Healthy Holidays Group Week 5!

There are exactly 2 weeks until Christmas Eve!  

Does that stress you out?

We’re right in the thick of it!!! 

What is causing you stress this holiday season? 

Go ahead, make a list……

Maybe you haven’t started your Christmas shopping… or are having trouble finding something for that last person on your list?  Have the holiday treats staring piling up on your front door?  Are the holiday parties and activities filling up every night of your week?  Did you go over-budget?...

Here are a couple of our favorite holiday stress relievers…

“Quiet time with the Christmas Tree” Appreciate the little things we love about the holidays… like spending the evening cuddled up on the couch watching cheesy Hallmark movies by the light of the Christmas tree.  There are so many little things about this time of year to appreciate.  What is your favorite thing about the season?

“White Space” Is your calendar crammed with night after night… after night holiday activities?  Don’t cram so much into the holidays that you can’t enjoy them.  Be sure and schedule free-time, some down time to do nothing but enjoy the lit up Christmas tree.   Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to that extra holiday party.

“Make your list and check it twice!”  Prioritize your holiday activities.  What is most important to you?  Use your priority list to make a plan.  Organize your ‘to do’ list so you have some direction as you navigate the busy holiday season. 

 “Buddy the Elf” What do we all love about Buddy the Elf? 

He is such a positive person, just rolls with the punches and MAKES US LAUGH!  Let’s not forget to laugh at the funny things this holiday season and even the not so funny things…if nothing seems to be going right (we all have those days!) just laugh about it.  There’s no reason to stress over things we can’t control. 

“Watch Your Wallet” Watch your wallet so you don’t get pick-pocketed….and make your holiday budget and stick to it.   There are lots of great ways to save money like shopping  holiday sales, making homemade bread, rolls or jam for your neighbors,  making homemade heartfelt gifts, take your family to the dollar store to purchase family gifts…this could be very entertaining!  

Healthy Holidays Group Week 4!

Healthy Holidays Group Week 4!

Challenging the Food Police…

The food police is anything or anyone that tells you that what you are eating is ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

Many people feel guilty after stealing or lying.  The same type of guilt can also be felt after eating something “naughty”.  With so many daily reminders, it’s difficult to view food as just a normal pleasurable activity because it either makes you  ’good’ or ‘bad’. 

The first step in challenging the food police is to identify who is talking…

Who’s Talking to You?

We all have inner voices that talk to us all day, every day.  Which of these voices is talking to you?

The Food Police: This could be your inner judge telling you whether a food is ’good’ or ‘bad’.  (Or it could be a look from your spouse or family member…)  The food police keeps your body and food at war.  “Are you really going to eat that?”  “I’m so naughty for eating this cheesecake.”  “I’m so good for having just a salad for dinner.”

Nutrition Informant: You believe you have rejected dieting and now TRULY want to eat in the name of health...  but are still living by rules…  Such as “I will not eat food with added sweeteners or anything that has X amount of fat grams.”  This is still diet mentality.  When released from the food police aspect of this, then this voice becomes a Nutrition Ally and that’s the voice we want to hear.

Nutrition Ally:  Eating in the name of health with no hidden agenda!  Let’s say you have decided you want to have a salad for lunch.  You head over to the salad bar and see all your options there. The bacon and cheese look good but would the salad still be satisfying without loading it up with bacon and extra cheese?   This is when you start making healthy choices and cutting out less healthy things because you won’t miss them.  How can you tell between the Nutrition Informant and the Nutrition Ally?  How do you feel?  If you feel guilty you’re probably listening to your Nutrition Informant voice. 

The Diet Rebel: “I’m just going to wait until my spouse goes out of town so I can eat what I want!”  This is the “screw you” voice.  “Oh, you think I need to lose five pounds?....fine I’ll gain 10!”

Rebel Ally: Use your mouth for words instead of food in a direct but polite manner.  No one has the right to comment on your body or make you eat more or less than you want.  Change that Diet Rebel voice into the Rebel Ally voice!

Anthropologist: This is just a neutral observer.  “Ok…so  I ate ten cookies (no judgment, just facts).  Hmm…..I skipped breakfast and was ravenous at 2.” 

“I felt a little guilty after eating that dessert.” (no condescending statements, just an observation of how you felt). 

Keeping a food journal can help awaken your Food Anthropologist.  It’s an experiment, not a tool of the food police.  This voice can help find loopholes in your thinking but it does take practice.

