by kelsey | Oct 30, 2013 | Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
It’s the middle of the afternoon and you are struggling to keep your eyes open and focus. You keep yawning and you’re thinking isn’t it 5’oclock yet?! Has this ever happened to you? I’m sure it has! Many of us can have lows in our energy levels and we often turn to caffeine to rev us back up…which isn’t always the best or smartest choice. Here are some tips to help you keep your energy levels stable and get you through the day!
- Eat consistently throughout the day. I am sure you have heard me say it before, but this really does apply to energy levels. Eating small amounts every 3-4 hours can aid in a healthy metabolism, blood sugar control, and ward off extreme hunger. It will also help you be more focused and attentive!
- Avoid heavy eating (ie-gravys, fried foods, rich foods, etc). Eating more moderately or lightly will help curb your cravings and reduce overeating which often results in feeling sluggish and sleepy (like on Thanksgiving!).
- Focus on balance. It’s really important to eat well balanced meals that include lean proteins, fruits and veggies, whole grains, and low fat dairy. Each food source offers the body various nutrients and a balance of these is best for fueling the body.
- Make healthy snacks. Snacks should be about 100-200 calories and have a balance of protein and fiber rich carbs. This balance stays with you and lasts longer, further helping sustain energy and blood sugar control. A piece of fruit with a handful of almonds, low fat string cheese and a few whole grain crackers, or yogurt and berries are some good choices.
- Watch the caffeine and sugar. Avoid soda, sugary coffee, and energy drinks as these foods will give you an energy boost, but it’s only short term, which result in a big energy crash an hour or two later. Instead choose water or unsweetened tea.
- Get good sleep. It’s really important to get a good nights rest, which includes at least 7-8 hours of sleep. This will help you wake up rested and ready to make the most of your day!
-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
by kelsey | Oct 29, 2013 | Exercise, Family, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
As you’ve been learning, we are starting a new kids wellness program called Strive Kids and one component of the program is helping families learn how to be more active while making it fun. Children need at least 60 minutes of activity a day. Meeting this activity recommendation will not only promote a healthy weight, but also ward off diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. This 60 minutes does not have to be all at once though…it can be spread throughout their day. You may consider the following tips to help you and your child be more active:
- Join a sports team or try a new physical activity.
- Take a walk or turn up the tunes and do some dancing indoors after your supper meal.
- Instead of catching a movie or watching TV, pick an activity that requires movement such as laser tag, bowling or miniature golf.
- Give children toys that encourage physical activity like balls, kites, hula hoops, Frisbee and jump ropes.
- Limit TV time and keep the TV out of your child’s bedroom.
- Plant a garden. Kids love to water plants, and they’ll get excited weeks later when they see their flowers bloom or vegetables grow.
- Practice what you preach! Kids will be more apt to engage in activity and stay interested when their parent or family is doing it!
Creating a positive environment with encouragement and reinforcement will help your child live a long and healthy lifestyle. These tips are just a glimpse of what we’ll cover in Strive Kids. If you’d like to learn more about our program, be sure to contact us!
-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
by kelsey | Oct 24, 2013 | Family, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
As you learned in a post earlier this month (https://s2sbrownclinic.com/2013/10/strive-kids/) , we are starting a new kids wellness program called Strive Kids! We are really excited to start this project and help the children and families in our community learn how to achieve a healthy lifestyle. We fully understand that weight is always a sensitive subject and never easy to discuss, thus I thought I’d help you out with that. Here are some suggestions on ways to approach the topic thanks to the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics:
“Don’t Talk, Do Something: In general, if your child is elementary age or younger and you’re concerned about his or her weight, don’t talk about it; just start making lifestyle changes as a family. The best thing you can do is make it easy for kids to eat smart and move often. Serve regular, balanced family meals and snacks. Turn off televisions, video games and computers. Look for ways to spend fun, active time together.
Don’t Play the Blame Game: Never yell, scream, bribe, threaten or punish children about weight, food or physical activity. If you turn these issues into parent-child battlegrounds, the results can be disastrous. Shame, blame and anger are setups for failure. The worse children feel about their weight, the more likely they are to overeat or develop an eating disorder.
A United Front: As with any other important issue, make sure both parents and other important relatives are on the same page. Mixed messages about weight can have unhealthy consequences.
