Since the conference was in Denver, I was able to visit my roommate from Virginia Tech! We had an awesome time catching up and she showed me all the best places in Denver. Now onto a picture recap of the weekend!
As many of you know, I was in Denver this past weekend for FitBloggin '15. I learned a ton of new information and met some amazing people who share my same passion for health and wellness. I also had the opportunity to "live blog" one of the sessions. Check out my "live blog" on the photography and recipe development session here. Since the conference was in Denver, I was able to visit my roommate from Virginia Tech! We had an awesome time catching up and she showed me all the best places in Denver. Now onto a picture recap of the weekend! Can't beat the Denver skyline The Big Blue Bear at the Convention Center California Avocado Commission Lunch Mile High City Coors Field Little Man Ice Cream Local, sustainable restaurants Brunch at Snooze Red Rocks I had an incredible time in Denver and at FitBloggin! I can't wait to go back soon!
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Denver is a pretty incredible place so far and I can't wait to get started with the FitBloggin' crew! Stay tuned for all the things I'll be learning! Sometimes it's the little things in life that really make you smile. Thankfully, I have some great people that keep me going when things get tough. This past week consisted of: Beautiful flowers Snap Pea Crisps (These things are addictive and now at Costco!) PB2 (Also, now at Costco and delicious to add some good protein and flavor to smoothies and shakes!) Spending time with this joker DIY Projects More busy days ahead, but looking forward to them.
What are the little things that keep you going? This week has definitely been a stressful week with many different things popping up. With this increased stress, my diet and exercise wasn’t “on point”. Many of my patients have life stressors and tend to become frustrated with their lack of weight loss during that time. I try to remind them that stress has a big effect on the body and can mess with weight. When stressed, many of us get physical symptoms such as, headache, digestive issues, inflammation and trouble sleeping. However, things that we can’t see are also going on in the body. When we are stressed our body releases hormones including epinephrine and cortisol. Both of these hormones help get our body into defense mode. With the increase in epinephrine, we may notice a decrease in appetite at first. The rise in cortisol leads to an increase of glucose in the blood stream giving the body energy for “the fight or flight”. Cortisol can also inhibit the release of insulin production, blocking normal body systems to again provide energy. The increase in cortisol often increases appetite and tends to have longer lasting effects than the other hormones. Our body is working hard while we’re stressed to try and remedy the situation, but this is often why we can experience weight gain or a stall in weight loss during this time. Our best defenses to stress are diet, exercise and practicing mindfulness. As i’m tired and busy this week, i’m trying to remember how important those three are and how much they help to relieve my body of the stress symptoms. How do you address stressful situations?
I never thought i’d see those words in the same sentence, but that day is here! Yesterday, news came out that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has reviewed evidence and determined that partially hydrogenated oils (also known as Trans Fats) are NOT “generally recognized as safe”. The GRAS term is used by the FDA when evaluating and reviewing foods and supplements. Food manufacturers are given a timeline of 3 years to remove trans fats from their products. We’ve talked before about the impact that trans fats have on the body, including increasing bad cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. The hope is that these changes to the law will decrease our intake of Trans fats, thus decreasing the risk of their adverse effects. This is a huge step in the right direction for improving the health of the country. However, we each need to take a responsibility in our own health and know that the elimination of Trans fats won’t magically cure our obesity epidemic. Unhealthy items will still exist without Trans fats, so it is up to each of us to be knowledgeable about what we are putting into our body. Read more about this big change here! Photo from http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/06/fda-follows-through-on-its-plan-to-ban-trans-fats/
This weekend was a quick one with big celebrations. The boy and I were able to go visit my family for my nephew's first birthday party! It was a wonderful weekend spent with family and friends. It's definitely hard to leave, but it's back to the grind! There was lots of good food while we were traveling and i'm feeling a bit of that today. A green smoothie is always my favorite post travel drink to get in some good nutrients and improve my energy. For my Green Smoothie I typically add spinach, kale, carrots, fruit and some protein powder if i'm feeling it. A great way to start a Monday back and rejuvenate after traveling.
