dessert – Jenna Jamieson, Author

Will that be a Mini, Skinny, or Fun Size?

By Jenna Jamieson | October 8, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

Mini, skinny, and fun size portions are the new fad. It’s the newest, coolest, and hippest thing on the block these days. These are the foods and drinks that make you think and feel like you are saving calories, but in reality you most likely are not. The problem with these so-called “healthy” products is that they often lead to overconsumption. Instead of having one skinny martini or skinny bellini when eating out at a restaurant you give yourself permission to drink two since it is the skinny version. Drinking two “skinny” drinks while smaller usually results in more calories than if you consumed one normal size of a regular drink. Other fun size portions are seen at Starbucks when they introduced their mini frappe this summer, mini McFlurries from McDonald’s, and mini Frosties from Wendy’s.

I am guilty of eating these on rare occasions so don’t feel bad if you do, too! I was eating some candy minis last night after dinner because this is the time of year for “minis” and “fun size” candy. Halloween brings out these “trick or treat” portion sizes, but they can pose a problem for those of us that love these little portions and grab for the candy bowl throughout the entire month of October and November. These “mini” and “fun size” candy packets and bars seem to be an excuse for many of us to eat more. They are small and easy to pop in your mouth and they taste so delicious that you keep going back for more, all while reminding yourself that these are small portion sizes so you can justify eating more. Am I sounding familiar to any of you?

Treats and other Halloween goodies also tend to be consumed more frequently during the month of October from brownies to graveyard cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and more. All deliciously yummy treats that aren’t always the best choice. Many people use “alternatives” in these desserts to make them “more healthy” such as applesauce, black beans, quinoa, etc. This actually leads to overconsumption because people have the mindset that they are eating “healthy” desserts and therefore eat more of them. In reality, people that consume these “healthier” desserts, fun size or mini candy bars, and skinny drinks actually end up consuming more calories than people who eat desserts that have not been altered to be more “healthy”. For drinks such as frappes, McFlurries, and Frosties you may not consume more than one, but buy them more often throughout the week causing increased calories or you may use that smaller portion size to rationalize eating more later in the day.

Even as a health, nutrition, and exercise fanatic I can be guilty of this at times! I once made brownies using applesauce to cut down on the oil and they didn’t cut it. They seemed mediocre and boring so now I have been making normal brownies since. They taste better and it is easier to watch my portion size than to justify eating extra brownies because they seem more healthy.

The point is that if you are trying to eat healthy by making “healthy” brownies or desserts, consuming mini, skinny, and fun size portions you probably aren’t doing yourself any favors. It is actually better to watch what you eat and consume normal sizes rather than eating these smaller portions that tend to cause overconsumption. That overconsumption leads to more calories and more fat than you might realize so next time you want brownies or something sweet, stick to the real thing instead. Everything in moderation is a better motto than skinny, mini, and fun size!

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

Food cheat? Only in moderation!

By Jenna Jamieson | April 7, 2015 | Comments 0 Comment

Sorry for the short hiatus! I have no excuse…I wasn’t on vacation, I really wasn’t any busier than normal, and I actually have a lot of health inspiration so there is no reason for why I haven’t posted lately. 🙁 I hear people say all the time this is my cheat day, so I can eat whatever I want today, but for today only. Other times I hear people say it’s the weekend so I can eat what I want because I workout five days a week. I also frequently hear people say they have cheat meals where they can eat whatever they want. I think one important thing to remember is that while allowing yourself to enjoy all food groups and pleasures in life is great, it is still equally as important to exercise the idea of moderation AND considering the calories you are putting in your mouth. With that being said, rather than having a cheat weekend, cheat day, or cheat meal, consider having a partial cheat meal whereby you eat a dessert after dinner or you eat fish for dinner, but still have fries as a side or you have scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach and a few slices of bacon as a side.

