Genes in our cells determine the hereditary aspects of life, including susceptibility to disease. Environmental factors, such as diet and lifestyle modify genetic patterns.

New Millennium Nutrition

Nutrition and calorie counting are easily compatible.

Many foods have little or no nutritional value but lots of calories:

Donuts

Potato chips

French fries

Cookies

White bread, rolls, toast

Butter

Some foods are nutritious but also contain lots of calories:

Hamburgers

Fried chicken or fish

Tempura vegetables

And, finally, some foods are nutritious AND low in calories:

Lean meats

Vegetables

Fruits

Whole grains

The trick is to choose from the third category most of the time, the second category occasionally, and the first category as seldom as possible.

Recognizing that pleasurable tastes are a thrilling sensual experience and that an occasional hamburger is human, just avoid the French fries and malt (except for those rare occasions when you truly deserve them!)

There is another property of food that is of primary concern, and that is roughage.

Roughage (otherwise known as bran, fiber, etc.) is a primary contributor to appetite suppression, we feel full, and good digestion.

The main sources of fiber are vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.  And they are all in the optimum category.

This is getting easy.

If you eat fruits and vegetable, whole grains, and lean meats, your diet will be nutritious and low calorie.

It’s that easy: no secrets.

Always to for the Fiber and Roughage.

Always go for the least-processed food:

Fresh over frozen or canned,

raw or lightly cooked veggies.

It can’t be this simple.

But it is!

This diet can be considered a Fiber or Roughage Balanced

If you always go for the roughage, you eat balanced, nutritious, low-calorie foods that make efficient peristaltic action possible (i.e., regular bowel movements and complete waste disposal).

Mix your vegetables by color

Light-colored lettuce (iceberg) has little nutritional value (although it is low calorie).

Try using spinach instead of lettuce in your salads.

All of my favorite restaurants have a salad bar or a good vegetable ( not a lettuce salad ) salad.

A small iceberg-lettuce salad is not what I’m looking for in the way of food.

Trim the fat off the edges of the steak and pull the skin off the chicken, and you’ve got a reasonably low-calorie and very high-protein food.

There is a trend to use fewer meats, but some meat is necessary unless you are extremely careful with food choices and food combining. A little meat makes complete nutrition fairly easy.

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Five leading weight-management experts scored each diet based on an exhaustive 30-item questionnaire. Then we number-crunched 325 pages of ballots to separate the winners from the losers. The result: our at-a-glance diet cheat sheet, which shows you which plans rank—and which tank— whenit comes to permanent pound control; plus definitive advice on how to pinpoint the diet you’ll do best on.

Two Gold-Medal Diet Plans: Volumetrics and Dieting for Dummies

The two diets that scored highest in SELF’s survey have one wonderful thing in common: they deliver slow but steady weight loss, the undisputed healthiest approach. Both plans encourage you to watch calories and portion sizes, essential to losing weight for good, and they do it without sounding punitive or preachy (a major diet turnoff).

Our five diet judges unanimously loved Volumetrics (final grade: A- and the highest combined score in our survey) because the book features a healthy regimen that helps you feel satisfied, not deprived. The premise? You follow a plan (recipes included) packed with low-calorie foods you can fill up on, including fruits, vegetables, grains, poultry and soups. Fiber-rich, air- and water-packed eats are encouraged because they also deliver volume for relatively few calories. (Rice Krispies and a fruit smoothie, anyone?) On this plan, you can have a single cup of cream-of-broccoli-with-cheese soup for 200 calories, or you can more than double your portion with 2 1/2 cups of vegetable-and-beef broth for the same 200 calories. Says panelist Jackie Newgent, R.D., nutrition consultant in New York City and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association: “This diet will help anyone take off weight permanently, though it may favor those who can spare kitchen time to concoct the stews and smoothies.”

Unlike Volumetrics, Dieting for Dummies (final grade: A) doesn’t provide meal plans; instead, it lists lowfat foods and explains how to fit them into a sample day. The book also offers guidance on handling cravings and fitting exercise into your life, and it’s packed with calorie-cutting tips, such as a list of six condiments that deliver flavor, not fat (mustard, hot sauce, chili powder, balsamic vinegar, salsa and horseradish). As diet judge Martha McKittrick, R.D., nutritionist at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, points out, if you want to eat healthier for life and keep those pounds lost off for good, this diet is for you.

Answer: We don’t like to recommend taking diet pills to anyone. Unless you are morbidly obese and under a doctor’s supervision, there are better ways to lose weight. Diet and exercise is the age-old maxim for losing weight. If the body takes in more calories than it works off, it stores the excess as fat. There is no magic pill.

If you are serious about losing weight, begin an exercise program and modify your diet. We know. It sounds easy. It is not. That’s why there are so many diet hucksters out there selling instant weight loss to hopeful fat people. Start with easy walking and increase time and distance in small increments each week. For instance, start with 10-minute walks and increase to 15-minutes over a few weeks. Increase intensity as you gather strength. Build from there. Find sports and activities you like that keep you off the couch and moving. Mow your lawn; clean out the garage; take up tennis or racquet ball. Cut fat in your diet and you will automatically cut calories. Cut down on portion sizes. Check out our home page for different ways to eat and exercise for the way to healthy weight loss. Diet pills may work for a while but not without side effects. For lifetime weight control, the answer is diet and exercise.

