Here comes the (Healthy) Bride!

Weddings are on the minds of many people at the moment - either planning their own or waiting to experience the British Royal Wedding of Prince William & Kate Middleton later this week.

Every bride wants to look stunning on her wedding day and losing weight is often high on her wedding planning to-do list.  The real secret to looking radiant on your big day is to nourish your body with all the goodness it needs.  This will help control your weight, make your skin glow, your hair shine and your eyes sparkle!

To DO List

~ Allow at least 6 months if you are trying to lose weight before your wedding - crash diets don't work! 

~ Reduce portion sizes - check out Spark People  portion size guide

~ Plan healthy snacks & take them with you when you're running errands - this stops you grabbing the nearest fast food or candy bar because your dress fitting took too long and you're starving!

~ Drink water throughout the day - this will help cleanse your body and hydrate your skin

~ Eat more fruits & vegetables - increase those vitamins & minerals your body needs to GLOW!

~ Get enough sleep - take deep breathes to help your mind switch off from all the wedding ideas running through your head!

~ Exercise - cardio will help burn fat and weight training will help define your muscles.  It's also a great stress buster during these hectic months!

DON'T List 

~ Don't skip meals or snacks - this will sabotage your weight loss efforts

~ Be wary of diet pills, diet drinks and fad diets - they can have negative effects on your body and are no match for a healthy diet

~ Reduce or avoid alcohol - these drinks add extra calories and affect your mood and concentration at a time when you need your mind to be sharp so you don't forget any of those wedding details!

~ Don't obsess about your body - there's a gown available to flatter everybody.  Focus on eating healthily instead and have fun trying on all those different dresses!


Good nutrition will carry you through these months of crazy, exciting planning and leave you with the energy to enjoy your wedding day and the healthy body to look & feel amazing in that gown!

Earth Day 2011

centenarycollege.edu

Earth Day is a time to celebrate all the wonderful resources our planet provides and to raise awareness of things we can do to preserve them!

We teach our children not to leave the water running while they brush their teeth and to switch off lights when they leave a room to conserve water and energy.  My kids are also super at recycling!

In addition, we can help the planet through our food choices.

Simple steps such as taking re-usable bags to the grocery store help to reduce the plastic bag issue in land fill sites. (As a bonus several  stores will reward you with 5c for every re-usable bag you take!)

Avoid buying food with a lot of packaging.  Many processed foods are packaged in the type of cardboard that cannot be recycled plus plastic cartons plus plastic film.  Once you peel back all these layers the food inside is generally high in sodium and additives. So not good for the environment or our bodies!

Farmer's markets are environmentally friendly.  Because the produce is local, transport costs of bringing you the food are low, there's little or no packaging, they encourage you to take your own bags.  The produce is unprocessed or minimally processed - again reducing the environmental impact by avoiding manufacturing processes while preserving the nutritional content.  Check your local paper or search the internet to see if there's a market near you!

Or you could take the plunge and start your own vegetable and herb garden!  Not as difficult as you may think and you don't need to have a big yard!  You can hang those upside down tomatoes growers from a condo balcony and plant herbs in pots.

Plan your meals in advance to avoid last minute trips to the grocery store for ingredients - this will reduce emissions from your car.  Walk or bike to the store if that's possible!

Avoid buying bottled water.  Invest in a re-usable bottle - there are SO many to choose from!  Buy one that reflects your personality or supports your favorite charity.  Buy a really brightly colored one to brighten your day or one that says 'water' on it to remind you to drink it!  

I'd love to hear your ideas for helping preserve our planet!

3 Behaviors We Can All Learn From Kindergartners

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Gone are the days when you could gain favor with the teacher by bringing them an apple!

My oldest child started Kindergarten this year and I am so happy to have the opportunity to volunteer in her class.  Not only does it make her feel more secure knowing I am sometimes in her classroom but it helps me understand her world during the hours she is away from me.

It also gives me the chance to listen in on the lessons and hear how the teacher and students interact.  Each week I hear the same phrases as the teacher guides the students with regard to their behavior: "Follow the rules", "Be on task", "Make a better choice".

Eating is a behavior and it struck me that the same guidelines the teacher uses for her student's classroom behavior apply to eating behavior too.

"Follow the Rules"

Trying to teach 24 children at the same time means there has to be classroom rules or it would be chaos and no-one would ever learn anything!

There are healthy eating 'rules' too, which help us learn which foods will nourish our bodies and how much of them we need to eat.  These come in the form of The Food Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 which explain that foods can be divided into different food groups and then guidelines given for how much of each food group to eat daily for health.