It is important to recognize that moderation needs to be considered when it comes to health, wellness, nutrition, and exercising. My advice to people who want to enjoy some of the food luxuries in life, but still stay on a well-balanced diet is to consider eating cheat snacks or partial cheat meals. I recently had a salad for dinner with no meat and then decided after dinner I still wanted something else and preferably something sweet. I had a small cupcake after my salad and really found that it made more sense to have a salad and a small cupcake rather than a large unhealthy dinner followed by a large dessert. My salad was filled with lots of veggies and greens that were great for me and then the cupcake was just a hint of cheating that satisfied my sweet tooth. The best bet? Choose not to have a large piece of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cornbread followed by a large piece of chocolate cake or have an all you can eat buffet followed by dessert. This is an overabundance of calories that ruin an entire day (or even week) for a person because of the large amount of calories that are being consumed in just one meal. Instead choose to pair the healthy with a small indulgence or treat that can accent the meal or be a small token of what you are craving rather than eating a large unhealthy meal and dessert.

That’s a wrap! Go enjoy a great salad and a cupcake or your dessert of choice (just don’t go overboard with a large dessert such as a carrot cake, or a brownie sundae with chocolate and caramel sauce and whipped cream. Enjoy your small cheats in moderation because I promise that you will feel better when you’re done, enjoy less calories, and won’t feel sick from over consumption!

~jj

Yummy, yummy to my dessert tummy!

By Jenna Jamieson | September 2, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

We all have a sweet tooth of some kind for some type of dessert. You may not be a cake eater, but you might like pies, cookies, cupcakes, ice cream, brownies, candy, or some other type of sweet indulgence. I often hear people say they have cut sugar from their diet and my first question is why?! The most common response is to lose weight for a specific event or occasion (i.e. wedding, swimsuit season, class reunion, etc). It really doesn’t make much sense to me because you lose the weight for the event or occasion and then gain it right back so it isn’t done to maintain a healthy weight and sustain it over time. Removing sugar from your diet as a “cleanse” or way to lose weight is almost like a punishment to yourself (and possibly others) because your mood changes, you crave sugar, and once the period of time, event, or occasion ends you tend to overindulge yourself with sugar until you feel sick and sometimes even guilty.

What’s my point or better yet what’s my solution? Build dessert into your meal and calorie count for the day. For example, if you know you will be eating dessert after dinner, base your total calories and portions for that meal prior to dessert. If you usually eat 650 calories at dinner, but know that you will be eating dessert cut your calories at dinner to 400 and then allow yourself a 250 calorie dessert. This helps reduce your portions prior to dessert so that you don’t over consume by adding an additional 250 calories to your typical 650 calorie dinner. If you don’t cut calories and portion out your meal to consider dessert, think about how many calories you would eat if you have your usual 650 calorie dinner and decide to add on a 250 calorie dessert. You would have a total of 900 calories for one meal, which is almost half of what a woman’s total daily caloric intake should be!

My final point? Be cognizant of how many calories you are putting in your mouth, be well informed about how many calories you SHOULD be eating based on your gender and age, and lastly remember that portion control is just as important as what you choose to put in your mouth! So eat nutritious and eat within boundaries! Below is a general calorie count for men and women based on age and activity level. Please realize it is a little bit different for every person based on their fitness level, health and medical history, etc. Also, remember that as we age our metabolism tends to slow down decreasing the amount of success we see in burning calories when we workout. In other words, as you age it may take more effort and a longer workout to burn the number of calories you once burned at a younger age. Don’t feel discouraged though, no matter what, if you are working out you are definitely doing your mind and body a favor and making me proud (because you are helping me change the dynamics and statistics in America which will take time to do)! Oh, and just so you got the moral out of the story: Don’t cut out sugar, enjoy a dessert on occasion, key words being on occasion! You will feel better, do much better, and see more success if you maintain your diet by eating in moderation rather than cutting food groups. That saying “everything in moderation” that you are always told and hear is actually true! 😉

GENDER

CALORIES (Moderately Active)

CALORIES (Active)

FEMALES

19-30 years old

31-50 years old

51+ years old

2,000 -2,200

1,800-2,000

1,600-1,800

2,400

2,200

2,000-2,200

MALES

19-30 years old

31-50 years old

51+ years old

2,400-2,600

2,200-2,400

2,000-2,200

2,800

2,600-2,800

2,400-2,600

(Courtesy of http://www.choosemyplate.gov)

~jj

BBQs, Restaurants, and Parties, Oh My!

