Q: I am trying to reduce my sugar intake. I eat pretty healthy, and have tried to use Splenda in my morning cappuccino…but I hate the taste! I use light brown sugar (1 loose tbsp.) along with about 1/2 cup of 1% organic milk. I normally have some breakfast about 1-2 hours after my coffee. I really don’t want to use sugar substitutes. Does it matter that much? Amy in Florida

A: Amy, Sugar consumption only matters if you are the typical American consuming 150 pounds of added sugars each year, and/or you are overweight. Most people have no idea how much sugar they consume, since most of the sugar is added for us before the food ever gets into the house. The scant amount of sugar you are adding to one cup of coffee in the morning is nothing. It is the tablespoons of sugar in almost any food that comes in a box, bag, carton, or wrapper. For example, there are up to 8 teaspoons of sugar in fruited yogurts, up to 7 teaspoons of sugar in some frozen entrees, and almost 4 teaspoons of sugar in a half cup of canned baked beans. Read labels – there are 4 grams of sugar in a teaspoon. You can start removing sugar by just not buying anything that has more than a gram or two of added sugar.

Overwhelmed by how many changes you need to make in your diet just to break the ceiling on adequate? With so many diet recommendations, are you ready to throw in the towel when it comes to eating right? Well, don’t despair. Even small, sometimes even tiny, changes or additions to your diet can make a difference in your health, energy level, disease risk, and memory….especially when you stick to them. Here are 10 simple tricks, many from my latest book The Origin Diet, that pack a nutritional punch for almost no effort.

1) Add milk to your coffee. Studies show caffeine might contribute to osteoporosis by increasing calcium loss, but you can side step this risk by adding milk to your coffee. Even two tablespoons of low-fat milk will offset the effects of caffeine on calcium. A nonfat latte is the best, since you get the equivalent of almost a cup of calcium-rich milk (with 300 milligrams of calcium) along with your coffee jolt. And, while that Café Mocha can pack in up to 500 calories, a nonfat latte comes in at about 120. So you’re saving your waistline at the same time your protecting your bones.

2) Drink a small glass of OJ with breakfast. It doesn’t get much easier than this and the benefits are amazing! A 6-ounce glass of OJ every morning reduces your risk for stroke (by up to 20%), lowers the “bad” cholesterol called LDLs and boost the good cholesterol called HDLs, thus reducing heart disease risk, lowers colon cancer risk, and reduces blood pressure. A glass of OJ supplies up to 140mg of vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and a phytochemical called D-limonene that detoxifies cancer-causing substances. Not bad for a little cup of juice!

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Q: I’m eating a lot of salads, why don’t I lose weight?
– Sarah in Cincinnati

A: Crispy greens, crunchy carrots, and luscious winter pears are a weight-watcher’s dream. But it also can contain more fat and calories than four double-cheeseburgers. Salad dressing is the number one source of fat in women’s diets, according to a national nutrition survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which attests to the confusion over what is really a healthful salad and what is a fat-laden disaster. A lunchtime salad can packed in almost 2,000 calories and 50% of those were fat. Here’s how to avoid that food trap: Heap your plate with greens, the greener the better. Which means iceberg lettuce is the nutritional equivalent of water, while spinach is a nutrient goldmine. Other “freebies” include: grated carrots, mushrooms, raw broccoli flowerbeds, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, radicchio lettuce, purple cabbage, cucumber, and sweet red pepper. Avoid the high-fat items, such as avocados slices and olives. To boost protein and iron while curbing appetite, add 1 /2 cup of beans or 3 ounces of grilled chicken or turkey breast, but skip the salami, ham and pepperoni, which contain up to 60% fat calories. Avoid anything mixed with oil, mayonnaise, cheese, or whipped cream, including potato or pasta salads, tuna mixed with mayonnaise, egg salad, macaroni and cheese, tartar sauce, beef and cheese in a Mexican salad, and Waldorf salad. One small ladle of most salad dressings contains 4 teaspoons of fat and 170 calories. Instead, choose low-calorie and fat-free dressings. Select watery versions, such as oil and vinegar, they spread more evenly over the salad compared to the thicker Ranch or Thousand Island dressings. Better yet, portion out a 1 /2 to 1 scoop serving into a separate container and lightly dip your fork into the low-calorie dressing first and then into the salad. Remember, losing weight requires developing a healthy eating style you can live with for the rest of your life. Salads are only one part of that menu, which also should include nonfat milk products, lean meat, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and other fresh fruits and vegetables. -Elizabeth Somer

Q: I have your Food & Mood book, but am afraid that if I eat all the food your recommend, I’ll gain weight.
– Elizabeth in Boonsboro, Maryland

A: This will come as a surprise, but the menus and recommended food intakes in my Food & Mood book average only about 2,000 calories a day, which is less than what most women should consume, so most women will lose weight if they follow the menus exactly. The average woman who is 5’4″, weighs about 120 pounds, and is only moderately active should consume 2, 200 calories a day, according to the experts who devised the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). Most women consume more than this and gain weight because their diets contain processed foods high in fat, calories, and sugar. The trick is that when you fill the plate with mood-boosting fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and other nutritious foods, you cut your intake of high-calorie processed items, so you eat more food for less calories and feel satisfied. If you do gain weight on the menus, then I suggest your first plan of attack would be to increase your activity level. Second to that, cut out one snack from the menus, which will drop the energy intake to about 1,800 calories a day. -Elizabeth Somer

Nine out of ten women think they eat well. Most of them are singing those praises to the wind. In researching my latest book – Nutrition for Women, 2nd edition (Owl Books 2003), I found that only 1 percent of us meet even minimum standards of a balanced diet. According to a USDA study, less than 19 percent of women who rated their diets as excellent, actually ate reasonably well.

Women’s eating styles are more like an hour-glass than a pyramid. We eat unprecedented amounts of sugar and fat from the top of the Food Pyramid and platters of refined grains from the bottom tier, but are sorely lacking in the vegetables, fruits, milk products, and other nutritious foods in the middle of the Pyramid. It’s not that we don’t know better. The majority of women know it’s important to cut back on sugary and fatty foods, yet only a third of us meet the recommendations to keep fat at no more than 30 percent of calories and the average woman consumes 158 pounds of sugar each year. We also are whole-grain phobic, including less than one serving of brown rice, whole wheat, quinoa, or any other real grain in our daily diets.

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Battling the bulge? Already slipping on your New Year’s resolution to lose those extra pounds? It could be that your problem isn’t WHAT you eat, but WHEN.

“Late Morning Slip-Up”

For those dieters who find themselves nibbling mid-morning on stale doughnuts left in the employee lounge, your problem could be what you didn’t eat earlier in the day. People who skip breakfast in an effort to cut calories inevitably eat more calories later in the day. It might sound counter-intuitive, but eat something even if you’re not hungry. I guarantee, for most people, it will help curb those temptations to snack later on. Of course, make it a healthy breakfast. You’re best bet is whole grain cereal, nonfat milk or soymilk, and a glass of OJ or a banana. If you must skip breakfast, be prepared for the inevitable blood-sugar nose dive by bringing healthful snacks, such as fruit, string cheese, yogurt, or nuts.

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