I am amazed a how little my clients and boot campers know about nutrition but, I don’t blame them for it. How is anyone supposed to know what’s good for them when they have Taco Bell Drive Thru Diet telling them they will lose weight if they eat Taco Bell everyday. You need to read the fine print for example: Drive-Thru-Diet® is not a weight-loss program. For a healthier lifestyle, pay attention to total calorie and fat intake and regular exercise. Taco Bell’s Fresco Menu can help with calorie reductions of 20 to 100 per item compared to corresponding products on our regular menu. Not a low calorie food. For complete nutritional information please visit TacoBell.com.

I feel nutrition is an essential part of anyone looking to live a healthy lifestyle. I take the time with my clients and boot campers to answer any questions they might have about general nutrition and refer them to a dietitian if they would like specific meal plans.  I require all my clients to do a food journal for me so I can see  what they are eating and give them healthier options to their favorite foods. I even take trips with them to the grocery store of their choice to show them how to shop for healthy foods.

I believe 80% of what you look like is your diet. You can workout all day long, but you will not truly reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle unless you change your eating habits.  You will not lose weight by exercise alone if you’re going to go to McDonald’s and order a  Big Mac (540 calories and 29 grams of fat) or those Zapp’s Potato Chips that we all love so much! My clients tell me all the time “You don’t understand; it’s easy for you, you don’t ever eat anything unhealthy.” WRONG! I like unhealthy food as much as the next guy; I do live in New Orleans the capital of yummy fried food and creole cuisine.  I just understand those foods need to be eaten occasionally and in moderation. I try to educate people on how food is meant to be used as fuel for your body. If you eat unhealthy, you will feel unhealthy.

Nutrition and exercise go hand in hand, so it is important to be knowledgeable about what you are putting into your body. Are you fueling it, or dragging it down? In order to answer this, you must go straight to the source – the nutrition label. Looking at a nutrition label can be overwhelming, so here is what you need to know!

Where to find it:

This can be found on the side of a product, or on its original packaging. If for some reason you cannot locate it, or threw out the wrapper, check online. Many products’ websites have nutritional information listed on them.

Start from the top:

Serving Size: This amount will tell you how much of a particular food product constitutes as one serving. Keep in mind that the nutrition facts that follow will reflect only one serving. If you eat more than one serving of the food item, you must multiply the nutrition facts to receive an accurate account of what you are consuming.

Servings Per Container: How many single servings the packaging contains.

Calories: The total number of calories in a single serving. This includes calories from fat, carbohydrate, protein, and alcohol.

% Daily Value: For each nutrient there is a DV, a %DV, and dietary advice or goal. If you follow this dietary advice, you will stay within the recommendations of public health experts. Keep in mind these values are based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet, which may vary for each individual.

Calories From Fat: How many calories in a single serving come from fat. Fat contains 9 calories per gram. Notice : foods higher in fat are higher in calories.

Total Fat: How many grams of fat are in a single serving. Always work to limit or eliminate your trans or saturated fats.

Cholesterol: How many milligrams are in a single serving. Typically the body can make all the cholesterol that is needed. Consuming excess amounts of cholesterol is what may lead to heart problems. The American Heart Association recommends that you consume less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day, and if you have heart disease, less than 200 mg.

Sodium: How many milligrams of sodium are in a single serving. Individuals should aim to consume less than 2300 mg of sodium per day.

Total Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram. Dietary fiber and sugar also fall under this category. Aim to keep the fiber content high, and the sugar content low.

Protein: Protein contains 4 calories per gram. Protein is not only good for your muscles, but keeps you feeling fuller, longer!

Vitamins: The percentage of your daily recommended value that is in a serving will be listed. Look for foods that have a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that you need for the day.

Ingredients: The most prominent ingredient in the product will always be listed first, followed by the second most prominent, etc. Therefore, if the ingredient list begins with “high fructose corn syrup”, it probably isn’t the best choice. Always read the ingredients on a product before you buy it!

Remember:

Always look for a well rounded food item. If the sugar content is very low, but the sodium content is, say, 1,500 mg, it still isn’t the best for you! Make sure most, if not all areas of the label are healthy!!

Helpful Websites:

FDA Food Labeling/Consumer information

CalorieKing.com

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Emily Eoff received her M.S., in Health and Exercise Science from Louisiana Tech University, as well as, her B.S. in Kinesiology and Health Promotion. She also holds her personal training and group fitness instructor certificates from some of the leading certification programs in the country. As a motivator, role model, and leader, Emily brings nine years of experience in the health and fitness industry to her XLR8 Fitness business.

Yesterday we attended the Lakeview Christian Center Wellness Fair 2010…and we were pleasantly surprised by how well organized the event was.  Parked outside of the Center was the Elmwood “On the Move – Driving to Fight Childhood Obesity” Bus.  This unique program is designed to give school children ages 9-13 an opportunity to learn about health and fitness in a non-competitive environment. Inside the bus is a fitness center designed for children – check the Elmwood Fitness Center Website for more information.

Inside the Lakeview Christian Center we were welcomed by a staff (church members) who were excited, and happy to see us and tell us all about what was available for us to see and take part in.  They had 36 vendors that made up the Wellness Fair to include a station to get your Blood Pressure taken for free and Cholesterol screening from The Blood Center: Blood Mobile & Free Cholesterol Screening. Also in attendance was Salire Fitness, BestRD Wellness (nutritionist), Advance Medical Care and Wellness, DHH/OAAS/Adult Protective Services, Elderly Protective Services, Louisiana Chiropractic Center, Alzheimers Association of GNO and the American Cancer Society to name a few.

