Food Pyramids

  • July 17, 2010 12:10 pm

I just read an article that discussed all of the different food pyramids throughout the world and found it interesting how generally similar all of them are.

Every single pyramid has vegetable, fruits, and grains as making up the largest portions of the diet.  Seeing this truly makes me wonder how the Atkin’s diet ever got so huge in the US.  It is interesting how much we focus on protein and meats.  I like to think that this is changing and that we are beginning to stress the importance of vegetables and fruits, which should really make up the bulk of our diets.

Just thought I would share.

Cheers,

Dana

The Secret Behind Weight Loss Plateaus

  • April 3, 2010 1:35 pm

I am in the middle of reading a 100 page article on weight loss and weight maintenance, and I thought I might share some interesting information.  If you or someone you love is overweight and has attempted to lose weight, you probably know about that plateau that is reached about 6 months in, where you are still doing all the same things to lose the weight, but it suddenly stops coming off.  This is all part of the process, and I will explain why it happens, but first I want to talk a little about the most successful way to lose weight. 

I am guessing that anyone who wants to lose a significant amount of weight would like to keep it off…forever.  But in most instances, this is not the case.  That is probably because the person tried a fad diet or weight loss pill, lost a bunch of weight pretty quickly, reached a plateau, gave up, and went back to eating the same way that they did before the diet.  Sound familiar?  I know that no one wants to hear it, but in order to lose weight and keep it off, you have to change your eating and activity levels FOREVER!!!!!  This is not meant to scare you, but just to give you a little dose of reality.  I mean, doesn’t it make perfect sense?

So, the key is to start off slowly and, to quote What About Bob, take baby steps.  Do not make any seriously drastic changes that you do not see yourself sticking with for the rest of your life.  The goal is to lose no more than 1 to 2 lbs. per week, depending on how much weight you need to lose.  Studies have shown that people who lose weight at this slow rate are much more successful in keeping it off.  It should take about 6 months to lose 10% of your body weight.  Just remember that you are in it for the long haul.  You are not going to get skinny overnight, but you will eventually lose the weight and hopefully keep it off so that you do not ever have to go through this again.

Okay, now about that plateau.   The bigger and heavier a person is, the more calories their body burns in order to function in everyday life.  This is why a large framed  6′4″ male needs to eat a whole lot more calories than a small framed 5′3″ femalehttp://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/Documents/Images/Image%20Vegetables.jpg (which is so unfair, right ladies).   Larger people need more fuel to function, and they burn more calories just walking around because of the heavier weight they are carrying.  This is also why it is especially important for people who require only about 1500 calories a day to make sure that the calories are coming from nutrient dense foods, in order to get all of the essentials that we need everyday.

So now lets figure these facts into a heavy individual that is trying to lose weight.  Once the person has lost about 10% of their body weight, they no longer need as many calories for their bodies to function, and they are actually burning less calories when dong physical activities because they are not carrying as much weight.  Does this make sense?  So at this point, the best thing to do is take about 3 – 6 months to just maintain this new weight.  This is the most discouraging part, and this is most often where we lose people.  But if a person can stick it out, then it is more likely that a true lifestyle change is taking place.  Once this new way of living becomes easier and the person is ready to move forward, they can reduce their caloric intake and increase physical activity once more.

And there you have it.  The key is to continue adjusting to compensate for a new body size, and eventually a healthy weight will be attained and maintained.  I hope that no one found this discouraging.  Of course it is hard work, and American society makes it even harder with convenience food and ways to avoid exercise.  This is one of my favorite/least favorite examples of this.http://jaysolomon.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/exercise.jpg

Do not be one of those people…seriously.  If any of you ever have questions about weight loss or anything, let me know.  I am more than happy to help.  Just dig down deep and believe in yourself.  Anything is possible.

