by kelsey | Aug 24, 2016 | Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Vegetables. Eat your vegetables. We hear this all the time when talking about receiving proper nutrition because of the amount of nutrients vegetables provide with such little caloric value. Nutrient dense veggies should be a staple in our diet because of the benefits they provide. Eating significant amounts of vegetables can aid in weight loss, which most of us would love to do. Each vegetable has a different amount and type of nutrients that they carry. Some have more vitamin A than others, while others may be much higher in fiber. Today we’re going to look at the health benefits of a vegetable that isn’t as popular as it should be; kale.
Kale is a dark, leafy green vegetable that has tons of nutrients. Kale is high it Vitamins A, C, and K and Folate (a form of Vitamin B). Just like most vegetables, kale provides almost no caloric value with only 33 calories per cup. A cup of kale also provides 3 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of fiber. Existing research has shown that kale may provide health benefits that relate to a decrease in risk of cancer. There is also a linkage between kale consumption and decreased cholesterol levels, which supports heart health.
Adding kale to your diet has multiple benefits. Find a way to incorporate this vegetable into your regime, whether it be eating it raw, putting it on a burger, or making a salad out of it. Next time you’re in the grocery store, don’t be afraid to try some kale, you won’t regret it.
-Written by Braden Carmody, SDSU Dietetics Student
by Dan | Aug 21, 2016 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
We have all come a long ways in our quest for what we want to achieve in our life. We all need to have goals. If we didn’t have goals, what would there be to look forward too! We all need to challenge ourselves, and our goals for each of us as individuals are as individual as we are. Here is my nurse Chris…who is now an avid runner. She accomplished one of her goals this Spring by participating and finishing her first Half Marathon. But what is her real goal? She just participated in the color run here a week ago. This next picture says it all!
Here she is behind her grandkids in this run. The look on their face is priceless also. Bottom line, Chris gets to participate in things with her grandkids. She is an awesome grandma! That is what life is about…spending time with the people in our lives who are important.
You need to make a plan when it comes to your goals. Write them down…then they become more real. Just remember, it is not written in stone though. Your goals should be something to aim for!
Just remember to make your goals reasonable, or they won’t be achievable, and you will just get frustrated, and quit. Remember, it is something to AIM for! We all need challenges in our lives, but good challenges, not something that is only to make or create more stress in our life.
We all need goals to reach for. Goals is what makes life interesting! Be creative, imaginative, but also real! Your goals should be challenging, but the quest for them should also be fun and enjoyable. After all, the goal you come up with is for you!
Susan, my former nurse, is also a running maniac. Her goal…to be better today than she was yesterday. To be able to continue to improve. She is in no contest with anybody else…only to improve herself. You are doing is Susan!
To me, this picture of Susan sums it up great! Joy, relief, pride! This is an awesome picture of her that was taken at the color run. Good job Chris and Susan! “Go”al for it! Keep moving everybody! Keep working on your goals!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive exercise day#: 3250
by kelsey | Aug 17, 2016 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
For most students, graduating high school means starting a new chapter in life: college. The first month of college is typically the most stressful time EVER. Worrying about finding your classes, making new friends, and getting good grades takes a toll on almost every student. This can affect those younger students not going to college, but just back to school as well! Being stressed can have a detrimental effect on our overall health, it can even cause us to gain weight. Eating is considered to be a way to handle stress. When we are stressed we tend to eat more and snack more. Most of the time we do this we are eating our favorite tasting foods: candy, cookies, chips, and other processed foods.
If you or your children are going back to school this fall, take these tips into mind to avoid the “Freshman 15” or any weight gain for that matter:
- Choose healthy snacks for study time. Study breaks are needed, especially before exams, and having healthy snacks is an easy way to keep off weight. Eating unhealthy snacks is a major contributing factor for weight gain.
- Don’t skip breakfast! Often times students wake up as late as they can, so they don’t have time to eat breakfast. Wake up a little earlier and make time to eat in the morning. Eating breakfast has shown to keep you full longer throughout the day and can help students be more successful and attentive in the classroom.
- Be health conscious in the dining hall. Go for the healthiest options you can when choosing from your meal plan. Meals that are baked, steamed, or grilled rather than fried or buttered are much better options.
- Avoid liquid calories such as those found in pop, juice, Gatorade, or alcohol (for college students). These empty calories can add up without knowing it! Stick to water or sugar free beverages.
- Hit the gym or incorporate activities into your daily routine. Aim to get at least 30-60 minutes of activity a day.
- Get enough sleep. Sleep is vital for your body to function properly and when we don’t receive the proper amount, weight gain is very common. Sleep helps boost mood and energy levels. Aim to get at least 7-8 hours a night!
-Written by Braden Carmody, SDSU Dietetics Student
by kelsey | Aug 16, 2016 | Weight Management, Wellness/Health
I think I speak for most people when I say, receiving the right amount of every single nutrient each day can be very difficult. Some struggle eating vegetables, while others may struggle incorporating enough protein into their diet. Each food group provides nutrients essential for our body to function at it’s maximum potential. Not receiving proper amounts of these nutrients is harmful to our health and that’s where supplements come into play.
