POWER UP! How to Avoid the Second-Half Slump

Feeling lethargic sometime after your main meal is common. Often called the “mid-afternoon slump”, this lull can hinder your work performance. Whether your shift is late or early, you will benefit from avoiding a crash. The key is to keeping your blood sugar stable to feed your mind and body consistently.

Here’s how to do it –

 

• Begin your day with a decent meal. It takes more than a glass of orange juice to start the day! A little nutrition goes a long way, and a whole meal lasts even longer. Include complex carbohydrates and lean proteins, such as shredded wheat and low fat ham, or oats and egg whites. Breakfast is an opportune time to include a calcium-rich food like milk or yogurt, too.

• Skip the buzz. Caffeine and high-sugar foods might perk you up temporarily but could leave you feeling flat later. Like riding a roller-coaster — the greater the rise, the faster the decline. The fall from a high feels like a slump, whereas if you maintain natural momentum there is less fluctuation in energy. Instead of short-term stimulants, opt for fresh, crisp produce for refreshment, or carbonated water for an effervescence lift.

• Be sure to include a little protein with COMPLEX carbohydrates (usually those with more fiber) to keep your energy levels stable. Digestion takes longer so the supply of sugar into the blood is gradual. Snack examples are peanut butter on Wasa crackers, or hummus and whole grain pita chips.

• Avoid large volumes of food. You know that feeling after a mega holiday meal? Yes, that’s your gut working hard on processing all that food means less blood for your brain to function, not to mention the boost in serotonin causing sleepiness. Keeping portions small-to-moderate means no “food coma” and better alertness.

• And, of course, get adequate sleep and exercise!

Debbie James, MS, RD

Rethink your child’s drink

Image Credit: paul goyette via Flickr

Why do I need to think about what my child drinks?

• Sugary beverages may cause dental cavities.
• Drinking sugary beverages may make your child full. When your child is full, they will not eat other foods that have nutrients to keep them healthy.
• Children who drink sugary beverages are more likely to become overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese can lead to other diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.  Limiting sugary beverages can help keep your child healthy.

What are sugary beverages?

The best way to determine if a drink is a sugary beverage is to look at the nutrition label.

More than 12 grams of sugar per serving = Sugary Beverage

Most sodas, lemonades, juice pouches, and sports drinks have more than 12 grams of sugar per serving. These beverages do not have the nutrients to help your child stay healthy.

What are some healthier choices?

Beverage             Recommended amount for children       Grams of sugar per serving

Water                     6-8 cups per day                                                  0 g
Milk                         2 cups per day                                      11 g + other essential nutrients
100% fruit juice      up to 1/2-3/4 cup per day                      6-9 g + other essential nutrients

Other tips:  

Add slices of lemon to water for flavor.
Use part water with juice.
Freeze a piece of fruit in an ice cube and put it in your water to add flavor.

For other tips visit:  www.sugarydrinkfacts.org

Written post: Molly Frantzen, R.D. – Clinical Dietitian

Going coconuts for coconut water?

It comes in fruit infused flavors, chocolate flavored, with aloe, and plain. It touts its’ benefits as an electrolyte replacement drink. It is expensive, and it is everywhere. So does that make it a better drink? Better than traditional sports drinks? Better than vitamin water, fruit juice, or just plain old tap water?

Coconut water plain is water with lots of potassium. Coconut water with fruit flavors may include sweetener and is a ‘drink’. With aloe it is a liquid nutraceutical. With chocolate it’s a treat. Right? But how does coconut water stack up to other sources of electrolytes when rehydrating lost fluids?

8 Oz Gatorade G series	8.5 oz Vita Coco Pure	Banana, 100 g, fresh	Kiwi, 100 g, green, fresh
50 kcal110 mg sodium30 mg potassium14 g carbohydrates 14 g sugar 0 g fat/protein	45 kcal30 mg sodium515 mg potassium15 g carbohydrates 11 g sugar 0 g fat/protein	89 kcal1 mg sodium358 mg potassium23 g carbohydrates 12 g sugar 2.6 g fiber 0.3/1 g fat/protein	61 kcal3 mg sodium312 mg potassium15 g carbohydrates 9 g sugar 3 g fiber 0.5/1 g fat/protein

So what is right for when?

For the athlete, during strenuous and lengthy exercise, the Gatorade provides greater quantity of sugar and sodium. This, paired with a piece of fruit, is optimal. For the athletic child, bananas and kiwis provide potassium and sugar in addition to a plethora of micronutrients when drinking with tap water. Coconut water is a fancy potassium supplement, flavored water, and an expensive liquid treat.

Written By: Julie Eversaul, Dietetic Intern, CSULB

Juicing?

After the holiday’s past it seemed liked everyone had a New Year’s resolution or a new diet plan that they were implementing. As an RD it is always interesting to hear what crazy new diet people are trying out. I figured most people would be jumping on the ever so popular “low-carb” diet plan or even better the currently popular “gluten free” bandwagon but to my surprise five co-workers all started a fruit and vegetable juice cleanse! When I saw all these nurses who typically eat Papa John’s pizza and a soda for lunch downing green concoctions on their lunch breaks I had to ask what diet they were on. This cleanse consisted of nothing but juice for 1 week? NO protein, NO grains, NO fats, NO supplements, just raw fruit and vegetable juices! They asked me my thoughts on a juice cleanse and of course and you can imagine I expressed my long list of concerns to them:

Just a few of …THE NOT SO HEALTY SIDE EFFECTS OF A JUICE CLEASE:

1. Too few calories (usually less than 1000 cal/day)

2. Sole source of energy is coming from pure sugar

3. Blood glucose levels reflect a pattern of elevated spikes and blood sugar crashes

4. After about 2 days glycogen stores in the liver are depleted

5. Weakness and fatigue set in

6. Inadequate kcal intake leads to your body breaking down stored fat and muscle for energy resulting in loss of lean body mass

7. Irritability occurs as a result of your brain being starved; which can lead to depression and mood swings

8. When your muscle proteins are broken down for energy two of the bi-products are ammonia and uric acid. Now your kidneys have to work harder.

