D-coding cravings

I love it when one of my magazines speaks to me and offers a solution to a problem I couldn't articulate.

It happened just five minutes ago. I was thumbing through my "Women's Health" from December and a reader's question caught my eye.

"Why do I crave more carbs in the winter?"

And it hit me - that's exactly what's been happening to me the past couple of months! I've been physically craving breads, cookies, CEREAL, crackers, and pasta. I've given in more times than I should, but now I'm thrilled to know why.

According to Keri Glassman, R.D., of NutritiousLife.com, it is totally natural to crave more carbs in the winter because there are fewer daylight hours. What does that have to do with the price of spaghetti? Well, apparently, with less sunlight, our bodies make less vitamin D and therefore can't pump as much serotonin.

I am quite familiar with serotonin, the brain's mood-regulating chemical, and have battled my body's inability to regulate it for years. But I never knew my body's vitamin D production was also a factor.

Glassman says that when there is less sunlight, our bodies urge us to look for another way to make serotonin. Carbs boost the production of serotonin and so we crave carbs more. Simple as that.

So what do we do to fight this? Glassman says we should increase our intake in D-rich foods such as nonfat milk, orange juice, tuna and mushrooms.

Oh, and we should spend a few minutes in the sun every day - even if the ground is covered in 8 inches of snow.

I'm on it! Portabello Mushroom Fajitas is going straight on this week's meal list and I'm getting the dogs ready for a lovely hike through the (snow-covered) neighborhood. Hot chocolate made with milk should make a great snack when we get back.

See? Serotonin boost is already happening at the mere thought of it all!

Food Nazi? Me? You betcha!

A friend of mine sent me this link today telling me I just had to try them.

I clicked the link and was unimpressed.

When I explained to my friend that I generally only eat foods that ADD to my diet, and went on to explain what I meant, he accused me of being a Food Nazi. Since he's German, I guess he'd know. But I wasn't offended by the term.

While their methods were crap - the Nazis sought a pure race (a stupid goal). Well, I find myself drawn, more and more, to pure foods (a great goal). While I prefer to stop the metaphor there, I'm okay with the title.

There was a time, not too long ago and at the beginning of this endeavor, when I would have jumped at the chance for tasty baked chips. It was a way of sticking to what I considered normal snack foods - but a "healthy" alternative.

But just what is healthy about it? What does it add nutritionally to a diet? Vitamins? Calcium? Fiber? No. No. No. It just adds empty calories. And I am not a fan of wasting my calories.

Living with 1300 calories a day takes a lot of nutritional thought. About two months ago I shifted some focus to tracking how many servings of fruits and veggies I consume in a day. Enter what I call Nutritional Multi-tasking.

Craving a crunchy snack? I grab carrots. They are satisfyingly crisp AND a good source of fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, biotin, potassium and thiamine. Can we say that about Baked Lays? I haven't researched it, but I'm guessing "No." Not only am I satisfying my crunch crave, but I'm adding to my servings of vegetables for the day. Nutritional Multi-tasking. 30 baby carrots are 100 calories. Check that against the serving size of Baked Lays.



Craving something sweet? How about watermelon? The health benefits of watermelon include preventing kidney disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart care, heat stroke, macular degeneration, impotence, etc. Watermelon is a good source of thiamin, potassium and magnesium which protect our body from so many diseases. Can the same be said of Twinkies? I'll let you answer that. A cup of watermelon is only 50 calories.

Craving something salty? This can be tricky, to be honest and I don't really have it down. I love salt. When the cravings are bad, however, I add a bit of salt to a fresh food. Sometimes I add salt to my watermelon. Sometimes I grab a handful of salted peanuts or almonds (watch the fat and calories!). The hardest trick here is to keep an eye on sodium. It's recommended that we stay below 2000 mg of sodium a day. Fruits and vegetables, because they are natural, raw foods, comply to this (as opposed to those Baked Lays), but rarely satisfy that salty craving alone. I've switched to sea salt from a grinder in order to mitigate the damages of this vice. This article touts the benefits of salt, but I am a bit skeptical (and now a little freaked out about my sea salt!).

Craving something cool? Grab fresh fruit or veggies from the fridge! There is nutritional value in most fresh foods, but add in a cooler temp and it's a great way to beat the heat. Blend it with ice and you're doing even better!

I started this endeavor making , but as I've grown (smaller) and learned so much more about nutrition, I am very pleased with the natural evolution. Also, I think it's a good path of discovery for others to take. Learn about the foods you are eating. See if they ADD to your diet, or merely substitute. And, as busy people, we can all use Nutritional Multi-tasking, right?

Heil Health!

Wednesday's Weigh In

Well, I lost a pound - yay!

But I'm sick - again. It's like I've been sick since starting this endeavor - and that's not good. There is no room for sickness in law school.

I've never been a fan of vitamin pills because I think a healthy diet should give us the vitamins we need, but I'm thinking of adding a multivitamin to my day.

I've got to do something. I'm making a doctor's appointment for tomorrow, but I'm open for suggestions.