by kelsey | Apr 18, 2012 | Diet, Food, Wellness/Health
Iron is an essential mineral that aids in a variety of functions in the body. It’s main role is to carry oxygen and carbon dioxide within the red blood cell from one body tissue to another. It’s also needed for energy production and to help our immune system. There are many foods that contain iron, however some are more easily absorbed than others. Typically heme (animal) sources of iron such as beef, chicken, pork, etc are more readily absorbed than the non-home (plant) sources such as green leafy vegetables and beans.
To help increase your absorption of iron, we recommend including vitamin C foods along with your iron sources, as the vitamin C helps increase absorption, especially of those non heme iron sources. An example of this is pairing up a citris fruit along with your whole grain cereal. You will absorb more iron in your cereal when paired with the fruit compared to just eating the cereal alone. Another concept to be mindful of, is to be aware of the iron blockers, ie- foods that inhibit absorption or iron. Foods that inhibit absoprtion include coffee and tea (regular and decaf), whole grains, bran, legumes, spinach, and high fiber foods. To increase your absorption of iron, these foods are best eaten with heme iron sources and/or vitamin C sources. Examples of this would be pairing a chicken breast with brown rice or strawberries with oatmeal.
How much iron do I need in a day?
Males >18 yrs: 8 mg/day
Females 19-50 yrs: 18 mg/day
Females >51 yrs: 8 mg/day
Pregnancy: 27 mg/day
Lactating: 8-9 mg/day
-Kelsey
by Dan | Apr 13, 2012 | Exercise, Wellness/Health
Some 16+ years ago I wrote a grant for the American College of Sports Medicine in regards of development of a fitness program entitled Strive to Survive. The Strive represents “Securing Time for Regular Involvement in a Variety of Exercise”. Since that time, it has become our Brown Clinic Wellness Program, with modifications and improvements along the way. It is a 12 week program incorporating exercise and nutrition, with the goal of continuing these types of habits for a lifetime. Our dietician Kelsey has been instrumental in helping us get to the point that we are at. We also continue to work and improve on this through the shared help of Dr. Likness, and two of our great assistants, Barb and Kristi.
You truly start to find out just how good your program actually is by the response of participants in the class, and community talk. You also find out about others who have developed programs with strikingly similar characteristics, such as the following:
One local program also goes 12 weeks, has the same lab, promotes the dietician aspect, and even has their classes taught on the same nights.
Another local community calls their program “Strive”, but advertises to high school athletes, and the benefit of the dietician.
Even as of today, another local individual who promotes/sells supplements posts on her facebook page about the concept of “Strive 2 Thrive”.
Coincidence? I doubt it. At this point I just find myself grinning from ear to ear because nothing tells me more about how good of a program we have than having other groups/individuals copy your idea. Bottom line, we are the original. We are the ones staying around, promoting our ideas, teaching individuals how to become healthier, and, most important, we practice what we teach. As the picture above shows, you need to make yourself standout and shine through amongst the branches. Be creative and go with your ideas. Good job to all of Brown Clinics Strive 2 Survive team! Keep up the good work. Remember everybody, keep moving!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1660
by kelsey | Apr 12, 2012 | Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
With spring underway, our house is bustling as this is one of the busiest times of the year for us on the ranch. Spring time is most noted in our house by calving and planting. This lifestyle often results in late night suppers, night checks to ensure the cows are not having any issues, and long hours of work as the farmers and ranchers are working hard to the crops in and ensure their cows and calves are doing well. It’s a type of work that many have been brought up in through generations. As a dietitian and wife of a rancher/farmer, I marvel at the work they do and it reminds me of the importance of promoting our local produce!
Beef is an excellent source of 10 essential nutrients, especially protein, selenium, iron, zinc, and choline. There are 29 lean sources of beef that meet the government guidelines for lean. Red meat often gets a bad rap in the media, however the bottom line is that lean beef does truly offer several health benefits to us including heart health, muscle development, and weight management due to its excellent nutrient content.
Now yes, I may be a little biased since this is a way of life for my family, however nutrionally speaking it truly is a great source of nutrients. I am not telling you go out and get a fatty 20 oz steak, but I am telling you it’s ok to incorporate portion controlled lean sources of beef into your daily intake.
Today I signed up to become a part of Team BEEF. Team BEEF is part of the South Dakota Beef Council and is a community of runners and health enthusiasts who recognize the nutritional benefits of lean beef and the important role high quality protein can play in training. I am excited to represent South Dakota Team BEEF at the Buffalo NY marathon/half marthon my brother and I will be running in May. Next week I plan to discuss a few concepts of beef and its nutrition.
-Kelsey
*The picture just a glimpse of what our ranch looks like right now or as Adam calls it, “the nursery.” 🙂
by Dan | Apr 8, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
A participant in a previous Strive 2 Survive class taught me, as a motivating tool, he carried around with him a rock with the words painted “WIN” on it. Whenever he had trouble deciding on when he needed to work on things, he would rub on this, and WIN represents: When is Now. It kept reminding him that it was up to him to really accomplish what it is he wanted, and he needed to do it now, before it was too late. Of course, never forget that we all can rely on others to help keep us going: friends, neighbors, relatives, training partners in general, that all can help us WIN.
Remember those that are close to us, important to us, to help us achieve our goals, and be healthier to be around longer.
Don”t lose sight of the big picture, of what it is we really want to achieve. Getting there is the challenge and difficult part. But remember, success should be a journey, not a final destination. Have fun along the way. You will be amazed as what you can all learn as you go. This knowledge you need to continue to fall back on, utilize, adapt, and continue to learn from it. We never quit learning. When is Now–WIN-to help you keep going forward. Good luck. Keep moving!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1655
by Dan | Apr 7, 2012 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
The winds were definitely picking up today. The wind is not so bad when it is warm out, but when it is cold, it is another thing. When I started off running this AM with Sarah and some other friends from the running club, it was 51 degrees. We went on a long run, and by the time we were done, it was 41 degrees. I am not sure what the wind chill was, but had to be in the low 30’s. The forecast is calling for some more cold days, with lows down in the 20’s. Still overall not bad, but it is when we start getting used to the warm weather we have been having.
The Lake had lots of white caps on it, and made it very tough to run in. So the group we had running worked as a team, and took turns blocking the wind. We would then just keep trading off. We all got our workout in, and we worked together. It is always more enjoyable exercising with someone else. The conversations, the comraderie. It is no different then how we work through things every day. It is always easier when you have help, and at the same time, you contribute to it. We all have different Winds of Change in our lives every day, regardless of the weather. Keep your chin up, and move forward. As far as the weather, here is hoping that the cold days, and the wind, will be short lived. Have a great Easter coming! Keep moving!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1654
by Dan | Apr 1, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
The Watertown Arrows had their first outdoor track meet of the 2012 season yesterday in Aberdeen. It was a perfect day for a track meet. There were lots of kids achieving qualifying times for the state meet. My Molly and Nick were both there competing, and both had a good day. As a parent, nothing gives me more pleasure than to sit back and watch my kids compete in similar events that I did growing up. Hopefully, all of the exercise I do wears off on them, and they not only learn how to compete, and have good sportsmanship, but also learn lifelong habits of staying in shape and exercising for years to come. I tell them that when it comes to participating in track, you get out of it what you put into it. If you work hard, you will go far… Hmm, sounds an awful like life in general, doesn’t it? It is just like I tell them…there will be good days, and there will be bad days. You just have to learn to appreciate the good days, and learn from the bad days. Here are pictures of both Molly and Nick.
Have a good week. Keep moving!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1648
