feel-good food
By Jodie Leiss
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Shape Up, Emporia!, is a weekly fitness and health column aimed at readers of all ages to get off the couch and get into shape. Each week will feature a fitness, health or nutrition professional from around the area who will share some friendly tips on how to improve your overall health. Our goal is to make getting in shape fun and easy to fit into your existing lifestyle and daily routine.
By Jodie Leiss
Special to The Gazette
Are you tired of feeling tired? Are you stressed out about work, the economy, school, kids, retirement funds or just life in general?
Well, put down that soda, and the cookies, chips and donuts, too! Step away from the candy and put your hands around your waist. All of the above listed foods contain empty calories that will cause an energy crash and can make you irritable.
What you really need is some nutrient-dense foods to fuel your energy tanks and to help reduce your stress.
Most Americans have very little time in their day to think about nutrition. When we are hungry and have stressors coming out our eyeballs, we usually reach for something quick and convenient without thinking about the nutritional value or the harmful effects our food choices will have on our bodies.
Stay away from that vending machine!
Diets that lack nutrients lead to many major diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and a host of others. Not to mention, a high caloric, nutrient-deficient diet will alter our appearance — can you say spare tire or thunder thighs? And we are still hungry because our bodies have not received the vital nutrients that we need to function. What we need are nutrient-dense foods.
What are nutrient-dense foods, you ask? Well, they are foods that contain vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients in proportion to the number of calories they contain, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, low-fat diary products, beans, eggs, seafood, and nuts. Nutrient-dense foods help keep our bodies healthy and our minds sharp. An example of a nutrient-dense food is a banana. An average banana and one ounce of jellybeans both contain 105 calories. The difference is the banana has a multitude of vitamins, minerals and fiber, and the jellybeans contain sugar and no vitamins, no minerals, and no fiber.
Jellybeans are an example of an energy-dense food. Energy-dense foods contain low amounts of nutrients and a large amount of calories and high amounts of refined sugars and fat. Sugar will give you a quick rush, but you will crash shortly after and you will still be hungry because your body still wants the nutrients it needs.
Other examples of nutrient-dense foods versus energy–dense foods would be potatoes and potato chips.
A three-ounce baked potato contains 79 calories, along with vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Three ounces of potato chips contain 465 calories and over 30 grams of fat. Comparing carrots and donuts? No contest. Two carrots contain 60 calories and are packed with beta-carotene, vitamin A, and fiber. One medium donut — 3 1/4 inch — contains 198 calories and 10.8 grams of fat.
Eating energy-dense foods can lead to weight gain when the excess calories are not burned off through activity. The amount of calories a body needs varies from person to person. To find out the amount you need on a daily basis, go to http://www.mypyramid.gov/. This Web site can help you determine your caloric needs, assess your current diet and help you make smart, nutrient-rich food choices from every food group. This is a great, informative Web site.
Whether you are a reformed couch potato and want to maximize your workouts or you just want to get through your day with more energy, start choosing nutrient-dense foods. You’ll just feel and look better. Go on and remove your hands from your waist and put your hands around some healthy, nutrient-dense foods!