If the Halloween candy "called" you, here's why

 Via Vo/shutter stock

There’s a definite pattern when it comes to adults and Halloween candy. Many adults resist candy on Halloween. Then, the next day if it’s in the house or at the office they start to pick. “Just a couple” pieces here, a couple there. The same thing goes for Thanksgiving. Day of, many clients are on plan. The next day? The leftovers take them down.

Why is this? Many people make a decision, ahead of time, not to eat candy on Halloween or not to eat the 5,000 calorie meal on Thanksgiving. It’s clear what the plan is for the holiday itself. The day after? There’s no plan for that and so deliberation begins. “Should I have it?”  and this line of questioning rarely ends well.

I read a thought-provoking Vox article, “the myth of self-control”. The first portion of the article is a little depressing as the case is made that it’s super tricky to pass things up. “Human beings are terrible at resisting temptation.” Then came the  interesting part. “The people who are really good at self-control never have these battles in first place.” It’s not that some people have more willpower, it’s that some people avoid having to exert it.

If you want to avoid the exhaustion that comes with fending food (or other temptations for that matter) off some ideas:

Planning

I talk about this throughout The Little Book of Thin. The fewer food decisions you make on the spot, the better. When you’re staring face to face with the muffin tray and negotiating, your odds are slim. A Foodstalking client has a coworker with a candy bowl or “bowl of bullshit” as she calls it. The bowl was her downfall every afternoon. “One or two things only” wasn’t cutting it. Instead she called out of B.O. B. and put it on her “no” list. No piece here or piece there, no contemplating no bullshit…period.

Reminders and reinforcement

 In research mentioned in the article, people were texted reminders of their goals to help them make good choices. A couple of years ago, we started our Foodstalking program. We were astounded by the success and demand for spots. In this email-based program, we are in touch with clients daily. This encouragement and accountability helps establish new behaviors. Having a buddy is another way of doing this. Enlist a friend or coworker (spouses aren’t best idea for this) and work together to skip the candy, make it to your workouts etc.

Substitution

 “No candy” for some sounds daunting. In order to avoid the bowl of bullshit, my client has an RX Bar at 3pm every day. You can replace a food with a food or it can be a behavior. Taking a walk after dinner or meeting a friend for a workout instead of a drink are other examples of substitution.

So don’t beat yourself up for a slip. Instead, backtrack and see where you could’ve avoided that temptation all together. I’ll remind you about this  again before Thanksgiving and leftovers come into play.

Cashew Addiction Explained

Assume there are 100 cashews here. Assume that's a portion.

 You can binge on anything. Once when I  told a client “you will not overeat on chicken” she swiftly corrected me, “I eat a whole chicken Lauren…well except for the insides and bones.” Interesting. And one night my younger son complained of a stomachache and said,  “I probably ate too many bananas after soccer.”  I asked my son how many assuming he had two or so, he said five. While these instances are rarities, cashew binging is extremely common. You are more likely to overeat (translation the whole package, regardless of its size) cashews that any other nut. You may not find that in a scientific journal but it’s the truth.

I saw 10 clients yesterday. Two reported cashew issues. Foodtrainers will turn 15 in November, I can’t believe it has taken me this long to conduct cashew research but I did and have a theory. Cashews are carby. I know that sounds as dumb as when people claim carrots are sugary. Cashews have four times the net carbs (carb grams minus fiber grams) of walnuts or pecans and more than double the carbs in almonds. Grace, our resident researcher, and I both poked around and she concluded; “only chestnuts have them beat”.  When I offered this explanation to one of my cashew challenged clients she said, “I think it’s the texture, think of how creamy cashew milk is.” She has a point. Cashews are the most widely used dairy alternative. So there are the carbs, the texture and there’s also a natural sweetness of cashews…shit.

Here’s where science tells a different story. On PubMed I read of a study finding that cashew extract improves insulin function and the “damaging effects of high blood sugar”.  So cashew extract has anti-diabetic properties whereas cashews (and cashew addiction) give you diabetes. Another interesting tidbit, you don’t see cashews in shells in stores because the shell of the cashew is poisonous. For this reason, cashews are heat treated before being shelled so; raw cashews are never really raw. And I’ll add that “raw” cashews are binged on too.

