3 ways to stay well this winter

3 ways to stay well this winter

Cough, hack, sneeze! I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hearing this everywhere! From work to daycare to friends and family… everyone is coming down with something. It has me thinking about these 3 things we all could be doing to stay well this winter.

Get your Vitamin D level checked. Our vitamin D levels are lowest in the winter months which means we may be missing out on some helpful immune benefits. One research study reported that adults who have low vitamin D levels are more likely to have had a recent cough, cold or upper respiratory infection.  There is still a lot of research to be done about vitamin D but we do know that the active form of vitamin D can tame inflammation and boost production of microbe-fighting proteins in your body.

Dietary sources of vitamin D include salmon, tuna, fortified milk or juice, liver, cheese and egg yolks. It is not likely that you will be able to meet your needs through diet alone and the level of vitamin D supplementation you need will depend on your blood level. So talk to your doctor today if you think your vitamin D levels are low. In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt to be taking a multivitamin that includes some vitamin D.

Stay hydrated. If you are anything like me, a glass of cold water doesn’t sound great this time of year. That’s trouble considering we still need to stay hydrated in the winter months. The good news is we can choose other ways to fill our bodies with the fluids we need. My favorite options? Tea and soup! Now doesn’t Candy Cane Green Tea sound delightful? Or what about unwinding with a little a cup of honey lavender stress relief tea?? And I can’t tell you how excited I am about this new local product for making soups. Thank you, Kate Elia, for transforming high quality, under-appreciated local scraps into a heavenly tasting kitchen staple that I can’t wait to get my hands on for winter cooking.

Move more. The shorter, colder and sometimes gloomy days of winter can encourage us to stay inside at our desk, on the couch or snuggled in bed longer. It can be hard to be as active as we are in the warmer seasons. It’s worth the effort though. Exercise makes you feel healthier and more energetic, it can ward off depression and it keeps our waist line slim. I love to find creative ways to move more in the winter. After sitting for a bit, I will get up and shake my sillies out (can you tell I have a 3 year old?) or I might run to my car instead of walk. Sometimes I do push ups while letting the kids play in the bath tub or do squats while I brush my teeth. These may seem small and insignificant but every lit bit of movement adds up. Of course, it’s also great to do more stretching, walking or a weight-lifting, too.

Food for thought:

What are you doing to stay well this winter?

Tell us:

What is your favorite winter wellness tip?

Looking for an immunity boost in your diet and lifestyle? We can help!

kristen

Why I broke up with sugar and made friends with fat

Why I broke up with sugar and made friends with fat

Monday, December 5, 2016

I have an awesome job. I get to sit and talk to healthy people every day, learn about their strategies and hear their success stories. What I’ve learned is each of us has our own system and strategies to be healthy and well-balanced. We’ve talked about different diets such as Paleo, Atkins, and I have even referenced the military diet… Ice cream every day y’all! As you know, Kristen and I do not promote diets because we want you to have a lifestyle that is conducive to living well without restrictions. We believe in the Well-Balanced Plate.

Lately, I’ve heard a recurring message from family members and clients as they strive to eat well through the holiday season. First step… Cut out the fat. For many years fat has endured a bad reputation and not surprisingly, it’s a pretty complex macro nutrient. For example, 1 g of fat has 9 calories versus 1 g of protein or carbohydrate has 4 calories. That means foods with fat are more energy dense.

Recently, I came across an article, Sugar and heart disease: The sour side of industry funded research. I felt empowered and frustrated while reading about how the Sugar Research Foundation paid the scientists and doctors doing the research to detract attention from any evidence linking sugar and coronary heart disease.

What we know now: Fat is our friend.

How fat is our friend:

  • Makes food tastier
  • It fill us up
  • Keep us full longer
  • Helps us absorb other nutrients such as fat-soluble vitamins.

About a year ago, I got really frustrated with my sugar cravings and talked about it with my good friend and fellow dietitian, Brenna Thompson. She helped shine light on the benefits of incorporating more fat (and protein!), which essentially makes less room for my body to crave sugar. I changed my diet gradually over the past year and typically include at least 1 to 2 tablespoons of fat with most meals. Not surprisingly, breakfast includes peanut butter or almond butter, at lunch I usually have salad dressing or mayonnaise (not necessarily the healthiest choice). I typically cook with olive oil or butter on my vegetables at dinner. When I first made this change I was genuinely upset after finishing dinner and realizing I was so satisfied and did not have any room for the chocolate or other sweets I typically indulged in after a meal.

