10 Tips for Calorie Free Holiday Shopping!

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 We're all madly rushing around the Mall making sure we buy the perfect gift for everyone on our list!  While this might be the only exercise you manage to squeeze into your day at this time of year, Holiday shopping can bring with it sneaky calories!

10 Tips for Calorie Free Holiday Shopping:

• Eat a healthy meal or snack before heading off to the shops

• Plan your meal for when you get home to avoid last minute fast food

• Pack a bottle of water and a healthy snack, such as a cereal bar or fruit to carry with you

•  Be prepared to say 'no thank you' when offered a food sample in the store!

• Choose carefully at the food court (try a turkey wrap instead of a burger) or seek out a cafe which offers healthier options

• Avoid drinking your calories via soda or hot drinks with whipped cream on top!

• Don't be tempted by the smells from the food carts

• Sip on that water you packed as thirst can be mistaken for hunger

• Chew sugar free gum to keep your mouth busy

•  Use the stairs not the escalator or elevator

At the end of the day remember to take a moment to relax, take a deep breath and de-stress so you don't turn to food to help you unwind.

Happy Healthy Holidays!

I Pledge to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain!

Today is St Andrew's Day, the Patron Saint of Scotland.  Growing up in Scotland but now living in America, I find it really amazing that my children are doing things we used to consider 'very American,' such as riding a yellow school bus, going on 'vacations' & learning to spell color & favorite without a letter u after the letter o!

Another very American thing my children do is say the Pledge of Allegiance at school each morning. They also say a school pledge which mentions trying their best in all they do, making good choices & respecting others. I like to hear them recite these when I volunteer in class, it seems to me a good way to start the day by promising to work hard & treat others with respect & reminding ourselves to make good choices.

As the Holiday Season is just starting it's a good time to make a pledge to ourselves about our health.  Food has always been involved in feasts & celebrations & there's no reason it can't be enjoyed at this time of year without being laden with guilt about thoughts of weight gain or high fat intake.
You have the power to influence how you'll feel when January arrives - you can choose to start the New Year with great memories of the Holidays and no regret about your weight or health having not over-indulged in all the food you'll be offered this month.  What a great feeling that will be!

Take time today to look at your schedule for the coming month & highlight events which will involve celebrating with food - family gatherings, office parties, Mom's nights out and so on.  Pledge to yourself that at those events you'll enjoy the food  and also pledge that on the other days this month you'll choose your food carefully to balance out those times where you're going to indulge.

Tips:
~ Walk the length of the buffet table first & decide what you'll choose before starting to put food on your plate
~ Have a glass of water before eating
~ Make half your plate fruit & veggies
~ If you're drinking alcohol don't underestimate the calories from drinks & set a limit or alternate with water
~ Have a 2 course meal instead of 3 - have starter & entree at one event then entree & dessert at another event
~ Maintain or increase you exercise regimen throughout the month
~ Decide to eat the office treats only on Fridays rather than nibbling every time you go to the break room
~ Suggest an inexpensive gift exchange instead of a cookie exchange for your Mom's group

This is my Pledge to myself this Holiday Season:

I Pledge to myself on this day

To eat & drink the Healthy way

I'll plan ahead & enjoy my food

And always make my choices good

I respect myself, I want no regret

This will be my healthiest year yet!

~ Lyn Turton

Feel free to use my Pledge or write a personal one then put it somewhere you can see it every day.  If you need motivation to make healthy choices while celebrating this Holiday Season recite the Pledge in your head & think how great you'll feel when the New Year arrives! Take the pledge Facebook !

March of Dimes World Prematurity Day

November is Prematurity Awareness Month & November 17th 2011 is World Prematurity Day   1 in 8 babies are born prematurely in the United States & worldwide 13 million babies are born pre-term each year.

To raise awareness March of Dimes is asking people to share their experiences of premature babies.  

I remember well the mixture of excitement and anxiety you feel every day of your pregnancy.   Although my own children were born full term I have worked as a dietitian in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and shared the highs and lows of my friends experiences with premature babies.

As dietitians we work very closely with the NICU Doctors to nourish these precious babies and we celebrate every ounce of weight gain along with the parents.  Due to it's many benefits we promote the use of breast milk whenever possible & provide encouragement & support for Mom's trying to build up their supply ready for when their baby is able to tolerate breast milk. We never underestimate the physical & emotional effects on families, especially new Moms.

As a Mom I have seen how my friends have coped and been so strong for their premature babies.  One couple suffered several miscarriages before their baby was born 10 weeks early.  They sent regular photos to allow us to follow her progress and despite the many tubes she was beautiful from day 1!

 Another friend has had 3 premature babies and her energy & strength never fail to amaze me despite the many days spent at a hospital 50 miles away and the late night hospital admissions when a cold took hold of her little ones chest. 

As a friend you can help by providing meals for the family who spend many hours at the hospital plus additional time traveling to the specialist units, which may not be local to them.  Offer to babysit for siblings or do school pick-up & drop-off.  Or just be there for parents if they want to talk & let them know you're available to help with whatever they need.
 
For more information or ways to help please visit  March of Dimes

One size does not fit all!

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We are all different - we have many similarities but in the end of the day we are all individuals.

I have a sister who is a nurse.  While I have spent my life helping others through my work and volunteering I could not do the kind of work she does.  I'm eternally grateful that many people are passionate about nursing but my 3 weeks nursing experience during my dietetic training was enough for me. 

