Eating Healthy on a Budget

We've all heard it before "eating healthy cost more", etc.  We are not hear to debate whether eating healthy costs more or not, certainly it takes planning, preparation and proper budgeting to make it happen.  Read this article for 10 tips for Nutritious Shopping.  You'd be surprised how easy it is to eat healthy and watch your bottom line.

Christmas Survival Tips!

This time of the year is very challenging for most people.  A study published by the New England Journal of Medicine noted that most Americans appear to gain only one pound during the holidays which is better than most people think actually happens.  However, this one pound is never lost after the holidays are over.  Therefore, over several years weight accumulates! 

In order to maintain during the holidays, you may need a few tips in your back pocket:
1) Decide to attend only the parties or events that you MUST go to (ie. family gatherings, other one time ever events like an awards banquet) and steer clear of the ever-so-famous indulging typical events (ie. cookie exchanges, progressive dinners, or buffets). 
2) Take a fruit or vegetable tray to the functions that you do attend.
3) Avoid hoovering around the food all. day. long. Better yet, don't allow food with in an arms span!
4) No matter what still track calories.
5) Make a list & stick to it while grocery shopping.  The "special" goodies that are out can be too tempting for our own good.
6) Start a new tradition by doing a 5k run/walk or some other form of physical activity around Christmas.  There are tons of runs specifically in the month of December: "Sleigh Bell 5k", "St. Nix Six", "Frostbite 5k", "Jingle Bell Run", "Gingerbread Pursuit", "Santa Hustle" and these are just in the Indiana area.  Google your state and 5k races to see which are available near you.

These tips can be applied to any other "special" time of the year when food is abundant & temptation is high.  Don't fall into gaining one pound and not losing it after the season is done and over!

Don't know how to start? Contact Us we can help.

2011 Indiana Thanksgiving Special

We had a great time this year at our annual all Indiana HNT Holiday Special.  This year we discussed the topic of starting "New Traditions" and how important that idea is for leaving a legacy of good health.  We spent some time estimating the calories in 2 average Thanksgiving meals to provide insight on the amount of calories that are typically consumed during this time of the year.  We came up with 1 meal that was well over 2,000 calories and the other over 3,200 calories!!

After acknowledging the amount of calories in the foods we eat we discussed what New Traditions could be put in place.  Eliminating, Substituting, or Modification are 3 strategies discussed in relation to the foods or traditions that are in place around this Holiday Season.  Using one of the three when needed can save calories here and there an make it easier to maintain or continue to lose during a time when most people are gaining!

Here are a few pictures from the event:

HNT Indiana Staff: Chelsea, Sheila, Christina with Baby Kherington born 10.24.11, & Roxanne

Our patients estimated the calories in these 2 Holiday meals-mashed potatos, turkey, pie, noodles, casseroles, etc! One was roughly 3,200 calories & the other was around 2,300 calories.

Our 3rd annual clothing swap was a hit with tons of nice and gently used items to take home. Free shopping!

Best of all, enjoying the company of our patients. Some who traveled quite a distance to be at the Holiday Special.

Discussing "New Traditions"

       

Substitutes for Saturated Fats

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans tell us to limit saturated fat and replace it with either monounsaturated (MUFA) or polyunsaturated (PUFA) fats.  These guidelines tell us that if we eat less than 10% of calories from saturated fat and choose MUFA's & PUFA's we will have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. 

It's the holiday season where baking and cooking is at full throttle. What ingredients do you use when you bake? Are they good for you? Do you know the details or do you care?  Looking at some of the favorite seasonal cookies: chocolate chip, sugar cookies, roll out butter cookies, etc. or other holiday dishes (casseroles, breakfast dishes, etc) they all contain some form of saturated fat. 

Here are some simple swaps to help you limit your saturated fat intake this holiday season.  If the recipe calls for...then use this instead...

