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| Nutrition Tips from the Twins |
| Written by Elements | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tammy Lakatos Shames and Elysse ("Lyssie") Lakatos share more than identical features; they also share identical success in the competitive field of nutrition and wellness. In 1997, Lyssie and Tammy (known as The Nutrition Twins®) co-founded Healthy Happenings Corporation whose mission is to better the health of its clients through improved nutrition and lifestyle/behavior modification. Now, The Nutrition Twins share their nutrition tips with elements living™.
I know I’m supposed to be drinking 8 glasses of water a day, but at that rate I’d never leave the bathroom! How much water do I really need to drink to stay healthy?- Amanda
Dear Amanda,
Dehydration is a serious drain on your energy and metabolism. And unfortunately, by the time you feel thirsty, chances are you’re already dehydrated. We recommend clients drink 6-8 glasses of clear liquids a day. Only a few years ago, the rule was eight glasses of water a day—no excuses! But recent research shows that it might not be a good idea to have one quantity of water set in stone. After all, we see clients with lots of different nutritional requirements, so why shouldn’t the amount of water they drink also be flexible? A good guideline is to pay attention to your body: if your mouth is dry and your urine is bright yellow in color, you need to drink more water. Keep a water bottle handy for these thirst emergencies. And all those trips to the bathroom can help you stay active—even small movements burn calories!
I’m hearing a lot about all these benefits whole grains have. But what makes whole grains so much better than other types of grains?- Teresa, Houston
Dear Teresa,
Whole grains and refined grains both come out of the ground in their natural state, i.e., as a whole grain, consisting of three parts: bran (outer layer), germ (core) and endosperm (starch). When grains are refined through processing, their bran and germ are removed, which takes away many of the grain's nutrients and leaves just the starch. This means that the refined grains are stripped of all the good stuff — fiber, antioxidants, tumor suppressors, cholesterol reducers, insulin regulators, antithrombotic agents, phytoestrogens, vitamin E, folic acid, zinc, selenium and magnesium. Clearly, since the whole grain has all of this, it is the nutritional winner!
How can I tell if I’m eating the correct portion sizes?- Sarah, Atlanta
Dear Sarah,
Finding the right amount of food to meet your individual needs is a tricky business, especially when you think about the giant portions you’re served at restaurants and fast food places. In fact, we’ve been asked this question so many times by clients that we put together this handy chart to break down portion sizes:
Eating the right amount of portions depends on your individual nutritional needs, but at least these portion sizes give you a good idea of what to look for when you are trying to eat a balanced diet. Hope this helps!
My resolution for 2008 is to eat healthier, but I still can’t resist a juicy steak once in a while. Is this bad for me? What type of beef is good for me?- Juliet, Massachusetts
Dear Juliet,
Protein is an essential nutrient that your body requires to stay healthy, and whether you choose to get it from beef, seafood, legumes or soy, there’s no “bad” source (so stop beating yourself up!). However, the key is to choose the leanest cuts of beef, trim all visible fat and control your portion size. The leanest cuts of beef are eye round, followed by top round, chuck mock tender steak, bottom round, top sirloin steak, round tip and 95% lean ground beef. Each of these cuts has less than five grams of total fat in a three ounce serving. Try to stick to a three ounce portion (the size of a deck of cards), then round out the meal with a fist-sized serving of a whole grain, like brown rice, and fill up on vegetables.
My friend who’s a vegetarian swears you can lose weight by switching to a vegetarian diet. Is this true? |
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