Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 12, 1 December 1993 — ʻAi pono, e ola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻAi pono, e ola

Eat right and live well

by Dr. Terry Shintani

Eat more, weigh less, during the holidays

Lose weight through the holidays? Sounds impossible? It doesn't have to be that way if you know what to do. Holiday time usually means abandoning your diet and gaining a little or even a lot of weight. This happens because for most people it feels like so mueh deprivation to diet, so why even bother try? After all, there are so many parties and goodies available at the office and at family gatherings that it really is time to celebrate and splurge. I believe in having a good time with friends and family, and I enjoy the company and yes, even the food, at parties. But there are ways to enjoy yourself without gaining a lot of weight. Here are a few tips: (bold)Eat more. (end bold)The first thing to do is eat (ital)more(end ital) food - that is, more food that helps you lose weight. Such foods include poi, taro, sweet potato, baked potato, yams, brown rice. wild rice. eom.

broccoli and hundreds of other foods. (You ean find such foods using the "Eat More Index" that I prepared in the last issue.) The idea behind this index is to show you foods that give you a lot of food for a small amount of ealories. A good trick is to eat before you go to parties or to bring your own dish to a party to share. That way you will be less tempted to feast on food that puts on the pounds. Choose spicey flavorings such as salsa, mustard, wasabi (Japanese horseradish), A-1 steak sauce, peppers, onion and garlic. Avoid high-calorie, non-filing foods such as oils, butter, margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressings. sour cream and cheeses. (bold)Avoid fat.(end bold) Fat makes you fat. It's that simple. Studies of human fatty tissue indicate that the fat we eat turns into body fat. You ean eat a lot of food and still maintain or lose weight through the holidays if you avoid fats. A simple mle of

thumb is to eat no more than 22 - 33 grams of fats per day (if you eat a 2,000 calorie diet, whieh is what an average 135 pound woman consumes.) It is important to know whieh types of food contain very little fat and whieh ones a lot. Fats, butter and other foods contain 75100 percent fat. Most meats are 50 percent fat (such as a 91 percent "fat-free" burger) to 74 percent fat (ehunk roast). Most cheeses are between 50-80 percent fat. Most grains, starchy foods and vegetables are from one to seven p>ercent fat. Here are some examples: Poi 1 C, .3 grams fat (1%). Sweet potato 1 C, .13 grams fat (1%). Yams 1 C, .12 grams fat (1%). Potato 1 item, .14 grams fat (1%). Mashed potato/butter 1 C, 8.8 grams fat (34%).

Brown rice 1 C, 1.4 grams fat (7%). Taro leaf (cooked) 1 C, .47 grams fat (8%). Broccoli 1 C, .4 grams fat (7%). Tuna in water 2.5 oz, 2 grams fat (7%). Tuna in oil 2.5 oz, 6.9 grams fat (39%). Turkey (white) 4 oz, 4.5 grams fat (19%). Turkey (dark) 4 oz, 10 grams fat (36%). Ham 40 oz, 12.6 grams fat (47%). Cheddar cheese 1 oz, 9.4 grams fat (74%). Roast Beef 2.5 oz, 22.9 grams fat (82%). Butter Tbs., 12 grams fat (99%). You ean see, for example, that 36 cups of poi are equal to 1 tablespoon of butter in terms of fat grams, so you ean eat a lot without getting a lot of fat. (bold)PLAY.(end bold) The final tip is to play. I mean physi-

eal play. Most of us are so busy working that we forget to enjoy physical activity as a means of enjoyment. When we were ehildren we used to run and jump around or go for a stroll and have a good relaxing time. Today we eall it "exercise" and for some of us it is a chore. We should releam how to enjoy physical activity and engage in this "play" on a regular basis even if it is just walking briskly for 30 minutes a day. This will keep your metabolic rate high, help you feel better, and, along with the dietary suggestions above, help you lose (or at least not gain) weight through the holidays. Dr. Terry Shintani, physician and nutritionist, is director of preventative medicine at the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. A majority of its 20,000 clients are of Hawaiian ancestry.