5 tips to follow through with your new years resolution

Most people's new years resolution consist of losing weight but those same people also lose that goal by mid February. To make sure your resolution sticks throughout the year here are five simple steps.

1. Create a food diary.
- Documenting what you eat on a daily basis can show you your progress and motivate you to make better choices for the days to come.

*Document everything you consume: water, food, juice etc. as well as serving sizes.

2. Document your physical activity.
- This allows you to establish a workout routine and even monitor your exercising so you can always switch it up to constantly challenge your muscles and boost your metabolism.

          *My motto is breaking a sweat 5 times a week is good enough to get your metabolism working faster.

3. Give yourself 1-2 cheat days.
- Allow yourself a day or two to reward your hardwork. This will not only make you feel more accomplished but as if you are not restricting your favorite foods, just limiting them.
         *I like saturdays and sundays as my cheat days because those are the days that most people go out to eat.

4. Use smaller portion sizes.
- By using smaller plates or bowls you are less likely to overeat and to have seconds.
       *I pack a lunch for the following day the night before so that I am more likely to eat healthy and less likely to eat fast foods.

5. Only weigh yourself once a week.
- Make sure to weigh yourself once a week and always at the same time of day to properly monitor weight loss or gain.
      *The best time to weigh yourself is first thing in the morning without clothes on and after using the bathroom for your true weight.

**Most important thing is to make these dietary choices a lifestyle and not a "diet" because if you can do that it wont be a chore that can better your weight and ultimately your health.

"Food Matters" The Documentary, a MUST see!

    The 2008 documentary Food Matters directed by James Colquhoun and Carlo Ledesma focuses on the basis that we are what we eat.

  The documentary begins with a quote from Hippocrates:

"Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine, And Thy Medicine Be Thy Food." 

  The documentary poses the question that our health is not being cured but treated by these various medications. The point of curing something is being able to look at the root of the problem. Food dictates our overall health and can be very instrumental in how our life will play out. Dr. Gerson's daughter in the movie states that her father believed that a doctors responsibility is to activate the body's innate ability to heal itself. Therefore we have to look at what is causing our bodes to fail at this.  

  The nutrients that we get from foods are necessary for the millions of chemical reactions that happen in our bodes and by the time we get the food and eat it there is only about 40% of the nutrients being provided meaning 60% of the nutrients were lost during production. David Wolfe of World Authority on Raw Foods & Superfoods talks about how 51% of your plate should be raw foods and one of the reasons is because every time you cook food you are actually modifying the nutritional value of it. The heat denatures (kills) the enzymes that facilitate digestion and initiate an immune response once we eat it.  This process is known as digestive leukocytosis discovered by Dr Paul Kouchakoff in 1930. This can keep our immune responses in a constant state of emergency and in the long run can make them weaker. 

   Andrew W Saul Ph.D, Therapeutic Nutrition Specialist and Author also talks about the impact of vitamins on our health. Two examples he gave were the affect of Niacin used to treat depression and high does of Vitamin C and cancer. The affects of niacin were found a long time ago when Bill W. created alcoholics anonymous and was instructed to treat their inevitable depression with Niacin which had some great results. Unfortunately doctors do not recognize this as a means of treatment but it has had its success. These are high does of niacin of course and depends on the patient. Andrew Saul also mentions how two handfuls of cashews offer the same effect as 1 pill of prozac a depression drug. His next point was that of Vitamin C and it's extended roles specifically with cancer. Andrew said that it has been suggested and even used that high does of Vitamin C given intravenously can alter the state of cancer as opposed to injected another carcinogen to fight the cancer such as chemotherapy. Although these theories are not practiced by physicians it is also stated that there are very few doctors who have any nutritional experience. 

  The movie highlighted many interesting points about how our food and the nutrients they provide are the foundation to our longevity and health.  They mention how cardiovascular disease can be reversed when making drastic lifestyle changes in food and physical activity. Food is something that we all need to survive and many people's chronic illnesses, diseases and such are caused by the malnutrition or deprivation of necessary nutrients. Something simple as water is an example when most people don't get nearly as much of it as we should. High fiber diets have also been associated with decreasing the chance of colon cancer because it flushes the toxins out of our bodies. Water and fiber can get the toxins out of your body quicker whether it be through urine or feces. This is one of our bodies unique ways in which it protects us. 

   This movies was more than informative but an eye opener on not only how we should treat our bodies but how we should educate ourselves. As an aspiring dietitian I think it is important for people to know that they can better themselves by eating better and being an educated consumer. For more information about Food Matters and the movie check out the website: http://www.foodmatters.tv/index. 

Happy New Year! ~2012

  Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year! Most resolutions involve losing weight, make yours being healthy. Don't ever change your eating habits to just lose weight remember that thin people can be unhealthy as well. Make 2012 the year to put yourself and your health first. Once you do that it's easier to achieve any other goals.