We're all different - some people are squeamish, some are not.  Some people are brave enough to run in and fight a fire while everyone else is running out.  Some people love to sing or dance while others can think of nothing worse than performing in front of an audience.

When it comes to our diet there are similarities and differences too.  Some people love pickles - others hate them.  Marmite even based their entire advertising campaign around whether you love or hate their product!

We are similar in that everyone's body needs to be fed in order to function.  We all need protein, vitamins & minerals & so on and the basis of healthy eating is the same for everyone - we all need a certain amount of these nutrients each day.

But we are different in that a man's nutritional requirements are different to a woman's; an adult's requirements are different to a child's; requirements vary depending on age and level of activity.  So when it comes to choosing food for health or for managing our weight it doesn't make sense to promote one way of eating for everyone.

Many factors influence food choice:

~ knowledge
~ availablity
~ habit
~ cooking skills
~ likes & dislikes
~ environment
~ time constraints
~ emotions

These are some of the areas  that need to be considered when making changes to our diet to improve health or lose weight and they will be different for everybody.  That's part of the challenge I enjoy when working with clients - finding out about them and who they are, what their lifestyle is and what's going to work for them.

We are all unique and we are all amazing - take time for yourself, nourish your body and cherish  what you have to offer.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

The mornings are getting decidedly chilly and Fall is definitely here!  That means Winter is around the corner which to me means SOUP!

I spent time yesterday making a few different soups and freezing them in portions ready for those cold winter days ahead!

I grew up on soup - literally! As a child I had a really small appetite and the doctor told my Mom that as long as I was eating her homemade soup she shouldn't worry.  The doctor was right - my Mom's homemade soup contained meat and vegetables and was a full meal in itself, providing a variety of nutrients from protein to vitamins & minerals.

My own children also enjoy soup and love watching me transform water and vegetables into a delicious meal! 

Soup is so easy to make and you can add just about anything!  All you need is water, meat or vegetable stock, salt & pepper and vegetables.  Then you can add anything you have in your fridge or pantry - try different herbs, cubes of meat or chicken, beans, pasta - the sky's the limit and there's no right or wrong!

Soups: leek & potato, vegetable & butternut squash

A new soup recipe I tried yesterday was for butternut squash as a friend had given me a squash.  (I chose a recipe from a Cookbook containing recipes submitted from my husband's work colleagues so thanks to Jennifer R for this one!)


Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbs butter
6 cups peeled & cubed butternut squash
3 cups water
4 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
8oz light cream cheese (or less if you like it less creamy)

Cooking Instructions:
1)  In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender
2)  Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper & cayenne pepper
3)  Bring to a boil; reduce heat & cook about 30 minutes or until squash is tender
4)  Puree squash mixture with the cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth.  return to saucepan and heat through but don't boil
5)  Season with salt & pepper if needed

This recipe lets me give good examples of how ingredients can be adapted for different reasons: 

~ Don't have one of the ingredients?  That's ok! I didn't have marjoram so I substituted oregano.

~ Don't want too many calories or fat in your soup?  I reduced the butter I used to cook the onions (the recipe stated 3 tablespoons, I used only 1.5 - 2 tablespoons) 

~ Using light cream cheese is definitely better than the full fat option and as the recipe states you don't have to use the full 8oz.  However, if you're being really careful of your fat intake you can omit the cream cheese altogether & it can be substituted for a splash of low fat milk.  Sure it might taste less creamy but it'll still taste delicious! 

So go ahead and experiment with different soups! Adapt the recipe to suit your needs and enjoy the warmth and nutrition each bowl provides!

Think positive!

So often nutrition & health articles focus on:

• changes we need to make
• things we know we should be doing but aren't 
• foods we know we shouldn't be eating but we still are!

So I thought I'd encourage you to focus on the positives you may already be doing for your health.  Take a moment to reflect on your day...

• did you eat fruit today?
• have you drunk some water?
• did you stop what you were doing and sit down to eat lunch?
• have you packed an afternoon snack to take to work?
• did you take the stairs instead of the elevator? (an 'oldie but a goodie'!)
• did you make time for breakfast? (your body's most important meal of the day!)

Take a few moments in the evening to set things up for the following morning:

• fill a reusable bottle with water & put it in the fridge ready to grab the next morning
• put a healthy snack in your work bag/diaper bag/backpack
• set out a plate on the table to remind you to eat breakfast
• place the fruit bowl somewhere obvious so you'll pick some up on your way out the door

Starting your day by achieving something straight away will encourage you to make more good choices throughout the day!  I'd love to hear what you're already doing for your good health!

National Watermelon Day

America is having a heatwave right now! Here in Colorado we've had 18 days of  >90F heat, a couple days in the 80's & now back to the 90s for the forseeable future! 

No-one wants to be slaving over a hot stove in this weather but you can still enjoy delicious, nutritious food that's quick to make and requires little or no cooking. 

Yesterday was National Watermelon Day! To celebrate, I chose a recipe from Health magazine which was light, refreshing, delicious and very quick to make.

I had the ingredients on hand as I love feta cheese so it's a staple in my fridge and we grow mint in our garden.

Mint (growing well despite the dryness of the ground here!)

Herbs are easy to grow and can be done in a window box or tub on your balcony if you don't have a garden.

These flavors go great together!

Refreshing, summer flavors!

The only 'cooking' required

A quick 2-3 minutes each side is the only cooking required! Allow to cool, remove the skin and cut into chunks

Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper

 

 

Mix a tablespoon of olive oil with a table spoon of balsamic vinegar. Drizzle this over salad and add salt & pepper. Delicious!