Butter...soft spread (margarine)

Whole milk...skim, 1% or 2%

Whole evaporated milk...evaporated skim or reduced-fat milk

Regular mayonnaise...reduced-fat mayonnaise or low fat yogurt

Chocolate chips...dried cranberries

Whipping cream...imitation cream made wit fat-free milk

Sour cream...1% or fat-free sour cream or pain, low-fat yogurt

Cream cheese...light or fat-free cream cheese

Whole-milk cottage cheese...reduced-calorie, low-fat or fat-free cheese

Eggs...2 egg whites per egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute per egg

Bacon or breakfast sausage...lean Canadian bacon, turkey bacon or lean ham

Meat or poultry...seafood such as salmon, tuna, trout or tilapia

1 pound Ground beef...1/2 pound extra lean (90%) ground beef & 14 ounce can of lentils/beans

Here are more substitutions to guide you in your seasonal baking/cooking!

These simple swaps are sure to help you lower saturated fat intake during the holiday season without compromising taste.

Surviving Thanksgiving!

If you are like most people you have about 5 Thanksgiving events to go to: his moms, your moms, your sisters, your immediate family, your daughters, etc...not to mention work or church related get togethers! How to do you begin to survive all that food with out gaining weight? One word, planning. 

Planning is the first key to surviving any event with a lot of food.  I would suggest knowing what items the host is planning on having.  When you know the food options, it makes it easier to plan what fits in to your calorie budget.  If you determine that all the options are out of your calorie budget, then it's time for you to plan what your day or meal will look like.  Will you have meal replacements ready or make them when you get there?  Do you have the equipment (ie. oven, microwave, blender, etc)? Will you take your own food?  Maybe something lower in calories like a oven baked turkey breast salad.  No matter what your actual day/time/location plans are you have to have a MEAL plan that will work with your goals.

The second key to surviving any event is to stick to your plan that you developed in step 1! Figure out what it will take for you to follow through with your plan and plan that out too. 

Third, look up calories so that you are aware of how many calories stuffing (or dressing), sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, the rolls, the mashed potatoes have.  You would be surprised at the amount of calories you may see. 

Then, ask family and friends for support.  Ask them to bring vegetable dishes that aren't covered in sauces, butter, or glazes! Those things only add calories.  Serve gravy on the side to be able to choose how much you want to use. Make your dish contribution to the event one that supports your goals...think mixed fruit dish for dessert.

Last, listen to yourself.  You know what you need to do...now do it (or don't do it if it involves eating a whole pecan pie)!  

Look here for common calories of Thanksgiving foods.

Here is a list of Hungry Girl approved foods for Thanksgiving. Some great reduced calori ideas!

Enjoy the company of friends and family-those are tips on surviving Thanksgiving.


        

Need Motivation for Exercise?

It's all you think about for days and weeks on end. The possibilities of having Carrie Underwood's legs, or maybe even Carrie Underwood's moms' legs would be fine too.  How do I get them or how do I get in the grove of something to do with physical activity?  Well...first thing is first, dust off that exercise bike in the front room, remove the clothes from the treadmil, or sell the equipment you don't use and buy a gym membership!

When we look at our activity levels and the Transtheorehtical Model for stages of change, there are 6 stages:

1. Precontemplation: no action is being done and typically people do not know the behavior they are or are not doing is harmful
2. Contemplation: people start to understand their behaviors may be problematic so they start weighing the options
3. Preparation: people intend on taking action in the near future and may begin with small steps in the right direction
4. Action: modifications have been made and taking action has begun...positive change has occurred
5. Maintenance: people are working to prevent relapse (in other words...going back to #1). This stage could last forever
6. Termination: people have zero temptation & 100% self efficacy.  There is no way they are going back to the old behavior

What stage are you in regarding physical activity?  If you are in the precontemplation stage, rethink whether it is a good idea to be sedentary all the time.  What are the risks of being sedentary?  Does this improve your overall health?  Gaining knowledge about WHY physical activity is important will help you in this stage.

If you are in the contemplation stage, think of the barriers that are preventing you to be physically active.  Is it because you are in pain from joint/hip replacement, injury, etc or is it because you are limited in time, money, energy?  Identify your barriers and find ways to overcome them. 

If you are in the preparation stage, come up with a plan on HOW to get physical activity in.  Make a list of motivating sayings & post where you will see them daily. Write down your goals and vocalize them with someone to hold you accountable.

