Miriam Dietitian: You Can Give Into Cravings

Monday, December 27, 2010

Andrea E. McHugh, GoLocalProv Lifestyles Editor

Those fabulous sugar cookies your sister-in-law gave you, the leftover gingerbread cupcakes, the tempting red and green wrapped Hershey Kisses? Have them, and enjoy every minute of it, says Mary Flynn, a research dietitian at The Miriam Hospital.

“We like fat; it does make food taste better,” acknowledges Flynn. The co-author of the recently released book, The Pink Ribbon Diet, and assistant professor at Brown Medical School explains that food cravings are a relatively new phenomenon.

“You didn’t hear about ‘cravings’ in the early ‘80s,” she says, attributing the metabolic reaction to the country’s trend toward low- and no-fat diets. “For example, if I have a lower fat meal, I feel like something afterwards,” says Flynn. The body, in fact, needs fats, and there’s a reason why.

Good Fats

Good fats are part of a healthy diet, Flynn explains, helping our bodies absorb important nutrients. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends adults get 20%-35% of their calories from fats, according to their 2005 Dietary Guidelines. So, she suggests if there are certain holiday foods or treats you love this time of year, enjoy them, in moderation, and make concessions on other meals.

“Food has symbolic meaning, but how do you manage it? You have the celebratory foods,” she concedes, but with careful consideration. Cookies for lunch on occasion, though not ideal, are okay, says Flynn. “That’s not going to harm you. What will is harm you is indulging at 9pm at night, that’s where you get into trouble.”

4 Ways to Keep Indulgences in Check

Don’t expose yourself. If Hershey Kisses are your weakness, says Flynn, make a decision to enjoy one or two after lunch. If you bring a bag of bite-size chocolates with no plan, 1-2 easily becomes 5-6 or 9-10.

Know what you’re up against. If Aunt Mary’s upside-down cake is your favorite part of the holiday spread, skip hors d’oeuvres and lighten the load on your dinner plate. Having a good sense of what is going to be served will assist in making a mental plan before you eat instead of chowing down aimlessly.

Some people have a tendency to indulge more when they’re drinking. Curb your intake by having a glass of seltzer water in between cocktails.

Mind your wardrobe. Especially here in the Northeast, Flynn says bulky clothes season can make it easy to dine with reckless abandon. Avoid falling into that trap by not make elastic waistband pants your new best friend.