Cheers,

Dana

P.S.  I finally added a link so that you can get emails when I write a new post.  If you are interested, just click the Subscribe link on my menu bar at the top.  Thanks for reading!  =)

Easter Goodies

  • March 31, 2010 8:09 pm

I don’t know what types of food are incorporated into your Easter celebrations, but I am going to guess that chocolate in involved somewhere; most likely in the form of an egg, or maybe a bunny.  Why do all holidays entail excess amounts of delicious energy dense, nutrient deficient foods?  The problem that I encounter on holidays such as these, is that I absolutely love to bake, and holidays are a great excuse for me to share whatever goodies I create; but I do not want to give a bunch of unhealthy food to those that I love and care for the most.  I was really torn this year because my family likes to exchange Easter basket gifts, and as Khris and I are on a tight budget, baking is pretty much the only gift I can offer.  I racked my brain for a fun healthy dessert to make and eventually came up with a good one.  Chocolate and candy covered pretzels!  Okay, so it’s not the absolute healthiest, but I didn’t have to add butter to it, so that is a big plus in my book.  Here are the ingredients I bought:

I started by melting the chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove.

While the chocolate was melting, I layed out parchment paper and put my toppings out onto plates. (I will use a flatter surface next time, though.)

Once the chocolate was melted I covered 3/4 of a pretzel stick in chocolate and rolled it in one of the toppings.  I did this with all of them, giving each one of the five toppings I picked out (mini chocolate chips, coconut, heath toffee bits, nuts, and peanut butter chips).  Okay, so they weren’t healthy at all, but they sure were yummy.

I put one of each flavor into little easter gift bags and tied them with ribbon.

They were so much fun to make (and eat), and I think I might be revisiting this recipe again sometime in the future.   While pretzels are not as healthy a snack as some have come to believe over the years (they do not have much fiber or anything), they are not that bad either.  You could make these treats a little healthier by substituting the candy for things like raisins or any kind of nuts.  Of course, it is best to use dark chocolate, as it has less fat and more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate.  Considering my baking specialties are chocolate cookies, huge cupcakes, and delicious blondies (my mother-in-laws recipe is to die for), I felt a little less guilt sharing these treats with my family.

Have a Happy Easter!

Cheers,

Dana

Do You Eat Your Essential Amino Acids?

  • March 25, 2010 8:10 am

I was just looking through one of my best friend, Taryn’s, blog that she shares with her friend Krissy, and found a super easy recipe made with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) that Krissy posted.  It makes quite a bit so you can use it for a few meals.  Taryn said she made it using only the quinoa,  beans, and just a little bit of salsa, and then used leftovers to make salads, veggie burritos, and other fun meals to mix it up a little.  I can’t wait to try this one.  You can’t beat a quick, easy, and healthy recipe.

Have you ever had quinoa?  It is a really healthy grain that is a complete protein. Proteins are made up of chains of a combination of 20 different amino acids.  There are 8 essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce, and therefore need to be taken in through our diet.  For a food to be a complete protein, it has to have all 8 of the these essential amino acids.   All meats are complete proteins, but we can find complete protein in none meat foods as well.  You can also learn what different combinations of foods make up a complete protein, like rice and beans for example.

The important thing for vegetarians to do is to educate themselves so that they do not become deficient in any essential nutrients.  Here are a couple of good books for vegetarians to read to learn how to maintain a healthy diet.  Becoming Vegetarian is a book that was just put out by the American Dietetic Association, and The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without is a cookbook I found on Carrots “N” Cake.  I haven’t bought it yet, but it is definitely on my list.  I am not trying to tell everyone that they should become vegetarian.  I just think it’s really important to eat lots and lots of veggies because they are super healthy and practically calorie free.

Anyway, give the quinoa a try.  I think you’ll like it.

Cheers,

Dana

“Eating Animals”

  • March 23, 2010 8:44 pm

Have any of you read “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran?  I have not read it yet, but he was on Ellen recently and I really liked what he had to say.  Click on the link below to listen to what he had to say.

http://www.thekindlife.com/post/watch-jonathan-safran-foer-on-ellen

I am not vegetarian, but I have definitely cut back on my animal consumption.  As Ellen mentions, Americans really do have a bit of a protein obsession and most of us eat way way more protein than we need.  The recommended daily allowance is 0.8 grams of protein per kg of body weight.  To figure out your weight in kg, just divide your weight in lbs. by 2.2.  For instance, I am 52 kg and when I multiply that by 0.8, I get 42.

That means I only need 42 grams of protein each day.  It is pretty easy to get 43 grams from eating a vegetarian diet, as long as I include legumes, nuts, dairy, and protein rich carbohydrates.   I usually eat chicken and fish when I do eat meat, because they are the leanest meats, which gives me more nutrients per calorie.

