Diets

Family Health: A New Normal

2020 has been quite the surprise! We’ve spent what seems like half the year inside due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What has not been a surprise is the need to update the Healthy People Initiative. Every ten years the US government develops objectives to move the country towards better health which is collectively called the Health People Initiative. Some of the objectives are related to nutrition and physical activity. The Healthy People Initiative 2030 also includes new objectives for Health-Related Quality of Life & Well-Being which includes physical, mental, emotional, and social functioning which highlights a focus on optimal health or what I like to call whole-person health.

According to the latest results and supporting data, although adults are moving more and reporting a better quality of life, none of the objectives were met towards healthful diets and healthy weight. In addition, the objectives for adolescents participating in physical activity were not met. As the country seeks out a new normal, there is no better time to focus on family health. Below are some habits you can incorporate into your family routine as a new normal.

Get creative and have at home gym class where everyone gets involved. Inquire about access to physical activity in childcare settings and ensure access to physical activity for children at home.
Reduce television viewing and computer usage to improve cognitive skills and the ability to concentrate and pay attention.
Craft most of your meals at home. Foods eaten away from home often have more calories and lower nutritional quality than foods prepared at home.

Mindful Eating During Stay at Home Orders

Although some stay at home orders due to COVID-19 are being lifted, most people will still find themselves spending a significant amount of time at home. Since we are at home, the temptation to eat out or on the run is minimized. Because we are unable to maintain our regular lifestyles, this is a good time to practice healthy habits such as mindful eating.

What is mindful eating? It is a technique that promotes weight loss and reduced binge eating. As a practice, it is thinking about your food before, during, and after consumption. Practicing mindful eating can help you gain control of your eating habits and feel better overall. Here are some easy ideas on how to start.

– Listen to your body: eat when your body tells you to eat and stop eating when you are full

– Consider where your food comes from

– Eat foods that are nutritionally healthy

– When eating, only focus on eating

– Reflect on how you feel after you eat

For more information about mindful eating, check out Mindful Eating: The Art of Presence While You Eat. If this something you would like to incorporate but need help, let JLH Wellness help you through a health coaching experience.

The Diet Challenge: East vs West

Are you a true westerner looking for a way to change your diet? Leave the western diet behind and head over to the Mediterranean.

Some of our favorite western diet food items have doubled and sometimes tripled in calories over the past 20 years. Cheeseburgers, once 330 calories, are now 590 calories. In the 90s, you could get French fries that were 210 calories; today those French fries cost a whopping 610 calories. Aside from the calorie count, the western diet mostly consists of red meat, dairy products, processed and artificially sweetened foods, and salt. The Mediterranean diet is quite the opposite. The diet consists of a high amount of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nut and seeds, and olive oil. They even throw wine! Thinking about changing yet ? This diet is considered one of the healthy eating plans supported by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the World Health Organization. People who subscribe to the Mediterranean Diet are one step closer to reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The Mediterranean diet provides some food for thought if you are considering a new way to address nutrition.

Something New Sautéed Kale and Chickpeas

It’s March and we are slowly working our way off the winter soups. If you’re looking for a nutrient rich dish, sautéed kale and chickpeas could be your something new. Kale is super rich in vitamin A, K, and C. 26% of the daily value (DV) of manganese. This is very helpful for women as manganese is essential for bone health in addition to the well-known vitamin D and magnesium. Chickpeas are rich in protein, folate, fiber, and iron just to name a few. They are good for those with diabetes (help prevent blood surges), heart disease (interfere with the body’s absorption of cholesterol) and obesity (make you feel full). Try it this month and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of garlic

1/3 cup of olive oil

1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 cups of kale (more if you desire)

1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Salt, black pepper, and red pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in saucepan or skillet. Add the garlic and cook until it starts turning brown.
Stir in the lemon juice.
Slowly add some kale, about 1 cup. Mix it up and let it wilt down a little and add the remaining kale. Cook the kale for about 10-15 or until it softens.
Add the chickpeas and seasonings. Cook for approximately 5 more minutes.
Serve!

The New Way to Have Oatmeal

If you are like me, you enjoy sweet oatmeal and good oatmeal cookies. But there’s something else you can do with that oatmeal, try savory oatmeal. It’s still cold outside; there is nothing like warming your belly before going out or after coming in. Try the savory oatmeal recipe below and tell me what you think!

Ingredients

1/4 cup of steel cut oats

3/4 cups of water

1-2 tablespoons of grated cheese

1 cooked egg

sautéed onions

salt and pepper to taste

Place ¾ cup water and pinch of salt in saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in steel cut oats and allow to boil for about 1 minute then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the oats are soft but chewy. Remove from heat.
While your oats are cooking, cook your egg however you like, poached or fried.
Once both the egg and oats are finished cooking, grab a bowl add oats and top with cooked egg, cheese, cooked onions, avocado, fresh herbs, hot sauce, or whatever your heart’s desire.
Enjoy your savory warm oatmeal.

The Heart Health Secret

The number one cause of death for Americans is heart disease, but it’s preventable. You may already know this, but come closer… the heart health secret is…diet and exercise! Yes, lifestyle changes such as a good diet and some good old exercise could save your heart and your life!

So, what do I mean by good exercise? If you like vigorous activity that’s 90 minutes a week (e.g. 15 minutes for 6 days) of activities such as running at least 5 miles per hour or jumping rope. For those who like more moderate level exercise such as brisk walking or dancing, you need to complete 120 minutes of exercise a week (e.g. 20 minutes for 6 days). Don’t forget to include strength training at least two days a week!