Supplements are products made to basically fill the deficits in our diets. They come in many forms; powders, pills, tablets, and bars. Supplements are made to contain the daily amount (sometimes more) of the nutrient being advertised. Sounds great, right? Not so fast.
Dietary supplements were once regulated strictly by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), today they are not. Unlike drugs, supplements are not required to undergo tests that prove them safe and effective. Supplements are basically treated as a type of food, and are considered to be safe unless proven otherwise. Manufacturers are not required to prove that their advertisements are accurate or truthful to the FDA’s standards either. The FDA basically has no say in production of the supplement until after it hits the market, but even then, the FDA doesn’t give a strict revision. Supplement firms must report any drastic effects provided by a supplement, then the FDA may choose to act upon removal of the supplement.
In recent years, there have been times where ingredients are slipped into products that are mislabeled. Most often times these ingredients have no harmful effects, but there have been cases where heart attack and strokes have occurred due to food-drug interactions, that users were unaware of.
There are certain groups of people who do need to take supplements, though. Pregnant women need to focus on a folate supplement, while vegetarians may need to take a Vitamin D and B12 supplements. Athletes have also seen some benefits from using supplements such as protein, that can aid in muscle development and recovery. Meal replacement shakes, such as Boost and Ensure, provide a variety of nutrients with convenience. These are very beneficial when patients are diagnosed with an illness or health defect that doesn’t allow them to eat real food adequately. These meal replacement shake are found commonly throughout nursing homes and clinics because of the wide array of patients in need of these products.
Supplements are usually self-prescribed, meaning we pick and choose when we need them and take them, which causes a delay in reporting side effects and different reactions. You should consult with a health professional before taking a dietary supplement.
Here’s a list of the 5 most common supplements:
- Probiotics 2. Protein 3. Omega 3’s (fish oil) 4. Whole-Food concentrate 5. Multivitamin
It is important to educate yourself before taking a supplement because you need to know what you’re really buying. Supplements can be beneficial, but they can also be a waste of money. Don’t waste your time unless you truly need them. Nothing beats a diet rich in nutrient-dense whole foods.
-Written by Braden Carmody, SDSU Dietetic Student
by Dan | Aug 14, 2016 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Our new clinic ad campaign: Jump Start your Wellness by encouraging you to go out and get active! We provided many jump ropes to patients, and other individuals to start getting active, and jump rope! We all did it as a kid, so we want you to continue to do it now. It is like riding a bike…you never forget how! Now for some of you, just like me encouraging to get out and be active for years, it may take a little more encouragement!
You might think this may be boring, or you are not too excited to give it a try, but like most things, you don’t realize how much fun it can be. When we were shooting our commercial, and having all of our employees out jump roping, everybody was laughing, and having a great time! Who says exercise can’t be fun. This is how it should be!
Just get out and move! Jump Start your Wellness!
Don’t worry if you think you won’t look graceful starting! Like everything, it takes a little practice.
Sorry Joan!
Just like I have been saying for years, it is always easier to exercise, and have more fun, when you are doing the exercise in a group!
So, what are you waiting for? Grab your jump rope, and make time to jump start your wellness!
Keep moving everybody! Exercise for the Health of It!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3243
by kelsey | Aug 9, 2016 | Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
I think I speak for almost everyone when I say it’d be nice to lose a couple extra pounds or tone up a little. There are many approaches one can take to help lose weight; cutting calories, increasing protein intake, exercising more frequently, etc.
When it comes to dieting, the public generally thinks to avoid having large amounts of fat in their diet. This is mainly due to the misconception that eating fat means producing fat on our bodies, which is not the case. Eating fat can actually be very beneficial for our health and can assist in weight loss, as long as you know what kind of fat you’re eating.
There are four different types of fat that are found in the food we consume; unsaturated fats (poly and monounsaturated), saturated fat, and trans fat. A dietary increase in unsaturated fats has been proven to be very beneficial to our health and can ultimately aid in weight loss. Monounsaturated fats take credit for raising our good HDL cholesterol and lowering our bad LDL cholesterol. These fats help reduce hunger and keep you satiated longer than foods that are considered to be low-fat. Saturated and Trans fats impact cholesterol levels in negative ways. Saturated fats are responsible for increasing LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, while trans fats are responsible for increasing our LDL levels and lowering our HDL levels (good cholesterol.)
Different ways to increase your fat intake in a healthy way:
- Replace vegetable oils with Canola and Olive oil
- Add tree nuts and avocados to salads, or eat plain.
- Increase consumption of fatty fish such as; salmon, mackerel, and sardines
- Supplementing with fish oil
- Adding peanut butter to bread, bagels, etc. (this one is very easy!!)
Foods to avoid that have Trans fats:
- Donuts, pastries, and pies
- Margarine and shortenings
- Other processed foods like cookies, cakes, and chips
The idea that fat is bad for you is often misconstrued. If you need a different approach to losing weight or can’t seem to find something that works for you; add some fat! Just remember, pick the right kind because knowing what you’re eating is very important.
Braden Carmody, SDSU Dietetic Student