The only part of this video that I had trouble with was when he talks about how he started the research for his book by talking to a bunch of top nutritionists, and he said you cannot find a reputable nutritionist that isn’t being paid to have a different opinion.  First of all, the fact that he calls them nutritionists shows a bit of ignorance right away.  How can you write a book about healthy food and not know that the leading nutrition professionals are registered dietitians, not nutritionists.  Secondly, I have met, heard lectures from, and read articles by many dietitians who say that you can be just as healthy being a vegetarian as those who eat meat.  It just takes being educated in what nutrients your body needs and how to get those nutrients from non-animal foods.  So if you can cancel out this part of the segment, he has some good points.

Oh Oatmeal, I’ve Missed You So

  • March 16, 2010 9:48 pm

I know that I write about breakfast a lot, but it is the most important meal of the day, and I just really love it.  Breakfast is the one meal where I find a dish that I love, and I eat it everyday for months, until I find a new item that I love.  I have spent the past 4 or 5 months loving my frozen whole wheat waffles topped with Greek yogurt, blueberries, wheat germ, and sliced almonds, and I was not ready to move on from this one, except that Trader Joe’s no longer carries the Van’s Multi-grain Waffles that I loved!  They have replaced them with their own name brand multi-grain waffles that have 50 more calories than the Van’s brand!  Needless to say, I am a little ticked off about this; but when one door closes, another one always opens, right?  Well, in my current case, another door has re-opened, as I have recently rediscovered my past love of oatmeal.

It seriously gets me out of bed in the morning.  Of course, I jazz it up a bit.  Here is my recipe:

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup 1% milk
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup water
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 2 Tbs. wheat germ
  • a sprinkle of cinnamon
  • 1 heaping Tbs. chunky peanut butter

I just cook everything except for the peanut butter on the stove and then add the PB and watch it melt into the oatmeal.

Mmmm, it’s so yummy!  Don’t be afraid to get creative with your oats.  Here are a bunch of fun additions to try that I found on another food blog.

  • blueberries, and strawberries
  • cocoa powder, banana, and peanut or almond butter
  • blueberries cooked in and then peanut butter and jelly added
  • flax meal and chopped pear, topped with cinnamon and soy milk
  • pumpkin and cinnamon
  • protein powder
  • blueberries and ricotta
  • soaked chia seeds
  • topped with dried for fresh fruit and nuts

Enjoy!

TIPS FOR A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE

So I finally got a job!  Yay me!!!!  I am officially working for SOSMentor (the non-profit that I was doing volunteer work for at Gerts-Ressler High School) in their office in Calabasas.  Now that I have an office job where I will be sitting at a computer 20 hours a week, on top of sitting in classrooms and at my desk studying 40 hours a week, I need to find little ways to keep myself fit.  Once I establish a consistent schedule, I will adopt a work out routine, but until then I am trying to get creative.  I always park in one of the furthest lots at school so that it takes me 10-15 minutes to walk to class.  I never take elevators or escalators if I have the option of taking the stairs, and if I do have to take an escalator, I walk it up.  One of my biggest pet peeves is people who just stand on escalators, especially if they are in my way.  I also do a lot of stretching while sitting at my desk.  I know these are very small things, but every little bit helps, right?  Do you have any good suggestions on ways to keep moving while living a sedentary lifestyle?

VEGGIE VIXON

I just have to share the costume I wore to my nephew, Gavin’s, 3rd birthday party.  He had a super hero party this past weekend, and a lack of money to go out and buy awesome costumes forced us to get creative.

I am veggie vixon and I fight heart disease, cholesterolemia, free radicals, and stuff like that.  But, actually, everyone called me Lady Gaga all day.  I don’t think Gavin ever did figure out that it was me under that white wig.

Khris was Shutterman because he was the photographer for the party.  So, really, we just went as glorified versions of ourselves.  It was fun.

ON ANOTHER NOTE

Just a heads up for those of you with light skin like mine, make sure you see a dermatologist at least once a year.  I just went and they found some skin cancer on my scalp.  Actually, I felt it about a month ago and the Dr. wasn’t even going to check my scalp before I mentioned it.  It is good to be aware of your body and to stay on top of your health.  Since I caught it so early, it was no big deal.  He removed it in about 2 minutes and I just have to make sure it doesn’t grow back.

