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ByAnn
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

We all have been affected by cancer, whether it was you, a friend, or a family member. While we know there’s no one magical change that you can make to completely avoid all risk of cancer, it’s a group of changes and adopting a healthy lifestyle that can help you take preventative measures.

One change that you can make is eating your fruits and vegetables! We know, you hear this from us ALL the time. However, we wanted to share in more detail the “behind the scenes” benefits of them that you may not know about.

The term phytonutrients is a name for a wide variety of compounds produced by plants. Each phytonutrient comes from a variety of different plants and has different effects on and benefits for the body. Although scientists have only studied closely a small fraction of phytonutrients, researchers estimate there are up to 4,000 of them!

How do you get phytonutrients? They’re found in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains. If you try to improve your balance of meals by including different colors of fruits and vegetables, you’ll be able to provide your body with a wide variety of nutritional benefits.

What are the health benefits of phytonutrients? New experimental studies are emerging and suggesting that phytonutrients may have an even greater role to play in human health than the already positive results that have been discovered to date. See below for some foods that you can incorporate into your daily intake to get these phytonutrients. It’s easier than you think!

PhytonutrientProposed BenefitsFood Sources
AnthocyanidinsBlood vessel healthBlackberries
Blueberries
Cranberries
Plums
Raspberries
Red onions
Red potatoes
Red radishes
Strawberries
Beta CaroteneImmune system
Vision
Skin health
Bone health		Apricots
Broccoli
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Collard greens
Kale
Pumpkin
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Winter squash
IsoflavonesBone health
Breast cancer
Joint inflammation
Lower cholesterol
Menopause		Soybeans
LuteinCancer
Eye health
Heart health		Artichokes
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Collard greens
Kale
Lettuce
Spinach
LycopeneHeart health
Prostate cancer		Pink grapefruit
Red peppers
Tomatoes
Tomato products
Watermelon
ResveratrolCancer
Heart health
Inflammation
Lung health		Grapes
Peanuts
Red wine
Information adapted from https://fruitsandveggies.org
ByAnn
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Blasting Through Weight Loss Plateaus

We all know that weight loss is a journey and not a destination. As you start your journey, keep in mind two things: (1) your weight loss will slow down as you get closer to your weight goal, and (2) you want to achieve a weight that you can actually maintain. There will be ups and downs, so you need to have a plan for when you are on a weight loss plateau. A plateau is a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress.

Do you think you are on a weight loss plateau right now? Here are some tips to help you get through it:

  • Review what you’re eating: Make sure you haven’t become more lax, slowly increased portions without realizing, or are mindlessly eating. Did you remember to track that handful of potato chips you grabbed while walking through the kitchen? Extra nibbles here and there start adding up, so always ask yourself: “Am I hungry or am I bored?”
  • Track your exercise AND food: This is the best way to see what’s going on. If you think you’re in a plateau, track closely what you’re eating for 1 to 2 weeks and then let your dietitian review it with you to suggest possible changes.
  • Focus on the quality of your calories: It’s not only about calories but the type of foods you eat.
  • Change your workout routine: Your muscles become familiar with a workout that’s done repeately, so try a new fitness routine. Muscle mass is active tissues, so your body will burn more calories at rest if your muscle mass is greater than your fat mass. Gradually increasing the time and intensity of your exercise is beneficial too, but only do as much as you can tolerate!
  • Get adequate sleep: Sleep deprivation lowers leptin (an appetite-suppressing hormone), increases ghrelin (a hormone that stimulates hunger), and cortisol (a “stress hormone” that rises during tension-filled times).
  • Increase your fluid intake: Drink 80 to 100 oz of water per day (10 to 12 cups). The signs of dehydration can feel like hunger and trick your body into feeling hungry.

REMEMBER: Focus on the health benefits of your weight loss and celebrate your victories other than that number on the scale. Some other victories to celebrate include coming off of medication, increased energy levels, better mobility, improved quality of life, and feeling comfortable in your own skin. Any health goal that you have is important and worth working towards. Just because making lifestyle changes are hard doesn’t mean you can’t do it. You’re worth it!

ByAnn
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Coping with Emotional Eating

There’s so much more to eating than just eating when we are physically hungry. We could be feeling emotional (happy OR sad), stressed, bored, or “just because”. Emotional eating is eating as a way to suppress or soothe emotions, which can disrupt your weight-loss efforts. We’ve all been there, BUT the satisfaction is only temporary and doesn’t ultimately solve the underlying issue.