MyPyramid.gov

"Be On Task"

To the kindergartners this means concentrating on the work they have been assigned to do, finishing it on time and doing it to the best of their ability.

When it comes to eating, 'being on task' means concentrating solely on eating - not watching TV, working or multi-tasking at the same time!  This is often referred to as 'mindful eating'.  Eat meals & snacks on time to prevent hunger setting in and making you grab the nearest food. Finally, 'be on task' by choosing the healthiest food to the best of your ability, budget & availability.

If you 'd like more information about what foods to eat for health, refer to the Food Pyramid & Dietary Guidelines above, visit the American Dietetic Association    or Kids Eat Right
websites or speak with a Dietitian.

"Make a Better Choice"

It's human nature to sometimes bend the rules or make mistakes and kindergartners are no exception.  When this happens my daughter's teacher says "Next time try & make a better choice". 

So when you feel you've overindulged or eaten something you wish you hadn't - be like a kindergartner and learn from your experience.  Ask yourself why you made the choice you now regret and next time aim to 'make a better choice'.

With thanks to Mrs H for her 'words of wisdom'!

10 Reasons Why Walking Should Be Part Of Your Day!

American Heart Association National Start Walking Day

Today the American Heart Association launch National Start Walking Day to encourage us to move our bodies more than we currently do.
In this electronic age, more and more people spend hours sitting at computers but our bodies were designed to move, our muscles want to be exercised especially our heart muscle!

There are many great things about this campaign!

~ walking can be enjoyed by all members of the family from the youngest to the oldest

~ it can be done alone, with friends, colleagues or as a family

~ you can walk as briskly or as slowly as you need to & at any time of day

~ the American Heart Association recommend starting with as little as 10 minutes 3 times a week

~ you'll be amazed how quickly you find yourself able to walk longer or faster

~ you can walk regardless of the weather - too cold or wet outside?  Walk briskly around inside!

~ you can (and should!) get up from your desk at work and walk


~ walking can be incorporated into your daily life, for example, park at the far end of the car park and walk to the office or grocery store

~ you never know who you might meet or what you might enjoy seeing on a walk

~ fresh air can really lift your mood and improve sleep

Need I go on?  I hope I've convinced you to make walking part of your regular routine! (check with your Doctor if necessary)

Your body will thank you - from your joints and muscles to your heart & mind.  No time like the present - stop what you're doing right now....get up.... and take a walk!

I look forward to hearing where your walks take you.....

Making Fresh Food Fun!

by Victoria Holthaus

 Have you seen the Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli commercial where the grocery store clerk is signaled not to tell the child there are vegetables in the mix?  It is disappointing to know that if the child had been told there were a full serving of vegetables in the ravioli, he likely would not have eaten it. 

As a dietetics student, I am curious to know what exactly would decode the unappealing stigma that vegetables hold in the eyes of children.  So I went straight to the source and questioned my third-grade brother what it would take for him and his friends to eat fresh foods.  Sadly, he replied, “I’d eat them if they were dipped in chocolate.”

While it is disheartening that some kids feel this way, it’s good to know that members of the American Dietetic Association are hard at work to change this.  The ADA’s Kids Eat Right initiative and National Nutrition Month campaign support efforts for children to incorporate more healthy choices into their meals each day. 

According to MyPyramid.gov, it is recommended that kids (age 8) consume at least 2 ½ cups of vegetables and 1 ½ cups of fruit per day. 

Here are four fun ways you can encourage children to “eat right with color.”

Go shopping.  If you have an extra hour to spare, take your kids to the grocery store or farmers market and let them pick out what they’d like to eat.  Kids will feel proud when eating the food when they feel a part of the process of choosing what they eat.

Pick new foods. Do you see a plantain or starfruit?  Have you ever tried fava beans or kohlrabi?  Let your child select some foods not normally chosen and enjoy trying something new!

Play with your food.  Whoever said that you couldn’t play with your food was wrong!  Allow your child to have fun with food by using bite-sized fruits, vegetables, and toothpicks to create sculptures.  The young one will have fun making a unique creation—and may perhaps eat a few pieces along the way!

Be a food critic.  Tell your child to pretend to be the food evaluator on television shows like Top Chef or The Next Food Network Star.  Set one small portion of four or five new foods on the plate and have your child judge the tastes, textures, and overall eating quality of the foods. 

With these four tips, your child might soon discover that eating fresh foods can be exciting.  And you will be able to rest assured knowing that your little one is not only receiving optimal nutrition, but is enjoying it too. 

To find out more information regarding healthy eating for kids, please visit http://www.kidseatright.org.