What's your favorite Green Smoothie recipe? As a dietitian, I get many questions about cleanses and whether or not cleanses are healthy. In my professional opinion, cleanses are unnecessary to "clean out" the body. Our bodies are pretty impressive and they have systems in place to help get rid of unnecessary substances. The biggest issue with cleanses is they often rid the body of healthy bacteria, which decreases our defense systems. The key words of "prebiotic" and "probiotic" play a huge role in the health of our digestive system. Now, all good things need fuel and food. Probiotics feast on prebiotics. Prebiotic foods provide fiber that the good bacteria (probiotics) can feed on. Good sources of prebiotics include asparagus, bananas, mushrooms, oats and almonds. A healthy balance of pre and probiotics can help keep our digestive systems happy and healthy. Happy Friday! And here's to a weekend of fun celebrations! Here is a great ab workout that will really target all the areas of the core. Below the workout are links to descriptions of the exercises. Show Wednesday who's boss!
Two weeks ago, one of the groups I work with was feeling frustrated about healthy eating and weight loss. They had been plugging away at trying to eat a balanced diet and felt as though their hard work wasn't paying off. I gave them the challenge of being "Carb Aware". Now, I don't advocate a low carbohydrate diet because I don't believe that works long term. However, I do advocate being "Carb Aware". "Carb Aware" simply means being mindful of where the carbohydrates in our daily intake are coming from. Many of us can get into the habit of having one source of carbohydrates as our only source during the whole day (for many it is usually bread). Carbohydrate awareness can help us see patterns in our carbohydrate intake and look to add variety or substitutions. IT DOES NOT MEAN WE HAVE TO CUT OUT OUR CARBOHYDRATES. Let's look at an example: A typical intake for Cary is the following: Breakfast-Scrambled eggs, 2 slices toast Lunch- Turkey and Cheese Sandwich, Carrots and Hummus Dinner- Grilled Chicken, Broccoli, Garlic bread We see that most of her carbohydrate intake is coming from bread. Let's be a little more "Carb Aware" and give her some substitutions. Her "Carb Aware" meal plan may look something like this: Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, 1 slice toast, 1 cup fresh berries Lunch- Turkey and Cheese Lettuce Wrap, Carrots and Hummus, 1/2 cup Yogurt Dinner-Grilled Chicken, Broccoli, Sweet Potato We're not necessarily cutting out her bread, but we are decreasing her intake and substituting other sources of carbohydrate. This variety can help us give our body different nutrients, making it work more efficiently. Looking toward incorporating more of our carbohydrate sources through fruits and vegetables can also decrease calories and increase healthy fibers. Remember that beans, peas and yogurt even have a good source of carbohydrates. Take some time out this week to be more "Carb Aware" and see how it impacts your body!
Happy Monday :) I recently completed a health assessment for my work that provided me with my overall levels for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Thankfully, all of my levels were in a good spot. However, many people struggle with high cholesterol and dangerous lipid levels. I wanted to discuss a few tweaks we can make to our diets to improve cholesterol. 1. Decrease intake of Trans and Saturated fats: Trans fats are found in many processed foods and can be hidden under the name "partially or fully hydrogenated oil". Saturated fat is natural fat that is typically found in animals and animal products. Both of these fats increase cholesterol. 2. Increase fiber intake: Eating a diet high in fiber can help lower cholesterol. Look to consume ~25-30g of fiber per day. 3. Incorporate Healthy fats: Incorporate healthy fats from nuts, seeds and fish. Fish contains Omega-3 Fatty acids, which protect the heart. 4. Get Active: Exercise help increase the good cholesterol in the body. Aim for 30 minutes of activity daily. Break it up into smaller bouts if needed. 5. Hydrate Properly: Our bodies are made up of fluid and adequate fluid intake is necessary for them to work properly. Fuel the body with low-calorie, low-sugar, caffeine-free beverages. Many of these tips should be included in anyone's lifestyle, regardless of cholesterol numbers. Look to make some tweaks today! Happy Friday! Photo from freeimages.com
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AuthorKatie is a Registered Dietitian in the Greenville, SC area. She currently works as a surgical weight loss dietitian. In her spare time she enjoys playing volleyball, cooking and hiking. Archives
January 2016
CategoriesDisclaimer: I am a Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer, but I am not a Medical Doctor. Please check with your doctor before changing your activity level or making changes in nutrition based on medical conditions. My recommendations are generalizations and may not be appropriate for all individuals.
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