Few public health messages are as powerful and as persistent as this one: Fat is bad. We spend billions of dollars a year on low-fat cookies, fake-fat chips, pills that block the absorption of fat from the digestive system, and all manner of fat- busting diets and cookbooks.
But we aren't any healthier for all of this effort. In fact, we're worse off for it. Americans are overweight, diabetes and other chronic diseases are on the rise.
The truth is that some fats are good for you, and it is important to include these good fats in your diet. There are four types of dietary fat: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated, and trans. The two types of fat that are good for you are the monounsaturated and polynsaturated, while saturated fats should be eaten in moderation and trans fats should hardly be incorporated into your diet at all.
Eating unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats, carbohydrates, and trans fats can give you many health benefits including:
1. Lowering the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, the so-called bad cholesterol, without also lowering levels of HDL (good) cholesterol;
2. Preventing the increase in triglycerides, another form of fat circulating in the bloodstream that has been linked with heart disease, that occurs with high-carbohydrate diets;
3. Reducing the development of erratic heartbeats, a main cause of sudden cardiac death; and
4. Reducing the tendency for blood-flow -blocking clots to form in arteries
How do we get this good fat? The main sources are from olives and olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil; cashews, almonds, peanuts, and most other nuts; peanut butter; avocados; corn, soybean, safflower, and cottonseed oils; and fish.
So here is my challenge to you: Replace saturated and trans fats with mono and polyunsaturated fats in your diet one time a day-and hopefully your body will start to reap the benefits in no time!
Source: Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy by Walter C. Willett, M.D.
Oct 7, 2010
Sep 28, 2010
Jared, the Subway Guy!
You've all heard of Jared, the Subway guy. He was 425 pounds by the time he reached his freshman year in college. He was miserable. He would eat an average of 10,000 calories a day which is about 8,000 more than recommended. Every night around midnight, Jared would order a Meat Lover's Pizza from Pizza Hut and a big gulp of soda and finish off both with no crumbs or slurps left. You can only imagine what he ate for a regular meal, not just a midnight snack! Finally, following many humiliating and eye-opening experiences, Jared knew it was time to do something.
After a lot of discouragement trying fad diet and fat diet, he decided to buckle down and adapt a healthy lifestyle- not a temporary diet. He cut down his caloric intake to about 1,8000 calories a day which consisted of a cup of coffee for breakfast, a 6-inch turkey sub from Subway with a bag of baked potato chips and a diet soda for lunch, and a 6-inch veggie delight sub from Subway with the same side dishes, chips and diet soda. After 11 months of this, he lost 254 pounds.
Jared eventually started walking to class instead of taking the bus. He would hike up the 11 flights of stairs to his first class on campus, instead of taking the elevator. After the 11 flights, he looked like he had just jumped into a swimming pool he was so drenched in sweat. He also started playing tennis and finally got into the dating scene.
This is not a weight loss or Subway diet blog post. This is a post about how making healthy decisions everyday will not only be good for our health, but will help us feel better as a whole. Jared did not go to the gym and excessively exercise two times a day, but incorporated physical activity throughout his day. He did not wash a head of cabbage before leaving in the morning and nibble at it whenever he felt hungry, but ate normal healthy foods that gave him all the nutrients he needed. Jared's whole life changed for the better and he did it by making one healthy choice at a time!
If you'd like to read the book, it is called "Jared, the Subway Guy. Winning Through Losing: 13 Lessons for Turning Your Life Around" by Jared Fogle with Anthony Bruno.
After a lot of discouragement trying fad diet and fat diet, he decided to buckle down and adapt a healthy lifestyle- not a temporary diet. He cut down his caloric intake to about 1,8000 calories a day which consisted of a cup of coffee for breakfast, a 6-inch turkey sub from Subway with a bag of baked potato chips and a diet soda for lunch, and a 6-inch veggie delight sub from Subway with the same side dishes, chips and diet soda. After 11 months of this, he lost 254 pounds.
Jared eventually started walking to class instead of taking the bus. He would hike up the 11 flights of stairs to his first class on campus, instead of taking the elevator. After the 11 flights, he looked like he had just jumped into a swimming pool he was so drenched in sweat. He also started playing tennis and finally got into the dating scene.
