SENSA: Weight Loss Gimmick: Nutrition Expert Review

For all of you out there who are purchasing SENSA: Please do not waste your money on it or your time. Protect your body by not going down the SENSA route. As a Registered Dietitian, I do not recommend this product. It's a weight loss fiber sprinkles gimmick. It's just some fiber (maltodextrin- not the best fiber source) with artificial flavors, colors and carmine (the shell of a pregnant beetle). SENSA Ingredients: Maltodextrin, Tricalcium Phosphate, Silica, Natural and Artificial Flavors, FD&C Yellow 5, Carmine. Contains Soy and Milk Ingredients.

As your nutrition expert, I feel it is my duty to inform you that taking this product to help you lose weight is not the route to go. It's much better for you to have a couple Tablespoons of ground flaxseeds or raw wheat germ or chia seeds to add some dietary fiber sprinkles into your meals or snacks to help you feel full.

Yes, dietary fiber is key to lose weight, since it helps you feel fuller, gives you more for your chew! Dr. Alan Hirsch, M.D, F.A.C.P., a leading authority on smell and taste, the developer of SENSA has done fantastic research on helping people lose weight. Nothing against him personally. I think his research contributions to the weight loss arena is noteworthy. I just do not like the ingredients in his SENSA product. I want you to get lean by eating clean. As your Livitician, I want to help you lose body fat by putting clean ingredients in your body and develop a lifestyle that helps you attain optimal health and body weight in a way that you can live with for life. SENSA is not the optimal choice to accomplish your wellness goals.

Focus on eating within an hour to an hour and a half after waking and every 4 hours throughout the day (think before you eat, ask yourself if you are physically or emotionally hungry before you go for food). Eat a high fiber carbohydrate source with a low fat protein every eating time for optimal sustainability and satisfaction (e.g., apple with 1/4 cup of soy nuts, 1 cup of berries with 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, or a whole wheat slice of toast with 2 Tbsp. of all natural peanut butter). Add 2 Tbsp. of ground flaxseed to your organic cereal in the morning. Have vegetables with your lunch and dinner and fruit twice a day. Exercise (MOVE) 5 to 6 times a week for about 30 to 45 minutes, include weight lifting 2 to 3 times a week with cardio (dancing, walking, any type of moving you will do- schedule it in your calendar- make it a health appointment that you cannot break). Drink water throughout the day, fiber's best friend is water!

Enjoy Liviting! Email me if you have any questions: Deborah@livitician.com. I am here for you to help you achieve your weight goal in a long-term, enjoyable, and healthful way.

Health and happiness to you,

Your Livitician®,

Deborah A. Klein, MS, RD

Health Tips for Long-Term Lifestyle Change

Behavior Modification

A. Eating Tips:

1. Before you eat, take a couple seconds to do a mind-body check, ask yourself, “Am I hungry or am I stressed, anxious, depressed, etc.?”
2. Eat MINDFULLY! Eat and only eat = let the phone calls, reading, television watching wait until you’re done eating. Eating is the most constructive activity you can do to keep your body nourished.
3. Sit down while eating will promote enjoyment and aid digestion. Standing up while eating encourages MINDLESS eating, calories that we don’t get to relish.
4. Eat Slowly! Put your fork down between mouthfuls and chew your food ~ 20 times.
5. Pre-portion your plate with food, rather than rather than having serving plates or bowls on the table.
6. Assign ONE designated location for eating your meals and snacks.
7. Cut up your 3 to 4 ounce portion of meat or fish in small cubes or strips mixed with whole grains and lots of vegetables so you visually feel more satisfied.
8. Have a full plate when you eat by using a smaller plate (~8 inch) and fill it with lots of non-starchy vegetables.
9. Beautify your eating environment. Use nice pastel colored plates, a champagne or wine glass for your sparkling or flat water with lemon or lime, and in moderation as your indulgence for the day have your real wine or champagne. Use a linen napkin with a ring holder and a bouquet of flowers on the table.
10. Make your plate appealing. Attractively present food on your plate with a little parsley or mint leaf garnish and have lots of color with a multitude of vegetables. An unhealthy plate is all brown, definitely not appealing, e.g., fried chicken, french fries, mashed potatoes. A healthy plate is full of color.
11. If you are still feeling hungry after your meal, enjoy your “free foods” = non-starchy vegetables (e.g., ½ cup raw broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber/carrot/bell pepper sticks, pickles, jalapeno peppers, salsa), water, herbal teas, flavored sparkling waters or have a cup of hot cocoa with 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder with hot water, tsp. cinnamon/vanilla extract and a dash of Agave Nectar.
12. Have 1 indulgence a day to prevent deprivation and promote mental satisfaction.
13. Good habit, eat before you leave the house and if you’re on-the-go all day, pack an insulated lunch bag with an igloo ice pack with some balanced snacks, e.g. fruit, part-skim milk cheese, trail mix.
14. After you eat your pre-portioned snack/meal, brush your teeth, which will help affirm the completion of that eating time.

B. Lifestyle Tips:

1. After eating your portioned amount, DISTRACTION, DISTRACTION, DISTRACTION = key to portion control! MOVE away from the table immediately and occupy yourself with another activity, e.g. talk on the phone, read a book, do the dishes, take a bath, let your food digest for about 30 minutes then go for a walk.
2. Keep yourself hydrated, to help you stay satisfied between eating times. Carry a water bottle wherever you go and snack on some vegetables, e.g., ½ cup of sticks of cucumbers, bell pepper, carrots, celery, and jicama.
3. GET UP OFF YOUR SEAT AND MOVE!! For every hour you work, make 5 to 10 minutes of it MOVING time, e.g., use a portable phone and walk, put your legs up and down, dance, do the pendulum abdomen workout.
4. Integral to your success, keep 3-day food diaries weekly and consistently.
5. Increase your physical activity, by parking further away from your destination and take the stairs instead of the elevator.
6. Write a list of non-food related pleasures, e.g., bath, painting, exercise, shopping, etc.
7. If you’re hungry ~every 3 to 4 hours, GOOD JOB, you are eating balanced and the right portion sizes. If you are not hungry after ~4 hours you probably ate too much at the meal prior or you are so occupied with what you’re doing you don’t realize that you are hungry, which sets us up for overeating.
8. Realize food does not have a heart/mind/soul, it is your fuel and physical nourishment. To have mental healing, focus on doing a recreational activity – RE-CREATION (hobbies, talk to an inspiring friend, meditate, write your thoughts down in a journal, and MOVE – emotion is the state of motion.

Enjoy Liviting!
Deborah A. Klein, MS, RD
deborah@livitician.com

Bone Friendly Foods!

Prevent Bone Fractures with optimal dietary choices including Vitamin D, Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin K, Vegetarian Protein predominating, Low Sodium and Exercise!

In Illinois researchers randomly assigned 5,000 female Navy recruits at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center to receive either a placebo or Vitamin D (800 IU) plus calcium (2,000 mg) daily during basic training. After 8 weeks, 6.6 percent of the placebo takers had stress fractures compared to 5.3 percent of the calcium-plus-D takers; that is a significant 20 percent difference.

KEY: Make sure you are receiving enough calcium and D daily to help prevent fractures as well as doing weight bearing exercise (e.g., running, walking, dancing, weight lifting) most days, aim for 30 to 45 minutes of exercise 4 to 6 days per week. Have 1,200 mg a day of calcium and 1,000 IU a day of Vitamin D.

Calcium Sources: Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Caviar, Cheese, Kelp, Milk, Cottage Cheese, Ricotta Cheese (lower in sodium than cottage cheese, great on toast with cinnamon), Molasses,Canned Salmon, Canned Sardines, Shrimp, Soybeans, Tofu, Turnip Greens, Yogurt (Greek zero percent or two percent is great, get your protein and calcium without the sugar).

Vitamin D Sources: The best way to get your vitamin D is being out in the sunlight for 15 to 20 minutes a day, the ergosterol underneath our skin converts to vitamin D, stimulated by the ultra-violet rays. Not to worry, you can still wear your sunscreen to protect yourself from getting cancer and get your vitamin D formed. Even the best sunscreen cannot block all UV radiation. The amount that does hit the skin is enough to promote adequate vitamin D formation.

Smokers actually have some healthy habits; I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but they take time to give themselves a break throughout the day to go outside, get some sunshine and take some deep breaths. They just need to seriously learn to do all that without the cigarettes. However, we can learn from the smokers and set a good example for them by doing what they do without the cigarette and get our vitamin D. Let's take our breaks outside for phone calls, eating our snacks/meals, meditating breaks or just taking a few deep breaths and appreciating our surroundings.

Food sources of Vitamin D, include Cod-liver oil, Herring, Mackerel, Salmon (choose Wild whenever possible), Sardines, and Vitamin-D-fortified milk.

A Great Calcium Supplement that also has Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Vitamin K is Phytotherapy Liquid Calcium Softgels, available at Whole Foods.

Magnesium and Vitamin K are also important to maintain bone mineral density!

Magnesium Sources Include: Almonds, Cod, Halibut, Swordfish (is not kosher), Leafy Green Vegetables, Molasses, Nuts, Soybeans, Wheat Germ, Sunflower Seeds.

Vitamin K Sources Include: The main one is the plant form phylloquinone (green vegetables contain the highest level). Have dark-green, leafy vegetables, e.g., kale, parsley, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts and lettuce. Soybean, canola and olive oils are relatively rich sources too.

Also eat predominately a vegetarian based, low sodium diet, have meat 1 time a day maximum and choose foods that have less than 150 mg of sodium per serving most often. Excess protein and sodium can increase calcium losses in the urine (Alternative Medicine Review 1999;4(2):74-85). "40 grams of animal protein (representing about 800 mg of elemental phosphorus) takes out about 40 mg of calcium," (Annals NY Academy of Sciences 1998;854:336-351). For more information on vegetarian eating and maintaining your bone strength. Contact The Livitician Network at (310) 247-0018.

Enjoy LIVITING,
Deborah A. Klein, MS, RD