Don’t know if you noticed, but winter is coming. Quickly. Cold weather is descending upon most of the country. The sun is rising later and setting earlier. And we’re pulling out the old sweaters and slippers, hoping to stay warm.

If you’re a walker, this means that the time you can spend safely walking outdoors is limited. That’s when a treadmill would come in handy.

Look for these features when buying your treadmill:

Treadmill Motor and Horsepower The motor is the heart of your treadmill. A good rule of thumb is the heavier the motor, the better it is. You’ll find that motors are judged horsepower. If you’re a walker, look for a motor with 1.0 to 1.5 continuous horsepower. If you’re a runner—or you think you’ll want to work up to becoming a runner—look for 1.5 to 2.0 continuous horsepower. Motors can be noisy, too, so keep that in mind. (If the motor is too noisy, you may not be able to hear your family, the television of the phone.)

Treadmill Stability and Smooth Ride: You’ll feel like a fool, but it’s a good idea to test treadmills wearing your workout shoes and clothes. Look for stability—it shouldn’t shake or feel “jerky.” Is your stride cushioned? You don’t want your foot to land on a hard surface.

Treadmill Workout Features: Bells and whistles are important and can keep you coming back to the treadmill for your workouts. Some models come with pre-set programs, drink holders and book rests. The fancier-dancier models plug into a DVD and Internet. (Of course, we should be concentrating on burning calories and improving we strength instead of re-runs of Lost or Desperate Housewives.)

Noise and Space: There are universal truths about treadmills: They make noise and they take up space. It’s hard to judge the noise of a treadmill at a store, so ask the salesperson. (And follow the reviews on-line. Current users are the best source of honest information.) Some models fold, allowing you more floor space when not in use.

I love love love my treadmill. I couldn’t get through a winter without it.

With no “it” diet on the market to follow, consumers and dieters are turning to the age-old practice of counting calories.

According to an article in the New York Times, this new trend is getting a helping hand by some state and local legislative bodies.

New York is leading the way, requiring that restaurants with 15 or more outlets post the calorie content of food next to the price. “The resulting sticker shock has brought parts of a great city to its knees, often to do push-ups,” the article stated.

The calorie-posting campaign has inspired lawmakers around the country to follow New York’s lead. In all, nearly three dozen states, cities and counties have passed or introduced laws that would require calorie posting in some form.

Two national measures:

The Labeling Education and Nutrition Act is backed by the restaurant industry and would give restaurants and grocery stores selling prepared foods a choice of labeling formats, including posters near the cash register or disclosures on the back of the menu. This act will pre-empt your local labeling laws.

The Menu Education and Labeling Act is supported by public health advocates and mirrors New York’s calorie-posting laws. It would not pre-empt more stringent local laws.

Nutritional information will also be more prominent throughout your grocery store, too. The makers of Coca-Cola and M&Ms will soon print calories on the front of packages. (Yeah!)

I find this a welcome change and will use the information to make better decisions. What do you think? Will the calorie information help you change your habits?

In our last blog, we talked about the health benefits of eating a diet rich in fiber. But if you’re like me, I often find fitting enough fiber into my daily diet is to be a bit of a challenge. I know I’m not alone. It does take some effort, but I’m finding some creative ways to do it. Here’s some of them…

- Starting the day with a fiber-rich breakfast cereal. This adds about five grams of fiber per serving to your daily intake. Opt for cereals with “bran” or “fiber” in the name. Alternatively, you could add a few tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran to your favorite cereal.

- Eating whole-grain bread. Check out the bag for “whole wheat,” “whole-wheat flour,” or some other type of whole grain as the first ingredient on the label. On a per-serving basis, three grams of dietary fiber is the magic number.

- Substituting whole-grain flour for half or all of the white flour when baking bread. I bake occasionally. Whole-grain flour is heavier than white flour. In yeast breads, I’m using a bit more yeast or let the dough rise longer. When using baking powder, I’m increasing it by about a teaspoon for every 3 cups of whole-grain flour.

- Eating more whole grains and whole-grain products. I’m trying out brown rice, barley, whole-wheat pasta and bulgur.

- Taking advantage of ready-to-use vegetables. I’m mixing chopped frozen broccoli into prepared spaghetti sauce. Snack on baby carrots.

- Eating more beans, peas and lentils. I’m adding kidney beans to canned soup and green salads. I’m also trying out nachos with refried black beans, baked tortilla chips and salsa.

