by kelsey | May 7, 2013 | Cooking Tips, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
This week I have a dietetic student from South Dakota State University with me doing part of her practicum experience. Amanda Lambrechts is a senior dietetic student and originally from Milbank. She has her own personal blog so when I asked her if she wanted to contribute this week’s posts she was happy to do so, as she’s a natural at it! -Kelsey
Amanda’s Sweet Potato Fries
I tried sweet potato fries for the first time my sophomore year of college at a place on campus at SDSU. I liked them, but they didn’t seem much healthier than any other fries. They were still covered with salt and grease. I hadn’t thought much about them again, until earlier this Spring. A dietetics friend of mine was telling me that sweet potatoes are a staple food of hers. Feeling in a food rut after a long semester, I decided to dig my way out by trying some different recipes. I must say, after you make these homemade sweet potato fries, you will never go back to greasy fast food fries again.
1.) You will need: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Mrs. Dash, Garlic Salt, Sweet Potatoes, a baking sheet, aluminum foil, a sharp knife, and a cutting board.
2.) Before preparing the fries, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line the
baking sheet with foil.
3.) After washing and scrubbing the sweet potatoes thoroughly, cut them into wedges.
4.) Sparingly, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle some Mrs. Dash and Garlic Salt over the wedges. Toss the wedges a few times so the seasoning and oil is distributed.
5.) Line the baking sheet with the wedges and place them in the heated oven.
6.) Allow the wedges to bake for 10-15 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and flip each of the wedges to their opposite side. Bake for 10-15 additional minutes.
7.) Allow the fries to cool a few minutes before serving.
8.) Finally, enjoy! I dipped mine in Kraft 3-Cheese Ranch Lite Dressing.
Not only are these fries delicious, but they are also a great source of Beta Carotene. I can see myself making these again in the future.
Get it?
Beta Carotene…See….
Okay, you don’t have to laugh at that joke, but I would recommend you trying this recipe.
-Amanda
by Dan | May 5, 2013 | Exercise, Goals, Wellness/Health
Attention everyone! Here is an application for the Hospital Hill Run/Walk 2013. They are also located at the clinics, the rec center, and Prarie Lakes Hospital website. Come join the fun. Whether you are a serious competitor, or out for fun, it does not matter. It is a good social event as well. Proceeds are going to go for the Caring Club House, and a portion of this will go to Park and Rec for upkeep on the bike trail, which the majority of us use. Hope to see you there!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 2048
by kelsey | May 2, 2013 | Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
You have heard me say it many times, but once again, a diet rich in a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables does aid in good health and this specifically applies to our digestive health as well! The digestive tract is a very important part of our body and as many of you know, when somethings a bit off with it, you suffer! Eating healthy is truly going to make a positive impact on your digestive health and below are a few tips to focus on.
- Get Active! Activity speeds up the digestion process and can stimulate muscles within the GI tract helping your organs work more efficiently and effectively. Engaging in at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week is helpful to your heart, weight, muscles, and your digestive tract. Yes, this is just another reason why we recommend daily activity so get up and get moving!
- Increase your fiber intake: Adequate fiber intake (25-35g/day) keeps everything moving smoothly. It slows down digestion and absorption and aids in better blood sugar control. Fiber keeps the intestinal walls healthy and functioning appropriately and it also acts as a scavenger and breaks up the bad cholesterol in our vessels, thus having a reduction on our risk for heart disease. Fiber is found in fruits and vegetables (the outer layers so be sure to eat the skins!), whole grains, beans, and lentils. If you aren’t getting much through your diet, you could try a fiber supplement such as Benefiber, Metamucil, or even flaxseed.
- Get plenty of water: When you increase your fiber intake, you need to make sure you are getting adequate water intake. Not drinking enough water can slow down your digestive tract and contribute to constipation. Getting at least 8 glasses of water a day is very helpful!
- Limit fats: Fats are harder to break down and digest and can slow down your digestive system. Limiting saturated and trans fats…and your total amount of fat will help improve your digestive tract, keep things moving appropriately, and aid in a healthy heart and waist line. Choose low fat or fat free dairy products, lean meats, and healthy oils such as canola oil or olive oil.
- Practice Mindful Eating: take your time when you’re eating and really focus on your fullness factors. It takes 20 minutes for our stomach to tell our brain we’re full and most of us are done eating by then and are stuffed. Slow the process down and savor each bite. You will be more apt to recognize your fullness and hunger factors while allowing your body to fully breakdown and absorb the nutrients. Mindful eating also promotes a healthy weight which is very important as well!
- Probiotics: probiotics are the good bacteria typically found in yogurt and are used to prevent and improve a variety of conditions that affect the GI tract. Activia yogurt as a greater amount of probiotics than the regular yogurt so you may try having 1-2 tubs/day depending on your condition. You can also find probiotics in the supplement form.
- Limit sodium: limiting sodium will help reduce bloating and swelling. It will also help improve your heart health. Aim for keeping your sodium intake to less than 2400mg/day.
Many of these tips you have heard me discuss before in relationship to other diseases, weight management, or overall health. Healthy eating truly affects all parts of the body, thus it’s very important to limit the junk foods and stick to a well balanced, healthy diet to keep your body and in particular your digestive tract healthy!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | May 1, 2013 | Wellness/Health
I have received some excellent blog requests so far–thank you to all who have emailed or contacted me! The invite is always there so if there is something you want me to discuss or cover, please let me know!
Today’s topic is nutrition for vision. That saying, “you are what you eat” really does apply to all aspects of keeping your body healthy and it certainly does with keeping your eyes healthy and strong. There is strong evidence that antioxidants such as zinc, vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene can reduce risk for developing advanced age related macular degeneration. The carotenoids lutein and zeanthin (also antioxidants) may also protect against macular degeneration and cataracts. Foods rich in antioxidants are the colorful fruits and vegetables, especially those red, yellow, and green fruits and veggies. Omega 3 fatty acids, predominantly found in fatty fish and fish oil can also provide some benefit to our eyes in preventing age related vision issues like cataracts and macular degeneration. We recommend eating at least 2 servings (3 oz) of fatty fish (salmon, herring, trout, tuna, seabass, and mackerel) a week to get adequate amounts of these essential fatty acids.
Many of these can be found in supplement form and there are multivitamin supplements just for eyes, but please keep in mind that the natural source is always best and there is limited data indicating the supplements are just as beneficial as the real food. Soo….this is just another reason to eat your 5 a day fruits and veggies and eat a colorful diet. You will not only aid in a healthy waistline, but you will keep your eyes healthy and strong. 🙂
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Apr 30, 2013 | Etc.
I have a request for our readers…I am in need of blog topics! If there’s anything you have been wondering about, want to learn more about, or want me to discuss, please let me know! You can submit your request by commenting on this post, emailing strive2survive@brownclinic.org, or writing us on Facebook. It can be anything related to food, nutrition, health, or wellness. If you have an activity question I will forward that on to Dr. Dan to discuss. This is a free way to get your questions answered by experts in the field, so please take advantage of it! I look forward to hearing from you!
-Kelsey
