New intermittent fasting diet not best way to achieve long-term weight loss

Have you heard of intermittent fasting? Supposedly it may be the newest diet trend starting to emerge. Wow, that was fast, didn’t we just get through the “Wheat Belly” fad?

I was asked to do an interview for CBC radio Canada International on this topic. Here is a link to my to both the article and interview.

www.rcinet.ca/radio/index.php?language=en&type=interviews&media=audio&id=11976

Here is the (PDF) if you would like to print off my tips.

Bottom line: I am not really sure that if the diet works or doesn’t work. There is obviously some big fans out there of this diet, and people have reported losing weight on intermittent fasting. But without any long-term weight loss/ weight loss maintenance data it is very hard to measure the diets long-term success. It won’t be a diet that I will be trying anytime soon (as a test to find out how it feels), because I LOVE food TOO much do go an entire day without eating. I also wouldn’t recommend it for weight loss, because I don’t think it is something that people would be happy on, and can sustain fasting lifelong. *Among other things, this is definitely not a diet for anyone who susceptible to disordered eating, has a medical condition (i.e. diabetes) or is pregnant.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic…if you have tried it, or thinking of trying it.

~Susan, RD

Junk food is the new normal. What’s a parent to do? (Globe and Mail)

“According to Statistics Canada, children aged 1 to 13 get more than 25 per cent of their daily calories from sugar – more than any other age group”

Here is a link to an article in the Globe and Mail today that I can completely relate to.

Junk food is the new normal. What’s a parent to do?

I have no idea why complete strangers want to offer my kid candy when I am out shopping. Truth be told, my daughter would actually prefer a balloon, car toy or even just a “high five”. At least right now I can tell the candy pusher that she is still too young for the treat, as most candy pushers don’t have a clue how old my daughter is, and are really just doing their job of trying to be friendly.

I’ve long since gotten over being  “painted as the ogre who doesn’t let your kid have candy” because I feel that Sydney gets plenty of treats from Dad, grandma and, yes even myself. But I really want “treats” to stay “treats”, and not become the norm, as indicated in this article.  I guess time will tell. ~ Susan

My Little One Helping Make Bread

This is my little one learning how to make whole grain bread. I made 2 loaves…one for her to play with and one that I planned on keeping. I wasn’t too sure how gentle she would be and didn’t want to risk her ruining a good batch, so I just made 2.  She took her job very seriously, and then I couldn’t get the basting brush back from her the rest of the day.

Nutrition Month: TIP 23: Spend a little more time in the produce section to add colour and crunch to your cart.

The greater the variety of vegetables and fruit you have at home, the more you’ll eat, especially if you put them where you can see them! Vegetables and fruit are filled with vitamins, minerals and fibre. A diet rich in vegetables and fruit promotes good health and can help you manage your weight. Add to your grocery cart brightly coloured broccoli, squash, kale, melons, berries and more. Don’t forget about mushrooms, cauliflower and pale green cabbage; they may not be bright, but they are healthy choices too. Be sure to eat the veggies and fruit you buy. Try these tasty tips:
• Place a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter for quick, tasty snacks.
• When you reach for a mid-afternoon snack, pick veggies instead of salty snack foods. Keep fresh veggies in the fridge, cut up and ready to eat.
• At meals, offer more than one vegetable. Fill half of your plate with veggies – the more you have on your plate, the more you’ll eat.

Nutrition Month TIP 14: Looking to save cash and calories? Easy money-saving strategies can help you do both!

Strategies that save you money can also help keep your calorie consumption on track. Try these simple tips next time you’re at the grocery store:

• Pay with cash, not plastic. You’ll have to stick to your budget if you bring only the amount of money you plan to spend.
• Think small. Those jumbo packs of snacks aren’t a bargain if you end up throwing some away, plus having bigger packages at home means you’ll eat more.3
• Shop wise. Beware of the hidden costs of buy-one-get-one-free offers. Sure, you get more food for less money, but how much might be wasted?
• Shop during non-peak times. You’ll spend less time in the checkout line, where you might be tempted to buy expensive magazines and candy.
• Skip the sweet samples. If you taste a sugary treat, such as cookies, candies or chocolate, you may be more likely to buy less healthy foods that aren’t on your list.

It’s never too early to start showing your little ones how to cook!

As a dietitian, I have always felt that it is imperative to be able to know how to cook, and to explain/show others how to made delicious meals…mostly because the skill of cooking is being lost and being replaced with eating from a box or a package.

Even when I moved in with husband, he would complain that we had “no food” in the house…only ingredients. His idea of food was anything in a box, can or jar. Is cooking really about opening a box and a jar and then nuking it? I don’t think so.

If health professional’s are going to make a dent in preventing chronic disease, we have to get people back home (out of restaurants) cooking in the kitchen, and enjoying meals at the dinner table (not in front of the T.V., iPad or cellphone).

Now I am not saying that we all have to go out and start making our own pasta, but essentially we should be trying to prioritize meal planning, and cooking around purchasing whole ingredients (as close to how they came from the farm as possible), and stop relying on food or “food like substance” that comes from boxes, jars, packages or cans.

Unfortunately, cooking skills are being lost or not even taught at home any more…and my biggest pet peeve is how the food network on T.V. has moved towards reality T.V. verses actually “how-to” cooking. I bring up the food network because I have to admit, that is how I learned to cook.  My father did most of the cooking when I grew up, but he learned from the Food Network too. It was always on after school, and that is where dinnertime inspiration came from.

So at the end of the day, my kids are going to know how to cook…they may not like to, but they darn well will know how too. Is 20 months too young to start teaching cooking in the kitchen? I don’t know, you tell me?

Hope you enjoy the pics of me teaching my little one how to make pasta.

   

NYC large size soda ban starts tomorrow…what are your thoughts on this ban, and its potential for reducing obesity?

Here are some articles on the web discussing the new large soda ban that starts tomorrow.

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/nyc-soda-ban
• http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0311/NYC-soda-ban-hits-restaurants-Tuesday
• http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142596n

What do you think?