7-Eleven Dietitian Gives Advice on Healthy Resolution-Keeping

DALLAS, Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- If at first you don't succeed ... well, there's always next year.  New Year's resolutions are the perennial letdowns.  High hopes one day that this year will be different, dashed at the first sign of temptation.  Health clubs, diet-book publishers and weight-loss centers depend on good intentions and short memories for a large portion of their revenues every year.  After all it's their bread and butter ... or at least their whole-grain bread and low-fat spread. 

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So why is eating healthy and losing weight so hard?  7-Eleven, Inc. Corporate Dietitian Patsy Ross said she thinks some resolution-makers try such drastic changes, completely giving up foods they love, that failure is inevitable. 

"Extreme diets that promise quick-fixes seldom give lasting results," Ross said.  "Balance and moderation beat deprivation every time, and you can find better-for-you choices at 7-Eleven stores."

So what does Ross choose/recommend at 7-Eleven when looking for healthier foods and beverages?  Here are some of her picks:

Breakfast

• Strawberry Yogurt Parfait – 230 calories
• Chobani fat-free Greek Yogurt with Fruit – 140 calories
• Fruit Cup – 50-100 calories (depending on variety)

Lunch

• 7-Smart Oven-roasted Turkey Sandwich (300 calories) and Fresh Strawberry Fruit Cup (6 ounces = 50 calories)
• Taquito (190-250 calories) and Cheddar Cheese with Carrots and Celery cup (140 calories)
• Chicken Tender (approximately 3 ounces = 160 calories), garden salad (30 calories) and low-fat vinaigrette salad dressing (10 calories)
• Three Buffalo Boneless Wings (180 calories) and Strawberry-Kiwi-Mango Fruit Cup (70 calories)
• Bistro Chicken Caesar Salad – 230 calories
• Four-Cheese Pizza Slice (280 calories) and Pineapple-Grape Cup (6 ounces = 80 calories)
• Bumble Bee Tuna in water (2 ounces = 50 calories), Boiled Eggs (2 = 140 calories) and whole apple (1 medium = 72 calories) or banana (1 medium = 105 calories)
• Weight Watchers Smart Ones Three-Cheese Ziti frozen entree (300 calories)

Snacks/Sweets

• 7-Select™ Pretzel sticks – 110 calories (2.5 servings per bag)
• 7-Select Peanut Butter on Toasted Crackers – 180 calories
• 7-Select Kettle Corn – 120 calories
• Fresh red grapes – 90 calories (6 ounces)
• Watermelon bit-size pieces (when in season) – 103 calories (12 ounces)
• M&Ms chocolate-covered pretzel pieces – 150 calories
• 7-Select Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins – 240 calories

Beverages

• Crystal Light Sugar-free Slurpee® drink – 80 calories (16 ounces)
• Lipton Diet Green Tea in bottle – 0 calories
• Diet A&W Root Beer – 0 calories
• 7-Select Vegetable Juice – 50 calories (8 ounces)
• Hot tea brewed at Hot Beverage Bar – 0 calories
• 7-Select Bottled Water – 0 calories
• Fat-free French Vanilla Cappuccino (160 calories per 8 ounces)

"Whether counting points, calories, carbohydrates or fat grams, 7-Eleven has something for everyone," Ross said.  "Dieting shouldn't be hard.  In fact, some dietitians don't even like the D-word (diet).  For those who already like healthier alternatives, 7-Eleven carries items like veggie cups, cut fruit, boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, salads and bottled water.

Each New Year, millions of people make resolutions to improve their lives – by starting, stopping, losing, saving, exercising, learning, organizing. Yet only days, perhaps even weeks later, their good intentions have been abandoned ... again.  Hope springs eternal, perhaps no more often than during the annual New Year's Resolution exercise. 

Multiple studies and surveys show that people who make resolutions renege on them, some as soon as one week later.  According to a study at the University of Scranton, more than a third threw in the resolution towel by the end of January.  By July, more than half had given up.  A study by the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom was even more dispiriting.  Although more than half of the 3,000 people surveyed predicted success, the findings concluded that 88 percent of their resolutions ended in failure. 

However, results of the Scranton study also showed that resolution-making can still be worthwhile. People who make resolutions are more likely to achieve their goals than those who do not participate in the annual goal-setting. Only 4 percent of the study's control group, who wanted to lose weight but did not formally resolve to do so, made progress toward their goal.

"For individuals' still sticking to their New Year's resolutions of eating healthier, 7-Eleven has lots of options every day of the year," Ross said.

About 7-Eleven, Inc.
7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 9,100 7-Eleven® stores in North America. Globally, 7-Eleven has approximately 44,700 stores in 16 countries. During 2010, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales close to $63 billion. 7-Eleven has been honored by a number of companies and organizations recently. Accolades include: #2 on Forbes magazine's 2011 list of Top Franchises for the Money; #4 spot on Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 list for 2009, #3 in Forbes magazine's Top 20 Franchises to Start, and #2 in Franchise Times Top 200 Franchise Companies. Hispanic Magazine named 7-Eleven in its Hispanic Corporate Top 100 Companies that provide the most opportunities to Hispanics.  7-Eleven received the 2010 Retailer of the Year honor from PL Buyer because of the company's private-label brand initiative. 7-Eleven is franchising its stores in the U.S. and expanding through organic growth, acquisitions and its Business Conversion Program. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.

SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc.