Jin L. Zhen is a good friend and fellow trainer who is also a nutrition expert. His toned body is a testament to the value of eating right in overall fitness. With a big string of holiday parties and dinners coming up, Jin’s nutrition tips will keep you track without missing all the fun. Here’s his menu for a healthy, but happy holiday.
—Kirk Myers, Health & Fitness Editor, DOWNTOWN Magazine NYC
With the holidays on the way (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years), most people are likely to gain a few extra pounds as a result of the inevitable celebratory meals. I have found dieting in this season to be the toughest test of the year.
So here are some key tips on how to maintain your weight and still have a wonderful holiday season.
Diet Tips
1) Plate Portions
I am sure a lot of us think it portioning is easy to achieve, but there are several details many people overlook. You can fill your plate, just do it with the right stuff. Here are a few key suggestions:
2) Protein (chicken, beef, lamb, fish, pork and eggs) should cover about 30 percent or 1/3 of the plate.
i. Pick the leanest cuts (i.e. chicken breast).
ii. Avoid the skins (every one ounce of skin provides nearly 100 calories and primarily calories from fat).
iii. The protein will provide building blocks of amino acids which help maintain lean muscle tissues. As meat is tough to digest, digestion processes are slowed down, and the body feels satiated.
3) Vegetables and Fruits (Spinach, Carrots, Broccoli, Tomatoes, salad, etc.) will cover 40-50 percent or nearly half of the plate.
i. Vegetables will provide the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals while other carbohydrate-dense food groups lack. Vitamins and minerals are required for speeding up enzymatic reactions and will boost the metabolism (more calories are burned, especially fat).
ii. A crucial ingredient of vegetables and fruits is fiber, which cannot be digested by the human being’s digestive tracts. That doesn’t mean fibers aren’t beneficial, fibers can slow digestion (in a good way). Think of food being digested so slowly in your digestive tracts that the receptors around the tracts will signal to the brain to secrete hormones to suppress our satiety, making us feel full.
4) Grains, breads, pasta, rice and potatos: These carbohydrates will probably provide the largest portions during holiday dinners. You should try to limit your’s to about 20 percent for these foods.
i. Eating carbohydrates will provide minimal nutrients. This is where the term empty calories comes in to use. It is better to invest in wholesome foods such as lean meats and vegetables.
5) Toppings
a) In the past, many of my clients and friends tried to change their diets by eating salads. However, a lot of them seem to make a similar mistake. Many will top off their salads with dressings such as ranch, honey mustard, mayonnaise. Pouring on calorie-dense sauces results in an added calorie content, no different from pounding down a burger or slice of pizza.
b) Spices over Sauces
i. Flavor your food with spices instead of sauces.
c) Seasonings to use: Black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, sesame oil (small amounts for flavoring), chives, paprika, oregano and etc.
d) Low-calorie sauces: If you have no other choice, or can’t access spices, try to ask for other sauces that contain fewer calories such as lemon vinaigrette, homemade tomato sauce, salsa, soy sauce or red wine vinegar. Sriracha hot sauce is my personal favorite.
6) Hydration! Always drink enough water. The question is, how much is enough? We always hear that the standard guideline of liquid consumption is a 8 glasses of water a day, but where does that number come from and why? This is how it works. The 8 glasses of water suggestion is based on a 2,000-calorie diet per day. During college I learned that the amount of calories you consume should be balanced out by nearly the same amount of liquid. Every calorie we consume should be compensated with the same amount of water in milliliters.
a) Water, tea, juices or wine. Steer clear of beer!
i. Alcohol will provide empty calories and a lot of calories at that. Alcohol is only second to fat in empty calorie intake.
7) Exercising
a) Plan ahead: Schedule your workout routine a week or two before your events. Workout an hour or two before an event—this way even eating large meals will replenish the muscle energy storage that was spent instead of being stored as fat.
b) Tight schedule? Workout on the spot. A circuit of push-ups, body weight squats, jumping jacks, burpees, lateral lunges and crunches, will be enough to give you an intense workout.
c) Can’t resist alcohol? Dance it off! Alcohol’s a great ice-breaker so while you’re at a bar this is a great way to slip in a workout. If you do go out and don’t dance? Work out the next morning to eliminate the empty calories that eventually gets converted into fat.
– Jin L. Zhen
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