This is not a weight loss or Subway diet blog post. This is a post about how making healthy decisions everyday will not only be good for our health, but will help us feel better as a whole. Jared did not go to the gym and excessively exercise two times a day, but incorporated physical activity throughout his day. He did not wash a head of cabbage before leaving in the morning and nibble at it whenever he felt hungry, but ate normal healthy foods that gave him all the nutrients he needed. Jared's whole life changed for the better and he did it by making one healthy choice at a time!
If you'd like to read the book, it is called "Jared, the Subway Guy. Winning Through Losing: 13 Lessons for Turning Your Life Around" by Jared Fogle with Anthony Bruno.
Sep 3, 2010
First Annual Family 5K
On August 14, 2010 the Healthy Lifestyles program hosted its first annual family 5K run/walk. It turned out to be a fun event that included beautiful weather, face painting, free t-shirts, refreshments, prizes and a motivating strawberry on wheels. Yes that’s right, a rollerblading strawberry to make the morning complete. It was a fun way to get families and friends to enjoy being active together.
The Healthy Lifestyles program encourages each Utah County employee and their families to get up and get moving. Be active with your family and friends. You don’t have to be a top athlete to be active. Teach your kids that it simply feels good to move. Life can get in the way, but it doesn't have to. Make getting more physical activity a family project. If you missed out this time, we hope to see you next year.
Everyone lined up waiting to start.
Congratulations!!!
1st Place—Jeff Bruin
2nd Place—Melissa Bates
3rd Place— Matthew Christensen
Wes Balmforth: First Place participant under 12.
Face Painting
Some of the prizes
The Healthy Lifestyles program encourages each Utah County employee and their families to get up and get moving. Be active with your family and friends. You don’t have to be a top athlete to be active. Teach your kids that it simply feels good to move. Life can get in the way, but it doesn't have to. Make getting more physical activity a family project. If you missed out this time, we hope to see you next year.
Everyone lined up waiting to start.
Congratulations!!!1st Place—Jeff Bruin
2nd Place—Melissa Bates
3rd Place— Matthew Christensen
Wes Balmforth: First Place participant under 12.
Face Painting
Some of the prizes
Jul 21, 2010
Sign up for the Healthy Lifestyles 5k Run/Walk!!! It's not too late!
Jul 16, 2010
Recipe of the Week: Herbed Greek Chicken Salad
Well, is anybody in the mood for a yummy-light-easy-summer salad? Does such a dish even exist? You bet it does! The last thing a cook wants to do is be in a hot kitchen on a 95 degree summer day slaving in front of the stove for hours. This delightful salad will be sure to satisfy your pallet guilt free! Serve it as a side or main dish - whichever you prefer! Feel free to substitute the veggies with something you have in your fridge, or something that just sounds better to you. Have it for lunch, dinner, or a snack and please, enjoy every bite :)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- Cooking spray
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
- 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
- 2 teaspoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
- 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup peeled chopped English cucumber
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 6 pitted kalamata olives, halved
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese
Preparation
Combine oregano, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken and spice mixture; sauté until chicken is done. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon juice; stir. Remove from pan.
Combine remaining 2 teaspoons juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, yogurt, tahini, and garlic in a small bowl; stir well. Combine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and olives. Place 2 1/2 cups of lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese. Drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons yogurt mixture.
Recipe Source: Cooking Light
Jul 12, 2010
Healthy Lifestyles 5k Run/Walk!!!!
Come and join us on Saturday, August 14, 2010 @ 8:00am on the Utah County Courthouse Lawn :) Walkers, Joggers, Runners, etc.. in your intermediate family are welcome, especially YOU!! Hurry and register at this website...the first 100 get a free T-shirt! Why should you do the 5k? Why not!!!!
We hear it all the time… “You need to be more physically active. It’s good for your health”. Well, it’s true, but after a long day of work and you finally get home to spend time with family and friends, sometimes the last thing you want to do is leave them to go exercise. Well…what if you take them with you? How great would it be if you said “C’mon everyone, let’s go to the park and play frisbee”? Be active with your family and friends. Teach your kids that it feels good to move. Life does get in the way, but it doesn't have to. Make getting more physical activity and physical fitness a family project.
