by kelsey | May 15, 2013 | Etc.
We discuss eating strategies for your weight, heart, etc, but we also have to eat right to keep our skin healthy and glowing! The beauty industry has a variety of products to help promote healthy and glowing skin, however diet is also an important factor. Research on the best foods for healthy skin is limited, but what we do know is that antioxidant rich foods are effective in promoting healthy and glowing skin. Antioxidants are substances that protect our cells against free radical damage. Free radicals are molecules made when our body breaks down food or by environmental exposures such as tobacco use or radiation. They damage the cells and may play a role in diseases such as heart disease and cancer. A colorful diet is most effective for skin health and each color offers specific vitamins and minerals such as: beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E. A diet rich in the following foods will help you get beautiful and healthy skin you’re wanting!
- Red, Orange, & Yellow Produce: carrots, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, apricots, etc
- Green Leafy Vegetables: spinach, romaine lettuce, broccoli, etc
- Blue & Purple Produce: blueberries, raspberries, eggplant, etc
- Lean Proteins: beans, lentils, nuts
- Fatty Fish: salmon, mackerel, sea bass
It’s also important to be mindful of foods that can cause greasy and oily skin such as high sugar and high fat foods: pastries, cookies, fried foods, etc. These foods should be avoided or limited and instead focus on a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low fat dairy, and whole grains. In addition to diet, eliminating tobacco abuse and using sunscreen are effective in promoting healthy skin. These recommendations are not only going to benefit your skin, but also your overall health. Color and variety in your diet will help you look stunning always!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | May 14, 2013 | Food
Before I started dating (and then married) a farmer/rancher, I didn’t put too much thought into where my food came from. I went to the store, selected what I wanted, and ate it…that was it. My dad’s parents did some farming and I have friends who were farmers but I never really knew how much went into putting that food on my table until about 5 years ago.
It seems like my household has been running at 100mph for the last few months and when I think about why, it’s all for YOU! Our ranchers work very hard to ensure their calving process goes well and with those spring storms we had, it sure made for a tough calving season. Calving typically involves checking on the cows every few hours to ensure things are going well. If they aren’t, then they have to take proper action that the calf and cow are safe and thriving. And since the snow just melted 2 weeks, ago, the farmers have finally been able to get into the fields to plant the crops. The calving produces cows that the consumers purchase as selections of beef, an excellent source of protein…and the farming produces crops such as wheat, soybeans, and corn of which are all used in a variety of food products and essential to our nutrition and health.
The picture above is from my view riding with Adam in the tractor while he was planting corn….if I want to see him right now, this is about the only way as he and all of the other farmers are working day and night to get the crop in…in efforts to put food on your table. So next time you go to the grocery store or you see a tractor in the field, think about this process: the seed is purchased by the farmer, planted by the farmer, we pray for good weather to help it grow, the farmer harvests the crop, sells the crop to the elevator, which then is sold and transported to food producing companies, products are created, you purchase the product at your store, you eat it. All of that effort starts with your farmer….pretty amazing huh! As I said earlier, I have learned more about farming and ranching than I never imagined, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Since I have a nutrition/food science knowledge, learning more about the agricultural part of food production has been fascinating and it makes me appreciate the food I eat a lot more when I think about where it came from and how much effort and time was put into the production of it….I hope you do too!
-Kelsey
by Dan | May 12, 2013 | Exercise, Holidays, Motivation, Weather, Wellness/Health
Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there. It turned out to be a great day. Nice and sunny, and no wind. I took Sarah out for a walk this afternoon along the lake. Very nice scenery!
You can see the lake is very calm. The temperatures will be picking up as the week goes on. We are now in taper mode as this coming saturday we will be competing in Fargo, with Sarah doing the 1/2 marathon, and I will be doing the marathon.
Now we just need all the leaves to get back on the trees. Regardless, it was a very nice day. Hope all of you took advantage of it and got out and spent time outside. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2055
by kelsey | May 9, 2013 | Weight Management, Wellness/Health
The past several months, you’ve been working hard to lose weight and live a healthier life. To your delight, the number on the scale has dropped after making these lifestyle modifications. However, soon you find that your weight loss is at a standstill. You can’t think of anything you’ve been doing differently since losing weight. Your exercise and food intake seems to be the same as during the weeks you were losing weight. Are you starting to feel as if you want to throw in the towel and give up on all of your goals?