Nurturer: This is the loving grandma voice. “I really overate today… I wonder what I was feeling that could have made me need more food to comfort myself? When I take care of myself I feel great!  I’m doing so well this week! There were only a few times I didn’t honor my hunger.  Losing weight is a long and slow process, and I’m having many successes along the way.”  The nurturer speaks kindly to yourself. 

The Intuitive Eater: You were born as an intuitive eater.  But chances are your Intuitive Eater voice has been suppressed by these other voices at this point.  Intuitive Eating is a combination of the positive voices and knows how to defend against the food police.  These are your gut and instinctual reactions.

Self- Talk and Self Awareness

We need to learn to be aware of those voices that speak to us every day.  Are they negative?  Are they positive?  How do they make us feel? 

Our self-talk should be positive and if not we need to change it! 

Today, notice those thoughts that pop into your head….What are they saying to you? 

If they’re negative, change them to a positive! 

“The next time you see yourself eating in a way that feels uncomfortable, unsatisfying,

or even out of control,

try to remember what you were thinking before you took that first bite of food.

Examine that thought and challenge it.”

Healthy Holidays Group Week 3!

The Satisfaction Factor….

Abraham Maslow has taught that we’re driven by our unmet needs.  It’s human nature to want what we can’t have.  We will usually do what it takes to calm down our sense of deprivation when our needs are not satisfied.  This is applicable with food, relationships, career, etc.

Many of us have lost the pleasure in eating and feeling satisfied.  If you feel truly satisfied with your eating experience, you will find that you eat far less food. Conversely, if you are unsatisfied, you will likely eat more and be on the prowl, regardless of your satiety level.

Take some time this holiday season to seek satisfactory eating experiences and remember this quote:

“In matters of taste, consider nutrition.  In matters of nutrition, consider taste.”

Try to make each meal the healthiest it can be (while still being satisfying).  And when it comes to eating nutritiously, try to make each meal as tasty as possible.  When we can find this balance we are more likely to have more satisfying eating experiences.

Healthy Meals and Snacks!

It’s probably not the best idea to head to a holiday party ravenous…

Have some healthier snacks and meals ready to go to avoid over indulging on sweets and treats because you’re so hungry and that’s all there is to eat.  You may be surprised how much less you’ll eat (and how much better you’ll feel!) if you’ve had a good satisfying meal beforehand. 

One easy way to make meals and snacks healthier is to include more fruits and vegetables! 

Here are a few ideas we came up with to fit more fruits and veggies into your day:

Add veggies to soups, stews and casseroles!

Add fruit to your oatmeal, cereal and pancakes!

Have a salad for one of your meals!

Keep frozen vegetables in your freezer so they’re ready to add to any meal!

Cut up your fruit and store them in ready to go bags and containers so you can grab them and go!

Try a new fruit or vegetable each week!

Have fruit for dessert! (You can even dip it in a little chocolate if you need your chocolate fix!)

Some great snack ideas are:

Frozen cubes of mango, Veggie quesadilla, salsa and whole grain crackers, low-fat cottage cheese with fruit spread and pretzels, trail mix, peanut butter and celery sticks, yogurt with berries and flaxseed, veggies dipped in hummus, a handful of nuts… try one today!

Try freezer meals!

You can make all your meals for the week in one day and just pull them out of the freezer when you need a quick meal!  Type ‘cooking for a week’ in your search engine and you’ll get tons of great websites!

Some Food Freezing tips:

Before freezing hot food, it’s important to let it cool down before you freeze it.

Portion your dish into meal sized containers or packages.  Label and date the containers and place them in a single layer in the coldest area of your freezer.

Use only specialty freezer wrappings: they should be both moisture-proof and vapor proof.  Look for items that say ‘freezer quality’ or ‘freezer safe’.

Leave as little air as possible.

Wrap solid foods like meats and baked goods tightly in foil before you bag them.

Meats from the butcher block are usually wrapped well enough to freeze... However if you buy the meat wrapped on Styrofoam trays with plastic wrap it won’t hold up well to freezing.  Re-wrap it before you freeze.

Check out the ‘Frozen Food Storage Guide’ to know how long you can freeze your favorite foods: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/sites/default/files/documents/sp_50_711_frozenfoodstorageguide.pdf

Here’s some great websites for some quick and easy recipes:

Eatingwell.com

Cookinglight.com

Campbellskitchen.com

Allrecipies.com

Kraftrecipies.com

Momswhothink.com

Skinnytaste.com

5dollardinners.com

Delish.com

Healthy Holidays Group week 2!