Cheers,

Dana

A Few Good Things About Winter.

  • March 9, 2010 11:13 pm

This past weekend I decided that I needed take advantage of the winter vegetables while they are still around.  So Saturday, while I went to work, my amazing husband went to the farmer’s market and picked out some fresh root vegetables, some broccoli, more kale to make kale chips, and a few other freshies.  When I got home that evening we each tackled our own recipes for dinner.  Khris made his amazing buffalo chicken wings and I decided to roast some of my veggies.

Khris had bought baby beets,  parsnips,  sweet potatoes, and a huge bunch of brocolli with the stems still on.

If you have never dealt with beets before, I just want to let you know that they are not as scary as they look.  You just cut the ends off, skin them with a knife, and cut into cubes.

Here is the super simple recipe:

Roasted Winter Vegetables

  • 3-4 beats, cubed
  • 3-4 medium sized parsnips, cubed
  • 2 small sweet potatoes or yams, cubed with skins still on for fiber
  • 1 large bunch of long stemmed broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
  • 20-30 small brussel sprouts (we forgot these, but I bet they would make an awesome addition)
  • 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper, and any other seasonings you might be craving
  1. Preheat oven to 400F
  2. In a large bowl toss the veggies with the oil and salt and pepper and optional seasonings to taste.
  3. Throw the veggies into a roasting pan and cover with foil
  4. Bake for 40-45 minutes

That’s it!  It was so simple, healthy, and yummy; and it made enough for us to eat them the following three days.  Don’t be afraid to get creative with different seasonal veggies you see and hear about.  The more variety you eat, the broader the range of vitamins and minerals you are feeding your body.  Do you have any favorite winter vegetable recipes?

Eco Tips

One of my best friends, Katie, just started a blog a few weeks ago called It’s Lovely Lately, and one thing she really focuses on is the environment.  Check out her blog post titled Go Green…Today to find out simple ways that you can make a difference.  Her tips really opened my eyes to how needlessly wasteful I am sometimes.  She also mentions a great movie that all pregnant woman should check out called The Business of Being Born.  She is a great writer and an awesome woman, so check it out.

I want  to thank those of you who gave a donation toward my 5K and to the Shape Up program through SOSMentor.  I am so excited to be a part of this amazing program and your generosity will be put toward great things.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Cheers,

Dana

P.S.  Just wanted to show you my Oscar hair.

The Governor’s Ball was a 1930’s theme and I tried to do the cool waves that the ladies donned back in the day.  It didn’t look very dramatic when I did it, but once the hair dresser played with it a little, it looked much cooler.  Yes, I said hairdresser!  They actually had hair and makeup people come in to style all of the Wolfgang Puck Employees.  It was a fun night.

Quiche, Kids, and Cravings…Oh My!

  • March 3, 2010 11:16 pm

The blog world is so awesome.  I find fun healthy recipes and ideas from other foodies, I tweak them around a little to make them as healthy as possible, and then I get to share them with you.  I love it!  Tina at Carrots ‘N’ Cake had another awesome idea last week.  She had found a recipe for a Deep-Dish Polenta Pizza and decided to turn it into a breakfast quiche.  I love quiche, but I rarely eat it because of that flakey buttery crust that usually adorns it, so I thought polenta was a great substitute.  Of course I tweaked a few things and it turned out really good.

Polenta Quiche

  • 1 cup polenta (we used Trader Joe’s pre-cooked organic polenta)
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I am going to try feta next time because it’s lower in calories)
  • 1/3 cup onions, chopped
  • 2/3 cup mushrooms, sliced or cubed
  • 2 links of chicken sausage, cubed (we used Trader Joe’s Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausage)
  • 2 big handfuls of baby spinach
  • 4 eggs + 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup nonfat milk
  • salt and pepper
  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Mix the polenta and the cheese together with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper (throw it in the microwave for 1 minute to soften everything up more optimum mixing).
  3. Spread the polenta along the bottom and up the sides of a lightly oiled pie pan.
  4. In a nonstick fry-pan, saute the onions, mushrooms, and sausage until onions are almost soft.  Toss in the spinach and cook until slightly wilted and onions a completely soft.
  5. In a bowl combine the eggs and milk.  Then add the sausage mixture, a little more salt and pepper and wisk to together.
  6. Pour the mixture into the pie pan and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.

