Saving Dinner
by Leanne Ely, Certified Nutrition Counselor

bread!

Culprit #3: Shortening and/or Margarine
Solidified fats get that way through a process called hydrogenation, which in turn, makes a multitude of sins called trans fats. Yes, we’ve all heard how bad trans fats are, right? Well, not only does margarine lower your HDL (good cholesterol) it also raises the bad (LDL). Ixnay all the way on margarine (and it’s evil twin shortening…which is essentially unflavored margarine).

Hero #3: Butter
Hallelujah and pass the butter already! Butter, though a definite saturated fat, will raise your good cholesterol unlike margarine. Just use it very moderately. Try Better Butter: half unsalted butter and half extra virgin olive oil whipped together and kept in the fridge in a covered dish. Just like soft spread margarine only 300 times better!

Culprit #4: White Rice
Oh. My. Gosh. Are you really still eating white rice? This depiction of a grain is full of nothingness. The fiber is missing, the B vitamins are virtually unheard of and the glycemic load will take you one step closer to Type 2 Diabetes, if that’s your go-to carb! Dismiss this!

Hero #4: Brown Rice
With three times the amount of fiber, more B vitamins as well as other nutrients, the carb load on brown rice is much easier on your body and a smaller amount will satiate, too. What’s not to love about that, especially if you’re trying to lose a few pounds?

Culprit #5: White Sugar
To quote Gomer Pyle, “Surprise, surprise, surprise.” I bet you knew sugar would be on the list, didn’t you? How can it not. Did you know that consuming white sugar will actually stun your white blood cells from doing their important health preserving work? Yes, sugar impacts your immune system! It doesn’t just eat your teeth and add to your belly fat, it disrupts immune function. Repent from your sugar eating ways and return to the healthy fold!

Hero #5: Dark Chocolate and Fruit
You thought I was going to list alternative or artificial sweeteners, didn’t you? Studies have shown that people who consume diet drinks tend to gain weight doing so. Why is this? The hypothesis is you can’t fool your body like you think — if it tastes sweet, your body may still react to it and gain weight.

Stinks, doesn’t it? But we need to LOSE our sweet teeth, people! That’s the problem, not finding the golden panacea that tastes just like sugar. If you want something sweet, have some fruit and an ounce of very dark chocolate (FULL of phytonutrients, yay!) Once you get over your addiction to sugar, this decadent treat (a bowl of fresh raspberries with melted dark chocolate drizzled over the top) will knock you flat. You’ll happily say NO to donuts!

That’s it for now, y’all! Stay tuned… there is always more to come!

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