For a lot of people, the real challenge may be a good diet or eating patterns. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines provide some good suggestions for healthy eating patterns such as:

– Choose foods to make up most of your nutrition instead of supplements/substitutes

– Choose the appropriate calorie intake for your body

– Keep variety in your meals

– Limit calories from added sugars and fats

– Limit sodium intake

– Choose healthier options for food items and beverages

– Make healthy eating a lifestyle

As Heart Health month continues, I encourage you to grab a friend and challenge each other to make some changes for your heart. If you struggle with making these changes, there is no shame in seeking help through a health coach. I think I know where you can find a good one!

Matters of the Heart

It’s month two into your new year, new you plan. Some may have jump started their efforts, but it’s quite possible that others have not for various reasons. Whatever position you’re in you are not alone! If you’re well on your way that is great! If you’re not remember changing behavior is hard to do. This is particularly true when you’re trying to make lifestyle changes. When trying to make those types of changes you should have a will and a way. An article in Psychology Today indicated that the will is your why and the way is defined as the how. Sometimes people lose focus on why they are trying to change. It’s also possible that the “why” isn’t strong enough for one to commit to the change. You may have had a plan that didn’t quite work out once you got started. If you have fallen off the new year, new you wagon, you can get back on. Assess your will and your way and ensure your goals are SMART goals.

Is Intermittent Fasting a New Approach to Weight Loss?

As the new year begins you are probably considering some dietary changes. One method that’s claimed to result in weight loss is intermittent fasting (IF). But what is intermittent fasting? Is it for you? Intermittent fasting is not a diet in the sense of restricting food items but is simply limiting the time you eat. Recent research in the December 26 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine indicates it can be a promising approach for weight loss, stabilizing blood sugars, and decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol.

Currently, there are at least 6 popular methods for IF.

1. The 16/8 Method: Fast for 16 hours a day

2. The 5:2 Diet: Fast for 2 days per week

3. Eat-Stop-Eat: A 24 hour fast once or twice per week

4. Alternate-Day Fasting: Fast every other day

5. The Warrior Diet: Fast during the day and eat a huge meal in the afternoon or evening

6. Daily Time Restricted Feeding: Fast outside of the 6-8 dedicated hours for eating

Tips for intermittent fasting

– Consult your physician before trying IF

– Start out slow and overtime slowly increase the fasting time

– For best benefits select healthy food items to eat

– Keep your workout routine at a low to moderate level especially on fast days

For years people have fasted for medical and spiritual reasons. Weight loss is another one to add to the list. Fasting allows the body to slowly burn through the glucose stored in the liver, about 700 calories worth. This takes the body around 10-12 hours to complete. This explanation makes it is easy to see how intermittent fasting be a hopeful approach to weight loss, but it is not for the faint at heart. But like any habit, IF takes time. The adjustment period can occur over a few weeks to a couple of months if you dare give it a try.

The Best Bang for Your Calories

In honor of National Nutrition Month, it’s only appropriate to start this blog with one of my favorite topics, FOOD! If you are anything like me, it’s easy to go for a run, bike ride, or hit up a class. Though we can check off the workout box, we can still overeat. When considering weight loss, the secret to balance is the 80/20 rule. This puts a greater focus on nutrition because a 20 minute run cannot make the calories from a 500 calorie milkshake disappear.

In January of 2018, the US News and World reports posted the rankings for the best diets overall. A panel of health experts ranked 40 diets. The diets were ranked based on an overall score, a weight loss score, and a healthy score. The panelists considered ease of following, nutrition, safety, effective weight loss, and protection against diabetes and heart disease. The top three overall were the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and the Flexitarian Diet.

Now, what makes these diets so great?

Mediterranean Diet
In addition to helping with weight loss and weight maintenance, this diet boasts of preventing cancer and increasing brain health. It consists of eating a low amount of red meats, sugar and saturated fats. The diet allows for high intake of produce, nuts, and other healthful foods. Although it is listed as a diet, it is more of a plan that allows flexibility and independence to decide what to eat from day to day. In other words, you are responsible for controlling the intake.

DASH Diet
The DASH diet is most often known as the heart healthy diet for its capability to prevent and lower the risk of hypertension. Though prevention is the main focus of this diet, it is also connected to trimming waistlines. Its emphasis is on the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy food items. The diet encourages individuals to limit high saturated fat foods, whole dairy foods, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Decreasing sodium intake is also a major component to achieving the benefits of this diet, starting with a sodium intake of 2,300 milligrams and progressing to a decrease of 1,500 milligrams a day. To achieve weight loss with this plan, you can include a calorie deficit. Additional resources for calorie intake based on your age and activity level can be found through the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

Flexitarian Diet
I am so glad my favorite made the list! People always ask what I eat. The response is almost anything but these days I am focusing on a flexitarian diet because it aims for weight loss and optimal health. Think of a flexible vegetarian – Most meals are vegetarian but there are times when you can enjoy a good burger. The plan has five food groups: plant-based meats, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and sugar and spice. Calorie intake for breakfast is about 300 calories, lunch-400 and dinner-500, but it is dependent upon your activity level, gender, height and weight.

These diets/plans can be used separately or combined to fit your needs. They each provide flexibility, nutritionally sound, heart healthy foods, and diverse flavors.

No diet is good alone. Every diet/plan should be accompanied by appropriate levels of exercise and hydration.

I must say I still have some work to do as an eater so if you struggle to bring these things together feel free to contact me to find out more information on how to get on track.

Happy Eating!

Forever,

JoyLoveHealth