- Eating fruit at every meal. Apples, bananas, oranges, pears and berries are good sources of fiber and tasty, too. And if you’ve been good the rest of the day, it’s not such a bad thing to add a little whipped cream like cool whip or peanut butter to make a tasty yet healthful dessert!  Or try dipping cut apple slice into Jell-O Sugar-Free caramel pudding!

There’s more ways to fit fiber in your diet, too. As a general rule of thumb, always try to check out the labels of what you’re eating, and try to include at least one food that’s high in dietary fiber in each meal.

Eating a diet rich in fiber has been a constant refrain of proponents of healthy eating for a long time. But why? There’s plenty of reasons that fiber is good for you.

A diet rich in fiber…

- Aids in losing weight. When you eat high fiber foods, they typically require more time to chew. This gives your body extra time to register the food you’re eating, and you feel fuller faster. This makes you less likely to overeat. High fiber food also makes a meal feel larger and linger longer, so you stay full for a longer time. High fiber foods also typically contain fewer calories for the same amount of food.

- Regulates cholesterol. Soluble fiber, the kind found in beans, oats, flaxseed and oat bran, may help lower total blood cholesterol levels by lowering low-density lipoprotein, or “bad,” cholesterol levels.

- Controls blood sugar levels. Soluble fiber especially can slow the absorption of sugar, which for people with diabetes, can help improve blood sugar levels. A high-fiber diet may also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

- Prevents constipation. Dietary fiber increases the weight and size of your stool and softens it. A bulky stool is easier to pass, decreasing your chance of constipation. If you have loose, watery stools, fiber may also help to solidify the stool because it absorbs water and adds bulk to stool.

Indeed, high-fiber foods are beneficial to your health, but be careful about adding a lot of fiber too quickly.  Doing so can cause intestinal gas, abdominal bloating, and cramping. Experts recommend doing it gradually over a period of a few weeks. This allows the natural bacteria in your digestive system to adjust to the change. Also, drink plenty of water. Without sufficient water, you could become constipated.

Halloween scares me. And not for the reasons you’re thinking. Witches, goblins and ghosts don’t faze me.

It’s the itty-bitty Snickers bars in my son’s trick-or-treating bag.

They haunt me. They call to me. They are my ruin.

I’m addicted to sugar. I can’t have just a little. Sometimes a taste—like an itty-bitty Snickers bar—sends me into a sugar binge that lasts for days and I find myself exhausted and cranky. And my clothes are tight.

I’m not alone. Research shows that repeatedly consuming copious amounts of sweeteners, desserts and refined carbs (such as white rice, white bread, chips, etc.) wreaks havoc on your blood sugar levels, over stimulates insulin release, triggers inflammation, and could contribute to more than 150 health problems, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome, severe PMS, failing memory, depression, mental confusion or “brain fog,” mood swings, Candida, sexual dysfunction, infertility, wrinkles, acne, and early aging.

All from an itty-bitty Snickers bar.

Apparently, those of us who are “sugar sensitive” don’t have enough serotonin or beta-endorphin in our brains. Serotonin and beta-endorphin make us feel secure, stable, confident and cheerful.

Sugar raises the level of serotonin and beta-endorphin levels. So within a few minutes of eating my itty-bitty Snickers, I feel better, more energetic.

Unfortunately, about an hour later, my blood sugar crashes and I feel worse than before. I crave even more sugar to help me feel better and the cycle continues.

Hence, my three day binge.

And now my three week detox to get my body feeling better again.

What’s your weakness? And how do you cope? And do you know of anyone who wants dozens of itty-bitty Snickers bars? I gotta get these things out of the house.

Diabetes does a lot of damage to our bodies—especially our heart. A recent UK study has found that consuming broccoli can reverse damage caused to the heart blood vessels of diabetics due to the presence of a sulfur compound.

Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley and his colleagues from the University of Warwick in the UK found the compound – sulforaphane – provoked production of a protein called nrf2 that was beneficial to blood vessel health, even those damaged by hyperglycemia.

It looks like mom was right again. It pays to eat our broccoli.

Yes, you read that right.

A new study in the October 2008 issue of Cell Membrane conducted by UC Irvine pharmacologists shows that foods rich in unsaturated fats – such as avocados, nuts and olive oil – have been found to play a pivotal role in sending this important message to your brain: stop eating, you’re full.