You are not alone. Weight-loss plateaus are very common as you begin dropping weight. Your body tends to reach a point where it becomes content with remaining at the same level. However, there is certainly hope in overcoming these plateaus.
One of the first things you can do to get moving on your weight loss journey is to reevaluate your calorie intake. Now that you have lost weight, your body doesn’t need as much energy as it did at your prior weight.
So how can you determine how much your body needs?
A helpful tool you can use is the USDA’s SuperTracker. Visit the website www.supertracker.usda.gov. You will need to create a profile where you will enter the information below.
Your height, weight, and activity level will help determine the amount of calories you need on a daily basis. Remember that calories in=calories out! In other words, in order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you are consuming. Therefore, you need to either increase your activity or decrease the calories you eat. Another good tracker is www.myfitnesspal.com.
Another suggestion is to change up your exercise. Do you normally walk 3 miles four days each week? Try bumping the miles up to 3 ½ miles and exercising 5 days each week. Continue to work your way up. After a certain period of time, your body starts to adapt to the amount and kind of exercise you are engaging in. Just like your diet, perhaps it is time to reexamine your exercise routine as well. Never get bored with your routine! There are plenty of ways to change your exercise routine and keep things interesting. Focus on staying active throughout your days as well. If you tend to exercise and then are idle the rest of the day, consider becoming more active in other ways. If you are watching your favorite television show, get up and do something during the commercial breaks. Little modifications like this may help impact your weight loss. If you always do cardio, you may also consider adding some weight resistance to your workouts by using a balance ball, resistance bands, or light weights…you may also consider trying pilates or yoga as strengthening exercises. The resistance training will help build more lean muscle mass which will help increase your metabolism and aid in weight loss.
Finally, be patient with your body. More than likely, your body gained weight slowly over time. Likewise, it is going to take time to lose weight as well. Overall, you will be more successful with keeping your weight off if you lose it gradually over time. If you are experiencing a weight-loss plateau, do not be discouraged. Keep a positive attitude and remember that you were able to lose weight before and by making some modifications again, you can continue moving towards your goals.
-Amanda Lambrechts, SDSU Senior Dietetic Student
by kelsey | May 8, 2013 | Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, then you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.”? While the saying holds true in most all aspects of our lives, it certainly is applicable in regards to our health and wellness.
Consider this: For the past several months, you have been working in a full-time position. Throughout the day, you have little time to run home for lunch. Instead, you head over to the convenient drive-thru at your favorite fast-food restaurant. In the afternoons, you find yourself so tied up in work that you are unable to eat or drink anything until supper, later that evening. Once you are home, you are so exhausted from your day that you resort to ordering a pizza for the family and lounge on the sofa in front of the television for the rest of the evening. Before you realize it, your jeans are tighter than usual and the pounds are creeping up on you.
Sound a little too familiar?
Perhaps this was the case for you over the course of this past winter. The South Dakota winter was in full-force and the last thing you wanted to do after a long day was prepare a healthy meal and venture off to the gym. Now that the sun has decided to make an appearance and the snow has melted away, why not change up your routine?
The changing of the seasons offers the perfect opportunity to reevaluate your daily routine and make some appropriate modifications. If you don’t have time to make it home on your lunch break, make a point of planning ahead. Pack a healthy lunch the night before and keep it in a lunch bag the next day. While your afternoons may be busy, waiting from lunch until supper to eat is an awfully long time to go without food. In your lunch bag, pack snacks, such as yogurt and apples, to keep you energized until the next meal. Don’t forget to stay hydrated! Keep a water bottle with you that you can refill throughout the day. In addition to packing lunches ahead, plan your menu for the week on Sundays or your day off. You are more likely to stick to eating well-rounded meals if you have a plan. Now that the weather is finally warming up, take a walk or a jog after supper to unwind for the evening. You will be amazed at how these simple lifestyle changes not only help with your waistline, but also help boost your energy and mood as well.
-Amanda Lambrechts, SDSU Senior Dietetic Student