Here are some tips to help curb emotional eating:

  • Keep a food diary: Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you’re feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you might see patterns that will reveal the connection between your mood and food.
  • Tame your stress: If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try a stress management technique (e.g. yoga, meditation, deep breathing).
  • Have a hugner reality check: Is your hunger physical or emotional? You’re probably not hungry if you just ate, so give the craving a time to pass.
  • Get support: You’re more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family, friends, your dietitian, or a support group.
  • Fight boredom: Instead of snacking when you’re not hungry, distract yourself and substitute a healthier behavior. Try taking a walk, watching a movie, listening to music, reading, or calling a friend.
  • Take away temptation: Don’t keep hard-to-resist comfort foods in your home. If you have to go food shopping and you feel angry or sad, try to postpone your trip until your emotions are more under control.
  • Don’t deprive yourself: You may restrict calories too much when trying to lose weight, which can lead to increase of food cravings, especilally in response to emotions. Eat satisfying amounts of healthier foods, enjoy an occasional treat, and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.
  • Snack healthy: If you need a snack between a meal, choose a snack that includes protein and fiber (e.g. fresh fruit with nuts, vegetables with guacamole or hummus, popcorn, yougurt with a sprinkle of granola).
  • Learn from setbacks: If you ate emotionally, forgive yourself! It happens: we aren’t meant to be perfect. Avoid letting guilty feelings set in, learn from the experience, and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you’re making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that will lead to a healthier life.
ByAnn
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Meal Prep and Planning

Preparing your meals the same day that you plan to eat them is very difficult. A lack of planning to prepare meals can lead to unhealthy food choices.

It’s important to find a routine that works for you. Meal prep should save your time and make it easier for you to eat healthier during the week. Getting into a routine may take some trial and error before you finally find what works best for you. Here are some tips to get you started:

—Storage—

If needed, buy new storage containers (I prefer glass containers with snap lids). It’s a good idea to buy containers that are the same size so that they can be stacked easily in your refrigerator.

—Plan—

Planning is essential before you go to the grocery store! Make a shopping list based on the ingredients you will need. DO NOT go to the store when you are hungry or have no idea what you’re making.

Come up with a menu for the week that will include each of your meals and snacks. Remember to make enough to have leftovers so you don’t have to cook every single day.

—Preparation—

Do all of your food preparation in advance: dice and chop vegetables, hard boil eggs, and/or grill or bake protein. These can be used during the week to make meals, such as salads.

Make easy meals that don’t require a lot of ingredients and time. A crockpot is a great way to make a large quantity of food for the week.

One-pan meals are easy and delicious too. Don’t forget to add seasonings, herbs, and spices to make your meals taste great!

Make whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, barley) and potatoes (sweet or regular) in advance. These will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a few days and can be added to salads or used as side dishes for your main meals.

—Time—

Set time aside for yourself on a weekend day to meal prep for a few days. For example, prep on Sunday to get you through Wednesday. Then prep on Wednesday for the rest of the week. Put everything in containers and store them in the refrigerator so they are easily accessible. Do what’s best for you – package all your meals for the week in containers at one time or package meals day-by-day with the foods you’ve prepared.

—Cooking—

The point of meal prep is to make life easier for you during the week, but this doesn’t mean that you have to pre-cook everything! For example, you can marinate chicken breasts or lean beef, place them in the freezer, and defrost them when you’re ready to cook them. The same thing applies to other food items, such as homemade turkey burgers, meatballs, and soups.

If you like your vegetables or proteins freshly cooked (like me!), then you can portion them out for each meal and put them in containers when they are ready to be steamed, sautéed, or grilled. The only thing you will have to do the day of your meal is to cook them.

—Snacks—

Portion snacks into snack-size bags, but look at the serving size on the label too. This is very helpful in preventing you from eating mindlessly straight out of the bag and consuming too much at one time.

ByAnn
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Ways To Boost Your Metabolism

Many people believe that severely restricting their calories is the only way to lose weight. This is FALSE! Your body wants and needs to be fueled properly to function. Your body uses energy for lots of things, such as your brain to function, your heart to beat, your lungs to breathe, and your digestive system to digest foods. When you restrict too much or completely eliminate any particular group of foods, your body will not be able to work the way it wants to.

It’s often forgotten that it’s not always about the physical amount of food you are eating, but also the type of food. For example. living on protein bars isn’t the same as eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins. Your body utilizes these foods better as opposed to artificial or highly processed products.

What is metabolism anyway? Metabolism is the process of converting food into energy to power everything we do, from moving to thinking. Here is a way to think about it: picture a fire. If you keep putting wood (the fuel) in the fire (your body), it keeps burning. If you stop fueling the fire, it starts to weaken.

Here are some ways to boost your metabolism and help you lose weight:

  1. Incorporate weight training or body weight exercise into your routine. Increasing muscle mass is beneficial because muscle is active tissue. This means that the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest, even while sleeping. Fat mass is inactive tissue.
  2. Stay hydrated. Your body needs water to process calories. Being dehydrated all the time can ultimately slow down your metabolism.
  3. Snack smart. When you go too long without eating, your metabolism can slow down over time. You want to eat every 3 to 4 hours throughout the day. Choose snacks that include proteins, healthy fats, and high fiber carbohydrates to keep you full as opposed to high sugar and highly processed foods.
  4. Incorporate whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats into your meals. These foods take longer to digest, so you end up burning more calories during the digestion process to break these foods down.
  5. Avoid fad diets! Jumping from one new restrictive diet that you hear about to another can have a major effect on your metabolism over time. The word “diet” is a red flag since it is short-term. Focus on lifestyle changes.

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