1/2 package tofu, creamed

1 cup quick oats

3/4 cup wheat flour

1/4 cup vegetarian beef seasoning

1 tsp. Curry powder

1/4 cup shredded soy cheese

Mix ingredients together. Form into balls and flatten into patties. Fry until browned; transfer to baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.

Use as you would real hamburgers. Makes 6-7 patties.

For healthy nutrition eat carbohydrates. Minimize or avoid foods with processed, refined sugars such as table sugar, candy and pastries, as well as processed white starches such as pasta, rice and bread. Maximize exposure to unprocessed starches as well as fruits and vegetables. Choose smaller portions to avoid overeating the good choices at meals. Stress hormones peak early in the morning usually between 6 and 8 a.m. This is when we are most energetic and able to concentrate. Mid-morning stress hormones slowly decline, and by mid-afternoon there is a drop in energy and mental concentration. Stress hormones are the lowest levels during sleep to allow full relaxation. Overeating in the late afternoon and evening is one of the biggest culprits behind stress-induced weight gain in women over 40. From 3 p.m. to midnight the stress hormone levels plummet. Mindless, unfocused, stress-driven eating dominates guaranteeing weight gain especially in women over 40. Carpooling, project deadlines, business travel, help with kids homework and endless domestic errands fill the mid-afternoon phase of the day. By dinnertime many women feel like rewarding themselves for surviving yet another day. The only real time they have to themselves may be after the rest of the family has retired to sleep. Late-night, after-dinner eating is a common habit of exhausted and over burdened women. Many seek peace and solace of enjoying a momentary pleasure and relief of their favorite anesthetic — food.

Learn to successfully navigate the daily routine around the temptations of food. Arm yourself with daily eating plans as well as ways to blow off stress. Know what to eat for mid-afternoon snack and dinner. Keep the plan easy and simple. Stress eaters seek food as pleasure to help neutralize mental pain of stress they must continue to endure. Stock up on low-stress foods such as tofu, fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat canned soups, pita bread, cottage cheese, low-fat cheeses, rice cakes, low-fat tortillas, canned tuna, chicken or salmon, high-protein cereal, oatmeal, string cheese, frozen fruit sorbet, reduced-sugar canned fruit or veggie burgers. Consume at least 65 percent of the daily carbohydrates before 5 p.m. Breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch and mid-afternoon snack should constitute the majority of the calorie intake for the day.

Enjoy the benefits of protein by eating fish, beans, peas, chicken, eggs and peanuts. Protein is necessary for the growth and repair of body tissues such as muscles, blood, bones, hair, skin, and nails. Soybeans and soy-based products are rich source of phytoestrogens, which are the weak estrogens found in plants. These phytoestrogens protect against breast cancer in perimenopausal women. Additional sources are soymilk, tofu, soy flour, soy protein powders, soy energy bars, chickpeas, lentils, clover, onions and apples.

Adapt to this sample daily routine. Have a healthy breakfast no later than 9 a.m. Have a small, mid-morning snack of fruit, low-fat yogurt or a piece of string cheese. Eat lunch no later than 1:30. Include a healthy balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates. Mid-afternoon snack is for energy. Choose protein and carbohydrates such as low-fat yogurt, or cottage cheese and fruit. Dinner should be eaten between 6 and 7:30 p.m. Good choices are soup, salad, poultry, fish, legumes, veggie burgers and mixed fruit. Have dinner over by 8 p.m. Remember if you have dinner after 8 you gain a lot of weight. Also drink 64 ounces of water per day. Many times when we think we are hungry we are actually thirsty. Water has many functions in the body. It transports nutrients to the cells, regulates body temperatures, lubricates joints and provides moisture to the skin. The lower estrogen levels during perimenopause make water intake even more critical.

Perimenopausal Symptoms and Solutions:

Fatigue — iron-rich foods such as meats and poultry
Irritability, memory loss, depression — vitamin B complex
Indigestion — small, frequent meals, low-fat foods. Avoid fried foods, lunchmeats
Hot flashes — soy products, vitamin E, wheat germ, whole grains
Sweating — Soy products
Water Retention – Consume majority of calories and carbohydrates before dinner
Headaches — Magnesium, nuts, tofu, leafy green vegetables, wheat germ
Constipation – High-fiber foods (whole grains, vegetables, beans, peas), plenty of water, exercise

After the age of 40 the female body experiences changes in metabolism, bone structure, skin, hair and appetite. The appetite is closely linked to culture. Food is loving, nurturing and a pleasurable substance. Just the smell of something warm and familiar can trigger all sorts of pleasant memories. Think of turkey basting in the oven on Thanksgiving Day. Imagine the smell of hot cinnamon-laced cider on a snowy Christmas day. Smells that waft over us can trigger pleasant associations. The key to enjoying food is not to let it be in control. Make peace with food. It is not the enemy. Keep the eating process simple. There will be less mental stress about eating when other areas in life are in control.