According to the research, these fats trigger production of a compound in the small intestine that curbs hunger pangs.

How does this happen? The research found that an unsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid helps to decrease your appetite. 

So, the next time you want a snack, grab a handful of nuts and know that they’ll work to curb your appetite.

You can read more about it here.

When you’re facing a car full of grumbling tummies, a stop at the drive-through for cheeseburgers and fries is the usual fix—but certainly not the best fix. In our high-tempo society, the need for food on the fly isn’t going to go away. But neither are those extra pounds if you don’t make better choices for your mobile meals.

To avoid fast-food temptations, Althea Zanecosky, MS, RD, keeps an 8×12-inch insulated cooler tucked in her car’s back seat.

“It’s like having a mini-kitchen in your car,” says Zanecosky, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “We pack food for every member of the family — bottled water, 16 oz bottles of chocolate milk, juices, nuts, seeds, pretzels, yogurt, fruit, cereal, health bars.

“It saves time, money, and it saves fat and calories. It keeps us from eating mall food or hitting the drive-through for french fries.”

But food on the fly isn’t just about packing a few healthy choices for the road. With the right stuff in your fridge and pantry, you can assemble a healthy meal in about the time it takes you to get through the drive-through.

Convenience foods—anything frozen, canned, pre-cut, pre-washed, and pre-bagged—are good basics for healthy meals, says Lynn Fischer, author of Lowfat Cooking for Dummies and Quick & Healthy Cooking for Dummies. “Try any new product that comes out. Use everything to your advantage.

“Some vegetarian burgers are very good,” Fischer says. “But I don’t go for turkey burgers. Unless you have a butcher grind the meat especially for you, ground turkey often contains a lot of fat.”

Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Little Dippers: Set out a “party tray” of vegetables and fruits for your family, Fischer suggests. Mix it up with interesting, lower-fat dips — even melted chocolate and strawberries once in a while for dessert.

Freezer-to-Table Main Dish: “For a dinner that’s ready in seven or eight minutes, start with a frozen healthy meal like Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine,” Fischer says. “They don’t give you a lot of meat, which is good.” If you use a frozen-in-the-bag vegetable dinner, don’t add much meat; keep it the size of your palm, she adds. “Some huge chicken breasts are enough for two servings.”

Speedy Side Dishes: Keep frozen, canned, or fresh veggies on hand to round out a healthy meal. “A lot of frozen vegetables are frozen fresh, right on the spot, so they still have all the nutrients,” Fischer says. “Canned vegetables are also good. And you need some fresh vegetables, like celery, carrots, and tomatoes and fresh fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, and grapes.”

By making the right choices in advance, getting hungry when you don’t have time to be hungry need not result in meal choices that’ll make you wish you hadn’t been hungry the next time you step on the scale.

Not to frighten you, but the holidays are just weeks away.

I know this because I saw Christmas Trees for sale at Target. And when I see Christmas Trees at Target, it’s time to create a strategy for the holiday festivities.

It seems that holidays=diet disasters. I’m determined not to let that happen this year.

The good folks at MedicineNet.com have come up with the 10 best holiday diet tips of all time. They’re worth repeating, so here it goes:

1.Trim back the trimmings. Go all out and deck the halls with boughs of holly, glitter, and lights, but when it comes to holiday food, accessorize with care. To shave calories, go easy when adding cream sauces, gravy, butter, and whipped cream — additions that don’t add much to the meal, but can add plenty to your waistline. Trim calories wherever you can so you leave the party feeling satisfied, but not stuffed, recommends Carolyn O’Neil, MS, RD, author of The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous.

2.  Wear snug clothes and keep one hand busy. When you wear snug-fitting attire, chances are you’ll be too busy holding in your stomach to overeat. While you stand around looking posh in your holiday finery, hold a drink in your dominant hand so it won’t be so easy to grab food, recommends obesity expert Cathy Nonas, MS, RD.

3. Chew gum. When you don’t want to eat, pop a piece of sugarless gum into your mouth. This works well when you’re cooking or when you’re trying not to dive into the buffet, says Nonas.

4. Be a food snob. If you don’t love it, don’t eat it, says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Melinda Johnson, MS, RD. Scan the buffet for foods you truly treasure and skip the everyday dishes that are available all year long. And don’t think it’s your responsibility to sample everything on the buffet. Go ahead and indulge in your personal holiday favorites, then find a seat and, slowly and mindfully, savor every mouthful.

