Healthy Weight Management Tips For January

Jill Patterson, resident dietician in Newtown for Chartwells, Newtown’s food service provider for the school district, has some healthy weight management suggestions for everyone facing a New Year’s resolution that includes watching calories, eating nutrient rich food, and other tips to get trim in 2011.

According to Ms Patterson, weight management is January’s school district staff wellness topic, and shared her tips with The Bee recently.

Ms Patterson suggests people should focus on nutrient rich foods, because foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean sources of protein provide more nutrients within the number of calories being consumed over other food choices. For whole grains, Ms Patterson suggests eating oatmeal, brown rice, high fiber cereals, and whole grain bread. For protein, she said to eat white breast meat of poultry, pork loin, lean beef, and seafood.

Ms Patterson also warns to stay away from liquid calories.

“Calories coming from beverages can add up fast,” she said, “and they typically do little to provide nutrients and satiety.”

Eliminate beverages like juice drinks, soda, coffee lattes, and other drinks made from milk/cream and sugar, she said. Instead, she said, focus on drinking beverages like water, flavored water, seltzer water, and tea. One trick she suggests is diluting juice with seltzer water “to create a fruit spritzer that contains fewer calories, while still providing flavor and nutrients like vitamin C.”

For coffee drinkers, she said to ask for the coffee beverage to be made with skim milk instead of whole milk.

Slip-ups are okay, she said.

“No one has gained weight from one cookie or one piece of cake,” said Ms Patterson. “If you slip up, shake it off, let it go and tell yourself that this is a new moment and you are starting fresh now.”

Ms Patterson also said to allow for fun foods, and to aim for 80 percent of the time to be eating nutrient rich foods with 20 percent of the time taken up by fun foods.

“This helps to keep you on track for the long term,” she said.

Ms Patterson will also be holding a free Nutrition Tips and Tricks for Weight Management seminar on Wednesday, January 19, from 3 to 4 pm in the Newtown Middle School cafeteria. She expects to answer questions, and share some easy-to-do exercises “that will be sure to improve your fitness level in no time.”

For more information on the seminar, contact Ms Patterson at chartwellsjillpaterson@yahoo.com with your name and e-mail address.