Feelings of sadness, worry and anxiety will suffocate thoughts of self-care. The stress cycle snowballs when food is routinely used as comfort. Plan ahead to make time for yourself. Realize that you deserve joy just as much as the people you continue to serve and please. Women over 40 need all the solace they can get. Incorporate a variety of stress-reducing physical activities into the daily routine. Plan to escape and take a walk whenever you can. An immediate improvement of energy will be seen in addition to the stress reduction. Create a support system. Enlist the help of a buddy to help keep each other encouraged. Enjoy a laughter workout at least 10 minutes a day. Laughter will reduce stress hormones and boost the immune system. Another great tool for improved mental health is journaling. Writing your thoughts down daily is a great way to express emotions and get to know your inner self better. Find some private space to relax and record your thoughts. Write freely and note what you were feeling that day.

Getting fit and healthy after 40 is not a destination but a journey filled with trials that test our abilities to live healthfully. Planning and determination will give a sense of control. Learn to enjoy this season of life to the fullest

You take care of your soul when you journal. When you choose to eat right, you take care of your physical body. By combining journaling and weight loss, you are taking care of your whole being.

From making a decision to take care of your body, through the process of losing weight, to your final result of better health, looks and self-esteem, your records can keep you motivated. You will be able to keep your perspective on your goal if you have been writing down your experience.

Try journaling in conjunction with dieting for a holistic approach to well-being.

Many dieters think that when they put on paper their daily feelings, cravings, troubles, and sins, it helps to lose weight even without calorie restriction.

Yeah, but, how do you use those items in place of meat? Very good question…with the beans, you could imitate Taco Bell to some extent and put beans in your burritos and enchiladas. You could also use them in place of ground beef in your tacos. White beans make an excellent sandwich spread when mixed with various seasonings and flavorings.

Nuts are a great source of protein as well, and yet not too many people realize that they can be used in a variety of main dishes with very good results. For example, walnuts and/or almonds go very well in patties, such as Walnut and Oatmeal Cheese Patties.

Grains, when combined with a source of protein, such as tofu or eggs/egg substitute, is a complete source of nutrition. For example, you can make Tofu Oat Patties (see recipe below).

Tofu Oat Patties

1 cup quick oats

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1 12 oz. Package soft silken style tofu, pureed

1/4 cup wheat bran

2 Tbsp. Emeril’s Essence

1 Tbsp. Dill weed

Place dry ingredients in bowl and mix together. Place tofu in food processor and process until creamy. Add pureed tofu to dry ingredients in bowl, and mix until a soft to medium dough ball.

Form dough into balls, then flatten and place into hot pan and brown. When browned on both sides, place on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy, and a vegetable. Yummy! Serves 4-6.

Secondly, let’s look at substitutes for eggs. Sure, tofu can be used, but when baking or making an egg-based sauce, tofu doesn’t work very well. Egg Beaters, a famous egg substitute, and works very well in any recipe you would use real eggs in. With the egg substitute, the equivalent of one egg only contains 30 calories, and absolutely no cholesterol. Whereas a real egg contains 70 calories, and contains up to 200 mg or cholesterol! If you are making a meringue, Egg Beaters also carries an egg white substitute suitable for meringues.

Third, we will take a look at substituting products for most dairy products. Soy milk is very hard to get along with, so therefore, I have tried other products that would be nice to my taste buds. For a milk substitute, Almond Milk tastes the closest to dairy milk that I have found so far. It comes in three flavors, Original, Vanilla, and Chocolate, and can be used in recipes and on cereal, or whatever you use regular dairy milk in or with. It provides all the nutrients found in dairy milk, plus vitamin E and Iron, which are not found in any dairy milk I have found. And the original flavor has 20 calories less than skim milk! (Look for almond milk in the baking section of your local supermarket.)

Though I haven’t tried soy yogurt, mayonnaise, etc., let me just tell you about them. They can be found abundantly in whole food markets and sparingly in regular markets. There is a variety of products using soy protein, including cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, and yogurt. If anyone has tried these, let me know what you think of them and how they worked in your recipes. (However, I still prefer dairy cheese because I don’t like the taste of soy cheese.)

One amazing product that I have discovered recently is Tofutti ice cream. It is made with tofu and other soy proteins, and has an amazing likeness to real ice cream. However, it has only a fraction of the calories of regular ice cream. For one whole pint, Tofutti ice cream contains the same amount of calories as one SERVING of regular ice cream!!!!! And if it tastes just as good as regular ice cream, why put extra calories into your body when you don’t need it? Besides, you are getting more soy protein as well as having a great treat!

So, if the new RDA of soy protein tells you to get 25 grams of protein in your diet, and you don’t know how to incorporate it without it being a struggle, consider the suggestions I have mentioned here. You won’t even know that you are eating something good for you!