Healthy AND low-carb AND vegetarian??

Question
Hello-
Thanks in advance for your help. I am a vegetarian (lacto-ovo), 35, female, and I believe that I must be a carb addict.  My favorite foods are pasta, cheese, bread, rice and corn, and chocolate.  I am a schoolteacher and don't get to eat small meals frequently.  My work schedule makes it difficult to eat healthy.  Worse yet, I tend to eat things that come in wrappers (candy bars, chips, crackers) since they are usually small.  I don't have access to a fridge to keep foods from home.  After having a baby in 2002, I still carry around my baby fat.  I don't exercise like I need to.  I leave for work at 6:00 each morning, and often don't get home until 5:00.  Then there's laundry, supper, homework w/my son, playtime w/baby, grading papers, etc..  In other words, I am not leading the healthiest lifestyle.  I wonder if you could offer some suggestions for EASY snack-type things for school and home.  I LOVE corn and basmati rice.  Isn't rice a starch?  And aren't starches the same as carbs?  I really don't know.

Last question: can you tell me if an unnatural chocolate craving can be controlled, and if so, with what?  I cannot tell you how strong my cravings are.  It's absolutely ridiculous, and I'm so tired of turning to it.  My students tease me about my addiction.  I used to smoke, and I think I would rather go back to smoking if it meant that I would be free of chocolate.  I will go through 3 or 4 candy bars DAILY!  I am not huge, though -- I'm 5'6 and weigh 140.  Now that my metabolism is changing so, I know that I will probably balloon out of control if I don't do something about it.

My husband has diabetes (II) and high bp.  Our doctor has put him on a Mediterranean diet, but it seems like it is everything that I can't get enough of, so I think I'm probably putting on pounds via pasta, too.

Any suggestions on change in diet would be greatly appreciated.  And the chocolate thing, well, it's just totally out of control!  Thank you!  

Answer
Hi Laura!

   Thank you for your nutrition questions.  It is nice to hear from a fellow teacher.  I teach high school so I have come to discover the problems a teacher faces eating healthy meals.  However, I have found that eating healthy can be done with a little planning.  You can start by making one small change at a time such as bringing healthy snacks with you to work to munch on when you get the urge.  These include fresh cut fruits, veggies, air popped popcorn, fruit chips, baked Lays, dried fruits, rice cakes, and mixed nuts especially almonds(great for diabetics). These are all low in calories and fat.
   Yes, starches such as rice are a form of carbohydrates.  A starch is actually a long string of glucose molecules.  Lately, starches are being blamed for all manner of health problems, often without justification. Many people who contact me about their concerns on starches are misinformed and confused about the role they play in the body. Carbohydrates are very good sources of energy however, we have to be careful to eat the right kinds.  The best kinds are those labeled "Whole grain" such as whole grain bread and brown rice.
   Cravings for foods such as chocolate are best controlled by making sure to eat smaller frequent meals throughout your day to curb hunger. Your metabolism will actually get a boost from this because when you are hungry your body actually goes into starvation mode. You can still have your occasional chocolate treat but try to make it a reward for yourself such as the end of the work week.  Also try eating smaller versions of your favorites whenever possible.
  There is also a product that I think you might be interested in called Juice Plus.  It helps people crave healthier foods and contains 17 different fruits and vegetables.  I strongly believe that you and your husband would greatly benefit from it.  I take it myself and find I have more energy which I need when teaching high school students. The website to purchase it is http://www.juiceblend.com
 Please let me know if you have anymore questions.

-George

Hi Laura,
 Just checking back with you if you were going to try including Juice Plus as part of your diet.
-George

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