Mmmm, I am getting hungry just writing all of this.  It’s a pretty easy recipe and the entire quiche comes out to aroung 1200 calories.   So I figure if you divide it into 4 pieces, that is a lovely 300 calorie healthy breakfast.  Enjoy!

Community Volunteer Work

I have recently started mentoring kids at the Gerts Ressler High School in downtown Los Angeles about nutrition and exercise through a program called SOSMentor.  It is a 10 week program that kids volunteer to do where we mentor them for the first 5 weeks, and then the high school kids go to either an elementary school or a junior high school and they mentor the kids at the new school for the next 5 weeks.  It seems like an awesome program and I am so excited to be a part of it.  Working with kids through the school system and through community organizations is another aspect of nutrition that I really want to focus on in my career, so this is great experience for me.

One of the coolest parts of the program is that we all get to participate in a 5K run/walk around Dodger Stadium to help raise money for the organization.  I figure if I am going to sit there and tell these kids how to live a healthy lifestyle, I better get my booty out there with them and practice what I preach.  If you would like to help sponsor me, I would really appreciate it.  The minimum we each need to raise is $45, so any little bit would help.  I have never been in any sort of race before, so I am really excited.  Unfortunately I haven’t ran in quite a while, so I better get out there and get my lethargic little body geared up .  Thanks guys!!

Late Night Cravings Tip

First off I want to say I really do not condone late night snacking.  It is not because of the old myth that you will get fatter that way, because energy in is energy in, no matter when it is consumed.  The problem with late night snacking is that going to bed with a full tummy leads to restless sleep and indigestion.  The whole point of sleeping is to turn everything off and give your body a rest.  They are usually unneeded calories and, if you’re like most people, you wake up the next morning feeling kind of yucky.  But I know there are going to be times where you just need to eat something sweet or comforting in that void between dinner and bedtime, or maybe you had a really early dinner and your stomach is rumbling hours later.  If this is the case, I have heard of a pretty decent late night snack that won’t put you completely over the edge.  Chocolate Cheerios are new on the market and with only 100 calories and 9 grams of sugar per 3/4 cup serving, it could be a good alternative to a bowl of ice cream or a slice of pie.  Especially when you use nonfat or 1% milk instead of 2% or whole milk.  Again, it is best to ignore these late night cravings, but if you absolutely must, aim for something that will satisfy your belly without sabotaging your waist.

Who Eats 3/4 Cup of Cereal?

  • February 28, 2010 5:24 pm

When you are at the store shopping for a food product, how many of you actually read the nutrition facts?  I am guessing that, in this day and age, most of you do.  Okay, then how many of you really look at the serving size, go home, and measure that out exactly?  If you do, you might be surprised at how little the serving size amount actually is.  The FDA regulates the serving size amounts saying that ice cream should be 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup, cereal should be 3/4 cup or 1 cup, etc.

These amounts were chosen in the 70’s when people ate smaller portions.  It’s kind of crazy that they have not updated these amounts for 30-40 years to reflect the times, but there is now talk about them changing the serving sizes to more realistic amounts.

At first I was somewhat disturbed by this, because people should not be eating more than what was eaten in the 70’s!  But then reality set in (no one actually pays any attention to the serving size) and I started to see the bright side of this.  People will be able to see the amount of calories that they are truly consuming and maybe they will start doing some comparison shopping and making better decisions.  And maybe certain companies that make unhealthy products will begin to loose money and the companies making healthy products will thrive.  And then, maybe, all food companies will begin to make healthier foods!  Wouldn’t that be great!  Am I living in a dream world?

Well, whether the FDA decides to make the change or not, we should all be completely conscious of  the suggested serving size and shop and eat accordingly.

Are You or Someone You Love Pregnant?

