I grew up in a house full of skinny people. Really. My mom had a figure that the entire community envied, my brother just grew taller; not wider, and my dad ate a diet of food that would make any present- day nutritionist run for cover (yet he was as thin as a rail)! I, however, took after our relatives with slow metabolisms and big hips!
My mom grew up with 10 brothers and sisters, so she was just happy to have any food, and overeating was never an issue for her. Mom and Dad were pretty clueless about nutrition and had never dealt with a weight problem. These days, dads are a little more in touch with their children’s issues. But back then, my dad was dead serious when he looked at me and said, “You know, you really should lose some weight!”
Well, “DUH!!!”, Our pantry was stocked with Wise potato chips, Mallomars, and Hostess chocolate cupcakes. There was only butter and full fat milk in the fridge and my dad regularly took us to a dive called the Toddle House for bacon. eggs, and waffles! Of course I was overweight; but no one else wanted to change the way that they ate!!
Although it seems that things have changed when it comes to nutritional awareness, I still hear the same complaints from clients who watch what they eat, but live with people who don’t!
According to Nancy Restuccia, MS, RD, people who don't have issues with food frequently don't realize the level of temptation experienced by people who do. So it's up to the dieter to make his or her feelings known. While it may seem that your partner or other loved one is deliberately tempting you by bringing home that quart of premium ice cream, experts say their intentions are probably not what they seem.
However, if you want your family on your healthy eating side, you can try to frame it as a positive: Eating healthy is not about eating bland, boring food or about deprivation; healthy eating can be delicious. On the NBC show, “America’s Next Great Restaurant,” one of the contestants had a food concept called “Saint and Sinners” which had a decadent and healthy version of the same dish. You could try that in your house, or you could get everyone on board with eating well.
Focus on all the foods you’re trying to eat more of, and it will become second nature to them as well.
Simple,yet vital changes to ingredient choices is the key. One way to get your significant other and/or family on track is to learn the art of ingredient substitution:
-Use no-fat yogurt in place of mayonnaise in coleslaw or salad dressing, use skim milk instead of whole milk.
-Make lasagna with low-fat cheese instead of whole milk-cheese and with eggplant and zucchini as a substitute for the noodles.
-Instead of high-fat ground chuck, try lean ground turkey.
-Replace whole milk with low-fat or reduced dairy.
-Get rid of the sugary cereals and replace them with naturally sweetened , higher fiber cereals.
-Switch out flour tortillas and white breads, and even pastas, for whole grain varieties.
-Choose natural, reduced-fat cheeses rather than high-sodium processed ones.
-Roast or lightly sauté vegetables for more flavor and fewer calories.
For example, let’s say your family loves burgers and fries. Replace the processed buns with sandwich thins, use ground chicken breast or turkey breast or reduced fat beef. Instead of deep fried potatoes, make baked fries with sweet potatoes or even butternut squash.
Even fried chicken and mashed “potatoes” can get a makeover and still please everyone. By soaking chicken breasts in buttermilk and then using egg whites and seasoned panko crumbs for the crust, the baked version comes out moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Cooked cauliflower and parsnips can be mashed with a little olive oil for the same taste and consistency as high-fat, high-carb mashed potatoes.
Some additional ways to get everyone on board are to make fruit and vegetables visible in your home. Seems obvious, but studies have confirmed that households that have fruits and vegetables available for meals and snacks eat more of them. Naturally low in fat and calories, fruits and veggies are full of fiber to help a dieter feel satisfied. If you make the changes gradually over a few weeks' time, your family may not even notice the difference.
Also, watch the portion size when cooking. Kathleen Daelemans, chef and host of the Food Network's TV show Cooking Thin, advises people to only make enough food to feed those sitting at the table. For example, if you have four people for dinner, that means 12 to 16 ounces of meat. And look at healthy recipes with your family. When they see recipes for healthy foods that look yummy, they’ll be more willing to give them a try.
Even Top Chefs have learned this. Manhattan chef Michael Psilakis lost weight by using new ways to enhance flavor. Instead of heavy oils, butters and sauces, he uses herbs, citrus and juices to boost flavors. Houston-area chef Ronnie Killen, lost 215 pounds by reducing his portion size. And Atlanta chef and Top Chef masters winner, Richard Blais, jump-started his 60-pound weight loss by following a vegan diet for 30days. It made him aware of how fatty, sweet and salty his food often is. That led him to create his veggie burger, which gets its meaty flavor from dried porcini mushrooms.
Top Chef Masters featured remakes of high calorie, high-fat dishes that had been a favorites of the current Biggest Loser contestants before they lost weight. The challenge was to make the same dish with significantly fewer calories, fat and carbs, but still keep it flavorful. Some were successful and some were not, but working with your family like the chefs worked with the contestants can help you create dishes that are to everyone’s liking!
Check out these sites for recipe makeovers:
http://www.hungry-girl.com/
http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/recipe_makeovers
It’s also important for you to let those in your household know which foods are difficult for you to resist. A solution might be to allow yourself a taste or so everyone in a while, but keep the temptations in a cabinet you don't normally use, or a refrigerator in the basement or family room. If it's harder for you to get to it, you'll be less tempted to overindulge. (If only my mom had hidden those chocolate cupcakes!!!)
If you make eating well a lifestyle, not a short term punishment, you’re more likely to see success in your efforts and get the support you need from your family!
(Next post we’ll talk about how you can go out to a restaurant together and still eat healthfully when others are “indulging”!)
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