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Last week we looked at five ways you can lose weight without going on a “diet”.   Let’s look at five more habits you can adopt to drop a few pounds and start to get in shape for the summer.   Too often we go on a “diet”, lose some weight and then regain it once we go off the “diet”.   But what if we adopted habits that helped us not only lose a few pounds but keep the weight off when we do lose it.   So instead quick diets, quack diets, fad diets, try some new eating habits and lifestyle habits to take off the extra holiday pounds.   Here are five more habits to try from the article:   10 ways to Start Losing Weight, No Matter How Unmotivated You Are. 1.  Set some health goals that have nothing to do with the number on the scale Rather than just focus on losing pounds, focus on getting some health measure healthier.   Have cholesterol a little high, how can you change eating and exercise habits to bring down your cholesterol?   A relative di...

Feeling upbeat?   Feeling down in the dumps?   Can the food you eat affect the mood you are in?   Apparently so, according to How Food Affects Your Mood .   Although most “experts” will tell you there is no relationship between eating a lot of candy and a sugar high causing hyperactivity.   But ask any Mom or Dad and they will dispute this.   Want to improve your mood with food?   Here are some suggestions from WebMD and other sources: 1. Don’t Forget the Carbs   - so many times we hear people say, “I am watching my carbs.”   So many times I hear my students say, “that food is high in carbs” as if that is something bad.   We want carbs in our diet – lots of carbs.   Carbs are our primary energy source.   Low carbs=low energy.   But we want “good” carbs in our diet to give us energy. Not refined carbs loaded with added sugar.   Sure that will give you an instant energy boost and then a crash when you feel even more tir...

But too many of us aren’t getting the calcium we need.   About 80% of teenage girls and 60% of teenage boys aren’t getting enough calcium in their diets. Most adults are also low in getting enough calcium taking in about 500-700 mg when they need 1000 mg of calcium a day.   The Dietary Guidelines recommend adults have 3 cups of milk or dairy servings every day.  How much calcium do you need each day? Probably more than you are getting.   The chart below shows how much calcium different age groups are getting.   If you aren’t drinking milk or having a yogurt at every meal, you are probably low in your calcium intake. Age Recommended Calcium (mg/day) Children 4-8 1000 Children/teens 9-18 1300 Adults 1000 Women over 50 and men over 70 1200 What foods provide calcium? Although some people take calcium supplements, calcium is best absorbed from food.   Dairy foods – are the best sources of calcium.   MyPlate shows dairy a...

Why is yogurt so healthy? Protein – yogurt is not only a good source of protein, the protein in yogurt is a high-quality protein.   Eating protein at meals helps you feel full longer as protein has “staying power” and takes longer to digest than carbs.   This may be the reason that yogurt helps keep off the weight.   Greek yogurt is higher in protein than regular yogurt but often has less calcium. Probiotics – a huge, benefit of yogurt is the probiotics.   The “friendly bacteria” in yogurt that seems to have so many health benefits.   Look on the label for “live” active cultures when buying yogurt. Fat in Yogurt – the fat in yogurt contains “sphingolipids” a type of fat that actually seems beneficial to heart health.   And fat is more filling.  Eating whole milk yogurt would be a snack that would be more filling and have more "staying power" than a low fat yogurt.  Not All Dairy Fat is Equal – one would think that the dairy fat in butter wo...

Can you walk your way to better health?   Is taking your dog for a walk every day good for your health? Walking for Heart Health According to an article in NPR, even moderate-intensity walking can be as effective as running in terms of reducing one’s risk for high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.   So many people think exercise has to be going to the gym, jogging, participating in a sport like basketball.   All these are great activities but going for a walk also has health benefits. The American Heart Association notes, “walking is one of the simplest ways to get active and stay active”.   The organization recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise like walking.   But it doesn’t have to be done all at once.   No time for a long walk, then “even 10-minute activity sessions can be added up over the week”.    The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition has some suggestions for adding more steps to your day ...