By Jenna Jamieson | May 5, 2014 | Comments 0 Comment

The weather is starting to change for many of us and as we transition into warmer days and higher temperatures, it often means getting together with friends and family for BBQs, potlucks, picnics, graduation parties, and outings/events that have finger foods and appetizers. While all this is great and provides lasting memories, remember that potlucks and parties also mean added calories. Spring and summer are often the time for family get togethers and reunions, graduation parties, and BBQs, but it also means buffet style eating which equates to lots of food. Frequently, these types of gatherings mean grazing on appetizers and snacks followed by a large buffet style meal and ice cream, popsicles, trifle and punch bowl cakes, cookies, cheesecakes, and lots of delightful summer favorites for dessert.

Some great ways to cut back and lighten BBQs, potlucks, picnics, and graduation parties is to have fruits and veggies only as your appetizers to reduce the extra calories that chips, cheese dips, pretzels, etc have. If you want dips, consider veggie dip, hummus, and fruit dip. These can be enjoyed with fruits and veggies and prevents unnecessary salty foods for dippers. If you are having a potluck style get together, plan out the meal so that you have a balance of sides that are healthy. You might consider limiting the number of sides to 3 and ask guests to refrain from bringing chips, pretzels, etc and help with drinks, paper plates, napkins, etc to fulfill the list of what is needed. Another great way to help with portion control is to not leave the actual meal and sides out all day. While grazing makes it feel like a fun party atmosphere, consider leaving food out for a specific amount of time. For example, 11:30-1 for a midday gathering and 6-7:30 for an evening get together. It is nice to allow guests to graze, but leaving food out all day can be unnecessary. I realize you want to make parties enjoyable for your guests, but I PROMISE that guests will thank you later for not ruining their diet, making them feel miserable from overeating, and preventing a high calorie meal that they feel guilty about the next day! Consider keeping your more healthy options out all day, like fruits and veggies, if you feel the need to have something for your guests at all times. Go ahead and put away the main meal such as brats, hot dogs, burgers, pasta salad, potato salad, corn on the cob, french fries, tator tots, etc to prevent grazing all afternoon and evening.

The next obstacle to tackle during spring is how often you eat out! You may want to put a limit on the number of times you eat out each day and each week. During the winter, we often tend to curl up at home and make comfort meals to enjoy, but once the weather changes, there is often a spike in how frequently people eat out. The weather is nicer so you enjoy being out more. A great way to combat eating out too much is to set goals for yourself. For example, don’t allow yourself to eat out more than once per day and more than X times per week. Personally, I typically try to allow myself to eat out one lunch and one dinner during the week (Monday – Friday). During the weekend, I try to eat no more than two complete meals out. Try to look up calories and nutrition on restaurant websites when possible and consider hidden calories such as salad dressings. Remember that foods in restaurants often have extra additives, may be overly processed foods, and typically have higher caloric counts than home cooked meals.

Don’t forget about the alcohol at parties. Often outdoor BBQs and parties have alcoholic drinks or even virgin drinks that are high in sugar and calories. These calories count, too! You don’t want to have 3 sugary, high caloric drinks, appetizers, a large buffet meal, and dessert at a party and end up eating two meals at one time! That can destroy your progress! I understand the hard choices that summer BBQs, parties, potlucks, and picnics present, but remember you can enjoy it all in MODERATION (and by using some or all of these tips!) 😉

~jj