From 10:00 am to 3pm they hosted some wonderful free seminars for attendees which included: Tulane hospital discussing Childhood Obesity & Type 2 Diabetes, Rose Dermatology discussed Skin Cancer, and LSU Radiolody has a seminar of Mammogram, When and & Why.

We spoke with Pete Schefferstein the Church Administrator and Wellness Fair Organizer to find out more about the Fair and why the Lakeview Christian Center decided to put on this event. As it turns out, Pete used to be quite an unhealthy fellow – as he puts it “a typical New Orleanian” and his wake-up call came when his doctor told him that he was close to being diabetic and unless he made some changes, he would have to take medicine for diabetics.

Speaking with Pete was an eye opener.  To hear him say that for him; not being able to bend down to pick something up, or not being able to walk up a flight of stair or walk around the block and that living with all the discomfort of bad health seemed perfectly normal was very surreal. It’s hard to comprehend that some people have never known or experienced living a normal “healthy” life.

However, when his doctor told him if he kept going the way he was he would be diabetic – Pete decided to change his lifestyle.  Since then, Pete has lost over 100 pounds.  He enlisted the help of his son who designed a program for him based on the Men’s Health TNT.  After losing 40lbs, Pete was finally able to use a treadmill.  Pete was exercising for the first time in his life.

Pete said to us “When you’re overweight, you don’t really realize how much everything is such a chore – like bending down to pick something up, traveling…how embarrassing it is to ask the stewardess on a plane for a buckle extension”

Since losing the weight and making life changes/establishing a new healthy lifestyle, Pete became more aware of the members in his church community who also needed help and assistance.  He commented on how difficult being overweight is on the families in the community; “People are losing jobs because the can’t perform their duties.” That’s when the Lakeview Christian Center became involved in helping their community become healthier.  Every six weeks they run a Biggest Loser Challenge to encourage members to get involve, participate in learning new things about nutrition and exercise and support each other in losing weight.

They bring in other members of the community who are nutritionists, trainers, nurses and doctors to speak on health issues.  It’s really fabulous what the Lakeview Christian Center have started and how they are supporting their community.

You gotta love it when a couple joins forces and starts something pretty cool. That is exactly what Tim Ryan and Heather Ryan have done.  Tim is a digital video producer and his wife, Heather is a yoga instructor and personal trainer…she’s also quite the cooking show host as you will see in her debut video of The Herbivore Next Door.  But before we get to the video we asked Tim and Heather to give us a little background and insight on the show.

Q:  What was your inspiration for starting The Herbivore Next Door?

Heather: The first inspiration for the show came as my sister and I were driving to Baton Rouge one day at sunset.  We were passed by an 18 wheeler transporting a group of cows.  I felt so bad for them, and so helpless to do anything to make a difference in the way animals are treated. Moments later it occurred to me that Tim and I could shoot a vegetarian cooking show.

Q: Are you both vegetarians? If so, for how long have you been vegetarians and what’s the driving factor behind your decision?

Heather: I am a vegetarian; Tim will have fish on occasion.  He gave up meat about two years ago, around the same time I gave up fish for good.  I saw the film, Baraka, nearly 16 years ago, that was when I first gave up meat

Q: Heather, you are such a natural…have you done this type of show before?

Heather: Thank you, Ann.  No, I haven’t done this type of show before.  I was pretty nervous, but  I do have a background in both Theatre and Improvisation, which helped.  Tim and I communicate well since we’ve had so much practice after being together for almost ten years. Good direction is key!

Q: What can we expect to come in future episodes? How often do you plan on releasing a new episode?

Heather: Future episodes will include more New Orleans-centric recipes.  We’re so happy to live here and to celebrate the food culture in our own healthful way.  We would love to be able to do an episode a month, even more if we had sponsorship.  Alas, we both have to pay the bills.  For now, we simply enjoy the opportunity to share our skills with each other in a meaningful way.

Alright so with no further ado – here is the first episode of The Herbivore Next Door where Heather shows us how to make Artichoke filled tofutattas served with gluten free, dairy free drop biscuits and a mixed green salad.

Our slogan for the Be Fit NOLA is “Your Guide to Living a Healthy Lifestyle in New Orleans” So what does living a healthy lifestyle mean?

Living a healthy lifestyle means living your life in a way that consists of:

• Eating a proper diet to include taking the right vitamins and minerals
• Getting the right amount of sleep
• No smoking
• No drugs
• No excessive alcohol consumption
• And minimizing the stress in your life

Living a healthy lifestyle for many of us means changing a lot of our harmful habits and creating new healthy habits that are going to prolong our lives, improve our health and minimize our risks of getting sick or injured.

Logically in our minds, the notion of living a healthy lifestyle is rather a simple one, but in real day to day life, the reality is that living a healthy lifestyle is difficult and challenging. Quitting bad habits like smoking or drinking is really hard; fitting exercise in our hectic lives and eating properly when bombarded by fast food, New Orleans’ favorites (Po Boys, fried food, gumbo, etc.) and unhealthy cheaper options takes a lot of effort.

Living a healthy lifestyle is all about making the right decisions. Living a healthy lifestyle is about living a life that promotes life vice a life that promotes death.  Living a healthy lifestyle is about knowing what’s best for you and your health.

The Be Fit NOLA team understands the challenges, the benefits, the ‘what it takes’ to living a healthy lifestyle so we hope to be your guide, your supporter, your motivator, and your inspiration. We are going to go out and dig around town to find the best, healthiest, easy options and solutions to you living a healthy lifestyle.

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