On Thursday May 25, Melissa Entenmann, a registered dietitian and diabetes educator, provided a workshop on nutrition and wellness at Options for Independence's annual conference. The theme of Entenmann's workshop was “Portion Distortion,” showing how portion sizes have changed over the last 20 years.
According to the nutritional guidelines, the average woman should consume 1,600 calories per day and an average man should consume 2,200. According to Entenmann, Americans are consuming on average almost twice the daily calories they should. The number of Americans currently being diagnosed with diabetes and obesity continues to rise annually, while other diseases, such as heart disease, continue to decline.
What does all this mean? According to Entenmannn, Americans are surpassing their daily caloric intakes by the second meal of the day. She said that we have two choices, either increase our daily exercise (she recommends at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily) or reduce our daily caloric intake. Ideally we should be doing both if our goal is to reduce our weight.
Maintaining a healthy weight is a balance of “calories in” versus “calories out” and portion control, according to Entenmann, who provided the group with a number of examples. Entenmann showed the group how portion sizes have gone up. Her first example was a bagel; 20 years ago bagels were three inches in diameter with 140 calories, now an average bagel is six inches in diameter with 350 calories.
To burn off just one pound of body fat you need to reduce your caloric intake by 3,500 calories or you would need to walk 10,000 steps to burn one calorie.
Entenmann also provided the group with some other nutritional factors that pertain to weight control from the Learning ZoneXpress. Consuming an extra 100 calories daily for one year can lead to 10 pounds of weigh gain annually. Every gram of carbohydrate or protein consumed equals four calories, and every gram of fat equals nine calories. With each decade as we age, we need 100 fewer calories per day. You can find more interesting statistics by visiting www.learningzoneexpress.com.
Entenmann concluded her presentation by letting the group know that portion control is something that we should work on daily to maintain healthy eating habits. We should avoid foods that contain words like: Colossal, supreme, jumbo, king-size, biggie, etc. When shopping we should be leery of marketing techniques that make us believe that we are eating healthier. One example of a marketing technique Entenmann provided was the use of the word “light,” which can mean light in color, light in sodium, light in fat, light in texture, etc.; it does not necessarily mean that it is healthier.
Thought of the Day:
“Americans are the heaviest people of all developed countries, with 61 percent of Americans categorized as overweight. The United States Surgeon General has called obesity a national epidemic.”
- Melissa Entenmann
Amanda Derby is the housing advocate for Options for
Independence, located at 75 Genesee St. in Auburn. She can
be reached at 255-3447
What does all this mean? According to Entenmannn, Americans are surpassing their daily caloric intakes by the second meal of the day. She said that we have two choices, either increase our daily exercise (she recommends at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily) or reduce our daily caloric intake. Ideally we should be doing both if our goal is to reduce our weight.
Maintaining a healthy weight is a balance of “calories in” versus “calories out” and portion control, according to Entenmann, who provided the group with a number of examples. Entenmann showed the group how portion sizes have gone up. Her first example was a bagel; 20 years ago bagels were three inches in diameter with 140 calories, now an average bagel is six inches in diameter with 350 calories.
To burn off just one pound of body fat you need to reduce your caloric intake by 3,500 calories or you would need to walk 10,000 steps to burn one calorie.
Entenmann also provided the group with some other nutritional factors that pertain to weight control from the Learning ZoneXpress. Consuming an extra 100 calories daily for one year can lead to 10 pounds of weigh gain annually. Every gram of carbohydrate or protein consumed equals four calories, and every gram of fat equals nine calories. With each decade as we age, we need 100 fewer calories per day. You can find more interesting statistics by visiting www.learningzoneexpress.com.
Entenmann concluded her presentation by letting the group know that portion control is something that we should work on daily to maintain healthy eating habits. We should avoid foods that contain words like: Colossal, supreme, jumbo, king-size, biggie, etc. When shopping we should be leery of marketing techniques that make us believe that we are eating healthier. One example of a marketing technique Entenmann provided was the use of the word “light,” which can mean light in color, light in sodium, light in fat, light in texture, etc.; it does not necessarily mean that it is healthier.
Thought of the Day:
“Americans are the heaviest people of all developed countries, with 61 percent of Americans categorized as overweight. The United States Surgeon General has called obesity a national epidemic.”
- Melissa Entenmann
Amanda Derby is the housing advocate for Options for
Independence, located at 75 Genesee St. in Auburn. She can
be reached at 255-3447
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