Health Coach Q & A
What links should I know about?
Lark is here to help!
Lark Customer Support!
https://support.lark.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
Hydration Worksheet
www.lark.com/resources/lark-hydration-worksheet
Facebook page for DPP
https://www.facebook.com/groups/larkdpp
Lark blog
Lark recipes
https://www.lark.com/resource-type/recipe
Email a Lark coach with questions or to make an appointment
https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=21319234
I want sweets. Which sweets are healthy?
That’s a common question! Let’s think about both choosing more nutritious sweet foods, and also including sweets in moderation so they don’t interfere with health goals.
Lots of people enjoy sweets, but sweets contain added sugars like sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, agave syrup, corn syrup, turbinado sugar and maple syrup. All of these examples of added sugars are high in calories (40-60 per tablespoon) and low in nutrients.
Sweets tend to be high in added sugars, and often refined starches, unhealthy fats, and calories. Candy, cakes, cookies, pies, pudding, and ice cream are examples.
Ideally, it’s best to rely on naturally sweet foods like fresh and unsweetened frozen fruit. Ripe bananas, mangos, melons, pineapples, apples, and pears can be very sweet, as can other fruit that’s in season. Try them on their own or:
- With plain non-fat Greek yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, or low-fat cheese.
- With ½ ounce or 1 tablespoon of dark chocolate or chocolate chips
- With 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
Dates and figs are fruits that are especially high in natural sugar, but they have fiber, making them a more nutritious choice than many processed sweets.
If you want something that feels more like a traditional dessert, aim for portion control and moderation. Consider including a special treat regularly, such as once or twice a week. Keep portions in check, such as 1 scoop of ice cream or 1 small slice of cake, and serve it with fruit or ½ ounce of nuts to make it feel more substantial.
There aren't really "healthy" vs. "unhealthy" sweets. There are just sweets that offer more nutrition (like fruit) and sweets that are purely for pleasure. The goal is to keep the "pleasure" sweets as an enjoyable treat that doesn’t get in the way of your health goals.
How do you make pizza healthy?
Making pizza "healthy" isn’t that hard! It’s about portion control, choosing good ingredients, and including nutritious sides.
We can also think of the meal using the plate method.
- ½ of the plate is a bright, fresh green salad with your oil and vinegar dressing.
- ¼ of the plate is two slices of thin-crust pizza loaded with veggies.
- ¼ of the plate is a lean protein topping on that pizza.
Diabetes runs in our family. My grandchildren do not eat vegetables at all (2 & 4). do you know a book I can buy for the mom to encourage her to feed the kids healthy. They literally eat sugar all day.
This is a really important question, and a challenging situation! Usually, the parents make decisions about their children’s food consumption, so it’s hard for grandparents to step in, no matter how wise or well meaning they are.
Here is a book about nutrition that was written by a professor who gave lectures to one of our health coaches.
Healthy Eating for Families: The Ultimate Nutrition Guide for Kids, Parents, and Educators by Melissa Halas, MA, RDN, CDE
Here are some additional thoughts on this topic.
Parents can be very protective of their children, and somewhat closed to suggestions - especially from a parent or in-law. Rather than directly talking to the mom about the children’s health and diet, you might find better reception by trying to convince the mom that vegetables are important for HER, and that sugar is less healthy for EVERYONE. Then she might apply that to her child.
Can you talk to your child’s pediatrician and obtain some basic materials on nutrition for children?
Some parents shy away from nutritionists. It may help to provide a child-rearing book by a respected person - many parents respect Dr. Spock, for example. These books tend to have simple, common-sense sections on nutrition, and they say vegetables are good and high-sugar foods should be limited.
Is it possible for you to cook with your grandchildren? Maybe you can make fun meals with vegetables - say, eggplant parmesan with low-fat cheese and oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs, or whole-grain-breaded broccoli baked in the oven - and get the children to ask their parents to make it with them at home.
Hope that helps! It’s wonderful that you care about your grandchildren so much.
How bad is popcorn as a snack?
That’s a great question…and here’s great news: popcorn can be one of the best possible snacks you can choose! Popcorn is a whole grain. The reason it has a bad reputation is what often comes with or on it - like cheese, butter, or caramel topping.
Popcorn is a whole grain with 100 calories for a 3-cup serving. In comparison, 8 potato chips have 100 calories. So you get more popcorn, and it’s more satisfying!
Keep popcorn low in calories and healthy with a few tips.
- Air pop it using a popcorn popper, microwave popper, or the stove.
- If you don’t like it plain, add a spritz of olive oil, low-fat parmesan cheese, or nutritional yeast for some flavor.
- Light pre-popped popcorn and light microwave popcorn can be good options, too.
In comparison, consider these calorie counts.
- A tub of movie popcorn can have 800-1,500 calories.
- 3 cups of caramel corn can have 400-500 calories.
If you choose popcorn for a snack, consider having a source of protein with it so you can stay full for longer. Try ½ cup of cottage cheese, ½ ounce of nuts, or 1 string cheese stick, for example.
How much water should we consume per day?
That’s an important question - staying hydrated helps with weight loss, overall health, energy levels, and brain function!
The standard advice to drink 8 glasses a day can be helpful, but the truth is that it’s more of an individual question. For many adults, you may need 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) for women and 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) for men. You'll also need more water if it’s a hot day, if you’re exercising, or if you’re feeling under the weather, as your body loses fluids much faster in those situations.
Some of that can come from food like fruit, vegetables, and soup. Most of it should come from water, which is calorie-free and nutritious.
The best way to manage this without a calculator is to check the color of your urine. If it’s a pale, light yellow, you may be well hydrated. If it’s dark like apple juice, you may need more water.
You can also check out our previous webinar on hydration! Here’s a link to the recording and the summary.
