelyn  Fernstrom It’s hard to make healthy foods choices when you’re running around, and don’t have time to preplan. In the perfect world, you’d be carrying a fruit, or small protein bar, or a small bag of nuts when you need a snack. In the real world, this is much tougher. This week, I’m going to focus on four popular destinations for snacking:  the mall, the movie theatre, the ballpark, and the airport. While healthy eating does not require snacking, it’s an eating style that many people enjoy. One or two well-spaced snacks can be a great boost for weight control, as long as you account for those EXTRA calories. A loose definition of a snack is around 125-225 calories (it can be less). At the mall: If you’re looking for something sweet, try a small soft-serve frozen yogurt or ice milk (think Dairy Queen, McDonald’s, or I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt). A one-cup serving is about 200 calories. Share with a friend and you’ve cut the calories in half. Skip the toppings to...

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Why do we always hear so much about “cutting liquid calories” for a healthier diet? It’s because most of these sources contain loads of calories without any nutritional benefit. Liquid calories are a hidden source of sugars (and calories) that shock most people when they see the numbers. Did you know that a 20-ounce soda has about 16 teaspoons of sugar? A daily soda adds up to 50 pounds of sugar consumed in a year! That’s not good news for your waistline or your teeth. You might be surprised to know that juices – even 100% fruit juice – contain about the same amount of sugar as soda. You always want to eat your fruit, not drink it. When it comes to choosing liquids, stick with water, seltzer, unsweetened tea or coffee, and low/nonfat milk most of the time. Think of juices and sodas as a special occasion treat if you enjoy them, but work on eliminating these drinks from your daily intake. What about alcohol? Alcohol contains nearly the same number of calories ...