Schizophrenia Digest Summer 2006

By Tricia Silverman, RD
The weather is mild, the sun feels good—what a great time  to shape up your body and eat­ing habits! Gradual changes are the answer. Implement the  “Action Steps” below—one  week at a time. This will lead to life-forming habits, moving you off the diet roller coaster for good.

Action steps

1. Eat breakfast. Skipping break fast can cause brain chemicals that increase cravings for sweets and fatty foods to surge. This leads to overeating later in the day. For a quick and healthy energizing breakfast, try a whole grain cereal, such as Kashi Heart to Heart. Sprinkle a tablespoon of unsalt­ed, raw, or dry-roasted nuts over your cereal.
   
   Add dried or fresh fruit (for example, blueberries are at their peak flavor in the summer). Top with 1 percent or skim milk. These have fewer calories and less artery-clogging fat than 2 percent or whole milk.
   
   
2. Switch to whole grains for more fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Fiber makes you feel fuller, leading you to eat fewer calories. Choose cereals with whole wheat or whole oat listed as one of the first ingredients. Eat more oatmeal; replace white bread with whole wheat, and white rice with brown rice. Give whole wheat pasta a try. In time, other grains like quinoa and millet will be fun to explore.
   
   
3. Eat every three to four hours to stay energized Silvia Bonome, PDt, nutrition counselor in Montreal, Quebec, and president of Nutrimundo.com, recommends fueling the body regularly. “Not eating for an extended period of time can make us more anxious,” she says. Mike Santoro, who has schizoaffective disorder, raves about the personalized advice he receives from Bonome. He recommends “finding a dietitian who understands you and takes into account your illness, stress, family concerns, and medications.” One trick he uses to remind himself to eat is automatic pop-ups on his computer.
   
   
4. Eat a salad before your lunch and dinner. Eating a salad as your first course helps to fill you up. This causes you to eat fewer calories in the rest of your meal. Avoid the crou­tons and cheese, and use dressing spar­ingly. Try pre-bagged, pre-washed shredded cabbage as a salad. It is an inexpensive and super-nutritious veg­etable. It is a good idea to rinse bagged salad before you consume it. Check out your supermarket flyer for sales on other pre-bagged greens. Fast Tip: Dip your fork in a small amount of dressing and then spear your leafy green. You will use less dressing and consume fewer calories this way.
   
   
5. Use caution with restaurant portions. Did you ever notice how huge the portions are in restaurants? Even the plates and utensils are gargan-tuan—encouraging us to eat more. Consider ordering a child’s portion, or ask for a take-out container at the start fo your meal. Think about boxing up half of your meal.  Meat, chicken , and fish portions sometimes are three to four times the amount your body needs. Ask for your veg­etables steamed. Order dressings and sauces on the side. Cut your pasta/rice/starchy food portions in half. Skip the bread basket or allow yourself one piece. Eat mindfully (see sidebar). At home, consider using smaller utensils and lunch-size plates for both lunch and dinner.
   
   
6. Out of sight, out of mind; keep your kitchen neat. Lorena Drago, MS, RD, CDN, a New York die­titian, recommends avoiding visual cues to eat. “Remove stimuli such as snack foods on your counter—put everything away,” she says. Television commercials can also entice you to eat when you are not hungry.
   
   
7. Eat your fruits and vegetables. Those bat­tling the bulge frequently don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. Developing a relationship with fruits and vegetables is critical. Consider buy­ing an inexpensive collapsible steamer at your supermarket. Place it in a pot and fill water to the bottom of the steamer. Put in your favorite veggies (broccoli, zucchini, peppers, etc.) and cover. After eight or so minutes of cook­ing, you will have a colorful, tasty meal. Try adding some thyme and rosemary, and garnish with a tablespoon of reduced-fat feta cheese (inspired by a recipe in The New American Plate Cook­book, by the American Institute of Can­cer Research [University of California Press, 2005]). Serve with beans, chicken, or fish over brown basmati rice. To wake up the flavor in fruit, add nonfat vanilla dipping sauce with strawber­ries, can­taloupe, or pineapple. Or, smear one to two teaspoons of peanut or almond butter on apple or pear slices.
   
   
8. Move your body. We all know that exercise can help us lose weight and lead healthier lives. But did you know that it provides energy, lifts your mood, and enhances creativity? Try different activities until you find one you enjoy. How about hik­ing at a nearby park or biking on a bike trail? On rainy days, tune in to your favorite radio station and move. For instant free Internet music to dance to, try www.madonna.com. Once you have made aerobic activity, such as walking, dancing, or jogging, a mainstay in your life, add weight training. This will build more muscle, which helps increase your metabolism, making it easier to lose or maintain weight.

Tricia Silverman, RD, LDN, MBA, is a registered dietitian and owns NuTricia’s Lifestyles, a nutrition and business consulting firm in Dedham, Massachusetts.