I am currently studying about nutrition during and after pregnancy and am completely enthralled.   The average woman is only supposed to gain 25 – 35 lbs. throughout the entire pregnancy, and even less if she goes into the pregnancy overweight.  There is way too much information that I would love to share on this subject, so instead I will direct you toward some great sources that can help women feel comfortable and knowledgeable about what she should be eating.  There is a new book that the American Dietetic Association has put out called Expect the Best that talks about nutrition and exercise for before, during, and after pregnancy.  You can also go to the pregnancy page of the MyPyramid website and get lots of great guidance.  I think that one of the most important things that I could stress is to breastfeed.  It is so important to the babies health and well being.  I am actually considering becoming a lactation consultant when I grow up (hehe).  Please feel free to ask my any questions you might have about healthy pregnancy or anything else you can think of.

Cheers,

Dana

Who Needs Star Cafe?

  • February 26, 2010 9:35 pm

In our cute little home town of Montrose, California, we have a quaint restaurant called Star Cafe.  Every time we eat there, my mom and I split their delicious BBQ Chicken Salad.  Now that I live in West LA and can no longer afford to eat out,  I have sporadically found myself longing for that delicious salad.  Then, a couple of days ago, I got inspiration from a show on the Food Network to make my own BBQ chicken salad.  It was so easy and inexpensive, and, oh-my-gosh, was it delicious!

I have to apologize for the unappetizing photos.  I have been taking the pics with my iphone recently because it’s so convenient, but I should really start using Khris’s cameras more often.

Anyway, here is the recipe:

  • 1 head or 2 hearts of romaine lettuce (cut, rinsed, and dried)
  • 1 bunch of cilantro ( cut, rinsed, and dried)
  • 1/2 cup corn (we used frozen and thawed it)
  • 1/2 cup black beans (we used canned and we drained them)
  • 1/2 avocado (cubed)
  • 1 small tomato (cubed) – this was omitted from our salad because our tomato was moldy=(
  • 1/4 jicama (cut into thin strips or cubes) – optional
  • 1 chicken breast
  • BBQ sauce
  • 1 whole wheat tortilla
  • olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • light or fat free ranch dressing
  1. Toss the first 7 ingredients in a salad bowl with a little bit of low fat ranch dressing and a little bit of BBQ sauce.
  2. Cook the chicken any way you like with BBQ sauce.  Here is how Khris did it:  Place the frozen breast in a small saute pan with a little bit of oil, cover, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Flip over and cook another 5 minutes.  Move the chicken breast to a cutting board and cut into cubes.  Return chicken to pan and add 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce.  Saute until chicken is cooked through.
  3. To make the tortilla chip strips cut the whole wheat tortilla into strips about 1 1/2″ x 1/4″.  Place on a cookie sheet, spray lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and cook in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes.

That’s it.  It was really quick and easy to make, and it tasted so good.  Play around with the amounts of the ingredients because I am just guestimating here.  I didn’t actually measure anything.  We even added a little bit of pepper jack cheese at the last minute.  My main advise is to go really easy on the dressing, BBQ sauce, and olive oil.  This salad has so many good flavors going on that you do not want to go overboard on unhealthy ingredients.  And if you are curious what the nutritional content of this salad is, just go to the Mixt Greens website and plug in the ingredients.  It doesn’t have all of the ingredients on their list, but you can get an idea.

Counting Calories

If you are like most people, counting calories probably sounds like a huge pain in the rear, but it can actually be a huge help if you’ve never done it before.  I remember when I took my first nutrition class 4 years ago, we had to keep a food journal and calculate all of the calories we consumed.  I was blown away by how many calories were in some of the foods that I ate everyday.  For instance, I used to always eat this amazing salad at the restaurant I used to work at, but after breaking down the ingredients and calculating the caloric content, I decided to make a lot of changes to the salad.   I figured out how to make the salad still taste excellent, but without all of the added fats.  After keeping that journal, I learned what to omit from my diet.  There are many websites out there to help you calculate, such as Calorie King,  My Food Diary, and The Calorie Counter, just to name a few.  Give it a shot if you are interested.

Another thing you can do is email me a list of what you normally eat in an average day, and I would be happy to calculate it for you and tell you where you might want to add certain nutrients and cut back on others.  If you decide to do this, try to be as specific as possible with ingredients and amounts.  And don’t forget to count those beverages.  Unless you are drinking water or unsweetened tea, you are most likely drinking calories.  Good luck.

Cheers,

Dana