Jean Ince | Domestic Columnist
As we approach the end of
the year and look towards the
beginning of a new one have
you thought about making
New Year’s Resolutions?
Every year about this time
we start thinking about our
eating and physical activity
habits and what changes we
want to make in the new year.
How many times have you
gone on a diet in January only
to abandon it by February or
started an exercise program
and abandon it after a few
weeks? This year could be
different.
There has been a lot of
emphasis put on thinking
about dieting in a whole new
way. Instead of actually eating
a certain meal plan, nutritionists
are suggesting “tuning
in” to your body and looking
at your hunger scale. It’s all
about becoming an intuitive
eater and preventing yourself
from overeating by honoring
your hunger cues. Here are
some suggestions for intuitive
eating.
Get rid of distractions.
Start by turning off the TV,
getting away from the computer
and putting your cell
phone on silent. It’s hard to
listen to your body’s cues
with distractions making
noise and taking the focus off
the food.
Drink a glass of water before
mealtime. The suggestion
here is to fill your stomach
with a glass of water to
help take the edge off hunger
so that you can slow down
and really enjoy your meal
without overeating.
Eat when you are hungry…
not starving. Experts
suggest having a hunger
scale of 0-10 with 0 being
not hungry at all, to 10 being
starving. Eat when your
hunger level is at a 4 or 5. If
you are too hungry, it’s easy
to go from starving to stuffed
really fast.
Slow down. As you begin
to eat and throughout the
meal, eat slowly. Be aware of
how fast you are eating and
don’t rush it. This way you
can stop eating when you get
to level 6 on the hunger scale.
Engage your senses. How
often do you really enjoy the
food you are eating? Notice
the arrangement of the food
on your plate, the color, the
smell. Enjoy the moment of
eating the food. Savor the
taste, flavor and texture of the
food. You will find that you
get full sooner if you really
take time to enjoy it.
Take a time-out. During
the meal, pause and put
your fork down. This trick
will help you slow down and
can help you gauge how full
you are. Talk with the other
people who are eating with
you. Mealtime is a great time
to catch up on all the latest
news happening with your
family and friends.
Determine your fullness
level at the halfway point and
then again at the end. When
you are halfway through eating
the food on your plate,
determine your fullness level,
then ask yourself, “How
much more do I need before
I am satisfied?”
When you finish the meal,
again determine your fullness
level. If you are too full, make
a note to eat less next time. If
you have finished your meal
and you don’t feel satisfied,
look at what you ate. Are you
getting the right balance of
nutrients — carbohydrates,
fats, and protein. Giving yourself
permission to eat what
your body needs and stopping
when you are satisfied
will help prevent overeating.
Give yourself time. Intuitive
eating does not just happen.
It takes time to really cue
in to your body’s needs.
Finally, exercise really
does work. Whether you
want to lose weight or just
get in better physical health,
start an exercise plan. People
who exercise on a regular
basis lose weight faster and
are more likely to keep it off.
If you want more information
on intuitive eating or
want to exercise with a group,
the Howard County Cooperative
Extension Service will be
offering two new programs
to help you meet your goals
in 2016.
“Extension Get Fit” is an
exercise program that uses
low weights to help build
strength, increase flexibility
and maintain balance. This
program will meet on Monday
and Wednesdays starting
January 25. The program
will be conducted at the
Howard County Extension
Homemaker Center located
right behind the courthouse
in Nashville. The exercise program
will begin at 10:00 a.m.
and will last approximately
an hour each time. It will
continue for 12 weeks. There
will be a small fee to cover
program costs.
“ReShape Yourself” is a
weight loss program which
focuses on eating healthy and
losing weight. The program
meets for 15 weeks and uses
a support system. There is a
weekly weigh-in and a short
educational program.
This program will meet
at 11:30 a.m. on Mondays
starting February 1 at the
Howard County Extension
Homemaker Center in Nashville.
There is a small fee to
cover program costs.
“Walk Across Arkansas”
is a walking program where
teams of 2 to 10 people get
together to help keep team
members accountable to exercise.
Teams do not exercise
together, but they do log their
minutes exercised. This is an
8 week program that starts
Feb. 15.
There is no charge for this
program. Team members
must register and log their
minutes exercised on line.
If any of these programs
sound like something you
might want to check out,
contact the Howard County
Extension Office at 870-845-
7517 or visit our office located
on the second floor of the
courthouse.
Recipe of the Week
This is a tasty recipe that
is nutritious too! It is easy
to make and the whole family
will love the flavor. Using
frozen vegetables helps cut
time since most of the prep
work is done for you.
Stir Fry Beef & Vegetables
½ cup steak sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound top round steak,
thinly sliced
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen mixed
oriental vegetables, thawed
3 cups cooked brown rice
In a small bowl or plastic
zipper type bag, combine
steak sauce, soy sauce, and
garlic.
Add sliced steak, zip close
and squeeze mixture together
to combine. Refrigerate
1 hour, squeezing mixture
together occasionally. Lightly
coat a large skillet with nonstick
cooking spray.
Over medium heat, place
steak with marinade in a large
skillet. Throw plastic bag
Jean
ince
County
Extension Agent-
Staff Chair
away. Stir-fry the meat for 3-4
minutes or until meat is no
longer pink.
Remove steak with slotted
spoon, keep warm. In same
skillet, heat vegetables in pan
drippings to a boil. Reduce
heat to low, cover, and simmer
for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in
beef and heat through. Serve
over brown rice. Yields: 4
servings
Nutritional information
per serving: Calories-400,
Fat-9g, Protein-32 g, Carbohydrates
– 42 g, Fiber-4 g.