5. No skipping meals. Always eat normally on the day of a party. “People who skip meals to save up calories tend to overeat everything in sight once they get there,” says Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RD, author of Diet Simple. “Eating sensibly throughout the day will take the edge off the appetite and empower a bit of restraint.” Start with a nourishing breakfast, have a light lunch, then a small snack or salad shortly before the event.

6. Check it out. First things first. When you arrive at the party, grab a sparkling water with a twist, and wait at least 30 minutes before eating. This will give you time to relax, get comfortable in your surroundings, and survey your food choices on the buffet before diving in, says Tallmadge. A buffet is an invitation to eat all you can, and unless you carefully scrutinize it and make wise choices, you’re likely to overeat.

7. Add fun and games. Cynthia Sass, MPH, MA, RD, co-author of Your Diet Is Driving Me Crazy, proposes taking the focus off food and getting family and friends more active during holiday parties. Think horseshoes, badminton, sledding, ice skating, or building snowmen. Indoors, try a spirited game of charades, or rent an instructional dance video followed by a dance-off. “The best parties include dancing, so why not make dancing after eating a new holiday tradition for a great form of fun and recreation?” asks David Katz, MD, MPH, author of The Flavor Point Diet.

8. Alternate alcohol with nonalcoholic beverages. Alcoholic drinks are loaded with calories — especially holiday favorites like eggnog. “Cut your alcohol calories in half by alternating water or seltzer between alcoholic beverages,” Katz advises.

9. Skip the appetizers. “Eschew the appetizers rather than chewing on them,” says Katz. If you need a little nibble before the meal, go for the veggies, fruit, salsa, or a small handful of nuts.

10. Limit the variety. Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating, suggests putting only two items on your plate when you go to the food table. Return as many times as you like, but only take two items each time. “Variety stimulates appetite, and if you limit your choices to just a few items and stick with these, it will be easier to control than eating a little bit of 20 different dishes,” agrees Katz.

Since my only other option is to sit at home playing with the tinsel off my tree, I’ll probably give them a try.

What do you do to get through the holidays? Do you give yourself a pass? Do you work in some carefully controlled cheating? Let’s share some strategies.

Healthy family meals aren’t just important for the strong bones and muscles of your children today; the choices you make now will have a great impact on the choices they make years down the road. For people considering lap-band surgery, it could be one of the greatest gifts they could pass down to their children—nutrition skills to ensure they don’t end up in a similar health situation.

Here are some general guidelines for healthy family meals:

1. Serve fruit for dinner, too. Most people don’t eat fruit for dinner, which is why most people don’t get enough in their daily diet. Fruits are very important because they have vitamins, minerals and even antioxidants to keep you healthy, strong and help you fight illnesses.

2. Don’t overcook your vegetables. This will reduce their nutritional value. Consider serving your vegetables raw or just blanch them (boil for about 5 minutes). Kids will especially love blanched veggies because it brings out their colors and makes them a little bit softer. Blanching doesn’t take out nutrients because you are only boiling them for 5 minutes. Just wait for the water to boil and place the veggies in. Put them on ice after the 5 minutes to stop the cooking process.

3. Stick to lean meats and fish. Lean meats and fish are an important part of your diet. However, too much meat can actually cause health problems. This is why adding fish to at least two meals a week can increase your health. Lean meats are better for you because they have less fat and sometimes less cholesterol than the other meats. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of fish: salmon, tuna steaks, haddock, cod, etc. Fish has important fatty acids that are excellent for your body and mind.

4. Be conscious of the fats you use. If you must use real butter, remember that just one pat of it a day is enough – no more. There are other options to choose from than just butter or lard. Add some of these items to your kitchen and your meals: olive oil, avocado, vegetable oil, butter spread made from olive oil, etc. You can also try using spices for your meals instead of fats. Try balsamic vinegar on your salad instead of salad dressing, or vinegar and olive oil. These can make great alternatives to other fatty foods.

Healthy family meals give everyone the energy they need for their days along with the concentration and focus that help them do well in life. Studies have shown that a healthy diet can help to reduce the risks of various ailments, heart disease, stroke, and many cancers. As the parents of children, the choices you make set the stage for that lifelong health.