Food for thought:

As we are surrounded by sweets, treats and goodies this holiday season I wonder if you will make fat your friend too? If you’re struggling with cravings, I suggest a tablespoon of peanut butter or handful of almonds.

What’s one way you can add, our friend, fat into your diet?___________________________________________

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You are what you say you are… Why words matter

You are what you say you are… Why words matter

The other day I was listening to a play back of a message I left for someone. It is so strange to hear your own voice, right? The first thing I noticed was that I took really long pauses in between my words. Maybe it is something that only I notice or maybe it is something other people pick up on too. Either way, I am a bit self conscience about it but here is why it happens.

I have grown incredibly aware of how important our words can be. Words, the things that fly out of our mouths, sometimes all willy-nilly like, can leave a lasting impact. You might remember a specific moment when someone’s words made a lasting impression on you – for better or for worse. Maybe it was a motivational speaker or something that was said during an argument. Those are big moments.

Even in the small, everyday mundane moments, our words matter. We can really be in the habit of saying the same words over and over without realizing it. A simple example is how many times we go around saying something like…  “How are you?” “Fine, and you?” “Have a good day!”

Now dig a little deeper and think about all the other things we just automatically say. As a parent, I say “See?! Now that’s what you get for doing XYZ.” Or, “That’s why we don’t stand up in the chair.” Ugh… it just comes out like word vomit. I cringe when I hear myself saying that because no one needs to be reminded of a mistake they made in the midst of the pain. Chances are they’ve learned the lesson and they just need a little empathy and understanding.

We can say similar things to ourselves, often without noticingI ask my clients to weigh themselves daily if they are trying to lose weight, but I tell them to be careful of their words and thoughts as they are doing it.

“I’m so fat.” “I can’t believe I ate all that.” “I’ll never lose this weight.”

These are the kinds of words and thoughts that can really sabotage our best efforts. When we see or hear negative words our bodies send out stress signals. Even worse, when we do it over and over again we can really start to believe those words.  The more we hear, read, or speak a word or phrase, the more power it has over us. This is because the brain is always searching for patterns and repetitions in order to make sense of the world around us.

Instead of letting words get the best of us, we can use the power of words our advantage. We first have to gain awareness and then control over that which we are exposing ourselves to daily. Our natural tendency is to focus on the negative, and it takes work to turn that around. So when I speak slowly, it’s because I am consciously making an effort to catch and cancel out those negative words. It’s definitely a work in progress.

Food for thought:

What words do you speak, read or think repeatedly?

Try this today:

Go on a negativity diet.

  1. First, notice and be aware of your negative words and thoughts.
  2. When they pop up, you can say, “cancel, cancel, cancel!”
  3. Replace negative words with positive ones. Try saying challenge instead of problem or yes, later instead of no, not right now.
  4. Replace judgments and criticisms with words of kindness. We are all doing the best we can so be kind to yourself and others. Or if you must give negative feedback try sandwiching it between two positive statements/thoughts.

Boost the Power of Positivity. The next key is feeding your brain more good thoughts than bad.

  • For every one negative thought you have, generate 3 to 5 positive thoughts. Your positive thoughts don’t have to be perfect, sound good or even make sense.

Feed your brain a hefty portion of positive words at least 3 times a day.

  • Start your day by reading or saying positive affirmations, quotes or scripture.
  • End your emails with a happy message.
  • Drink from a cup with an uplifting message on it.
  • Plaster sticky notes with positivity on your mirror, computer, phone, etc.

Tell us..

What ideas or thoughts do you have on the power of words?

kristen

Connecting the ‘know how’ and the ‘how to’

Connecting the ‘know how’ and the ‘how to’

Monday, November 28, 2016

It’s here! We’re in it. The infamous holiday season. No matter how busy you decide to be this season it’s no excuse to put your wellness goals to the backburner.

Last week, while listening to Darren Hardy talk about how to succeed in business and life I got to thinking about his use of tough love. Sometimes his message makes me a little angry; however, he’s got a good point.

Most of the time, for anything we want to do it’s a matter of having the right knowledge and being brave enough to try. For example, all summer I kept saying I wanted to swim in the quarry at Eno State Park but could never figure out where to get in so it never happened. Last weekend, my friend showed me the way and now I know for next time (when it’s warm enough to get in the water!).