Victoria Holthaus is a junior at The Ohio State University studying Human Nutrition/Dietetics.   She is a member of Ohio State’s Sport and Wellness Scholars, the Food and Nutrition Forum, and serves as a Student Council Liaison to the American Dietetic Association.  You can follow her on Twitter @ToriHolthaus or read more at www.healthyglowandgo.wordpress.com

The End of National Nutrition Month is just the Beginning...

This week marks the end of National Nutrition Month 2011 and what an exciting month it's been!

The internet has been ablaze with color as dietitians highlighted the health benefits of eating foods from black & white to yellow & purple and people shared photographs of their plates piled high with fruit and vegetables in every shade of the rainbow!

This is one of MY colorful meals!

This years theme "Eat Right with Color" was particularly conducive to capturing the imagination of children and there have been countless articles, games and recipes aimed at getting kids cooking, teaching them about healthy eating & increasing fruit & vegetable intake amongst children. These sites provide amazing resources for kids, parents & teachers alike.
In addition, The American Dietetic Association Kids Eat Right website provides a host of information from nutrition information to shopping tips for all ages throughout the year.

With thanks to Dietitians-Online.com

Adding to the excitement this month and raising awareness of the work Dietitians do, the American Dietetic Association were invited to ring the NASDAQ closing bell and nutrition messages appeared on several occasions on the adverts in Times Square New York!

Personally, this has been an exciting month for me as I have met some wonderful Dietitians through National Nutrition Month social media campaigns & I have liaised with several students who will become the next generation of dietitians!  I also had fun with my efforts to further increase the color of my family's meals!
I hope you have embraced the message of National Nutrition Month 2011 and found exciting ways to add color to your diet. I encourage you to see this as the beginning of the next step in improving your health by maintaining your increased intake of these eye-catching & nutritious foods!

Nutrition for the U

by Carlene Helble

        Going to college is a time of freedom and growth. A student gets to decide whom they eat with, when they will eat, and what their dining choice is each day. For a while, it may be the siren song of daily pizza or double Twinkies, but don’t fret! The novelty of on demand pizza will wear off, and college kids will look for options that help fuel their study sessions the right way.

Here are a few tips to help you or your student eat right for semesters to come.

-Know your options:

        Choice is a beautiful thing, but it can be overwhelming if you’re not prepared! I remember feeling dumbfounded as a freshman with the sheer number of options presented. We had more than ten dining buildings and at least 5 options within each. Where do you even start?

        Instead of settling for what you can see, take a look at the school’s dining website and get an idea of the lay of the land. Building one may have pizza, burgers, and a taco bar, but find the diamond in the rough. Can you order a vegetable burger with a whole-wheat bun at the burger bar? Can you get a side salad with your pizza?

-Ask and ye shall receive:

        Just like in a restaurant, you can request alterations to the standard order. Be polite when you request small changes to dinner that will balance your nutrition intake for the day. ‘Would it be possible to have extra veggies instead of fries?’ or ‘Please hold the mayo.’ are not a burden when done with class and a smile.

-Buy impulse fruits:

        Marketing research shows that customers are likely to buy items presented to them in the check out line. In grocery stores, this is often candy and magazines, but in more universities, fruit is being offered in large baskets at the exit. Be tempted! Pick up that orange to balance out your meal; if you’re not hungry now, save it for later.

-Squash the snack attacks:

        There’s nothing worse than being stuck in class with no time to go to the dining hall. It may seem like your only option is high sugar and sodium vending, but plan ahead and squash that snack attack. Keep a Lara bar or dried fruit and nuts in your bag during the week. Or how about that orange you picked up at lunch? When your body is sending you the ‘starving’ signal, you’ll be glad you have the right fuel already with you.

-Don’t stress for perfection:

        The time will arise when mac and cheese with a cookie dessert is the only thing that will do that day. Be in touch with your body and let yourself enjoy what you crave. Don’t beat yourself up over an indulgent meal; just use the rest of the day to help balance. Mac and cheese for lunch is the perfect opportunity for a big salad with Mexican black beans and other veggies at dinner.

As I prepare to graduate in May the best advice is this: Enjoy each day and savor every meal. College will fly by before you know it!

Carlene Helble is a senior Dietetics major and Family Studies minor at James Madison University. She is the president of JMU's student dietetic association and Student Council Liaison to the ADA. Carlene has applied to the 2011 spring match for dietetic internships where she hopes to continue into private practice and working with nutrition and social media. You can follow Carlene on Twitter @CarleneFutureRD or read more on her blog www.CarlenesFigments.wordpress.com