9. The high carbohydrate load from the juicing can lead to diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration.

10. Before the end of the first week the villi in your intestine can start to atrophy from no bowel stimulation from solid foods.

11. Loss of muscle mass leads to a slower metabolism

12. Once solid foods are re-introduced into the diet, weight gain is common because there is less muscle mass to use the extra calories being consumed and so they are more likely to be turned into fat.

As expected, before the end of the first day of the juice cleanse my co-workers were complaining about how tired they were and how they felt starved, had headaches etc. By the end of the week a few of the juicers claimed to have “lost weight” (likely water and muscle), and that they “felt clean.” Within a month not to my surprise they all had gained the weight they lost back and some.

Juicing can be part of a healthy diet however, and I do want to give credit where it is deserved. Fresh juicing contains more nutrients that pre-squeezed juices at the grocery store because it has less time to oxidize. Including a fresh squeezed antioxidant rich fruit and vegetable juice in a well balanced diet plan can absolutely be part of a healthy diet. Still better than drinking a liquefied spinach, apple, orange and carrot juice that lacks fiber to keep you full and is high in sugar – eat fresh, raw whole fruit and vegetables. You will ingest fewer calories, less sugar and stay fuller longer because of the fiber content. So with that being said, To Juice or Not to Juice…that is the question, tell us what you think about juicing.

Want more information on Juicing, check out these websites:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/juicing/AaN02107

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/28/fashion/28Cleanse.html?pagewanted=all

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/detoxcleansing/a/juice_fasting.htm

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/juicing-health-risks-and-benefits

Written By: Kathleen Chevalier, RD

Snack Anyone?

1. Provides continuous energy. Snacking keeps your metabolism revved up by providing a steady flow of balanced carbohydrates to your muscles, brain, and nervous system. When you have energy throughout the day, this will not only help you be able to concentrate, but also can improve your performance and efficiency of daily tasks.
2. Prevents overeating at meals. When you only eat a few large meals as opposed to medium meals and medium snacks, you can slow down your metabolism and get overly hungry. This can lead to putting more food into your body than your metabolism has energy to burn, possibly causing more fat to be stored on your body.
3. Easy to pack up and pack in. Packing a bag of balanced snacks is easy (if you’ve done your grocery shopping) and you can it keep it with you all day. Use a insulated lunch bag with a cold pack to keep refrigerated items cold until you get to them.
4. Better way to meet daily requirement for important nutrients. Such as fruits, vegetables, dairy/calcium and whole grains. The more opportunities you have to eat different foods, the more diversity in nutrients you are putting in your body. Often calcium-rich foods (dairy or fortified soy products) can get left out, and more the majority of Americans are not getting enough. Calcium is needed to help increase bone density for those under age 25 and to help maintain bone density for those over 25.
5. Prevents mood swings. With a continuous intake of food, especially carbohydrates, your brain stays happy and when your brain stays happy- so do those around you- including your co-workers!
6. Helps with muscle gain. When trying to build muscle to increase metabolism, the most important factor is that you are getting enough calories (or fuel as I like to think of it) to be able to have an anabolic reaction in your body (the ability to build). This means eating throughout the day to get enough food without the feeling of being overloaded or overwhelmed.
7. Pre and Post Fuel. Eating 1-2 hours before and 30-60 minutes after workouts is the recommendation to keep you body at its highest fitness levels. This is because after using your muscles, they are primed to absorb the nutrients from a balanced snack (protein and carbohydrates) and replace what was just lost. After an intense physical and mental exertion, it is not likely that you have the capacity or desire to prepare and eat a large balanced meal- but having a snack is just enough to re-fuel so you can shower, calm down, and cook without getting too hungry or missing that post-workout window that your body thrives in.
8. Keeps you Hydrated: When you stop to eat, that provides a great opportunity to hydrate. Humans are already at a disadvantage when it comes to staying hydrated because we were made with a delayed indicator- thirst. We only feel thirsty at the point where we already may be dehydrated. So the more reminders to drink up the better.
9. Be in tune with your body. As an athlete, having in sync communication between your brain and your body is what makes you a great performer, and to get this you have to be attuned to how your body is feeling. This includes hunger. Your body naturally get hungry every 2-4 hours, and if you are not aware of this, or worse, ignoring it, then that can lead to poor performance, injury or illness.

Balanced Carbohydrates means pairing a carbohydrate-rich food with a protein-rich food to provide optimum release of energy to the body.

Perfect Pairings: Match a carbohydrate with a protein for a Balanced Snack
Carbohydrate	Protein
Fresh or dried fruit	Whole nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, soy nuts, pumpkin seeds)
Whole grain crackers	Nut and seed butters (peanut butter, almond butter)
Pretzels	Sliced or string cheese
Whole grain tortilla or pita bread	Hummus
Cereal	Greek or regular yogurt or cottage cheese
Granola bar	Beef or turkey jerky

Hydrating Snacks: Include snacks that will help you get the fluids in that you need

Regular milk or soymilk

Smoothies with fruit and milk or yogurt

Fresh fruit, like grapes or oranges

What is the difference between a snack and a meal? Not a whole lot, just the size. A snack should be enough food to make you feel lightly full and provide energy for 1-2 hours. A meal should leave you feeling more full and satisfied and provide energy for 3-4 hours. Try including 3 meals and 3 snacks in your day and experiment to see what combination of foods and timing works best for you.

By: Kate Machado, MS, RD, CSSD, Past President