by kelsey | Apr 19, 2012 | Wellness/Health
Do you ever feel like there’s never enough time in the day to get everything done on your list? Many of us often feel very stressed out or crazy busy and in today’s society, this feeling and status is becoming a norm for many. Did you know that stressed is “desserts” spelled backwards? I think that this is very fittings as many of us turn to desserts or sweets when we are feeling stressed. Stress is a part of life, so we need to learn how to manage it better and manage our time to include regular activity and healthy home cooked meals versus going out to eat because you’re always on the run. Stress is a result of a situation that has an effect on us primarily because of how we think about it in our mind. By changing our thinking process, we can reduce the stress in our lives. Often times the healthy habits that promote wellness and a clearer mind such as regular activity are pushed to the back burner because you don’t have time. If you are feeling stressed out or have these times in your life, use these tips to help you reduce that stress in your life:
- Make a committment to reduce the stress in your life.
- Focus on the solution rather than the problem.
- Identify and manage the root of your stress, not just the symptoms.
- Practice time management. Manage your priorties and use your time carefully. A calendar or planner can help you with this.
- Get over guilt! Set reasonable standards of what you can realistically accomplish in a day.
- Set boundaries, it’s ok to say no sometimes.
- Don’t forget your self care comes first. Schedule your activity into your day’s schedule and practice menu planning to help prevent you from running through the drive thru.
- Think positive thoughts!
-Kelsey
For more information: http://www.rd411.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1081:stress-crazy-busy-no-more-&catid=121:personal-growth-&Itemid=414
by kelsey | Apr 18, 2012 | Diet, Food, Wellness/Health
Iron is an essential mineral that aids in a variety of functions in the body. It’s main role is to carry oxygen and carbon dioxide within the red blood cell from one body tissue to another. It’s also needed for energy production and to help our immune system. There are many foods that contain iron, however some are more easily absorbed than others. Typically heme (animal) sources of iron such as beef, chicken, pork, etc are more readily absorbed than the non-home (plant) sources such as green leafy vegetables and beans.
To help increase your absorption of iron, we recommend including vitamin C foods along with your iron sources, as the vitamin C helps increase absorption, especially of those non heme iron sources. An example of this is pairing up a citris fruit along with your whole grain cereal. You will absorb more iron in your cereal when paired with the fruit compared to just eating the cereal alone. Another concept to be mindful of, is to be aware of the iron blockers, ie- foods that inhibit absorption or iron. Foods that inhibit absoprtion include coffee and tea (regular and decaf), whole grains, bran, legumes, spinach, and high fiber foods. To increase your absorption of iron, these foods are best eaten with heme iron sources and/or vitamin C sources. Examples of this would be pairing a chicken breast with brown rice or strawberries with oatmeal.
How much iron do I need in a day?
Males >18 yrs: 8 mg/day
Females 19-50 yrs: 18 mg/day
Females >51 yrs: 8 mg/day
Pregnancy: 27 mg/day
Lactating: 8-9 mg/day
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Apr 17, 2012 | Diet, Food
Did you know that more than one million farmers and ranchers raise cattle in every state in the United States?! Since cattle are raised throughout the nation, the producers use their local resources to produce nutritious, safe, and tasty beef. Because of this, there is a wide variety of choices of beef for consumers. You may have heard the terms grain finished, grass finished, natural and certified organic when considering choices of beef. It is important to understand the meanings of these choices to help make the most desirable selection per your personal preferences. One thing is for sure though, no matter what you desire, there is a great choice for you!