Healthy Holiday Group Week 2!

Today we talked about two Intuitive Eating principles:

Honoring your Hunger and Making Peace with Food.

Honoring Your Hunger

“Our need for food (energy) is so essential and primal that if we are not getting enough energy, our bodies naturally compensate with powerful biological and psychological mechanisms.”

We need to remember that food and hunger is not the enemy.  It’s our body’s way of telling us that it is in need of more nutrients so it can function optimally. 

Questions to consider:

Do you know what hunger feels like for you?

How do you feel about hunger?

Are you listening for it?

The Hunger Scale:

When you’re thinking about eating, rate your hunger on the hunger scale with 0= I’m STARVING and   10= “There were 10 pies at Thanksgiving dinner so I HAD to try one of each and now I’m so sick I can’t move!”  You want to try and stay between a 3 and 7 at all times. 

Tips for Honoring Your Hunger:

Listen for it

Check in often

General guideline-Don’t go more than 5 waking hours without food

Each time you eat ask yourself:

“Am I hungry?”, “What’s my hunger level?”, “What do I want?”

The Hunger Scale

Are you seeing any patterns?

Prepare for it

Have food available to you

What’s your plan? 

Making Peace with Food

“Legalizing food is the critical step in changing your relationship with food”

Making peace with food means giving yourself unconditional permission to eat any food!

-There are no “good” or “bad” foods

-Eat what you really want.  Yes, what you want….

-Eating without obligatory penance (I’ll eat this now because my ‘diet’ starts tomorrow!)

“When you truly free your food choices, without any hidden agenda of restricting them in the future, you eliminate the urgent need to overeat”

Steps to Making Peace with Food

1.      Make a list of what foods you like and love.

2.      Put a check by foods you do eat and circle foods that you love but have been restricting.

3.      Give yourself permission to eat one circled item, then go buy it or order it at a restaurant.

4.      Check in with yourself as you’re eating.  Do you still love that food?  Does it taste good?

5.      Keep enough of that food around so that you can have it any time you want.  If that’s too scary then go to a restaurant and order food as often as you like.

Continue this process until you TRULY know you can eat what you want

With the typical American beginning to diet as young as 5 years old…these are two very difficult topics for most to adopt.  They will take practice and time but you will feel freedom when you’re able to honor your hunger and make peace with food.  

Healthy Holidays Group Week 1!

For a lot of us the first thing we think of when we hear the words ‘the holidays’ is

Food! Gaining Weight!  Stress!

The holidays can be stressful but there are also so many wonderful things about them.

Warning! Diet Mentality can make the holidays more stressful.

Diet mentality is when we think in extreme black and white scenarios.  “I am not going to eat sugar this season”, “I am going to go to the gym for 2 hours each day”, “I’m only allowed X amount of calories per day with no budging”.  Now, these are all well-meaning goals.  We absolutely should be health conscious throughout the entire year including Thanksgiving and Christmas.  The good news is we can do this without setting ourselves up for failure and without approaching it with a negative “I’m scared of holiday food” attitude.  So, first step is to…..relax. 

Each week we will be setting goals and applying the principles of intuitive eating.  This will help us keep perspective throughout the next six weeks of parties, baking, and stress.  We want to start the holidays off right!  So let’s talk about setting realistic goals or SMART goals.

SMART Goals are:

Specific- Describe what you want with as much detail as possible. Example: I am going to do 3 acts of service for my spouse this week. 

Measureable- Goal can clearly be evaluated. Example: I either do or don’t complete the service.

Attainable- Steps to attain the goal.  Example: My three acts of service will be to clean the rain gutters, make his/her favorite meal, and write a letter of gratitude to them.

Realistic- Yes or No? Example: Looking at my week, am I going to have enough time/resources/etc. to accomplish these goals?  If not, rewind and make sure that your goals are realistic.

Timely- Specify target completion dates.  Example: I will clean the gutters on Wednesday afternoon.  I will make his favorite meal Saturday evening.  I will write the gratitude letter on Sunday morning.  I will accomplish all my goals by Sunday night.

SMART goals are Small weekly goals are a great way to break down “I am not going to gain weight this holiday season” into a more manageable, realistic short term goals. 

