A New Start – Experts offer advice on eating to lose weight and be healthy

Asbury Park Press, January 11, 2012
By SUSAN BLOOM
For NJ Press Media

Sure, we all enjoy the social and food-related events during the holidays, but we also know the all-too-familiar, first-of-the-year fallout — unwanted weight gain, self-deprecation and flagging motivation as the cold winter months get under way. Happily, you can start the year off on a positive note, with foods that promote weight loss and enhance wellness, one step at a time.

"During the holidays, a lot of special foods come out that we don't see all year, and there are a lot more food-focused gatherings, too — with family, neighbors, co-workers, religious and social groups, etc. — so the holidays really represent a double whammy of temptation," said Robyn Flipse, a Bradley Beach-based registered dietitian. "All sorts of cookies, breads and desserts appear that are hard to resist and they really add up, even if you only eat a little bit of everything."

Add in the additional time crunch associated with mailing cards, shopping for gifts and doing volunteer work, and "people feel very challenged to keep everything in control," Flipse said. "Stable core eating and exercise often get compromised."

According to Flipse, however, there are a number of things you can do to adopt a healthier approach and take back control in the new year.

No. 1: Ditch diet talk

"The first is to think about eating, not dieting," she said. "When we zero in on certain foods that we think are the problem and deprive ourselves of them, we're effectively punishing ourselves and setting ourselves up for failure," she explained. "Instead of saying 'I'm not going to have...,' we should think about positive things we can do, like eating more vegetables, adding more salads, having a good breakfast everyday.

"It's a more proactive approach and you can't fail at it, you can just get better," she said. "Since we'll be eating for the rest of our lives, getting better at eating will have long-term usefulness."

No. 2: Keep yourself in mind

Flipse's second key recommendation is to "really consider your likes and dislikes, lifestyle and cooking abilities when it comes to planning your approach to weight loss and wellness. Many modern diets are hard to maintain because they involve foods that dieters don't like or that don't fit their lifestyles. Frozen entrees and bagged salads can work, and sandwiches are quick and easy options as long as you make good choices about their contents," Flipse said.

She favors thin, round sandwich breads because they're low in calories and can only accommodate a certain amount of filling, so they provide easy portion control.

"For instance, they match up perfectly to a tomato basil veggie patty and a round slice of provolone cheese or a scoop of chicken salad with a sliced tomato," she said. "These are very satisfying and take only five minutes to prepare.

"Plus hearty breads made of whole wheat or whole grains contain lots of protein and fiber, so they'll fill you up and help keep you satisfied longer at just 80 calories a slice," Flipse said. Just choose the right bread.

No. 3: Make the time

Flipse additionally recommends that people make more time for what's important in the new year. "You can't buy your way to good health," she said, "so we need to allow ourselves enough time to shop for food, prepare it and eat in a relaxed manner. We also need to build in sufficient time to exercise and sleep; deficiencies in these vital functions can lead to further bad eating decisions. restorative, and they'll give you the energy to perform well," she said.

Kathy Guibord, senior director at The Atlantic Club in Manasquan, agrees that "the combination of eating right and exercising helps to maintain weight loss and promote wellness. People often start too hard or too fast and end up quitting because it becomes too difficult to manage," she said.

"Rather than taking drastic measures that turn eating and exercising into bad experiences, it's better to change little things along the way and make positive lifestyle changes that you can commit to."

In the new year, Guibord suggests reducing intake of sugar, white flour, heavy starch and salt in favor of more fruits, vegetables and multigrains and to seek out a coach or a friend for motivation on the food or exercise front if necessary.

"You can do anything you're committed to, and you'll feel so much better once you start," she said.

Flipse agrees that the addition of more colorful fruits and vegetables to an eating plan offers many benefits. "Fresh is best in season, but they can also be canned, dried or frozen, and you can eat them alone or add them to canned soups or other meals to boost their nutritional content," she said.

She notes the importance of proper hydration ("You must keep replenishing fluids," she said) and also recommends the addition of quality sources of calcium where possible.

"If you're a regular coffee drinker and you're using anything other than milk (such as nondairy creamer), you're missing out on a great delivery system for calcium and protein," she said.

"Without a doubt, eating right and exercising is the best preventative medicine," Guibord concluded.

Robyn Flipse, registered dietitian, can be reached at www.robynflipse.com.

SPICY HOT VEGETABLE BEAN SOUP

Yield: 8 servings Serving size: 1 cup

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups low-sodium vegetable juice (such as V8 Low Sodium Spicy Hot 100% Vegetable Juice)
1 15-ounce can low-sodium black beans (such as Bush's Low Sodium Black Beans), drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas, and green beans)
½ cup salsa or picante sauce, mild, medium, or hot as preferred
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

• In 2-quart pot, combine all ingredients except cilantro and cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro to serve.

MUSHROOM AND SPINACH PIZZA THINS

Yield: 8 servings
Serving size: 1 pizza thin

INGREDIENTS:
4 thin whole-wheat rolls (such as Arnold 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin rolls), separated
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
5 sundried tomatoes packed in oil
1 tablespoon oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, or olive oil
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped (any type you like)
1 cup baby spinach leaves, washed and patted dry

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place separated sandwich thins on oven racks to toast for 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove and place in baking pan until ready to use.
• In 10-inch skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, and cook until softened and their moisture is released, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove from heat and transfer to bowl when done cooking.
• While mushrooms are cooking, add sundried tomatoes to food processor with the remaining teaspoon of oil and pulse to chop.
• Add ricotta cheese and continue to pulse until cheese and tomatoes are evenly blended. Place cheese spread in a bowl.
• To assemble pizzas, spread approximately 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on top of each toasted sandwich thin half.
• Top each pizza thin with 3-4 baby spinach leaves, then evenly divide mushrooms over the top of each pizza.
• Return pizza thins to the oven in the baking pan, and bake for 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Serve.

VEGGIE BURGER DELUXE

Yield: 4 burgers Serving Size: 1

INGREDIENTS:
4 frozen veggie burgers, any variety
4 thin whole-grain rolls (such as Arnold Multi-Grain Sandwich Thin rolls)
1 cup fresh arugula or baby spinach leaves, cleaned and dried
½ medium red onion, cut into four ¼-inch thick slices
4 slices cheese, any variety to complement burgers
2 whole jarred roasted red peppers, cut into 4 halves and patted dry
¼ cup olives, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

• Cook veggie burgers using directions on package. Melt cheese on top if preferred.
• Open sandwich thins on four plates, and layer ingredients on one half of each: arugula leaves, sliced onion, cooked veggie burger, cheese (if not melted on burger), ½ roasted pepper, and 1 tablespoon chopped olives. Top with other half of sandwich thins.

JEWELED WINTER FRUIT SALAD

Yield: 8 servings
Serving size: ½ cup

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups fresh cubed pineapple or one 15-ounce can pineapple chunks in their own juice, drained
2 seedless clementines, peeled and sectioned, or one 11-ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
½ cup grated coconut

DIRECTIONS:

• Toast coconut in a dry skillet for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, then remove from pan and let cool.
• Combine all of the fruit in a bowl and toss gently. Serve with grated coconut on top.

All recipes courtesy of Robyn Flipse, registered dietitian