Superbowl Snacks on your Mind?

Well, Snowdown & the Superbowl fall on the very same week. Have you got party plans?

Found this very interesting chart with information on calories in alcohol. Going into these events with a realistic plan (what drinks, how many, etc) will help us to have our grown-up fun yet stay within reach of our goals.

If onion rings, bean dip and chocolaty treats are on your must-have list for the Superbowl, then throw a party! These recipes, from Eating Well, involve traditional foods just cooked a little bit healthier (calorie values per portion included).

Have a well week,

Safe Food Handling

In our latest On-Going Practice classes, we have been talking about food safety. Knowing food safety guidelines and techniques can help to prevent you or your family members from getting or spreading a food borne illness. Be sure you are in the know with clean, separate, cook, chill; the motto for Partnership for Food Safety Education's Fight Bac! To learn more about food safety go to this website.

Healthy vs. Processed Foods Showdown

In these economic times, it may be tempting to forego the healthy stuff for cheaper, more processed choices (To learn more about what processed foods are visit THIS WEBSITE). Believe it or not, it is absolutely possible to buy healthy, whole foods for the same amount of money.

Take just a moment to peruse through THIS ARTICLE, you'll be glad you did.

Our New Health Educator

We are excited to announce that we have a new Health Educator here in Indiana. Chelsea started the beginning of the new year and is quickly gaining experience in our Carmel, Noblesville, and Plainfield clinics. She is a great fit already and we look forward to working with her in the future.

Here is a bit about Chelsea Kingston:

She is a Registered Dietitian who received her B.S. in Dietetics from Purdue University in 2010. She recently completed her dietetic internship where she experienced rotations with the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, Porter Health Systems in Valparaiso, IN, and the Appalachian Outreach Program in Lexington, KY.

Chelsea grew up in Indianapolis and is an avid runner and sports enthusiast who enjoys traveling and cooking. She is excited to join the HNT team and use her knowledge and skills to encourage people to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle and reach their health and weight management goals.

Kevin's Success Story

For about two years Kevin tried to lose weight on his own, but always struggled. Kevin's primary care physician had been encouraging him to lose weight because of health concerns. His physician started him on cholesterol medication, he was borderline hypertensive, and was also moving towards diabetes. That, with the combination of turning 50 years old this past summer was when he knew he needed some external accountability to help him manage his weight. Fast forward to today...He has been with HNT for 45 weeks now and has met his goal by losing 80 pounds!
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Initially, it was the weight loss that kept him coming back to the classes, but he liked the professionalism of the people involved and the meaningful topics presented. "I'm a 'people person' and enjoy the interactions", Kevin mentioned about the group behavior modification classes. "Through these relationships, I have learned new recipes and other notions that have helped me with my weight management strategies."
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Kevin's biggest reward from losing weight is the energy that he has recovered. Other things he mentioned were improved sleep, and feeling better overall.
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Since joining HNT he now focuses on several key strategies to help him to maintain his weight loss. Exercise is the biggest lifestyle change that he has made since the start of the program and he tries to exercise almost everyday for both physical and emotional health. He also implements meal planning because he has noted that not doing it leads to increased calorie consumption via falling back to old lifestyle habits. Finally, he "wrestles mostly with the notion of needs vs. wants. A lot of my non-healthy calories come from satisfying wants. Trying to manage them more effectively is a big part of my weight management strategies".
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For anyone out there who is trying to lose weight, Kevin encourages you to consider HNT. "It is work, undoubtedly; however it was easier to lose weight with HNT than I had anticipated", he said. "While I'm sure HNT isn't for everyone, I think a lot of people would be successful with this program if they just give it an honest try. I really don't see myself as having any more will power or discipline than most people. I know it sounds like a cliche, but if it worked for me, this program has the potential to work successfully for a lot of people! HNT has helped me realize a significant weight loss that I could only ever dream about in the past."
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Kevin Before HNT

Kevin Now! 80 pounds down!

(Photos Courtesy of Kevin. Please do not copy)

Time Management

The other day we posted a short quiz to rate your stress levels. What did you find?

Part 2 of dealing with stress in our lives explores ways to lower it. Here's a little number on tips for time management-chances are we could all use a little help with this one!

Time Management Tips

Have a well week,

Are the "Healthy" options actually Healthy?

We have all been there before: stuck in an environment that might not be our first choice, but needing to choose something to eat. These days most places offer some sort of option touted as "healthy".

This article illustrates how frequently these "healthy" choices AREN'T healthy. A great reminder! It also gives some hints and recipes on lower-calorie or healthier options.

Have a well week,

New IOM Recommendations

It's been over 10 years since the recommendations for Vitamin D came out and since then there have been many conflicting messages. After a long process, the U.S. and Canadian governments wanted clarification. They asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to review current research on Vitamin D and Calcium and on November 30, 2010 the IOM came out with new DRI recommendations for Vitamin D and Calcium based on health outcomes.

To see what you should be getting each day, check out this link to the IOM Recommendations on Vitamin D & Calcium.

Click HERE to read what the American Dietetic Association thinks about the new recommendations.

Thanksgiving Special

We had our Annual Thanksgiving Special last Tuesday and we had a great time. We enjoyed our love of cooking and making our food appetizing to eat while using the Health ONE Meal Replacement. In case you missed it, here is what you missed out on:

Sheila demonstrating how to make the noodle recipe from Health ONE Potato Soup. After the demonstration, everyone sampled her lasagna that she had prepared in advance to show how great the noodles are in any dish!

Health ONE Pumpkin Roll is a favorite of many HNT employees, so we demonstrated how to make a delicious dessert that would be mistaken for the "real" thing. The patients who tried the sample were impressed with the Pumpkin Roll's great flavor and authenticity. We gave out Health ONE Pumpkin Roll recipe cards to those in attendance so they could try it over the Holiday Season.

After the demonstrations, we tried many recipes made by current HNT patients/staff including: a pumpkin cheesecake, mini corn dog bites, strawberry cream cheese danish, orange delight, German chocolate mousse, chocolate chip cookies, and hot chocolate! They were all wonderful. Thank you to those who brought in their favorite recipes to share.

For those in attendance, we had several drawings and we handed out HNT Rubber Spatulas as a 'Thanks' for coming and making this event special.

How Stressed are You?

With the holidays just around the corner, we may be trying to squeeze in as much as possible-which can lead to increased STRESS levels.

Managing stress is an important part of health maintenance, and too much of it can often lead to unhealthy patterns. Practicing relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga, and time management are all skills that might help us to better handle stress.

But first, rate your stress levels. How stressed are you? Take this short quiz from the Mayo Clinic to find out, and make sure you read the management tips at the end.

Have a well week,