"Spring" Into A Healthier You!!

Don't forget to spring clean your cupboards, and your fridge!!
AAAAAHHHHHHH spring is fast approaching and many of us will be doing just that spring-cleaning. I love spring!!! Spring is the time of year where we start getting ready for bikini season. It is typical for us to start eating less, eating healthier and exercising more around this time of the year. I often get a new sense of freedom when spring comes. Leaves are returning to the trees, I can now drink cold beverages like healthy shakes, homemade ice teas and lemonade. I can also eat lighter. No more cravings for comfort foods, warming, thick rich foods. Though yummy they tend to pack on the pounds a lot faster than a crispy fresh salad do. So in our preparation for spring lets remember a few things. Spring-cleaning should apply to the foods you have available in your home that is not beneficial to your health.

This spring lets rid our cupboards of the salty snack, the salted seasonings, and all sugary foods and beverages that well, have more calories than they do nutrients. Pack all the unnecessary, unhealthy foods that you house in your pantries and take them to a shelter, or a soup kitchen that feeds the homeless. Trust me they need it more than you do. Start planning for your next grocery trip. The first step is to make a shopping list, make sure this new healthy you shopping list is void of all the things you just removed from your cupboards. Substitute sodas with more water, or a 100% juice drink. Replace sweets, such as cookies and snack cakes with fresh fruits or fruit cups in light syrup. Items such as sugar free Jell-O, Popsicle treats made of fruits or 100% fruit juices are great. Try something different; explore other snack options such as your favorite fruit dried. Purchase frozen berries and make a quick healthy shake when the sweet cravings begin. My favorite is banana, 1/2-cup soymilk and a tsp of honey for taste and one banana.

There are many different food items available to us. Let us all be adventurous and break away from the norm this spring. Challenge yourself to find a new seasoning that is just as tasty as the salted one you currently use. Eat less meat, and drink more water this spring. Buy healthy snacks for home and for work. Having a healthy satisfying snack at work will keep you away from the vending machines and from the convenient stores. Being prepared is only the second phase in your quest for a healthier lifestyle. Let spring be your springboard into making the changes that will impact your health for the rest of you life.

Are you Ready?

The struggle to lose weight is often won by some and lost by many.
Sometimes we set out with unrealistic expectations and give up fast when we do not see the results we are expecting. Weight loss is a struggle no matter how much weight an individual is trying to lose. Whether its 5 pounds or 30 pounds we all struggle with making the necessary changes that will impact our weight and health for the long run.

Are you ready?

Well, are you? Readiness is a major factor in starting weight loss and maintaining it. We all want to lose weight but not many of us are mentally prepared for the challenges we experience during the weight loss process. It is very easy to follow someone else's plan but can you create a plan of your own that works for you. Many of us do not have the time, and most of us are not willing to invest the time needed to learn to eat and live healthy lives. Being ready requires that you have some understanding of foods, weight and healthy lifestyle practices. This knowledge can be gained from conversing with others, reading materials on diet and exercise, speaking with healthcare practitioners like your physician, a nurse or a staff nutritionist.

Are you ready?

Are you ready to change habits? Habits form and stay with us for most of our lives. The saying that old habits die hard is very true. Being successful at losing weight and keeping the weight off require overcoming unhealthy habits and forming healthier ones. Relieving your self of bad habits could be very challenging. Most of the time habits are formed out of routine. It is routine to stop at Dunkin Donuts on your way to the office. It is routine to go to the gym work out for an hour and then grab a hot caramel macchiato from Starbucks on your way home. Part of breaking unhealthy habits is changing up your routine. Identify the things you do out of routine that is not beneficial to your health and find ways to change them.

Get Ready!

Be mentally prepared before you start any diet program. Whether it is one you created or one someone has created for you. If you are not ready within your mind, body and soul success will be short lived. Prep yourself at least a month in advance. Start a journal. Write down your expectations, your goals, time frame and even your doubts. Begin a conversation with yourself about why you want to lose weight and what you are willing to change to have this happen. Be honest with yourself about the process of weight loss. A successful weight loss program takes time and it educates you in the process. That education is important in the long run, it is this new knowledge that will help you keep the weight off for years to come.

First Lady Michelle Obama taking on childhood Obesity!!

I am excited that Mrs. Obama has chosen to champion the issue of childhood obesity. Not just as a Nutritionist but as a mother of children who are average to normal weight and often times get ridiculed for being skinny, bony and so on. In a nation where big, and bigger is now the norm, we have fast lost concept of what normal is. Childhood obesity is not only a problem for children; it is a problem for adults, doctors and teachers alike. Parents have to deal with having an obese child, who may or may not develop diet related diseases at a much earlier age than is expected. It is a fact that obese children are ridiculed more in schools, but that is not the only reason to keep our children's weight within the norm.

According to the CDC 16 %( over 9 million) 6-19 years old are either overweight or obese. In addition to the 16% who are overweight or obese 15% are at risk of becoming overweight (Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States, 1999-2002"; Oct. 6, 2004). The significance of these numbers will be felt for years to come in these children lives. More than likely they will stay overweight, or obese into adulthood. The impact of this on one's health is reflective of why it is important to combat this epidemic now. High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, High Cholesterol, Heart Disease and even some forms of cancers are risk factors associated with obesity.

Children as young as 8 years are developing health problems such as diabetes, and high blood pressure due to obesity. Do we want to have a nation of children who are diabetic by the age of 16, can we manage the cost of caring for these children once they have developed these complications. The truth is America already has a health care crisis and it will only get worse if we do not start educating and stressing the importance of prevention. The old saying goes "Prevention is better than cure". Preventing childhood obesity now in beneficial for all of us in the long run. Michelle Obama’s fight is one that I gladly embrace. If we can stamp out or decrease the number of incidences of childhood obesity we will decrease the impact of diet related illnesses in our communities.

Diets

What is a diet?

A diet is simply what you eat.
Your diet consists of what foods you eat and how much of these foods you eat. These are the most important aspect of eating healthy. What you eat and how much you eat affect how many calories you take in on a daily basis. You can be eating all the right foods but still take in too many calories because you are eating too much. Understanding food recommendations based on the Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) is imperative in assisting you to strike healthy balance in your daily eating habits.

Foods are not just calories; they provide us with essential nutrients that keep us healthy, vibrant, and energetic. Eating too much from one food group can cause nutrient deficiencies that may lead to health problems. It is important that we have a variety of healthy foods in out diets daily. Variety is truly the spice of life and having a variety of foods in your diet can lead to an exciting rediscovery of eating healthy.

So the next time you think about dieting think about this. How will dieting affect the way I eat over all. Will I return to my usual habits (my current diet) once I am through dieting. Am I learning healthier eating habits from this diet or am I simply altering what I currently do to fit someone else’s model. Start breaking down the pros and the cons before you fall into another fad diet. Learn your basics needs based on how you already eat and work from there. Learn how to modify your eating habits based on what you are already eating, what you like to eat, and what you should have in your DIET daily.