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I wonder if your cooking and food tastes have changed or ‘matured’ as mine have over the years?

I used to salt my vegetables way more than I would ever consider doing today. I used to eat more meat than I do after reading Michael Pallan’s ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemna’. Now meat is more the side-dish that my vegetables and salad once were. I drink milk and eat yogurt for all the benefits they provide my body but only the low-fat and unflavored variety.

In general I think my cooking and food tastes reflect a simpler, less rich diet. Not because just I know that this is better for me but after years of reduced fat, less meat and less salt, I prefer the taste of food prepared in this way.

I have however, one eating ‘Achilles heel’ for which I can thank my dear mother. My sweet tooth developed as a result of her passion for the sweet things in life, especially on the dinner table. I grew up surrounded by puddings with ice cream or lashings of cream. Cakes and cookies were always part of our morning coffee. My cereal was always buried under a mountain of sugar and I was a mature adult before I experienced a real cup of tea, undiluted by milk or flavored with sugar.

This sweet ‘addiction’ has been difficult to control across the years. When I gain a few pounds, it’s generally because my sweet food intake has risen. As I shed this unwanted weight, I still crave something sweet, long before a baked potato!

How do I manage this life-long ‘sweet tooth’? I’ve reduced but not eliminated processed sugar from my daily menu. I never eat sweet foods when I am hungry. These are always an ‘added extra’ to the protein, fiber and grains that I eat. Generally, I take care to only to eat a small portion of sweet foods that won’t impact on my overall weight.

I maintain regular sugar intake from fruit but I sometimes indulge in cooking with processed sugar. I eat this food in moderation and I don’t starve my family of cake from time to time or the occasional rich dessert.

So how does this differ from my mother and grandmother’s cooking and food choices? I serve smaller portions of cakes or desserts less frequently as well as undisguised tea and oatmeal that can always be sweetened with a spoonful of honey.

Try my easy Orange and Poppy Seed recipe for your next morning tea!

Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

a peeled orange (without the pith)

3 eggs

60z butter

1 cup sugar

Blend briefly in blender

Stir in:

1 and a half cups self rising flour

2 and a half tablespoons of poppy seed

Cook for 50 minutes in a moderate oven (350F/180C).

Melt 1/4 cup caster sugar and 1/4 cup orange juice slowly in a saucepan.  Pour over cake as it cools.

This has a delightful citrus flavor that detracts from its sweetness but remember to serve in small portions!

Warm Regards

Rowena French

For The Team @MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French says that cooking and food can interest those who want to maintain a healthy body shape or even lose weight. Food is not meant to be dull and boring! The more we know about cooking and food the better we are able to nourish our bodies and still enjoy small portions of less healthy foods. For ideas to make cooking interesting, nutritious and sometimes just a bit naughty, stay updated through my blog posts or check out my website at www.mightydigitaldownloads.com

If you’ve ever wondered how to prepare meals that will help you lose weight and include some of the unhealthy foods that you crave, we can help. Weight loss and an occasional treat do belong in portion control eating and the healthy meals at the heart of your eating plan are easy to prepare, nutritious and very satisfying.

Fresh foods are always the healthiest to include in your menu. By providing a variety of different flavors and textures they make eating interesting. Herbs like parsley, some rosemary, oregano or basil add special tastes to a wide range of meals. They can be grown in the smallest apartments and easily included in menus. Investing the time to grow or buy ingredients like these will help you vary your meals and is well worth the effort.

Some ideas below are based upon foods from each of the main food groups. No foods types are omitted. Even those that don’t fit the ‘healthy food’ category should feature from time to time. You enjoy these foods and you should eat them occasionally in small portions. In this way portion control eating makes losing weight possible without feeling as if you are ‘going on another diet’.

To lose weight on a regular basis you need to eat foods we call ‘slimming sensations’. These foods are low in processed sugar and fat and provide your body with the necessary nutrients. As you continue to lose weight, feel confident enough to include an occasional (small) slice of your favorite cake or share dessert with a friend. Your weight loss will continue even with a small portion of something you love.

The way to include all foods in your menu as you lose weight is to make sure that you limit the amount you eat of these and the frequency of this. A small potion eaten infrequently is the answer! This is the key to making portion control eating an enjoyable eating experience instead of a boring diet. Make sure that most food you eat is healthy and filled with the necessary vitamins, minerals and fiber your body needs and low in sugar, salt and fat. Doing this will allow you the capacity to enjoy a small treat containing more salt, fat or processed sugar than you generally allow from time to time.

Portion control is not about ongoing deprivation that makes you crave the wrong foods more than you should. A small serve of something you really enjoy, as a special treat will not counter balance the value of all the vegetables, lean meat, fruits and cereals that you include in your menu. You’ll still come out ahead and feel better for it, more determined to work towards your weight loss goals.