Each week we are going to set a goal and call that our action plan. 

Action Plans

Make a plan for yourself this week!

Answer these questions to make your plan….

1.       Something YOU want or decide to do!

2.      2.  Achievable! Something you can expect to be able to do this week

3.      Action-specific!  Losing weight isn’t asn action or behavior, but replacing snacks with fruit between meals is; losing weight is the RESULT of actions)

4.      Answer the questions:

What? (Specific Question)

How much? (time, distance, amount)

When? (time of day or which days of the week)

How often?  (number of days in the week…avoid ‘every day’)

5.      Confidence level of 7 or more (On a scale of 0=not at all sure to 10=totally sure)

And finally let’s focus on the joy of the holidays!

Write down your favorite things about the holidays!

We want you to be safe for the holidays! 

The Utah Poison Control Center  has tips on how to do so. Like them on facebook to learn more by simply clicking the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Utah-Poison-Control-Center/161537834051898?ref=hl

 Halloween:

• Lamp oil is festive and attractive but a potentially deadly product if swallowed. Consider using battery operated candles 

• Dry ice is commonly used to set an eerie atmosphere, but avoid putting it in individual glasses and keep out of the reach of children to avoid burns on the skin 

• Throw out Halloween candy that is not in 

original wrappers

Thanksgiving:

With recent cases of Salmonella poisoning from chicken affecting people across the country including here in Utah, it is a good time to review food safety practices:

1. Wash surfaces and utensils after each use to prevent cross-contamination 

2. Cook food to proper temperature (poultry to 165° F) 

3. Refrigerate leftover food within 2 hours 

4. If you suspect food poisoning report it to your local health department

Call us if you have any questions 1-800-222-1222

Did you ever consider that school 

backpacks could be a source

of poisoning?

An article published by the Utah Poison Control, helps us understand how to create a safer environment for our children and our schools. Click the link the link below to read the article and learn more.

https://secure.uuhsc.utah.edu/poison/publiced/antidote/fall13.pdf 

Pumpkins!

A good low calorie source of nutrients including:

Iron

Potassium

Fiber

It is also a great source of beta- carotene. Research has shown that people who have a rich source of beta carotene in their diet are less likely to develop cancer.

How to pick a pumpkin?

• Leave the large Pumpkins for jack-O-lanterns. ( they tend to be a little more tough) 
• Look for a deep orange pumpkin that is fee of cracks or soft spots.
• A whole pumpkin keeps well for up to one month if stored in a cool dry spot.
• Once cut, wrap the pumpkin and refrigerate for about a week.
• Canned pumpkin is available year- round.

Nutrients per serving:

Pumpkin 
1/2 cup cooked
calories 24 protein 1g Total Fat 0g Saturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Carbohydrate 6g Dietary Fiber 1.5g Sodium 0mg Potassium 280mg Calcium 18 mg Iron 0.7mg Vitamin A 6,115 IU
Vitamin C 6mg Folate 11 mg

Preparation and serving tips:

Cut away tough skin with a knife or vegetable peeler and remove seeds. Slice dice or cut the flesh into chunks; steam, boil or microwave until tender. Puree in a blender to make it recipe ready.

Pumpkin is often used to replace the fat in recipes for quick breads, muffins, pancakes, brownies and other desserts.

(All information taken from the book:101 Best Diet Foods, 2011 [pg 142.] Betsy A. Hornick, MS, RD)

Sugar Substitutes

If you're trying to lose weight, limiting refined white sugar is a step in the right direction: one cup contains 774 calories and 200 grams of sugar. But when you're craving a chocolate chip cookie, you want it to taste like Grandma's — not like a dull, tasteless cracker. There are many all-natural sugar substitutes, but are they really healthier than refined white?

Agave Nectar (also called agave syrup)
Replace 2/3 cup for every one cup of sugar
432 calories, 97 grams sugar

·         How it's made: Produced from the same spiky plant as tequila. Once the blue agave plant reaches seven to 10 years old, the leaves are removed revealing the core of the plant called the pina. Sap is extracted from the pina, filtered, and heated at a low temp to break down the carbohydrates into sugars.

·         Additional info: Lower on the glycemic index, it offers sweetness without the spike in your blood sugar levels. However, like white sugar, most agave syrup is highly processed.

