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"Labor Day" is almost upon us and most of us
will look forward to our last official Summer barbeque with lots of food.
Since many of us are still concerned about overeating (even though
we can pack away the bathing suits) while we want to enjoy ourselves,
let's look at a few tools that might help us to tame our appetite. After all,
there's always a holiday, event, and celebration we can overeat
at!
To tame our appetite,
let's
- Not go to the party hungry!
Let's eat often before the party, starting with breakfast. If we
save our appetite for the barbeque it can result in our eating too much.
Can we remember how much we ate the last time we arrived for a party
hungry?
- Not have the first drink on an empty
stomach. Some alcohol is absorbed through the tongue and stomach
before it reaches our small intestine, and alcohol is absorbed much more
quickly through the tummy when it's empty! Remember eating and drinking more
when the first drink hit quickly? Let's drink lots of water in-between sips of
our alcoholic drinks as well, and all day long.
- Put all our food on one plate.
When we keep going back to the grill for individual foods, our brain
is less likely to register how much we've eaten. So, even when we make
that second plate, let's pile it on all at once.
- Bring a healthy low fat dish
to the party. When we bring our own side dish or entree to the
party, we can fill up on our own low calorie food (this might
help us to eat a little less of the high calorie foods). We can try my
two-thirds rule, which is two- thirds low fat foods on the plate to
one-third anything goes. We'll be a great guest; we'll encourage others to be
a bit healthier, and we'll have more control over our "environmental eating"
too. I once brought a great fresh fruit boat filled with fresh fruit in a
carved watermelon which was a big hit. Then I was able to add a small
scoop if ice-cream on top of my fruit with a sliver of pie on the
plate which made my dessert look huge!
- Go Lean. Let's choose lean
meats as much as possible. Beef Tenderloin, chicken breasts
(without the skin of course), salmon or tuna
steaks with veggies such as corn on the cob, all taste great grilled
and are lower in calories and fat than hamburgers and hotdogs. Want a
hamburger too? Let's make small hamburgers (3 oz. is the portion
size recommended) instead of those fast food super-size ones that
have contributed to America's weight concerns.
- Be Active. Let's swim,
play hoops, even fidget! Don't forget, when we move we burn more
calories.
Here's to a Happy, Healthy, Fun Labor
Day!
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As founder and director of The Nutrition at E.K.C. in New York City, June provides counseling in several specialized areas including Health & Fitness Assessments, weight loss, and sports nutrition for the active.
June's background includes her educational and practical experience which spans Exercise Science, Nutrition, and Behavioral Science. She is certified as a Lifestyle Counselor by the A
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