by kelsey | Mar 6, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Heart Health, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Today’s post is written by USD Dietetic Intern Vanessa Fischer.
March is National Nutrition Month, and as part of the 2014 celebration, I’d like encouraging everyone to “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right”. When it comes down to choosing the foods we eat the most, its taste over nutrition most of the time. So why not make taste your top priority when cooking healthy meals at home? Spices can be a great healthy alternative to adding flavor, without all the extra sodium, and a perfect solution to making your meals flavorful and delicious. Here is some spice advice to help you in preparing nutritious meal that taste great!
First, there is not a rule for the amount of spices that can be added to a dish, however herbs and spices should be used to enhance a recipe, not disguise the foods natural flavors. Since we don’t always have time look up recipes, here are some tips to start flavoring foods in your kitchen with some of your favorite spices.
– Start out adding about about ¼ teaspoon for:
- 4 servings
- Per pound of meat
- 2 cups of sauce or soup
– Use less (1/8 teaspoon) for more intense seasoning (red pepper or garlic powder) that increases in flavor when cooked.
– Be sure that your spices are fresh.
- Green leafy herbs should be green in color. Less fresh herbs will be faded.
- Red spices that are browner in color indicate that they should be replaced for freshness and best flavor.
Secondly, when working with spices, timing is everything! Try following these tips to get the best flavor out of the spices you use.
– Add whole spices and those used for soups and sauces at the beginning.
– Crushed or ground (basil, parsley, thyme, etc.) are best-added 10-20 minutes prior to serving because they tend to loose potency in the cooking process.
– For a more distinct flavor, add spices towards the end of cooking. The longer the herbs are cooked the more blended the flavor will be.
Lastly, if you are like me, you’re on the go everyday all day. Who has time to plan out recipes for seasoning? It is a great idea to keep seasoning blends in your cupboard for quick use when you are in a pinch for a speedy meal that is sure to impress. Try some of these easy blends or use them as a basis to create your own!
Chicken Seasoning: Try with your favorite chicken dish or casserole.
- 3 tablespoons dried rosemary
- 3 tablespoons dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons dried sage
- 2 tablespoons dried ginger
- 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
Caribbean Jerk Seasoning: Perfect if paired with beef. Try mixing with a small amount of honey and lightly coating your meat of choice for a little sweet with your spice.
- 1/4 cup Onion Powder
- 1 tablespoons Sea Salt (Optional)
- 2 tablespoons Thyme
- 2 teaspoons ground Allspice
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Powder
Herbs de Provence: This blend is simple and versatile. Goes great with all types of meat, salads, and soups.
- 1/2 cup Thyme Leaf
- 1/4 cup Marjoram Leaf
- 2 tablespoons of cut and sifted Rosemary Leaf
- 2 tablespoons Savory
- 1 teaspoon of Lavender Flowers (lightly ground-optional)
- 2 teaspoons dried orange zest (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground Fennel
Asian Seasoning: Can be used in any Asian style dish or stir-fry!
- 2 tablespoons Anise Powder
- 1 tablespoon Ground Pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground Fennel
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground Cloves
- 1 tablespoon sea salt (optional)
Enjoy the taste of eating right!
by Dan | Feb 19, 2014 | Exercise, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
Phoenix last week provided a great new venue to explore and enjoy the outdoors. Typical temps in the day were into the 70’s. At the bottom of the hotel we stayed at had a hiking trail that Phoenix developed. Here is one view of the cactus along the way. We don’t get to see too much of this in SD! At least our side of the state.
Different views along the way and what the trails were like. Here are a few more:
And this last one is a good view of the mountains around as a whole, and how the trails went on this.
It was a great late afternoon the one day to go walking on this, and the first day I went running in the AM because the conference did not start until late afternoon. My run covered 9 miles, and lots of hills. It was a very quiet, nice view to observe for a run or walk. People were also out on Mountains bikes, but with all the rocks, I still think this would have a been a lot harder. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2336
by kelsey | Feb 18, 2014 | Diet, Etc., Exercise, Family, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Our spring STRIVE 2 Survive, 12-week wellness program starts in two weeks-March 4th!! As it approaches, I thought this is the perfect time to highlight a few of our success stories….and one is Denise Hoff. Denise was in our winter STRIVE 2 Survive program last year and has made some pretty incredible improvements in her health.
Last August, Denise emailed me with her progress…she lost about 17lbs and dropped 12.5″ total (waist, hips, bust, thighs, arms)…4 of the 12.5″ are off her waist! She was never a runner, but thanks to our team’s inspiration, she ran her first 5k with her daughter last weekend (see the picture!). She said they had a great mother/daughter time and as she ran, she was proud to say she was able to keep a stride and actually pass others! Denise started to run one block at a time. Her initial goal was a half of a mile, then one mile, then 1 1/2 miles, etc. She broke it down so it didn’t seem so overwhelming and set a goal of running a 5k with the encouragement and support of us and her family…she accomplished it successfully and is now looking forward to doing more 5ks! In addition to the improvement in her weight and waist circumference, her lab values have also improved as she dropped her total cholesterol about 50points, which is now well into the normal range and has kept her blood sugar and blood pressure in normal ranges also. As you can see from the timeline, these changes didn’t happen overnight, but she slowly worked at it and has achieved great success in the last 6-8 months and looks forward to continuing to work on her health and wellness goals. In Denise’s words “Thanks for being so supportive and encouraging. I hope the next time you see me, you will have to take a double look as I am hoping to look smaller and more fit.”