This 5K was meant to bring families and friends together. It’s to remind us that physical activity can be fun. Be creative for this event and make it a group effort. Come dressed in matching t‐shirts if you’d like or sing a song during the route. The Healthy Lifestyles program encourages each Utah County employee to get up and get moving. If you have always wanted to get in better shape this is a great time to start. If you are already living an active lifestyle this is a good opportunity to get your family involved too.
This is a fun and stress free event to celebrate the good feeling of being physically active. All fitness levels are welcome whether you are a couch potato or a marathon runner. Come and enjoy!!!
Jul 6, 2010
July Brown Bag!
COME AND JOIN US FOR THE JULY BROWN BAG!
When: Wednesday, July 7, 2010 @ 12 p.m.
Where: Health and Justice Building room 1600
Why: Come and get some great RUNNING TIPS, ADVICE, and MOTIVATORS
by an experienced runner!!
Jun 16, 2010
How Fabulous is Frozen Yogurt for YOU??
Q: Is frozen yogurt better for you than regular ice cream?
A: YES!
Q: Is frozen yogurt as good for you as regular non-fat, plain yogurt?
A: NOT QUITE! While a cup of regular nonfat, plain yogurt delivers protein, calcium, B vitamins, and live and active yogurt cultures (which help digest lactose) for just 110 to 130 calories per cup, the sweet frozen stuff is another story. While some frozen brands are fat free, others dish up 14 grams of fat per cup. Calories vary, too, ranging from 180 per cup to 460. Do not expect to find all the nutrients in frozen yogurt as you could in regular nonfat, plain yogurt.
Q: So how can I make regular non-fat, plain yogurt taste good?
A: Experiment with these 9 tips and keep what you like best!
1. Put yogurt on top of cooled oatmeal, topped with lots of fresh fruit!
2. Spice it up with berries, nuts, granola, cinnamon, and honey.
2. Spice it up with berries, nuts, granola, cinnamon, and honey.
3. In the evening for a snack put the yogurt in the freezer for about half an hour and eat it like ice cream- but with much fewer calories!
4. Dip veggies or fruit in yogurt to avoid the fattening dips or sauces
5. Mix yogurt with cottage cheese, fruit, and slivered almonds- yummy!
6. Put plain fat-free yogurt into smoothies. Add a mango, milk, and some honey and you get Mango Lassi!
7. Add 2 tbsp of peanut butter or a serving of Kashi Go LEan cereal for a protein packed "after workout" treat!
8. Spread yogurt on a bagel...sounds weird, tastes great!
9. Instead of drenching your waffle/pancake in sugary syrup, put low-fat yogurt and fruit on top instead, mmmmm!
http://www.fatfightertv.com/blog/2009/09/20-creative-ways-to-eat-yogurt-from-the-fabulous-fftv-community/
http://www.fatfightertv.com/blog/2009/09/20-creative-ways-to-eat-yogurt-from-the-fabulous-fftv-community/
Jun 14, 2010
Makin' Mexican!
Low Fat Chicken Burritos
2 Chicken Breast
1 Package Taco Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Pepper
1 Pinch Salt
1 Package low fat shredded cheese
1 Package tortilla shells
1 can low fat beans
In a medium saucepan take grilled chicken breast and saute. When completely cooked mix in all ingredients except the shells. Leave all ingredients in a covered saucepan for approx 5 minutes. When done spoon in your shells and enjoy. I know it seems hard to mix all that together in one but trust me it is excellent.
Jun 11, 2010
TOO HOT OUTSIDE? DO THE "COOL" THING, EXERCISE INSIDE!!
Woke up late? Missed the cool morning air for your exercise? Never fear...Exercise TV is here! I just recently stumbled upon this fantastic website that has TONS of workout clips for FREE! I thought that there was a fee at first, but it really is free :)
I was thrilled to find this website because it has so much variety on it. There is something for everyone on here, and at every level of difficulty. Some of the workouts are a little unique and the instructors could have chosen a better outfit, but most of them are fantastic. If you have 40 minutes, 20 minutes, or even 10 minutes there are wonderful workouts on here that will help you feel great about yourself! Check out out Exercisetv.tv and have fun!
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