Healthy You for Life Newsletter Spring 2016

Healthy You for Life NewsletterSpring 2016

As we jump into spring and nice weather is just around the corner do not let spring activities and busy schedules interrupt the importance of your goals for a healthy you. Remember a healthy you is not just in the food and drinks you choose, it is also in the way in which we eat, move our body and a positive outlook for ourselves and the future. As we prepare for spring let’s prepare for success!

Meal pacing

Have you ever sat down to a great meal, turned on the TV, eaten, and had no idea how anything tasted? What about sat down at the dinner table, cleaned your plate and gotten up for a second serving before even 10 minutes have gone by? Meal pacing is an important tool for health and nutrition no matter the quality of the food. Speed eating often leads to overeating, feeling over full after a meal and internal frustration over lack of control of intake. As you work to take control of both your health and emotional well-being try some of these tips below to help slow the pace of your meal. You may no longer win the competitive eating championships, but you are bound to feel better both physically and emotionally as you slow down and enjoy the food you eat.

Sit down to eat in a calm environment with minimal distractions. Don’t eat while driving, watching TV, texting, etc. Pay attention to your food.
Choose high-fiber foods that take more time to chew, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Put down your utensils between bites. Take a moment. Breathe. If you’re eating with other people, enjoy making conversation for a few minutes.
Try setting a minimum number of chews per bite. This will feel strange at first, but give it a try and see what you discover.
Use smaller plates or different utensils (such as chopsticks).
If you find yourself rushing, that’s OK. Put your utensils down and take a minute to re-focus. If slow eating isn’t habitual for you, this will take practice.
Find another slow eater and pace yourselves to them. Picky little kids and chatty dinner companions who hardly stop talking long enough to take a bite are often ideal for this.
Set aside time to eat – at least 20 minutes for each meal, and preferably even longer at dinner. Don’t just eat “whenever you get around to it” or treat it as an inconvenience. You’re fueling your body and maybe spending quality time with friends and family. That’s important. It deserves an appointment.

Mindful eating

The difficulty is not in the food, the fat cells, the stomach or intestines. The difficulty lies in the mind. It lies in our lack of awareness of the messages coming in from our body, from our very cells and from our heart. Mindful eating helps us learn to hear what our body is telling us about hunger and satisfaction. It helps us become aware of who in the body/heart/mind complex is hungry, and how and what is best to nourish it.Mindfulness is awareness without criticism or judgment. When we practice mindful eating we are paying full attention to the experience of eating and drinking, both inside and outside the body. We pay attention to the colors, smells, textures, flavors, temperatures, and even the sounds of our food. To practice mindful eating try some of the tips below. You may notice these overlap with meal pacing tips, that’s right! They are so important and interrelated that as you are more mindful of your intake you will begin to not only slow down your meal pace as a result, but also notice how eating affects your mood and how your emotions can influence our eating.

Take a seat—no eating on the run, walk, or drive
Uni-task-no more multi-tasking—let eating be your focus at meal and snack time
Eat in an unusual way-switch things up—try using the other hand for utensil
Socialize—participate in conversation of those around you
Avoid extreme hunger—don’t wait more than 5 hours between meals
Water—drink a sip of water between each bite
Time yourself—20 minutes to give your stomach a chance to tell your brain it’s had enough to eat

Just keep Walking

As the weather warms up lace up those sneakers and start walking! Walking is an inexpensive way to improve your health and the most popular way to improve aerobic physical activity. People who are physically active live longer, have a lower risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, and some cancers. Some of the great reasons to start walking are listed below, and these are just a few!

Simple – no instructors or membership needed.
Inexpensive – no special equipment involved.
Achievable – can be done nearly anywhere, anytime.
Easy – just get up and walk!

Roasted Vegetable Tacos

From Kids Eat Right

Ingredients

1 16-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
½ teaspoon minced garlic
Cooking spray
1 medium yellow squash, sliced crosswise
1 medium zucchini squash, sliced crosswise
1 small yellow onion, sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 6-inch corn tortillas
½ cup prepared green salsa
½ cup (2 ounces) crumbled queso fresco cheese
1 medium tomato, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.Puree beans and broth in food processor until smooth. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chopped onion and jalapeño pepper 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add bean puree and stir until well combined. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until heated.Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray yellow squash, zucchini and sliced onion with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake approximately 20 minutes, flipping sliced vegetables halfway through cooking time.Heat tortillas. Spread approximately ¼ cup bean mixture onto each tortilla. Top with approximately ¼ cup squash and onions. Finish each taco with 1 tablespoon salsa and 1 tablespoon cheese.

Nutrition Information:Serving size: 2 TacosServes 4

Calories: 309; Total fat: 7g; Saturated fat: 2g; Trans fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 5mg; Sodium: 444mg; Total carbohydrate: 53g; Dietary fiber: 11g; Sugars: 9g; Protein: 13g

Roasted Chickpeas Snack

Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

15 oz can chickpeas, drained

Olive oil spray

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp chili pepper powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Drain chickpeas in a colander and let them dry completely. Pat dry with a paper towel if needed. Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 35 to 45 minutes, shaking the pan every ten minutes. All ovens are different so make sure they don't burn. They will be golden brown and crunchy on the inside when done, not moist. In a medium bowl, combine all the spices. Remove chickpeas from oven when done and spray with olive oil. Immediately toss with spices while hot. Eat at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:Servings: 3 • Size: 1/3 cup

Calories: 144, Total Fat: 1 g, Carbohydrates: 26 g, Fiber: 6 g, Protein: 8 g, Sugar: 1 g, Sodium: 84 mg, Cholesterol: 0 mg