·         Baking tips: Since it is a syrup, you'll need to reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by one-quarter cup. Combine agave with the liquid or fats in your recipe before adding to the dry ingredients in order to prevent oil from layering on top. Since agave browns faster, lower the oven temp by 25 degrees, and because it can be a little sticky, you might want to line your pan with parchment paper.

Blackstrap Molasses
Replace 1 1/3 cup for every one cup of sugar
1,002 calories, 259 grams sugar

·         How it's made: During the sugar-making process, juice extracted from sugar cane is boiled down until the sugars crystallize. The syrup left over after crystallization is known as molasses. Sugar cane juice usually undergoes three cycles of boiling and blackstrap molasses is the by-product of the third boiling cycle. This variety of molasses contains the least amount of sugar and has the highest concentration of vitamins and minerals.

·         Additional info: Blackstrap molasses is rich in nutrients; one cup contains more than the RDA of calcium, potassium, and iron. It's also full of copper and B vitamins, which helps eliminate cancer-causing free radicals.

·         Baking tips: With such a distinct, robust flavor, molasses is best saved for spiced breads and cookies. Since it's acidic, add half a teaspoon of baking soda to the recipe if it’s not already used, and reduce the liquid in the recipe by one-third cup.

Keep reading to learn about baking with honey, maple syrup, and Sucanat.

Honey
Replace 3/4 cup for every one cup of sugar
773 calories, 209 grams sugar

·         How it's made: Bees gather nectar from flowers, and spread it throughout the honeycombs in the hive where it evaporates and turns into a thick syrup, which is used to feed the colony.

·         Additional info: It offers 132 mg of potassium and may help reduce sore throats. Raw honey is rich in B vitamins and also vitamin C.

·         Baking tips: Decrease the liquid in your recipe by one-fifth, and lower the baking temp by 25 degrees to prevent browning.

Maple Syrup
Replace 3/4 cup for every one cup of sugar
600 calories, 159 grams sugar

·         How it's made: Sap is collected from maple trees, boiled to evaporate the water, and the syrup is then filtered and bottled. It takes between 35 and 50 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of real maple syrup.

·         Additional info: A one-cup serving offers 180 mg of calcium, and also contains manganese, iron, and zinc, important minerals for a strong immune system; it also contains 322 mg of omega-6 fatty acids.

·         Baking tips: Always use real maple syrup — not maple flavored. Reduce the amount of liquid in recipes by three tablespoons for each cup of maple syrup used. Baked goods will have a brownish tint and also brown much faster so bake for less time or lower the temp of the oven by 25 degrees.

Raw Cane Sugar (evaporated cane sugar)
Replace one cup for every one cup of sugar
720 calories, 192 grams sugar

·         How it's made: Freshly cut sugar cane is crushed to extract the juice. Then the cane juice is heated to evaporate the water, and then spun in a centrifuge to produce crystals that are golden-colored due to the fact that the molasses is not removed.

·         Additional info: Also know as demerara or turbinado sugar, it's less refined than white sugar though it is not any better from a nutritional standpoint; although it contains some molasses, it's too small an amount to really offer the health benefits that molasses does.

·         Baking tips: Since the crystals can be larger than regular sugar (depending on the brand), you might want to dissolve it in the liquids or beat it in with the eggs to ensure a smooth texture.

Stevia (Pyure Bakeable Blend)
Replace 1/2 cup for every one cup of sugar
0 calories, 12 grams sugar

·         How it's made: Glycosides are the components of stevia leaves responsible for the plant’s sweetness. The leaves are placed in hot water, which is passed through a resin material to trap and collect the glycosides. The resin is then washed with alcohol to free the glycosides, and is then crystallized into the form you buy.

·         Additional info: Some research shows it can lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Since it's calorie-free it's helpful for weight management.

·         Baking tips: Reduce pan size and baking temp by 25 percent, add an additional egg white or slightly increase baking powder/soda, and add fruit puree or yogurt for moistness.

Sucanat
Replace one cup for every one cup of sugar
720 calories, 192 grams sugar

·         How it's made: Whole sugar cane is juiced and that liquid is heated in a large vat until it becomes a rich, dark syrup. It's then crystallized, creating dry, porous, dark-brown granules.

·         Additional info: Unlike refined white sugar, Sucanat contains iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, potassium, and chromium.

Baking tips: Very similar to baking with sugar, since it has a brownish color and tastes warm like molasses, it's best used to replace brown sugar.