Summertime Drinks that Won’t Bust Your Diet or Your Waistline

Marlayna — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:35:41 +0000

Summertime brings on a “fun vacation” type feeling that involves many get togethers, trips, and the goal of achieving the ultimate relaxation. Sitting by the pool enjoying a fruity drink with an umbrella seems like a great idea, but don’t forget about the 500 plus calories, with the majority coming from dare I say it, sugar!

Summertime drinks that won’t bust your diet or your waistline.

Crystal Light is a great low calorie fruity mixer, with flavors like strawberry lemonade, iced tea, and punch. Just add your choice of alcohol and enjoy. Remember the 1 ½ oz shot of liquor still provides a whooping 100 calories, so moderation is key!
Spritzers are another great option. Just mix red, white, or rose wine with club soda and add a twist of lime. The smaller portion of wine will help keep your calories lower along with your weight.
Be sure to have a glass of water on the side of any alcoholic beverage. This will allow you to enjoy sipping your alcoholic beverage while drinking the water for your thirst and hydration, a perfect balance.
Light beers are about half the calories of regular beers, seems like a no-brainer! Your taste buds will adjust and your trimmer figure will thank you.
Light orange juice is a great way to lower the calories in your mimosa. As far as the champagne, remember the drier the champagne, the higher the calories.
Other great mixers include diet tonic water, diet soda, diet caffeine free sodas, and water.

Enjoying an alcoholic beverage can be a nice refreshing summertime treat, but be sure to drink responsibly, not only for your safety, but for your waistline too.

By Emily Barr, MS, RD, CNSC

Want More?? Check out these posts from Emily…

Meet Emily

Best Defense Against Cellulite

Water Filled Summer

Value Menu-Eat now, Pay later

Different ages, different requirements to be healthy

Kids Really Do Like Fruits and Vegetables

Spring into Green

Getting Rid of the Jiggle Around Your Middle

Marlayna — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:14:39 +0000

By Emily Barr, MS,RD,CNSC

Whether you have a little extra around the middle, a muffin top, a little baby fat, a spare tire, love handles, or a beer belly, you need to know you are at risk!

Some of these terms of endearment, or some not so glamorous terms for extra weight around the waistline, are actually a big red flag of danger! We call this central adiposity or AKA belly fat. This is the fat that unfortunately made a home around your belly button and is the most scary type of fat of all. It increases your risks of heart disease (heart attack and stroke), cancer, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and metabolic syndrome to name a few. The feat of losing the weight around your midsection may seem difficult and frustrating at times, but what if we let you in on a little secret?

Research shows that adults who ate a low-calorie diet including at least 3 servings of dairy, lost more weight! Oh and wait, that’s not all. These adults also had lower blood pressure, risk of obesity, lower risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, stronger teeth and bones, and lower risk of heart disease and stroke. It seems like an obvious solution for that extra jiggle in our middles and our commitment to better health.

So are you ready to add some extra dairy to your day? Try having 3 or more servings a day! One serving is equal to one cup of milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, or pudding. You can also get your daily servings of dairy from cheese. It’s easy; 1 oz (about the size of 4 dice) of cheese equals 1 daily serving of dairy. Choose the low-fat or nonfat versions to help control your overall calorie and fat intakes. Here are some ideas to help you eat more dairy to lose more weight!

Use milk in place of water when making hot cereals, hot chocolate, and soups
Make yogurt parfaits with low-fat yogurt topped with cereal
Make smoothies with yogurt, low-fat milk, fruits and for a bonus a spoonful of flaxseed!
Use plain nonfat yogurt in place of sour cream for dips and sauces.
Have high calcium snacks on hand such as yogurts, string cheese, low-fat pudding.
Add low-fat cottage cheese to your salads.
Add a little light chocolate syrup to your low-fat or nonfat milk.
Try fruit or vegetable and cheese kabobs for a fun treat!

Whether you enjoy your low-fat smoothie, chocolate milk, or reduced fat cheese, remember 3 servings a day in combination with a healthy diet will help reduce your belly fat!

In honor of National Dairy Month, I would like for all of us to raise our nice frosty mugs of milk and toast to losing that jiggle around your middle!