Nutritional

Fresh Fruits & Veggies Month

June is Fresh Fruits and Veggies month. Some "diet plans" will tell you that vegetables & fruits are "free" and you can eat all of them and as many as you would like. Everything in moderation! Knowledge is the key, you have to understand what you are eating and what to pair with it. There are several fruits that the American Diabetes Association tells diabetics to limit or avoid because they continue to ripen and sweeten after they are picked. Of course most of these are summer fruits everyone wants to enjoy. Knowing nutritional information on a variety of fruits and veggies is key. It's not that you can't eat them, just not by themselves. Pair them with protein, the amount of protein should be equal to the amount of sugar in the fruit you're consuming. By doing so, you avoid the blood sugar spike. So with fruit, match or pair it with the same amount of lean protein to create a sneal®. 

Water-The Orphan Nutrient

Although you might overlook water, it serves many important purposes. Water helps carry other nutrients throughout the body and helps transport waste products out of the body. It functions as a “joint lubricant” and a “cell shock absorber.” It enables numerous chemical reactions to take place and helps regulate your body temperature. When it comes down to weight loss, water plays a notably important role. As fat breaks down, the body requires increased fluids to help eliminate the resulting wastes. Water also aids in controlling bowel regularity. Plus, drinking more fluids can help you feel full.

Why portion control is the secret to losing weight

One of the major factors that can help you to achieve your weight loss goals is proper portion control. The crucial thing to realize as you attempt to manage your weight is that your weight is a direct function of the number of calories that  you ingest through food and drinks as compared with the number of calories that you burn off. You can burn off calories through normal activity and bodily functions as well as exercise. By adjusting these input and output levels, you'll adjust whether you gain, lose or maintain your weight.

How Portion Control Helps to Lose Weight

Portion control directly helps you to lose weight by tipping the scales in favor of the output of caloric energy. When you carefully monitor your portion sizes, you decrease the amount of food that you eat. This decrease in food intake also represents an overall decrease in the number of calories that you eat, provided that you eat the same foods that you did previously. This makes it easier for you to burn off  calories through less activity. Therefore, you will begin to gain weight more slowly or, ideally, maintain or even lose weight.

Other Benefits of Portion Control

Proper and healthy portion control is characterized by moderation. While it's important to not eat too much of any particular type of food,  it's also equally important to avoid eating too little. Learn about the recommended serving sizes of various types of food, and do your best to adhere to them. This will ensure that you are eating a proper amount and that your body is fully nourished. 

Proper Portion Control

There are a number of other benefits of portion control. First, you'll condition your body to become full after consuming a smaller quantity of food. This means that controlling your portions should become easier and easier over time, and that you'll have to concern yourself less as time goes on. Additionally, many people find that they generally feel better and have more energy when they've eaten moderate portions than they did when they ate overly large portions. Finally, monitoring your portions appropriately can help to improve your digestion process and your regularity as well.

Meat Nutritional Information

After you decide how many calories you need to eat per day and which foods you're going to eat, don't let super-sized portions ruin your good plans. Try to visualize the items below when you're planning a meal, ordering food out, or grabbing a sneal®.  For example, 3 ounces of meat, poultry, or fish is about the size of a deck of cards. Studies have found that the typical portion size is 2 to 8 times as large. Reducing your portion size is a good step toward a healthy diet.

Check Out These Recipes!

Watching portion sizes is an effective way to stay on top of your weight management goals. Make portion control easier by visiting our blog at carbessentials.net or our recipes page at physiciansplan.net for recipes that call for 3 ounces of meat. 

National Sloppy Joe Day

One of America's all-time favorite hot sandwiches, an American classic. A big bun topped with saucy meat. Sloppy Joe's aren't the most dainty meal you can eat, but they sure are delicious. But most of the time your classic Sloppy Joe can be loaded with extra fat and calories. So we want to share some recipes with you that put a bit of a twist on this classic favorite, making it much healthier and easier on your waistline. 

Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers

Serving Size: 1 whole stuffed pepper

Calories 239|  Protein 29g  |  Carbs 30g  |  Fat 3.5g    

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the bell peppers in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the membrane and seeds with a spoon. ( Leave the stem on the peppers for two reasons - They look pretty and it keeps the filling from running out of the end. Just don't eat the stem.)

  2. Boil peppers until skin has softened or to desired texture. Then set aside.

  3. While the peppers are cooking, combine the contents of one packet of CarbEssentials Vegetarian Sloppy Joe and 5 ounces of HOT water in a saucepan. Stir thoroughly. 

  4. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 6 to 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently.

  5. Lightly spray a backing dish with non-stick cooking spray. 

  6. Spoon sloppy joe mixture into the peppers. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes to until the cheese has melted.

 

Sloppy Joe Salad

 

Calories 286|  Protein 32g  |  Carbs 29g  |  Fat 5.8g    

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Combine the contents of one packet of CarbEssentials Vegetarian Sloppy Joe and 5 ounces of HOT water in a saucepan. Stir thoroughly. 

  2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 6 to 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently.

  3. Toss together all ingredients topped with sloppy joe mixture.

  4. Add Walden Farms dressing as desired. 

Skinny Sloppy Joe

Serving Size: 1 Sandwich

Calories 215|  Protein 19g  |  Carbs 29g  |  Fat 3.8g    

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Combine the contents of one packet of CarbEssentials Vegetarian Sloppy Joe and 5 ounces of HOT water in a saucepan. Stir thoroughly. 

  2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 6 to 8 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently.

  3. Spoon onto bun and enjoy!