According to a Wikipedia article on the topic, the real issue is that no one can actually agree on a definition for the term "addiction."  I did find a pretty decent article from Penn State on sugar addiction.  If you're interested in the topic, I highly recommend you read it. It's only a page.

But on a more practical level, many people do feel as if they are totally addicted to sugar.  So if you fall in to that category here are a few bits of information and some strategies that may be helpful to you.

• The physiological consequences of eating candy, chocolate, and other high sugar foods are a rise in serotonin and endorphins which make you feel good.  This sensation doesn't last long and may be part of what encourages you to want to eat more of it.
• Consider the company you keep while eating high sugar foods. An encouraging companion, alcoholic beverage, or social occasion will encourage you to eat more.
• Create a healthy environment.  If you find that once you start eating sweets you just can't stop, consider what you keep stored at home.  Rather than a jumbo bag of M&Ms, go out and buy a small pack when a craving hits.
• If you find yourself reaching for sweets after every meal try skipping your sugary treat just once.  Distract yourself after your meal and check in a few hours later.  How do you feel?
• Try to eat chocolate mindfully with this exercise

These are just a handful of basic suggestions. If you feel like you have a serious addiction to sugar, consider working with a dietitian that has experience working with binge eating, emotional eating, compulsive eating, or disordered eating behaviors. A little structure, support, and guidance may be helpful.

So on this Valentine's Day select a small portion of your favorite treat, sit back, relax, be present, and enjoy.

According to the Associated Press:

Not that I'm defending Jillian, but duh!!!  I'm amazed at the number of false and flat out ridiculous claims that supplement makers advertise.  Unfortunately, the supplement industry is unregulated so false advertisers may get punished after the fact, but most get away with it.  Jillian Michaels just happens to be high profile enough.  But in my opinion, lawsuits for false advertising doesn't have enough.

The dieting industry is a money-making system. What I'm curious to know is why do Americans continue to pour their hard earned dollars into it?  According to Business Week the diet industry raked in 80 billion dollars in 2008.

If you want to invest in your health buy more produce, buy new walking shoes, hire a registered dietitian for a couple of nutrition counseling sessions but don't throw your money away for useless weight loss supplements!

The first time I used the pilaf I tried the recipe on the side of the box for Mediterranean Pilaf. It's incredibly easy and makes for fantastic leftovers.  With my busy schedule I'm constantly looking for recipes that I can serve for dinner, then eat for lunch the next couple of days.  I cut this recipe in half and it was great.  You may want to add in a can of black beans for more protein.

Ingredients
2 packets Kashi® 7 Whole Grain Pilaf
1 cup pine nuts (to reduce fat content, use ½ cup pine nuts)
2 cloves organic garlic, minced
6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1 teaspoon salt
2 bunches fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1 organic red bell pepper, diced
1 organic yellow bell pepper, diced
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Cook pilaf according to package instructions.
2. In a small skillet, dry toast the pine nuts over medium high heat, stirring continuously until they are golden brown and aromatic. Remove nuts from heat and set aside.
3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, chili flakes, salt, basil, pepper and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked Kashi Pilaf, pine nuts, bell peppers and sauce mixture. Mix well and serve.  

And for any of my readers that don't like or think they don't have time to cook...

One of the most common questions I get when helping my nutrition clients plan meals is:

What frozen foods (if any) do you recommend?  

My response: a frozen Kashi meal isn't a bad option.  I like them because the base of the meal is whole grains and they are fairly balanced in terms of carbohydrate, protein, and fat.  My suggestion is to serve with a side salad and a piece of fruit to round out your meal a bit. My personal favorite is the Black Bean Mango. It's awfully encouraging to read the ingredient list: whole grains, beans, water, veggies are the first 6 ingredients.  Cool.

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the United States yet it is one of the most preventable chronic diseases. The American Heart Association has a fun interactive quiz that will help you identify your risk for developing heart disease along with personalized recommendations to help you improve your heart health. 