I believe this is often the case for our healthy habits. We want to do well and we “know” what to do, but we might need someone to show us how. Thank goodness for YouTube!

What seems like it should be simple can often feel overwhelming. Think about when you learned how to drive… This may be harder to recall for some of us! It’s an exciting but daunting task. Driving is a lot of responsibility and there are many moving parts, literally. Nowadays, you get in the car to drive without thinking about all the steps.

There is always a learning curve to each new activity we take on. Whether you’re eager to become a grill master or learning how to cook for one, it’s important to be gentle with yourself and take it one step at a time.

Food for thought:

Have you been making excuses to put off learning a new skill? ______ If yes, what do you want to conquer? _________________________________________________________________

Do you need more information? _____ Where can you find it?

_________________________________________________________________

Maybe you need a class or someone to guide and support you. Who can you ask for help?

_________________________________________________________________

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One thing you can do this holiday season to preserve your sanity

One thing you can do this holiday season to preserve your sanity

Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others. – Brene Brown

 

I’ve learned a lot about boundaries in the past 3 1/2 years. When my daughter was born I discovered just how much your heart can love a tiny human. Naturally, I want to give her the world and I want her to be happy. Now more than ever, she has been testing her limits and pushing her boundaries as three-year-olds do. In those trying moments, I want to give in to her desires just to make her happy. Yet, I know avoiding temporary disappointments will only lead to long-term consequences.

If I let my little girl do whatever she wanted, she’d miss out on opportunities to develop life skills like learning how to share, be a friend, follow directions, and get along with others. On the other hand, if I’m too strict with her, she might not learn to think on her own, her confidence could suffer and she might grow to resent  me. The sweet spot is right in the middle where loving boundaries exist.

A boundary is simply a line drawn between what is okay and not okay. While I’m in the thick of establishing these loving boundaries as a parent, I realize how important this concept is for our health and wellness goals as well. We have to determine for ourselves what is okay and not okay to preserve our health in the long-run.

For example, one of my clients has recently entered a new relationship. She realized upfront that she could easily get swept up in other things if she didn’t define what was important to her now. She knew that getting a good workout in at least 3 times a week kept her mentally and physically feeling her best. So now that she has this boundary set in her mind, it becomes easier to choose the gym even when other opportunities arise. She’s choosing to focus on the greater, long-term results of loving herself, instead of focusing on what would make everyone happy in the moment.

The holiday season is a time when we could all really stand to set loving boundaries. It is so easy to worry about disappointing others that we often forget to care for ourselves. Setting boundaries can be the most loving thing we do for ourselves this time of year. Your boundaries can help guide your decisions  and make it easier to stay true to yourself through the hustle and bustle.

Food for thought:

Boundaries are a function of self-love and self-respect. – Brene Brown

What boundaries will you set for yourself?

 

 

 

Do right: Lessons from Maya Angelou

Do right: Lessons from Maya Angelou

Monday, November 21, 2016

Inspiration. Lately I’ve developed a habit of enjoying my morning coffee break with inspirational YouTube videos. It started with Dr. Wayne Dyer, then I discovered more gems by Evan Carmichael featuring the Maya Angelou Top 10 Rules for Success.  As one of my favorite sayings goes, “inspiration without action is just entertainment.” Therefore, I strive to connect their wisdom to my journey and apply it to the health and wellness message we bring to our Well-Balanced Tribe. 

The first tip by Maya Angelou stuck with me all week as it reminds us to “just do right!” This can be applied to all facets of life – from how you treat a disgruntled coworker (with loving-kindness!), to deciding what to do for dinner. 

I’ve mentioned before I used to be a nailbiter, and I am proud to say now I don’t bite my nails most of time. There is the occasional moments I catch myself and hear Mama Cathy’s most loving nag voice of “quit biting your nails!”  When I’m doing right that includes regularly clipping my fingernails, painting with a color or clear nail polish and staying mindful of moments I feel tempted to start nibbling. 

I had a client last week who is working on making more well-balanced meals for her family. She’s rediscovered the plethora of options using her crockpot – hooray Pinterest! Unfortunately, now she worries if she should be buying organic? And what about the effects of soybeans on men and young children? And how about the canned cream of mushroom soup, isn’t that really bad for you? Instead of worrying, I suggested this client to continue making those 3 dinners a week and she aims to ‘do right’ by including at least 1 vegetable with dinner. 