As we approach the start of our spring session of STRIVE 2 Survive, I hope Denise’s testimony shows you the benefits you can receive from our wellness program and our team’s education, support, and encouragement. Changing your lifestyle is truly challenging and it’s even more challenging with all of the temptations we have in our society to encourage us to over-indulge! Throughout our 12 week wellness program, we tell our participants that we never expect all of our recommendations to happen overnight that instead we encourage you to work on a few things at one time and gradually those baby steps will add up to big steps and big successes. Honestly, I would rather see a slow and steady weight loss that takes longer than the participant would probably like, than a quick weight loss that is eventually gained back.
Spring STRIVE starts March 4th…contact us today to get enrolled!!
-Kelsey
by Dan | Feb 16, 2014 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
I went to a conference last week in Phoenix with people from the hospital, and the hotel we stayed at was built into a mountain. Now normally, I like hills, but these were Mountains. Going up and down these 3-4 times a day back and forth from the conference got a little tiring. This one started up towards my room, then turned into this one:
You keep going up and around to the left, and it goes to this one:
And then at the top of this was one of the restaurants at the hotel:
We went up there a few nights and the view overlooking Phoenix at night was quite impressive. At least at night, we took a ride up and down for this place. Of course, any time you went up, you had to come down:
The road going right by my room had an appropriate name:
Need I say more? It was great going running outside everyday, which I did. Started off in the low 50’s and got up into the 70’s. They have a trail head at the bottom of the resort for hiking trails through the mountains there. I was able to go on this for some late afternoon walks, and I will show a few of these pictures later this week. I wanted to be outside as much as possible since there was no snow here! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2336
by kelsey | Feb 12, 2014 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Heart Health, Wellness/Health
In celebration of National Heart Month I cannot resist reminding you about the significance diet and activity play in promoting a healthy heart. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and affects both men and women. Genetics do play a role, however a heart healthy diet and and regular activity can help minimize the effects and complications of heart disease. Whether you have heart disease in your family or not, it’s still good to follow a heart healthy eating plan. Highlights of the diet include:
- Lots of fruits and veggies! I’m sure you already knew this one, but the benefits of getting your 5 a day servings of fruits and veggies are worth reminding you again. Most of us know this, the hard part is doing it. Try adding them to your meals, have fruit as a snack, get a double serving to help you reach this goal.
- Fiber! Fiber is very beneficial in combating heart disease. Incorporating more whole grains (and fruits, veggies, and beans/lentils) into your diet will increase your fiber and aid in heart health. Oatmeal, brown rice, wild rice, whole grain noodles, whole grain breads, and even popcorn are considered whole grains. Aim to get at least 25-35 g/day.
- Choose lean proteins. Decreasing the amount of saturated fat in your diet will help reduce plaque buildup. Choose white meat poultry without the skin, 90% or greater lean hamburger, fish, beans, etc….stay away from processed meats! Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, and trout offer additional benefits as they are loaded with healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
- Choose healthy fats. Incorporating more plant fats such as canola oil and olive oil into your diet and reducing your intake of saturated and trans fats has been shown to improve heart health. You want to choose foods that are lower than 5-8g of total fat per serving and <3g saturated and trans fat per serving. Choosing low fat dairy products will help reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet as well.
- Hold the salt! Excess sodium can increase blood pressure and cause heart failure. Aim to keep your sodium intake below 2400mg/day. You can do this by doing more home cooking, avoiding boxed or packaged goods, cooking with salt free seasonings, and not using table salt.
- Exercise! At least 30 minutes of exercise a day has been shown to improve heart health. If you can do more, the better!
Making small changes or substitutions will help you have a healthier heart and reduce risk for disease. Reading labels is really essential to help you make good choices, so take some time in the grocery store and really examine the products to ensure you’re making healthy choices!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Feb 11, 2014 | Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Last Friday, Prairie Lakes Hospital hosted a fabulous event for women with the featured speaker being Julie Hadden from Season 4 of the “Biggest Loser.” She gave a great talk highlighting her experience but also discussing her own journey with weight management. Despite being on the hit reality show and losing a lot of weight in a non-traditional way (most of us don’t get the chance to go to a facility where all you do is focus on weight loss 24/7 for months on end!), she was very real about her own journey including the ups and downs and offered some excellent advice to us listening. Much of this great advice is what we recommend in our STRIVE 2 Survive wellness program; and much of this has to relate to the stages and readiness to change and the psychological component that weight management revolves around. I took notes as she talked so I hope this gives some of you who didn’t attend some “food for thought” in regards to advice for weight management.
- Your body is a temple, don’t treat it like a fairground. 🙂 This is a favorite of mine.
- Make small goals and celebrate them along the way. They will result in big success over time.
- Find your motivation and run with it–could be kids, family, job, personal hobbies, etc…find what motivates you and use it to help you be successful!
- Don’t wait for winter to end….or Monday to come. Start NOW!
- Calories are like money. Would you throw $200 in a slot machine at the casino? …Most of us would say no, so think of calories like you do money…don’t throw them away on useless foods! Treat calories with caution and make the most of them, like you would money.
- Move more, eat less = weight loss
- Surround yourself with positive people who make positive influences.
- Change your environment to promote healthy living.
- Believe you’re worth it! You ARE worth the effort!
If you want more help, guidance, education, and support with your wellness and weight efforts consider joining our 12 week wellness program starting March 4th! We will help you live a healthier life!
-Kelsey