One of the important components of a healthy heart is a healthy cholesterol profile.  The numbers below are for an ideal cholesterol profile:

*Total cholesterol <200

*LDL cholesterol (this is the bad stuff) <100

*HDL cholesterol  (this is the good stuff) > 60 

Aside from genetics, one of the only effective ways to increase your HDL or good cholesterol is through exercise.  And you can decrease your LDL or bad cholesterol quite dramatically through diet.

1.) Increase the amount of fruits and veggies you eat.

2.) Increase the amount of whole grains, beans, and legumes in your diet.

3.) Decrease the amount of animal products you consume especially high fat meats and dairy

4.) Avoid tobacco and keep alcohol intake to a single serving a day

Oats are a super-stellar food for helping to reduce unhealthy cholesterol.  It's high in soluble fiber, the gummy stuff that helps bind cholesterol circulating in your blood stream.  As a nutrition therapist in Cambridge, all of my clients are on the go and have a hard time fitting in a balanced breakfast.  Cooking up a batch of oatmeal and topping it with dried fruit and nuts it's a great way to start your day.  So, here's a simple way to add a tasty breakfast to your week that is both heart and budget friendly.

1.) Cook a batch of quick cooking oats according to package directions.  Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week but save time by cooking a bigger batch at once.

2.) If you want, use milk or orange juice to thin out your oatmeal and add a little flavor or creaminess.

3.) Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

4.) Top with walnuts or almonds and dried fruit

5.) Enjoy

But another way to reduce salt in your diet without sacrificing flavor is experimenting with an array of spices and seasonings.  The biggest mistake people when trying to reduce their salt intake is forgetting to substitute with other delicious flavors.

I recently received a packet in the mail from McCormick spice company. They are advertising their big "McCormick Spice Institute" campaign "Spices for Health." The McCormick Spice Institute website focuses on the research and science while the Spices for Health website is more practical application with recipes and tips.  

Tonight I made the Ginger Honey Glazed Salmon and it was absolutely scrumptious.  I made a couple of modifications, which I've noted.

Marinate then brush salmon with a mixture of honey, ginger, soy sauce and orange juice to give it a flavorful glaze. 

Makes 4 servings.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Refrigerate Time: 30 minutes

1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup reduced sodium or regular soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon McCormick® Ginger, Ground (I used fresh grated ginger)
1 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder (I used fresh garlic)
1 green onion, chopped
1 pound salmon fillets

1. Mix orange juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic powder and green onion in small bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade. Place salmon in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add remaining marinade; turn to coat well.

2. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Remove salmon from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. 

(Marci's note: I lined a baking dish with aluminum foil and actually baked the salmon in the marinade.)

3. Grill over medium-high heat 6 to 7 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily with a fork, basting occasionally with reserved marinade.

(Marci's note: I cooked at 375 degrees for about 15 min.)

Your Cambridge Dietitian,

Marci

Today I'd like to highlight a client I'll call Tricia. I've been working with Tricia for nearly 8 months.  She's battled bulimia for years, but her recent breakthrough is a lesson that applies to anyone looking to make positive change in their life.

In short, Tricia decided to become transparent with me, her therapist, and most importantly with herself.  She decided that in order to make any progress, she needed to be 100% honest and aware of her internal dialogue as well as her actions. As a result, she's made unbelievable progress. 

So I invite all of you to take a transparency check:

1.) Keep a thought log. Write down anything and everything that you think and feel about food in the course of a day. You will learn some fascinating information.

2.) Do you entertain thoughts that are half-truths in order to soothe, coddle, or distract yourself from reality?

3.) Are you honest with other people in your life as it relates to food?

Here are some examples of sugar-coated thoughts which stand in the way of progress:

• I don't need to make dinner tonight. It's been a rough day and I really deserve something indulgent.
• Another helping really isn't going to hurt. Even though I'm full, I had a good work out!
• I know I eat a lot of chocolate but it really does help me feel better. 

Note: all of the examples I gave reflect our tendency to meet our emotional needs with food. There is nothing inherently wrong with having some chocolate. The problem I'd like to highlight is the tendency we have to persuade ourselves that soothing, calming, and treating ourselves with food is ok.  The real problem is when these habits became frequent and deeply ingrained. Suddenly, food is our antidote for all of our emotional needs and none of those needs are getting met in a healthy way.