When we convened our office cashew conference, we formulated our addiction advice. We joked that we should all eat the shells as a deterrent but are not in the business of poisoning people. Carolyn voted to remove cashews from the Foodtrainers’ nutcase.

Betcha can't have 15...unless you have a nutcase

 Instead, we agreed to advocate cashews via nutcase only. That way, you avoid over-nutting (thanks Well and Good for the shout out). 

Are you a cashew addict? Or, what do you feel are the most bingeable foods?

Prune PR

 I don’t know where things went so wrong. I doubt it’s entirely about looks. After all the date, which after living in New Orleans, seems the fruit that most closely resembles a cockroach hasn’t been slowed down.  And if it’s a matter of wrinkles then why are raisins in every preschooler’s lunchbox? With the exception of dried cranberries, dried fruits aren’t fruity beauty queens.

So if it’s not a matter of appearance, is it about, you know, poop? Prunes seem to have this grandma reputation because they help move things along. After over 10 years practicing nutrition I cannot wrap my brain around this being a bad thing. We are a people pursuing the perfect poop; if prunes are a poop producer shouldn’t this make them praiseworthy? 

As the sweatshirt (which sadly I don’t own) states, I love prunes and I’m hoping us prune-lovers can band together. I’m not in favor of the name change either. In 2000, the prune board conducted 10 million dollars to convert prunes to dried plums. Oh well, it was only 10 million and guess what? Didn’t work. They’re still prunes.

Prunes are unique; it’s not only the fiber content but also the amount of sorbitol  (as in sugar free candy) naturally in prunes that helps relieve constipation. Prunes are a great source of potassium and also B vitamins and magnesium. Prunes are also powerful antioxidants and contain compounds known as phenols. Prunes make a great snack or dessert with 4-5 for 100 calories. When you buy prunes, try to find those that haven’t been treated with sulfites.

Pruney Recipes:

Stewed Prunes- great with Green yogurt or Ricotta cheese

Prune Snack Bars (I would use a flour other than soy flour)

Moroccan Chicken with Prunes

Bacon wrapped Prunes- use nitrite free bacon for this.

Finally, from the shiksa in the kitchen (and is there a better blog name) hamantaschen anyone?

 So be honest, are you a prune lover? What do you think accounts for their uncool fruit-loser reputation? How do you like to eat prunes? Or do you call them dried plums?

Not Just Jack O Laterns

When I say pumpkin, what do you think of? Jack O Laterns and Halloween? Perhaps pumpkin pie? Yet, before there were Jack-o-laterns (the Irish are responsible for this tradition) or pumpkin pie the colonists filled this Native American fruit with milk, spices and honey. Turns out they were onto something; pumpkins are great in many recipes. If you do plan to use your pumpkin for cooking or baking look for Sugar Pie and Sweet Pumpkin, these are the best edible varieties. Pumpkins labeled sweet or sugar can be easily baked, roasted, mashed, and puréed like other varieties of winter squash.


I really like canned pureed pumpkin. I use an organic brand called Farmer’s Market. Pumpkin is very high in Vitamin A, a source of both iron and calcium and has 4 grams of fiber in half a cup (vets often suggest it to help canines “go”). Try a little pumpkin in your Greek yogurt. You can layer it like a parfait and use a little honey (ala the colonists) or agave and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Pumpkin also works nicely in oatmeal. I add a little of the pumpkin to cooking water for the grains such as quinoa or brown rice. Pumpkin is also great in soups, chili and in smoothies.

And don’t forget about the pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas. Pumpkin seeds are a great immune booster and a fantastic alternative to nuts as an afternoon snack. Stick to a ¼ cup or less. This Halloween Party Mix from Vegetarian Times is a more festive way to eat pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Smoothie


½ cup pumpkin

1 scoop Organic Whey or plain or vanilla protein powder

½ cup milk of your choice

½ cup ice

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

1 tsp agave nectar
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

What's your favorite pumpkin purpose?