If you are in the action stage..this is great! However, it can be daunting to know that you are doing what you need to be doing. So...rewards are OK, but we prefer non-food related rewards such as a new shirt or pedicure, tickets to your favorite sports teams next game, etc.  Seek out social support or ask your spouse if they will be your workout buddy. 

If you are in the maintenance stage, know what you need to do to deal with temptations that may take you away from doing physical activity.  For instance, snoozing your alarm clock! Instead put your clock on the other side of the room so you have to get up to turn it off.  Or, schedule time in for activity so it's not forgotten about at the end of the day. 

Once you work your way up through the stages of change your are that much closer to your goals (whether they are to have Carrie Underwood's legs or not...is a different question).  Doing what you know you can do is motivating all in its self, but find other things that motivate you whether its a special reward system, signing up for local 5k walk/runs or time later in life with your family! Whatever it takes for you to get moving is what you NEED to do now!

Free Samples...Where?

Look familiar?

Grocery stores all over the place are now or have been offering "sample-stations".  The idea is simple marketing: have customers try foods in hopes that they end up purchasing what they tried.  I'd say it's working for the store if they have continued to provide samples on a weekly basis. 

I was in the local Meijer a few Fridays ago around noon and what do you know...it was sample day!  As I walked through the dried food isles and wrapped my way back around the milk/dairy and meats to the produce there were at least 15 sample-stations. 

Anything from sesame seed coated chicken nuggets, whoopee pie cake mixes, pumpkin pie, green bean salad, crackers, cookies, fish, etc.  You name it, they had something like it to sample.  Most people I noticed walking through the store in search of the next sample-station.  It was like they had gone there for lunch!  In fact, if they had gone there for lunch it probably wasn't THAT bad of an idea because most of the time the sample is so small it doesn't add up to much, right? Or does it?  The problem with it all is that most people probably had or were on their way to eat lunch and decided to have a few or 10 samples of the foods provided.  Yikes! And the even bigger problem is that they are thinking "it can't be that many calories for this small bite". 

Have you ever found yourself in this situation?  Thinking a sample is OK and that it can't be that many calories?  Re-think the situation and try to figure just how many calories it was! You would probably be surprised at the number it all racks up to be.  If you don't know the calories count 50 per bite as a rule of thumb...not a stuff-your-mouth-so-full-you're-going-to-spit-bite, but a normal bite.  For 10 samples...500 calories!!

The next time you see a sample-station at the grocery store or any where else think twice whether that bite is worth the calories. 

 

{image courtesy of www.fedupforlunch.com}

Do You Need A Water Enhancer?

Water can be boring, especially if you are used to sweetened beverages or juices, but now it doesn't have to be! Kraft has a new product on the market to help enhance the flavor of water.  It is called MiO.  There are six flavors that have these claims (from their website): "Caffeine-free, Calorie-free per 8 fluid ounce serving, 0g Carbohydrates and considered a free exchange, Sugar-free, Free of artificial flavors, Kosher, Gluten-free, Cruciverbalistic, Tasty, & Good-looking".  They are around $3.99 per bottle and supply ~24 8 ounce servings to your flavor liking.  In other words you can squirt a lot for more flavor or less for less flavor!

Looking for the new product & can't find it?  It's located at many stores like Target, Meijer, Kroger, Jewel/Osco, Publix, etc. Go HERE to see all places you can find MiO.

Click to see How It Works!

Treat our Troops- a Huge Success

We want to thank all who participated in our first-time-ever candy drive to Treat our Troops and not WAIST Candy! We teamed up with a local dentist and church in donating the candy to the Troops since the amount of candy we received exceeded our expectations. It was a huge success that we were able to donate

124 pounds of candy!

When we are dealing with toxic environments everywhere it's important to make sure that we are setting up the environments we live in for success. This is exactly what strategy was implemented by the patients this year for Halloween. If Halloween candy is left in the house, we are much more likely to have one or two or ten pieces of candy which are typically ~100 calories per 'fun size'. But, removing the candy from our environments whether its work, home, school, etc. is a great start to making sure we can be successful in the choices we are making each day!

Have a great Holiday Season by setting your environments up for success!

P.S. Take a look at our newly painted LOGO on the wall in our office! It looks great!