Talk with Your Health-Care Provider: If a health professional mentions a concern about your child’s weight, speak with him or her privately. Discuss specific concerns about your child’s growth pattern. Ask for ideas on making positive changes in your family eating habits and activity levels.
Seek Advice: For kids and teens, check out local programs and professionals who specialize in youth. Look for a registered dietitian with a specialty in pediatric weight management. Many hospitals and clinics have comprehensive programs with education and activities for both kids and adult family members. Some of these options may be covered by your health insurance plan.
Focus On the Big Picture: The key is health, not weight. If your family starts eating better and moving more, your children may “grow into” their weight as their height increases. Compliment your children on lifestyle behaviors (“Great snack choice,” or “You really run fast”) rather than on the loss of a pound or two.” http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6848
StriveKids is open to all ages of kids, thus if you’re interested and would like to learn more about our program, please contact me!
-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN
by kelsey | Oct 22, 2013 | Holidays, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Halloween is almost a week away and I’m sure many of you are getting your candy buckets and baskets ready for the kids to enjoy as well as making those last minute costume preparations! Halloween is a good time to re-instill the importance of moderation to your children. You may explain to your child that you’re going to spread the candy out through a time period and be sure to discuss beforehand when and how much candy your child will enjoy in a day. After trick-or-treating, you may help your child make a pile of the favorites and then enjoy in moderation. You may also consider donating the extras.
Below are some healthier alternatives to the high sugar and high fat candy. You may consider giving out these instead!
- Whole-grain cheddar flavored crackers
- Fruit snacks made with 100-percent fruit with added vitamin C
- Sugar-free gum
- Animal-shaped graham crackers made without trans fat
- Mini rice cereal treat bars
- Cereal bars made with real fruit
- Mini 100-percent fruit juice boxes
- Low-fat pudding cups
- Baked, unsalted bags of pretzels
- Halloween-themed stickers, pencils and temporary tattoos.
-Kelsey
by Dan | Oct 17, 2013 | Exercise, Family, Goals, Heart Health, Motivation, Wellness/Health
When I am talking to patients, it is much easier to tell them that they need to work on doing more exercise and staying active if I am doing it as well. When in medical school, I had an attending physician that would tell his patients they had to lose weight, and quit smoking. He weighed around 300 pounds, and had his cigarette pack hanging out of his pocket. I am not sure too many people really listened to him with this advice, if he was not going to even follow it himself. I will admit, it is not always easy. But, it is much easier to try and convince someone else to do it, if you believe in it enough yourself to follow your own advice. This not only applies to my practice, but to my own household and family.
Here Nick is last week at his Cross Country meet. You parents out there, if you believe in a healthy lifestyle, and staying active, you too have to commit to it also. There is no better way to get your family and kids to do the same, then if you do it yourself! As for the kids, there is no better way than to teach a healthy lifestyle then seeing it first hand. The famous movie line: “Build it, and they will follow.” Lead by example! There is no method that is more effective than this. This is also what we at Brown Clinic are trying to push and create with our new program, Strive for Kids. A 12 month program of education for kids, parents, and families on healthy lifestyle, and correct eating habits. See our web page for more details as well. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2213
by kelsey | Oct 17, 2013 | Cooking Tips, Diabetes, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
You have probably heard that breakfast is the best meal of the day. A healthy breakfast provides energy to your body and especially your brain to start the day off right. It also gives your metabolism a boost and aids in blood sugar control. Despite these recommendations and great benefits, many people skip breakfast because they don’t have time or should I say, they didn’t make time! I know it’s hard to sit down and eat breakfast when you’re on the run and need to get work, drop the kids off at school, etc., so here are some ideas to give you that great nourishment in the morning while your’e on the go.
- English Muffin Sandwich: Toast an english muffin and add low fat cheese and a few slices of lean turkey, ham, or canadian bacon and melt it in the microwave quick. Add a piece of fruit to it to create a balanced meal.
- Yogurt Parfait: add some low-fat granola and mixed berries to low fat yogurt to make a parfait.
- Peanut Butter Sandwich: pair a banana with it too (this is one of my favorites!…see the picture)
- Low Fat Cream Cheese on Whole Grain Bread
- Meal Replacement Shake: such as Special K Protein, Ensure, Boost, Slim Fast
- Protein Bar
It may take a little planning to have these options available, but planning is truly key to a successful and healthy diet. Give it a try!
-Kelsey
