Skip the dieting & eat well

Charlyn Fargo, Contributor

Gloria Tsang doesn't believe in dieting. In fact, she authored a book about getting healthy while avoiding diets. She focuses on 50 small actions for lasting weight loss. Tsang is a registered dietitian who got her start helping her father live through a cancer diagnosis.

"Dad had radiation daily and I would stay in the waiting room, talking with others who started asking me nutrition questions," said Tsang. "I had all this knowledge I loved to share on a website, and I decided to put it in a book."

She called it Go Undiet (published by Healthcastle.com).

"It's all about small actions - not counting calories," said Tsang. "It's for those who are diet-fatigued."

Raisins or grapes?

Are raisins as healthy a fruit choice as grapes?

A Grapes have high water content, which gives them few calories in filling, large portions and makes them an excellent choice to include in meals and snacks. Since raisins are dried fruit, their calories are more concentrated than the grapes from which they are produced, so portion control is important. One serving (quarter cup) of raisins has 129 calories compared to 87 calories in one (three-quarter cup) serving of grapes.

But overall, nutrient levels are similar. Raisins are a concentrated source of natural sugar. However, studies suggest they raise blood sugar only moderately and do not stimulate secretion of large amounts of insulin. This could be because of their soluble fibre, which slows the speed at which raisins' carbohydrate can be absorbed. Even in their small, one-quarter cup, serving size, raisons are high in antioxidant phytochemicals such as flavonoids and phenolic acids.

Most California raisins turn their dark colour as they are dried naturally in the sun. During this time, resveratrol (a phenol) found on grape skins is destroyed. Golden seedless raisins are dried on racks sent through tunnels where hot air circulates around. They are exposed to sulfur dioxide gas to prevent oxidation and preserve their light colour. Because of this difference in production, golden raisins are even higher in antioxidants than dark raisins, and they do contain a small amount of resveratrol. Both are excellent choices and add a nutritious, naturally sweet boost to oatmeal, salads and rice, or even dishes like casseroles and chili.

Information courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Here are her top 10 small actions to undiet:

1. Start undieting: Stop yo-yo dieting and stop following a diet plan.

2. Start one change per week: Start with avoiding fat-free foods. "What I found is that fat-free saves fewer than 20 calories and it's so much more artificial. If you crave ice cream, go for it, just eat less."

3. Keep a food journal.

4. Skip low-sugar and low-fat products.

5. Avoid products with cartoon characters on the box. "The cartoon characters cereal typically has sugar as the first or second ingredients - it's candy. What I recommend is don't ask your kids to go cold turkey - mix the sugary cereals with the high-fibre cereals at first."

6. Check both the nutrition facts panel and the ingredients list.

7. Go un-palm: "It's the highly processed stuff," said Tsang. "Trans fat is hard to find anymore but it's been replaced with palm oil. The moment you see palm on the label, you know it's highly processed. Remember, no solid fats are good for you."

8. Uncover whole: Look for the word 'whole' in the ingredients list and don't limit whole grains to breakfast.

9. Be unafraid of meat: It's not as high in fat or calories as many junk foods, she says.

10. Un-drink your calories: "Drinks are meant to hydrate us, not feed us, so they shouldn't be a big source of calories," she said.

 

Walnut and Rosemary Oven-Fried Chicken

This recipe for walnut and rosemary oven-fried chicken, from Cooking Light magazine, is a quick, healthy dinner for the family.

¹/⁴ cup low-fat buttermilk

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 (6-ounce) chicken cutlets

¹/³ cup panko

¹/³ cup finely chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

³/⁴ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

¹/⁴ teaspoon kosher salt

¹/⁴ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

Preheat
oven to 425 degrees. Combine buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish,
stirring with a whisk. Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, turning to
coat. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko to pan; cook
three minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Combine panko, nuts
and next four ingredients (through pepper) in a shallow dish. Remove
chicken from buttermilk mixture; discard buttermilk mixture. Dredge
chicken in panko mixture. Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet.
Coat sheet with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on rack; coat chicken
with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 13 minutes or until done.
Serves four.

Per serving: 292 calories, 42.7 g protein, 6.8 g carbohydrate, 9.6 g fat, 101 mg cholesterol, .9 g fibre, 471 mg sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian from Springfield, Ill. For
comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com. To find out more
about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at
www.creators.com.