by kelsey | Sep 6, 2011 | Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
This weekend was a crazy one for us! My niece was born last week so we made a trip to the cities to meet her (isn’t she darling!) and then came back for the South Dakota State Fair. We were basically on the road for 4 days with the 2 trips which makes eating healthy a challenge! A few tips to help you with this challenge is to always pack some healthy snacks and a cooler with healthy drinks. Some of our favorite snacks are whole wheat crackers like Wheat Thins or Triscuits and cheese, light popcorn, and trail mix. Another idea is to pack a small loaf of bread and lean lunch meat to make your own sandwich instead of driving through the drive-thru. To stay away from pop, try unsweetened tea or good ol’ water. Eating on the road has it’s challenges, but planning ahead can help you be more successful.
We are excited to start our fall session of STRIVE today. We still have some room, so contact us today to get enrolled!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Aug 24, 2011 | Diet, Food, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
As I drove along Hwy 212 yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice the multiple vendors selling fresh garden produce! This time of the year is an excellent time to work on increasing your fruit and vegetable intake. As I have discussed before, we need at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day to promote heart health and weight management. When you dish up your plate, half of it should be fruits and vegetables. Whether you get your produce from a local gardener, farmer’s market, or grocery store, I encourage you to work on adding variety to your meals and snacks by trying new produce. You can also try various preparation methods of the produce to make it more appealing. Tomorrow I am going to discuss tomatoes as I made up some fresh salsa with the abundance of tomatoes I have gotten from friends and family lately.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Aug 3, 2011 | Diet, Food, Weight Management
Most of you would probably never guess where my good friend and fellow Brown Clinic Physicians Assistant Stefanie Kranz and myself went for lunch today….McDonalds. Now you’re probably thinking why would 2 health professionals choose one of the so-called worst fast food restaurants to eat lunch at! Well, the main reason was that we were crunched for time, which I’m sure applies to many of you as well. However we also wanted to go somewhere that had good salads. Yes, you read that correctly, salads! In the last few years fast food places such as McDonalds have really improved their menus and now offer several health conscious choices. Before you order the typical value meal, look for other options such as a tasty summer salad, yogurt parfait, or even a smoothie over the icecream treat. Another tip is to share a meal if you really want those fries. This will allow you to get your fix, while still being mindful. Key words to look for are grilled, baked, broiled (stay away from breaded items) and watch out for the extra sauces added to burgers, sandwiches, etc. You can also look up their nutrition information online to help you make a good choice!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jul 21, 2011 | Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Good job South Dakotans!! The CDC has released the latest obesity statistics from 2010 and we have improved! Our incidence of obesity went from 38% in 2009 to 36.9% in 2010. I congratulate you all on a job well done on making efforts to improve your health and wellness. Whether it’s by eating healthier, exercising more, or watching your portions, every little bit counts to help improve your health and wellbeing.
You can view the rest of the results at: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/brfss/display.asp?cat=OB&yr=2010&qkey=4409&state=SD
or read more about the report at: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2011/07/CDC-finds-sharp-rise-in-obesity-state-by-state/49515506/1?csp=ylf
I have included a picture of a South Dakota sunset from last week on my bike ride. This really makes me appreciate living in a beautiful state (despite our winters)!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jul 20, 2011 | Weight Management, Wellness/Health
A new Havard study that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine recently, supports the notion of how lifestyle interventions such as small changes in eating, exercise, and other healthy habits can result in large changes in body weight over time. This study tracked 120,877 well-educated men and women who were at healthy weights at the beginning of study for 12-20 years.
Their findings showed that processed foods such as french fries, pop, processed meats, and white refined grains resulted in long term weight gain. Whereas good, healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy products resulted in weight loss or weight maintenance. Other factors they examined were sleep, alcohol intake, television time, and smoking.
This large, long term study showed us that small changes in diet and exercise can truly result in improved health. For those people that count calories, you can be at rest that making healthy choices, practicing portion control, and engaging in regular activity can truly enhance your health and well-being and you do not necessarily have to count calories for life!
You can view the study at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1014296
or read an article in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/19brody.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=health
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jul 7, 2011 | Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management
Have you ever wondered how you can enjoy a sweet treat without all of the added calories?! Here are a few ideas for you:
- Mix flavored yogurt or plain yogurt honey and your favorite fruit.
- Drizzle a bit of honey over mixed melon balls.
- Blend bananas and strawberries, freeze into cubes, and eat like ice cream.
- Sauté or bake 1/2 banana and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped nuts.
- Take three of your favorite kinds of berries; cook half of them with just enough water to prevent burning. Cool and stir in remaining berries. Portion 1/2 cup of the berry compote with 1 tablespoon of your favorite vanilla ice cream.
- Try making your favorite flavor of sugar free pudding with low-fat milk.
- If it’s ice cream that you really want- skip the scoop-yourself containers and buy single-serving novelty treats such as fudgesicles, creamsicles, even chocolate-covered ice cream bars. You’re more likely to limit your portions if they already come in a single serving
Enjoy!
-Kelsey