The following suggestions are healthy food choices for a meal comprising food from each of the main food groups. A meal plan like this can be prepared quickly and easily at home or ordered when you dine out. You can even prepare or order a healthy meal like this and add a special treat without compromising your intake of important nutrients.

Appetizers

Fresh, steamed seafood such as shrimp cocktail

Eggs

Never fried, poached or boiled

Salads

Salads with low-cal dressing, lemon juice, vinegar, or vinaigrette

Breads

Crackers or whole grain rolls

Potatoes and Substitutes

Noodles – preferably whole wheat noodles

Fats

Olive oil, low-calorie salad dressing

Vegetables

Boiled, steamed or raw

Fish, Poultry, Meat

Broiled, grilled, roasted, baked, never fried poultry, fish, or seafood

Desserts

One scoop or ½ cup of ice cream or sorbet

Flavored coffee

Beverages

Seltzer water, low-fat milk, sugar free drinks

Coffee, tea

Planning a portion control meal like this revolves around a balanced proportion of foods from each food group. Your meal plan should include 50% vegetables and fruit, 25% grains and 25% proteins. To make healthy eating a part of your life forever while you still lose weight or maintain your weight loss, always include those less-than-healthy-foods that you really love, in small portions now and then.

Warm Regards

Rowena French

For The Team @MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French uses responsible portion control to successfully manage her own weight and her family’s health. Tired of dieting without success? Sign up to my free magazine to learn more about how to use portion control for healthy, permanent weight loss. If you haven’t already subscribed to my free product sample, watch my preview video for more information about the whole portion control package.

The rest of the song is – ‘I’m in a terrible fix. I always say come on let’s go, just when I should say nix.’ While the original song from Richard Rogers’ Oklahoma was about a girl who enjoyed saying yes to men, in this article I am talking about guys and gals who can’t say no at work.

For a series of articles on Workplace Stress Traps go to my Ezine home page (http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dr_Jeff_Bailey ) or my website (www.drjeffbailey.com ). There are many workplace traps that cause us to feel stress at work and we have to develop strategies to deal with the traps AND the stress.

One of the 10 traps I am writing about is NOT BEING ABLE TO SAY NO at work. Saying YES is not necessarily bad; in fact, willingness to step up to the plate is admirable. But there are problems with being too willing to say no – you will get into some ‘turrible fixes’.

If you do say yes, you are indicating that you are socially responsive, respect the needs of the organization, are willing to go the extra mile, are committed to the organization’s goals, and are sufficiently flexible and energetic to help out when things get tough.

You do have to think about the negative side of saying YES all the time. Perhaps you already have a full plate, you would be squeezing corners to do the extra work, the quality of your work will drop, your colleagues might not be impressed with your zeal, and your loved ones might get tired of waiting for you to spend time with them.

I often write about work-life balance; keeping the two parts of your life in harmony so that neither the workplace nor your family and loved ones miss out. If you are unable to manage workplace stress traps and workplace stress there will be a negative effect on those you most care about. They will feel left out, ignored, second class citizens. You have to learn how to manage your stress, keep workplace stress and personal stress under control, so that you have time to enjoy your life. So, go ahead, say ‘No’ occasionally – it might be liberating.
Warm regards

For the team at Mighty Digital Downloads

Dr Jeff, a psychologist, writes about workplace stress, personal stress, interpersonal stress, and how to manage stress. On his blog,http://www.drjeffbailey.com, he answers questions from readers. He works hard to make his articles practical and helpful and all of his articles are based on sound research evidence and extensive clinical experience. Please go to his Dr Jeff blog to get your free report on stress.

The answer is ‘Yes’ because eating at home or eating out, the guidelines are the same. You can continue to follow a portion control eating plan when you dine out because the choices you make about what you eat and how much you consume should remain the same. A balanced healthy meal is available to you when you dine out, provided you ask for it!

The obvious up side about eating in restaurants is that there is a wide selection of dishes available to you and some one else prepares your meal and even clears away dirty dishes! There are however some downsides for those managing their food portions. Restaurants often serve meals that are way too large. All-you-can-eat buffets are disastrous if you are unable to control and manage the portions you eat. Avoid this type of restaurant, at least in the beginning of your journey towards controlled eating.

Even if dining out provides some challenges to those just beginning to enjoy the benefits of portion control eating, restaurants do expect special requests from patrons with special dietary needs. You have these, so make sure you ask that they be accommodated. Ask your server to hold the sauce, substitute a salad for fries, or hold the bread. Some restaurants will allow you to order from the lunch or children’s menu, so don’t hesitate to ask.

