Dr. Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, CDE: “Cure Your Cravings”

 

 

Dr. Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD

 

Eating The Right Amount of Lean Protein Every Day Literally Keeps Your Mind Off Snacking.  If you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight—and who isn’t?  You know that food cravings can be your biggest enemy.  Often striking mid-morning or-afternoon, they make you more susceptible to packaged snacks, which are loaded with sugar and salt.  She reveals that a recent study at the University of Missouri found that eating adequate amounts of protein can make you feel satisfied throughout the day (protein is metabolized more slowly than fats or carbohydrates.) and actually reduced signals in your brain that control what experts call “reward-driven” eating, otherwise known as “why did I eat the whole thing?”

Here’s what protein can do for you and how you can obtain the right amounts at your meals:

• Build a strong efficient body
• Eat about 20 grams per meal or snack
• Choose lean protein and
• Avoid “high-protein” diets

Power Up:  Lean protein, like a 3 oz. roasted fillet of salmon helps to make us feel full and energized.  Therefore, reducing the urge to binge between meals.

Source: Diabetes Talk, Fall 2011.

Thanks Dr. Christine.

6–Easy Ways to conquer Stress-Related Cravings !

           “Americans gain only about a pound during the holidays, but we don’t lose it—and the extra weight adds up.”

Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD

is a spokesperson for the

American Dietetic Association.

1. Drink Water.   Some people mistake mild dehydration for hunger. Drink water or other sugar-free beverages when you’re thirsty and with meals.

2.  Find healthy substitutions for the treats you crave.  Want Crunch? Munch raw vegetables.  Sweet? Enjoy fruit-flavored low-fat yogurt, fresh fruit or sugar-free chewing gum. Salty? Have a pickle.

3.  Choose “great grains.”  Filling up on fiber-rich whole grains keeps hunger pangs away.  Aim for 3 daily servings:  a slice of whole-grain bread, a half-cup of brown rice and a cup of bran cereal, for example.

4.  Eat high-protein foods.  Protein supplies long-lasting energy.  Get 2-3 servings per day:  2 Tablespoons of peanut butter, one egg and a piece of fish or poultry about the size of a deck of cards.

5.  Get active!  Thirty minutes of walking or yard work 5 times a week helps your body burn calories efficiently and releases feel-good endorphins that can prevent stress-inspired shacking.

6.  Get at least seven hours’ sleep.  Last year researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center found that nurses who got less than 6 hours of sleep per night had a higher body mass index.   They believe sleep may disrupt a hormone, leptin, that helps regulate hunger and satiety.

Source:  Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., R.D., EatWell., Diabetes Talk, Winter 2010, Page 16.