Is what you're drinking helping or hindering your weight loss efforts?

What you drink does impact your calorie intake. The average American currently derives 21% of their caloric intake from beverages, which adds up to a whopping 464 calories a day! The majority of those are empty-calories coming from sweetened beverages.[i]

For a little perspective, decades ago, the earliest soft drinks were sold in 6.5-oz bottles (78-calories) and were a very occasional treat. Today the average soft drink serving is 21-ounces (up from 13.6 oz. in 1977), and clocks in at a whopping 252-calories. Not only that, but over the same time frame servings per day increased from 1.96 to 2.39.

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Stop Fighting Losing Battles with Food!

You will win the war by avoiding battles.

If humans were logical, there would be no argument regarding the fact that controlling what food is readily available to you is a smart thing to do. That’s not, however, what people tend to do. What is the most relied upon way of controlling what you eat? Willpower. What’s also the least effective form of what psychologists call “behavioral control?” Unfortunately, it's willpower.

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Banana Bread Mini-Muffins!

My family loves this banana bread recipe! While we usually make mini-muffins with it, you can also do regular (cup cake) size muffins, or loaves. This bread is moist and yummy--despite less oil and sugar--than many recipes, because of lots of banana. Quickbreads like this are easy, and there's nothing like the smell of home baking to bring a family together (in the kitchen)!

RECIPE: Dorene's Banana Bread!

Enjoy!
-Dorene

Spicy Pineapple Cole Slaw

This light and refreshing slaw comes together in just 15-minutes! To make a full meal, the slaw compliments chicken or beef nicely, then all you need is some brown rice. For a different twist, substitute a can of Mandarin oranges for the pineapple.

If this sounds good to you too, here's the recipe: Spicy Pineapple Slaw.

Enjoy!
-Dorene

Which Protein Foods are Best at Keeping Hunger Away?

Knowing something about appetite regulation will support your efforts at eating fewer calories over the course of the day, which translates directly into better success with weight loss or maintenance.

As I discussed in my recent blog 5 Things you Need to Know about Protein for Healthy Weight Loss  protein "stays with you longer" than "carbs" or fat. This characteristic of protein supports your efforts at eating fewer calories over the course of the day. That however is not the end of the story.

We also need to also look at which types of protein are most and least satiating. The first example is liquid proteins, which are a complete exception to the rule. Liquid proteins are NOT more satiating than the other macronutrients (carbohydrates and fat).

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