The first step to improving your relationship with food is honesty with yourself. Becoming more honest and aware of your thoughts and feelings, strengthens feelings of self-esteem and self-worth. This is incredibly empowering and takes you one step closer to positive change.

While clinically significant depressive disorders need to be treated by a competent medical professional, a little exercise can go a long way to boosting mood, reducing anxiety, and improving sleep patterns.  While you may not be as committed as these gentleman are to exercise, I thought you'd appreciate the laugh. :) How's that for a little mood booster?

Here are a few facts you might not know:

1.) As you exercise your body's feel good chemicals called endorphins are produced.  This helps to increase your energy levels which over time increases your stamina.  

2.) Exercise is a positive distraction that illicits a relaxation response in your body to help lower feelings of stress and anxiety.

3.) As you exercise, more serotonin is available to your brain.  As a result you feel happier, more relaxed, and more confident in your ability to manage your life's stressors. This may also help reduce carbohydrate cravings, a symptom of SAD.

It's tempting to want to hibernate for the winter. But a small does of exercise (30 minutes) is all you need to reap the disease-fighting and mood enhancing benefits.  And you don't necessarily need a gym either! 

Here is my Top 10 list of simple strategies to moving more.  

1. Keep it simple. The only cost is a good pair of walking shoes. Walking the neighborhood or even walking the mall is something that is affordable and easy.

2. Many schools open their gyms up to the community for walking programs so check a local school.

3. Turn up the music and dance. A friend lost 19# by doing this for 60 minutes a day with her kids.

4. Take family night to another level with a game like Wii Fit.

5. Use a pedometer and make your own records for as many steps in a single day.

6. Get outside in any season: In the summer, go for walks, hike a new trail, go for a bike ride, kayak, canoe, swim. In the fall, do your own color tour - bring your camera and walk through the beautiful colors. In the winter, ski - downhill can be expensive but if you already have the equipment night skiing is cheaper, cross-country skiing is a great work out, go ice skating, slide down a hill in a toboggan - climbing up the hill is great exercise, go snow shoeing, have a snowball fight, build a snowman. In the spring, take a walk to see all the flowers and trees budding and waking up from their winter slumber.

7. Take work breaks: 30 min at lunch, 15 min in the morning and afternoon. Other people get a smoke break, right?

8. Commercial Break Competitions: Do some routines with hand held weights (or improvised wts from filled water bottles). March, climb stairs, do jumping jacks, push ups, etc.

9. Play like your kids and with your kids. Get down on the ground with them, do somersaults, climb, run, skip, jump, play tag, toss and chase a ball. Have Fun!

10. Join a club or team.

Identify your barriers to moving more and create a game plan. Start simple and specific and let me know how it goes. And always check with your Dr. before starting an exercise program.

Your neighborhood nutritionist in Cambridge,

Marci 

My first newsletter in 2010 will be emailed out on January 31st so you have less than a week to log on to my blog at http://www.marcird.com/_blog/blog and sign up. Just type in your name and email address on the right hand side of the page. And while you're at it, encourage a family or friend to do the same! My newsletters are short, sweet, and packed with practical information.

And if you're interested in some factoids about the history of soup and the many wonderful qualities that soup has to offer, check out this article.

(courtesy of the NY Times)

Time: 45 minutes

3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils (I used yellow lentils, don't think it mattered)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste (all I had was a lime, worked great)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (didn't have on hand, didn't miss it)

1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

Yield: 4 servings.

My husband (who is not a soup lover) took one bit of this soup and said "mmmm, I like this!"  This soup is very thick and chunky though.  If you like a thinner soup, you could add 1-2 more cups of liquid.  We actually ended up serving it as a side with some tilapia and steamed broccoli.  I can't wait to have more leftovers tomorrow.  Let me know what you think!  Happy eating. :)

P.S. I'm always on the look out for scrumptious recipes.  Feel free to send them my way.  For more of my favorite recipes, check out the "Recipe" tag on my nutrition blog.  I also have some old favorites on my nutrition website, click here.