You Smooze, You Win

Around this time of year, much like fireflies, frozen yogurt, ice cream, sorbet and the like start to appear. Clients want to know how often we suggest having various frozen concoctions and of course our favorite picks. I’ll admit, I’m a Pinkberry (and Red Mango) fan but let’s face it Pinkberry is expensive and it isn’t everywhere. My new favorite frozen treat is everywhere (or can be thanks to shipping) and it’s reasonably priced too. They are shipped and often sold unfrozen and you pop them in the freezer once home. They’re insanely delicious and only 70 calories. They’re called Smooze .

In case you’re not already on Amazon or on your way to Whole Foods, a little more about Smooze. Smooze is dairy free, gluten free and free of nasty sweeteners. Smooze comes in 4 fantastic flavors pineapple, mango, passion fruit and pink guava. Truth be told I have only tried 3 of the 4 fantastic flavors and mango is my current favorite (pineapple second). All of the Smoozes have coconut milk so while they’re dairy free they are creamy and not icy. This product may fall into the there’s something wrong if you if you don’t like them category, that good.
What are your favorite frozen treats? Have you tried Smooze? Is there something wrong with you?

Foodtrainers Find: McClure's

A few weeks ago I was sick. I am rarely sick but I was in bed and miserable. And though most people wouldn’t be watching the Food Network in that condition, I am not most people and I was. My distraction came in the form of a DVRed episode of one of my favorite shows “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”  On this show, chefs and food personalities describe their favorite food from a certain topic. I think the topic for this show was “snack foods” though I’m not certain. I will warn you though that many of the foods described are far from healthy and the manner in which they are described makes you want all of them.

About halfway through the episode, Ted Allen came on the screen. He selected McClure’s pickles as his favorite snack. He explained the recipe for these pickles had been in the family for generations. He gushed about the perfect amount of crunch in these pickles. And then he sealed the deal for me by mentioning that these pickles come regular garlic/dill and SPICY! Suddenly I paused the TV, jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to the kitchen. “What are you looking for?” my husband who had not seen me, due to my self-imposed quarantine, in hours asked. “I am looking for pickles.” Now I knew there were no McClure’s to be had but was fairly certain we had pickles. My 7 year olds favorite “fruit” as he says (child of a nutritionist knows cucumbers are no vegetable) is pickles. And we had pickles! I pulled the lid off a container of Fresh Direct half-sour pickles and unfortunately saw one lonely pickle well past its prime. Yuck.

Ignoring my illness, I went to my computer and found the McClure’s website. I eagerly clicked the “BUY” button and was faced with disappointment again. I needed to purchase 12 jars of pickles for delivery. Holy pickles! I took a risk and emailed McClure’s to ask if they could make an exception for a local nutritionist with MANY pickle-purchasing clients. Within minutes I received a reply! Sadly, it was an away message and Bob McClure was out of the country. I closed my laptop and returned to bed.

The next day another email came. This one was from Bob (Mr. Pickle) himself. Bob said they would deliver any number of jars but it would have to wait until the following Friday. I ordered some regular pickles, I ordered some SPICY pickles, the relish for the husband and the Bloody Mary Mix because in my relentless (ok obsessive) searching saw it was written up in the New York Times and made with pickle juice (sounded like the Dirty Martini’s cousin). Friday came and I was frantically trying to tie up loose ends in the office. The doorman buzzed and was holding a package. In the days since my email with Bob, I had forgotten about the pickles but one look at the box instantly remembered.

I took a jar of the regular and a jar of the spicy and added them to the enormous tote of food/water and other items I feel we need for a simple car ride to Vermont. I would wait to try these prized pickles with the family. We picked the kids up and I held up a jar for the pickle-lover to see. “Look what Mom has?” I am sure a normal child from a normal mother would be less than pleased with pickles as an afterschool snack. Not my boy! His big blue eyes lit up and he said “I want one now!” My husband, ever the practical one, said “I don’t think that’s a good idea while we drive.” Well the impractical one was holding the pickles and wasn’t waiting any longer. I handed out pickles to the pickle-lover and his brother. I handed one to my husband who didn’t decline and I took one from the jar for myself. The only sound was crunching (yes Ted, just the right amount), we took seconds and spilled pickle juice in the process. It was one of the best things I ever ate. Once in Vermont, I cracked open the Spicy and may have to declare it THE BEST THING I EVER ATE.

What are your favorite snacks? Are you a pickle person?