We are all at a different stage in the journey of living healthy and well-balanced. Doing right for you may be not ordering French fries with the spicy chicken sandwich at Wendy’s. Or doing right means taking time on Sunday afternoon to chop veggies for dinner during the week. Or taking time to review the action plan checklist each day to see if you accomplished the wellness goals you set. 

Food for thought: 

I want you each to feel proud of the steps you’ve taken to be well. It’s a journey (marathon, not a spirit, for the runners out there). 

What did you do right last week? _________________________________

We are proud of you too! Keep up the good work 👍. 

Lucy’s Favorite Collards w/ Bacon

Lucy’s Favorite Collards w/ Bacon

Y’all it’s finally happened… I’ve been in the south long enough that I developed a taste for cooked greens and bacon. So yummy! Below is a recipe I’ve modified from Martha Stewart and my friend, Culley. 

Lucy’s Favorite Collards w/ Bacon! 

collards

Ingredients

  • 2 bunches collard greens, stemmed 
  • 3 teaspoons vegetable oil 
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced 
  • 3 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips 
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 
  • 1 cup homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes 
  • 1 Tbsp molasses

Directions

  1. Working in batches, stack greens; cut crosswise into 2-inch-thick strips. Gather strips; cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl of cold water; swish to remove grit. Transfer greens to a colander using a slotted spoon; let drain. Repeat until greens are free of grit. 

  2. Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bacon; cook until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add greens; cook, stirring, until greens begin to wilt and are reduced in volume. 

  3. Raise heat to high; add vinegar. Cook, scraping up brown bits from bottom of skillet, until vinegar has evaporated, about 1 minute. 

  4. Add stock, red pepper flakes and molasses; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, until greens are just tender, 12 to 14 minutes. If making ahead, refrigerate, covered; reheat over low heat.

Lucy’s Favorite Collards w/ Bacon

Author Lucy Hayhurst

Ingredients

  • 2 bunches collard greens stemmed
  • 3 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 red onion sliced
  • 3 slices bacon cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 cup homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tbsp molasses

Instructions

  • Working in batches, stack greens; cut crosswise into 2-inch-thick strips. Gather strips; cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl of cold water; swish to remove grit. Transfer greens to a colander using a slotted spoon; let drain. Repeat until greens are free of grit.
  • Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and bacon; cook until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add greens; cook, stirring, until greens begin to wilt and are reduced in volume.
  • Raise heat to high; add vinegar. Cook, scraping up brown bits from bottom of skillet, until vinegar has evaporated, about 1 minute.
  • Add stock, red pepper flakes and molasses; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, until greens are just tender, 12 to 14 minutes. If making ahead, refrigerate, covered; reheat over low heat.
3 things to do after you are as stuffed as the turkey

3 things to do after you are as stuffed as the turkey

Awh..the season for feasting is here. There is a good chance you will be eating some turkey, gravy, rolls, stuffing and all the things to go along with it soon.  YUM!! Who is excited for the yummy food?! (Me!) I could go on about how to be mindful, eat a well-balanced turkey dinner, avoid overeating but let’s face it…. Thanksgiving is about celebrating our food! Dare I say it but… I think it’s okay to overindulge a bit at your Thanksgiving meal.

Perhaps the most important thing is what you do afterwardHere’s what I plan to do after the feasting is done.

  1. Get outside and move! One year I did a turkey trot walk/run the morning of Thanksgiving. Another year my family walked around Duke’s campus after eating our meal. This year I’m gonna #OptOutside! Will you join me? Let’s say no to the long lines and madness of shopping and say yes to nature!! We’ll be posting pictures of us opting outside on our Facebook page. We wanna see your nature selfies too! Post them with the hashtag #OptOuside and #wellbalancednutrition
  2. Go green! Leftovers are awesome. We will likely have plenty of turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls and pie left after it’s all said and done!  It’s really easy to over-do it if we don’t balance them out with some fruits and veggies. I am planning to buy a variety of greens and fruit to eat alongside the remaining foods from the turkey day spread.
  3. Eat breakfast. When you overeat a bit on Thanksgiving, skipping breakfast that morning or the next day may seem like a reasonable thing to do but it’s not wise. I will keep my metabolism going with a small and healthy morning meal such as eggs and fruit.

There you have it, folks! Those are my plans. What will you do? Comment below and let us know or let us know on Facebook.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Ya’ll!!

kristen

 

Loving-kindness: exercise for the soul

Loving-kindness: exercise for the soul

Monday, November 14, 2016

Whoa! We made it!

We’re on the other side of November 8th and no matter how you felt when you woke up November 9th I’ve been thinking we all need a bit more love and kindness.

A few months ago I went to a talk at the City of Durham and our City Manager spoke about the philosophy they share with their employees. It’s three parts, starting with taking care of yourself; then taking care of work/life responsibilities and finally taking care of the community. I love this! It directly lines up with what we teach at Well-Balanced Nutrition.  First and foremost, all of us need to take care of ourselves. Last week, I had a client who was trying to give from an empty cup – see What fills your cup? – and as a result her mental and physical health are declining with poor sleep, high blood pressure, weight gain and elevated stress hormones. 

 As Dr. Wayne Dyer reminds us we cannot give away that which we do not possess. For example, you promise someone a bag of oranges, if you don’t already have oranges at home you would have to go to the store and buy them. To share love and kindness with your friends, family and community you must start by loving and being kind to yourself. Some do this by staying connected to their source, God. While others find more connection in nature or other outlets. 

In an effort to help myself, and everyone in my life, I spend time practicing a loving-kindness meditation or exercise as I walk through the woods, which I shared below. This gives me peace and gratitude while I use energy to send love first to myself, then my loved ones. Ultimately, extending this loving-kindness to someone I find difficult to love. Maybe it’s a politician, a group of people with different beliefs and more violent lifestyles or a coworker who causes stress or anxiety. 

Food for thought: 

I invite each of you to join me in 5 to 10 minutes of this loving-kindness exercise today.

Caution: Doing this exercise will make you feel happy and peaceful.

Loving-Kindness 

Shared by: Ann Thornton 

(Say aloud preferably, but you can speak it silently)

Loving kindness to [your name]

Repeat 3 times
May [your name] be happy, free from worry and pain
Repeat 3 times
May [your name] have the strength, courage, hope, and faith to meet and overcome the difficulties in her/his life.
Repeat 3 times
Next replace your name with names of your close loved ones, then you can pick the names of others you want to send loving kindness. Last, replace your name with someone you may be having difficulties with or trouble understanding.
 
You will soon memorize the phrases and the words will come naturally.
I was taught not to say them with strong emotions, but rather just calmly repeat them.

Three things dietitians wish you knew

Three things dietitians wish you knew

Have you heard of the cave man diet? How about the Twinkie diet? Then there is the Whole30, Alkaline diet, the Zone diet, South Beach diet and so on. We hear new and often conflicting information on food and nutrition several times a day.

There is a new diet or a research finding on Dr. Oz, O Magazine, or on your Facebook feed all the time. It’s exhausting. Overwhelming. Sometimes annoying and downright confusing.

With so much out there, what is a gal or guy to do when they just want to eat healthy? Have more energy? Make a change?

It’s important to find a Registered Dietitian you can trust. An expert in the field that understands what it takes to change habits. I polled my fellow RDs to bring you THE THREE THINGS DIETITIANS WISH YOU KNEW…

  1. Want to make a healthy change? You cannot do it overnight. Consistency, tracking, and accountability are the keys to healthy change. BOTTOM LINE: If a program or pill promises instant results, sounds too good to be true or makes it seem way too easy… it probably won’t work in the long run. You have to be willing to put in the work and have patience. The good news though, is you don’t have to do it alone. You got this and we are here to help.
  2. We aren’t judging your food choices. If you sit down at the lunch table with one of us, you shouldn’t worry, we really don’t want to be the food police and we don’t want you judging what we eat either! Dietitians eat sweets and junk foods sometimes, too! BOTTOM LINE: No food shaming here! We try really hard not to label foods as good or bad. We actually encourage enjoying sweets, beer/wine or other indulgent foods that are worth it to you on occasion.
  3. There isn’t a ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL approach to healthy eating. Each of our bodies is unique and the foods that will make us feel our best will be different. We love to help people figure out the right eating pattern that fits their individual needs and preferences. BOTTOM LINE: Just because your friend had success on a diet, doesn’t mean you will. We encourage you to do what is right for you. We can help you find what that is.

Food for thought:

Do you agree with these 3 things?

What is the most absurd diet advice you’ve heard?

So what’s the right choice for you? I know, I know. Maybe you’re thinking, “if I knew that I wouldn’t be talking to you!” That’s why we call it a journey.

Start your wellness journey with us today.