Jillian Kubala MS ’17 studied the effects of what we put in our bodies while at Stony Brook. Now she’s sharing some of that knowledge to help people get healthier.
To kick off the new year, the nutritionist and writer recently published 25 tips for losing weight in a popular online publication. Her dietary ideas are not faddish by any stretch. The tips, she said, are based on science.
“While there are many ways to lose weight, it is not one-size-fits-all,” Kubala said. “Finding a healthy eating and exercise plan that works for you and fits well with your lifestyle is the best way to ensure successful, long-term weight loss.”
It wasn’t until Kubala lived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a few years that she became aware of the quality of food and the kinds of nutrients that were going into her body.
Today Kubala is a registered dietitian who received her MS in nutrition last summer from Stony Brook University’s School of Medicine within the department of Family, Population and Preventative Medicine. She also completed her dietetic internship here. As a staff writer for Authority Nutrition, a division of Healthline.com. she has written frequently on health and weight loss.
“There’s a great deal of information about weight loss on the internet, but not a lot of it revolves around safe ways to lose weight and how to keep it off,” Kubala said. “Very restrictive diets and elimination meal plans will most likely result in short-term weight loss, leading most people to throw in the towel within a few weeks.
The key to staying true to a diet, she added, is to make changes to your lifestyle and eating habits overall and customize that plan to suit your individual needs.
While her recent article offers some deeper insight to weight loss, Kubala offered these five tips on ways to get back on track in the new year.
- Fill up on Fiber: Fiber is found in healthy foods including vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains.
- Ditch Added Sugar: Added sugar is a major reason for unhealthy weight gain and health problems like diabetes and heart disease. Cutting out foods high in added sugars is a great way to lose excess weight. Reading nutrition labels is a must.
- Make Room for Healthy Fat: A high-fat diet that’s rich in foods like olive oil, avocados and nuts has been shown to maximize weight loss in several studies. Fats help you stay fuller for longer, decreasing cravings and helping you stay on track.
- Stay Hydrated: Drinking enough water throughout the day is good for overall health and can even help you maintain a healthy weight. People who drink water before meals have been shown to eat fewer calories.
- Cut Back on Refined Carbs: Refined carbs, such as white flour, pasta and bread, include sugars and grains that have had their fiber and other nutrients removed. These types of foods are low in fiber, are digested quickly and only keep you full for a short period of time. Instead, choose sources of complex carbohydrates such as oats or ancient grains like quinoa and barley. They’ll help keep you fuller longer and contain many more nutrients than refined sources of carbohydrates.
Kubala advises her clients that using these tips — especially intuitive eating, increasing fiber, eating a protein rich breakfast, reducing refined carbs, avoiding added sugar and being more active – can benefit those with diabetes and other chronic diseases.
As an added tip, Kubala recommends not being too hard on yourself. “Pick one or two diet tips from the list until they become a habit, then add another diet tip from the list when ready,” she said.
For more tips on losing weight and improving health, read Jillian’s full article https://www.alternet.org/food/25-best-diet-tips-lose-weight-and-improve-health.
— Suzanne Mobyed