by kelsey | Oct 31, 2012 | Holidays, Weight Management
Happy Halloween! Today is always a fun-filled day for kids and families and of course involves a lot of candy. As a child I remember it was our goal to get our Halloween bags FILLED to the brim with goodies! I don’t remember ever actually eating it all, but there are many kids that would! Last week, I got a kick out of Wednesday night sitcom “The Middle” as Brick, their youngest son ate his entire bag of candy in one night and his parents were mortified! Halloween is a fun time, however it’s also the perfect time to talk to your kids about the importance of moderation. Before your kids leave for trick-or-treating tonight, set some ground rules about how and when the candy will be consumed. Spreading the candy out over a period of time and following a “Treat-Schedule” will allow them to enjoy it, but not over-do it. Encourage them to make piles of their favorite candy and not-so-favorites and consider donating the not-so-favorites to a local shelter or send to those serving our country overseas. And most of all, encourage your child to focus on the fun of the holiday which includes being with friends and family and dressing up, with less focus on the candy.
Enjoy the day!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Oct 30, 2012 | Diet, Eating Out, Food, Weight Management
One of my favorite activities we do in our STRIVE lectures is the label reading activity with nutrition information from restaurants. I find it’s hard to make a good choice if we don’t know what good choices are at those particular restaurants…thus taking the time to read and research the options will ensure a healthy choice is made. You can find the nutrition information online for most chain restaurants and alot of them are posting the calories right next to the choices as a result of new labeling laws. I also like using the Calorie King app on my phone to help me make good choices.
If you do not have the option to look at the nutrition facts, here are some tips to help you make healthy and smart choices when eating out:
- Watch your portions: choose a half portion, share your meal, or pack half or 2/3 of your meal to go before you start eating.
- Add to your meal: add more veggies and lean meats if you have the option.
- Eat consistently: eat balanced throughout the day, even though you know you’re going out to eat later. Skipping meals and snacks to save up calories for your night out, will only result in you over-eating and making poor choices because you are so hungry! Have a snack an hour or two before you go to stave off hunger.
- Read wisely: choose dishes that are grilled, broiled, steamed, baked, or roasted. Stay away from dishes that are fried, breaded, crispy, crunchy, or creamy as they typically have more calories, fat, and sodium.
- Ask for help: it’s ok to ask for substitutions or ways to make your meal healthier.
Eating out it part of our social life, so it’s important to be mindful and smart about your choices to ensure you stay on track with your goals!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Oct 25, 2012 | Diet, Holidays, Weight Management
It’s that time of year again. Not only are the aisles of Wal-Mart strewn with witch hats, zombie make-up and fairy wings, but of course there is the looming aisle of Halloween candy. It can be easy to over indulge on treats this time of year. Most of the candy passed out to trick-or-treaters comes in “fun size” or “mini” portions. However, looks can be deceiving; people often believe that since they are smaller in size, more can be consumed. Calories from Halloween candy can quickly add up. For example; 3 mini snickers bars pack 300 calories. To burn off that many calories you would have to walk at a brisk pace for 1.5 hours or run for 40 minutes.
Fortunately the 31st of October doesn’t have to mean automatic weight gain. Try waiting until the day before to buy treats to pass out. You will be less likely to feel the need to nibble if you don’t buy it a month ahead of time. Keeping it out of site, such as up in a closet you rarely use, can help you forget that it’s even in the house. The biggest challenge with Halloween candy is the leftovers. After the trick-or-treaters have come and gone we are often left with the reality that we stocked up for 400 doorbell ringers, and only got 15. Buying candy that you don’t like is an easy way to keep you from eating it both before and after the holiday.
Halloween Treats to Try
Sugar-free gum
Boxes of raisins
Animal crackers
Pretzels
Trail mix
Fruit snacks
Lollipops
Non-Candy choices: stickers, small toys, erasers, etc.
Halloween Tricks to Avoid
Candy bars
Caramels
Fudge
Skittles
M&M’s
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Oct 24, 2012 | Cooking Tips, Food
County Fair Foods offered us some more great treats last night. Here are the recipes for your enjoyment!
Healthy Pumpkin Pie
15 oz can pumpkin
8 oz skim milk or low fat soy milk
3 egg whites
Reduced fat graham cracker crust
3/4 c. Splenda
Pumpkin pie spice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the sides on the graham cracker crust and discard. Mix pumpkin, milk, and egg whites until smooth. Gradually stir in Splenda 1/4 c. at a time. Add the pumpkin pie spice, taste and add more if needed. Our onto the crust and spread evenly. Bake for 15 min. then reduce the temp to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.
The make the crust crispier, beat 2 egg whites and brush over the crust and bake for 5 min at 350 degrees.
Holiday Jelly Party Dip
8oz fat free cream cheese
1 small jar of jalapeno jelly
1 box of whole wheat snack crackers (Triscuits or Wheat Thins)
Place cream cheese on a plate. Spread jalepeno jelly over cream cheese. Enjoy with whole wheat crackers.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Oct 23, 2012 | Wellness/Health
Tonight’s STRIVE 2 Survive lecture focuses on the Wellness Wheel and is provided by Dr. Likness. Often times we get so focused on dieting and exercise that we forget to examine wellness as a whole. The Wellness Wheel has 7 spokes, all of which are very important to wellness. When one spoke is off, the wheel doesn’t turn appropriately and this concept directly relates to real life. As you focus your efforts on wellness and achieving a healthy body, I encourage you to examine all aspects of your life which also include, your finances, family, work, social life, spirituality, and mental health.
Many times we get so overwhelmed with being busy with family and work obligations, which increases our stress level, which can often times result in mindless eating. To improve this chain of events, we need to examine the root of the problem and work on our time management and stress management skills in efforts to improve our eating habits. In addition to time and stress management, I encourage you to examine your sleep habits. Sleep is also an important factor of wellness and it is recommended to get at least 7-8 hours/night! As we turn our focus to the Wellness Wheel tonight, I encourage the rest of you to do so as well and if there’s a part of the wheel that’s a bit off, do some critical thinking and make a plan to improve that part as you work to achieve overall wellness and health!
-Kelsey
