In the News: Sleep Deprivation Increases Hunger

Researchers at Columbia University in New York have observed that sleep deprived individuals consume more calories the day after than if they had a good night's sleep.  According to the study, women consume 329 more calories and men consume 269 extra.
In addition to consuming more calories, the study participants seemed to gravitate to high-fat, high-protein foods when sleep deprived, especially ice cream.


Regularly consuming an additional 300 calories per day would add up to about 30 pounds of weight gain over the course of a year, thus increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses associated with being overweight and obesity.


The first thing I thought when I read this study was, "Oh, right.  Freshman fifteen."  College students get waaaaaaaaaaay less sleep than they need.  And we realize it.  Well, most of us do.  But we choose to do nothing about it, or just take lots of naps.  Anyway, we all need to get the right amount of sleep (at least 7-8 hrs per night), or else we will feel it in more ways than one.

Recipe Two: Snazzy Chicken Salad

We have made this chicken salad every year for one of the big events (usually about 100 people attending) for one of my groups at school.  Even with an entire kitchen completely covered in a myriad of foods, this chicken salad is the first bowl to run dry.  Normally, I wouldn't think of chicken salad as a health food (mostly due to all the mayonnaise), but there are ways to spice it up and make it better for you and your gut.

Chicken Salad
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pulled chicken
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup halved green grapes
• 1/2 cup halved red grapes
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup mayonnaise (prefer light)

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients except the mayonnaise in a large mixing bowl.  Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
2. Mix mayonnaise into the chicken salad, then eat up!

Nutrition Information:

• 238 calories
• 8g carbohydrates
• 2g dietary fiber
• 3g sugars
• 13g fat
• 25g protein

To lower the fat content of the chicken salad, try substituting Greek yogurt or whipped cream for a portion of the mayonnaise.  The celery, grapes, and almonds add vital vitamins to the chicken salad, including vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids.  You can even play with the chicken to fruits and vegetables ratio to make this chicken salad even healthier, or just throw in some shredded carrots or alfalfa sprouts to enhance the nutritional benefits.  Try serving the chicken salad over a bed of spinach or leafy greens instead of on bread or a bagel.

Popcorn...A Health Food?

True? Yes. Surprising? Probably so.

Although, if you think about the base ingredient in popcorn - whole corn kernels.  This means that popcorn is a whole grain product (and I'm very surprised the marketing teams haven't caught onto this yet).  Popcorn actually contains a whole load of fiber that is good for you, but also high levels of polyphenols (an antioxidant).  Because of these antioxidants, popcorn has been linked to lower rates of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Okay, okay so now that I know popcorn is good for me, can I go out and buy some at my local grocery store? Not yet.  As you may have guessed by now, the heaps of oil and butter on top of popcorn tend to limit or even overpower popcorn's benefits.  Eating fiber along with dozens of grams of fats and trans fats isn't going to get you ready for swimsuit season.  The best way to prepare popcorn is to air-pop it (Presto 114316 04820 PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper), but if you must buy microwave popcorn, get a naked or lightly salted variety (definitely don't go for the ultra-super-butter-explosion types).  Also, keep the portion size down - share a bag with a friend, or buy the 100 calorie bags if you plan to snack alone.

In short, popcorn is not only a healthier snack than most chips or crackers with refined flour, but helps to curb food cravings - just don't slather it with butter.