When it comes to dessert, you have options that will see you keeping the integrity of your healthy eating without appearing that you are going without. Fresh fruit is a healthy alternative to a very rich caloric dessert so order this or just ask for a coffee.. If you crave a sweeter dessert make sure you eat only a small amount or share it with you partner or a friend.

As you dine out, consider these tips so that you can continue to lose weight:

• Only eat a main course
• Don’t fill your self with bread before the meal begins, one slice only
• Drink water before your meal and while you eat
• Restrict your alcohol, one glass can go a long way
• Make sure that you food is cooked healthily; baked, broiled, steamed or baked
• Skip fried foods, a couple of French fries only if you weaken
• Ask that sauces, sour cream or butter be served ‘on the side’ and use only a little
• Select food portion just as you do at home
• Request that no food is sautéed for you
• Fresh fruit for dessert
• Avoid any large meal regardless of the ‘value’
• Ask for the kid’s menu for adequate sized portions

Regardless of where you eat, take time to savor the flavors, textures, and aroma of your food. Enjoy eating this and allow sufficient time for your stomach to learn (from your brain) that you have eaten enough. Resist eating until you have over eaten because the damage will already have been done. As you begin to feel full, reduce your eating and then stop and push your plate to one side. This is an important step in the process of potion controlled eating and can be taken either privately at home or publicly in a restaurant.

Warm Regards

Rowena French

For The Team @MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French uses responsible portion control to successfully manage her own weight and her family’s health. Tired of dieting without success? Sign up to my free magazine to learn more about how to use portion control for healthy, permanent weight loss. If you haven’t already subscribed to my free product sample, watch my preview video for more information about the whole portion control package.

Conversation between husband and wife: “It is time for a holiday darling. We must get away. All we do is work, work, work. I am stressed out and you seem tense all the time. Our relationship is suffering and there is almost no romance in our lives. It is time to go to Honolulu to recharge our batteries, reduce our stress, and get our life and relationship back on track. It is three years since we have had a decent holiday.” 

Reply: “You know we don’t have time to do this. We don’t have enough money. We both have too much on our plates at work to stop and smell the roses. Our work is far too important at present. You know there is a big promotion coming up. I think our relationship is OK – it’s not like we are newlyweds. We’ve been married 12 years now – you can’t expect us to feel the same excitement. Besides, we both agreed work and our careers are very important right now. No, let’s wait another year.” 

Three months later – Judge Jacobs: “Mr. and Mrs. Jones, in the matter of your joint application for a legal separation, I hereby grant and approve that legal status. As your attorney has advised, in the state of Colorado, six months from today’s filing, either party may seek a final dissolution of the marriage. In preparation for that possible filing, I advise you to amicably determine a property settlement and agree to thoughtful custody arrangements for your two children so their lives are not damaged by this divorce. Thank you. Court adjourned.” 

OK so I am being melodramatic but there is a message there. One study I read demonstrated that a vacation did not moderate the effects of workplace stress and domestic stress. The vacation showed that people had fewer physical complaints post-vacation, and they ‘recuperated’ (recharged their physical and emotional batteries) but there was no long lasting positive effect. Getting away from your problems is not always a solution to these problems. 

If work stress is high, deal with that stress.  Re-arrange your job description. Say ‘NO’. Work smarter not harder or longer. Prioritize. In your personal relationship, do two things. Communicate clearly and effectively with your partner to reduce domestic stress. Explain, set priorities, re-ignite the passion. Secondly, look to yourself to see how healthy and complete you are. Your complaints about your partner might be concerns about yourself. Perhaps you need fixing. Perhaps you need to reshape your values. Perhaps you are too mean-spirited and self-focused. Remember, it takes two whole people to make a successful marriage partnership – not two halves. 

Anyway, back to the vacation. If entered into with the right spirit, vacations can be marvelous stress buffers. I love vacations. I love the freedom. I like the frenzy of getting as much of my work finished as I can and then leaving all (most) of my work behind. I like spending time alone with my wife. I like the notion that I can lie in bed late or lie on the beach and do nothing. I like the lack of purpose and pressure. I enjoy recharging my Vitamin D levels. I pay back my sleep bank depleted by long hours of work (for details of the sleep bank see my Ezine article http://ezinearticles.com/?Job-Worries,-Sleeplessness,-and-Work-Stress&id=2004284). 

I reconstruct my life goals – or do what Kubler-Ross called (in another context – death) a life review. For me, vacations are an opportunity to manage and reduce my stress levels dramatically. They should be for you. Don’t end up like the couple above because you fail to take time out to reduce stress and build your relationship. Stop, smell the roses and go online to find a vacation special. After all, haven’t you both worked hard and earned a restful break?