Grain Finished: cattle spend most of their lives grazing on pasture and then spend 4-6 mo in a feedlot; fed scientifically and healthy balanced diet of grains such as corn, wheat, or soybeans; may judiciously be given FDA approved antibiotics or growth promoting hormones; may be given vitamin or mineral supplements; have continuous access to clean water and room to grow and roam
Grass Finished: cattle spend their entire lives grazing on pasture, may judiciously be given FDA approved antibiotics or growth promoting hormones; may be given vitamin or mineral supplements; can be difficult to produce year round in North America due to changing seasons and weather conditions
Naturally Raised: cattle can be grain finished or grass finished–look at the label for details; have never received antibiotics or growth promoting hormones, may be given vitamin and mineral supplements; must be certified by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service
Certified Organic: cattle can be grain or grass finished as long as the feed is 100% organic; have never received antibiotics or growth promoting hormones, may be given vitamin and mineral supplements; must be certified by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service; look for the official label.
For more information check out: www.beefnutrition.org or view the full educational handout regarding this information at: http://www.beefnutrition.org/CMDocs/BeefNutrition/ChoicesofBeef_Final_web.pdf
-Kelsey
by Dan | Apr 13, 2012 | Exercise, Wellness/Health
Some 16+ years ago I wrote a grant for the American College of Sports Medicine in regards of development of a fitness program entitled Strive to Survive. The Strive represents “Securing Time for Regular Involvement in a Variety of Exercise”. Since that time, it has become our Brown Clinic Wellness Program, with modifications and improvements along the way. It is a 12 week program incorporating exercise and nutrition, with the goal of continuing these types of habits for a lifetime. Our dietician Kelsey has been instrumental in helping us get to the point that we are at. We also continue to work and improve on this through the shared help of Dr. Likness, and two of our great assistants, Barb and Kristi.
You truly start to find out just how good your program actually is by the response of participants in the class, and community talk. You also find out about others who have developed programs with strikingly similar characteristics, such as the following:
One local program also goes 12 weeks, has the same lab, promotes the dietician aspect, and even has their classes taught on the same nights.
Another local community calls their program “Strive”, but advertises to high school athletes, and the benefit of the dietician.
Even as of today, another local individual who promotes/sells supplements posts on her facebook page about the concept of “Strive 2 Thrive”.
Coincidence? I doubt it. At this point I just find myself grinning from ear to ear because nothing tells me more about how good of a program we have than having other groups/individuals copy your idea. Bottom line, we are the original. We are the ones staying around, promoting our ideas, teaching individuals how to become healthier, and, most important, we practice what we teach. As the picture above shows, you need to make yourself standout and shine through amongst the branches. Be creative and go with your ideas. Good job to all of Brown Clinics Strive 2 Survive team! Keep up the good work. Remember everybody, keep moving!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1660
by kelsey | Apr 12, 2012 | Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
With spring underway, our house is bustling as this is one of the busiest times of the year for us on the ranch. Spring time is most noted in our house by calving and planting. This lifestyle often results in late night suppers, night checks to ensure the cows are not having any issues, and long hours of work as the farmers and ranchers are working hard to the crops in and ensure their cows and calves are doing well. It’s a type of work that many have been brought up in through generations. As a dietitian and wife of a rancher/farmer, I marvel at the work they do and it reminds me of the importance of promoting our local produce!
Beef is an excellent source of 10 essential nutrients, especially protein, selenium, iron, zinc, and choline. There are 29 lean sources of beef that meet the government guidelines for lean. Red meat often gets a bad rap in the media, however the bottom line is that lean beef does truly offer several health benefits to us including heart health, muscle development, and weight management due to its excellent nutrient content.
Now yes, I may be a little biased since this is a way of life for my family, however nutrionally speaking it truly is a great source of nutrients. I am not telling you go out and get a fatty 20 oz steak, but I am telling you it’s ok to incorporate portion controlled lean sources of beef into your daily intake.
Today I signed up to become a part of Team BEEF. Team BEEF is part of the South Dakota Beef Council and is a community of runners and health enthusiasts who recognize the nutritional benefits of lean beef and the important role high quality protein can play in training. I am excited to represent South Dakota Team BEEF at the Buffalo NY marathon/half marthon my brother and I will be running in May. Next week I plan to discuss a few concepts of beef and its nutrition.
-Kelsey
*The picture just a glimpse of what our ranch looks like right now or as Adam calls it, “the nursery.” 🙂