Warm regards

Dr Jeff

For the team at Mighty Digital Downloads

Dr Jeff, a psychologist, writes about workplace stress, personal stress, interpersonal stress, and how to manage stress. On his blog,http://www.drjeffbailey.com, he answers questions from readers. He works hard to make his articles practical and helpful and all of his articles are based on sound research evidence and extensive clinical experience. Please go to his Dr Jeff blog to get your free report on stress.

Thankfully portion control eating does not include depriving yourself of everything you enjoy eating! Overall you do need to consider what type of food you eat and how much of this is right for you in this eating plan. Regularly depriving yourself of foods you really enjoy will not help you to healthily reduce and manage your weight. In fact it is likely to undermine your efforts in the long run. So, this is how portion control can help you successfully lose weight and still eat chocolate!

Chocolate bars have expanded in size more than 10 times since they first became available. This reflects our increasing taste for chocolate and our increasing consumption of it. The implication of this for consumers of chocolate today is the need to decide how much of a chocolate bar is good to eat, instead of assuming that the entire bar is up for grabs! You can eat chocolate but in moderation. It’s not hard to determine a moderate serve of chocolate, so you can get a taste of something so rich and decadent!

Foods that fit into the same category and are rich in sugar include donuts, ice cream, cookies, desserts, creamy toppings. An occasional indulgence in these special treats is OK as long as it only happens occasionally and involves small sizes. A small piece of banana cake now and then or a small cone of honeycomb ice cream will not see your weight balloon or your health diminish. You can avoid by including ‘unhealthy’ food in a healthy way – in small portions and only sometimes.

You probably won’t lose weight after small treats like these but you probably wont gain any either. By restraining from overindulgence, and controlling the size of your food portions you will be able to maintain a healthy weight and eat most things you enjoy.

Eating these foods too frequently and in large servings is what leads to weight gain and health problems but eating them in moderation is acceptable. If you have a craving for a small muffin, then have one!

The secret is the number of muffins you eat. One is fine more than one slowly and insidiously becomes a problem. Don’t eat cookies or donuts from a package until there are none left. Avoid eating packaged foods like cookies or muffins if you are really hungry as you will always eat more than one.

One muffin won’t make you gain weight, but many muffins will do just that and you are certain to feel worse for it! An additional warning about eating packaged cookies and treats is that they generally contain the unhealthy transfats and saturated fats in the oils used to cook them. You need to steer very clear of these.

Sometimes chocolate may be the only food that will satisfy your ‘sweet craving’ but other treats can do the same thing. Consider sometimes fresh fruit or low-fat yogurt as an alternative as these are sweet without a high concentration of complex sugars. But when chocolate is the only food you really desire, then eat it, in small portions only. In this way, portion control eating accommodates an occasional treat as you keep focused on your healthy weight loss and weight management goals over the long term!

Warm regards

Rowena French

For the Team @MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French uses responsible portion control to successfully manage her own weight and her family’s health. Tired of dieting without success? Sign up to my free magazine to learn more about how to use portion control for healthy, permanent weight loss. If you haven’t already subscribed to my free product sample, watch my preview video for more information about the whole portion control package.

I am watching the news reports, blogs, and medical websites and witnessing an enormous amount of interest in the outbreak of swine fever in Mexico. Swine fever is a version of the H1N1 strain of influenza type A. Apparently these symptoms can be treated by the vaccines Tamiflu and Relenza and we are told that there are adequate stocks of these vaccines. 

For the 2003 pandemic Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) there were 8096 cases with a total of 774 deaths, a fatality ratio of 9.6%. Latest mortality figures for swine fever are around 160 deaths in Mexico but only a handful outside that country. 

So what should one do to manage the stress and reduce anxiety? We decided on four courses of action. We are not visiting any pig farms in the foreseeable future. We’re certainly not going to Mexico as the chances of being shot in the drug war or catching swine fever seem to be monumentally high. We will buy face masks even though medical experts say for the person in the street they are ineffective. Just buying the masks made us feel better (and yesterday when mowing the lawn full of volcanic ash the masks were indeed very helpful). We will certainly make sure that we wash our hands frequently; especially with an alcohol-based hand cleanser (no we will wash with the hand cleanser – not drink it). And we will try to avoid passing any infections to our mouth, nose or eyes. 

More than any of this, we will relax, manage our anxiety and stress, and get on with our lives. We have seen a range of exotic and potentially lethal viruses in the last few years including avian flu, SARS, and now swine fever. I wonder what’s next?

For more strategies on stress relief refer to some of my other articles: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr_Jeff_Bailey

Warm regards

Dr Jeff

For the team at mightydigitaldownloads.com 

Dr Jeff Bailey, psychologist, helps stressed patients. Why put up with stress? Learn stress management skills now.  Click here for the free What is Stress by Dr Jeff. Don’t waste another minute stressed and burnt out. Act now – learn how to relieve stress.