Tag Archive for: Kitchen coach

Fallen Off the Health Track?

 

Life can get in the way of you doing the things you know you should do to be healthy. Luckily, there are simple hacks you can try to get back—and stay—on track.

 

As a person who prioritizes wellness, you already know you should prioritize healthy foods, stay hydrated, move your body often and get plenty of sleep for optimal health. But following a healthy lifestyle is a juggling act full of distractions and diversions. Sometimes you drop the ball on healthy habits. You may have to work through lunch and end up eating from the vending machine. Or, you may have trouble falling asleep at night and then fail to get up for your morning exercise class.

It can be tempting to just give up on healthy habits when your plans go awry, but there’s generally something you can do to reroute your course when things get off track. The secret is to address glitches in your wellness routine as they happen rather than letting them spiral into days, weeks or months of derailed healthy habits. Just as one unhealthy action can lead to another, one healthy action can give you the confidence and motivation to tackle other healthy habits.

Here’s help navigating ten real-life scenarios, complete with ways to make the healthy choice the easy choice by having the strategies and tools you need at your fingertips.

 

INSOMNIA ATTACK

It’s 9 p.m., and you crawl into bed to watch a couple of episodes of your favorite TV show that you downloaded on your tablet. Four episodes later, you decide you’d better get some sleep. After turning off the lights, you toss and turn, struggling to fall asleep. Frustrated, you reach for your tablet and start checking your social media accounts.

Quick fix: Using social media at midnight can be too mentally stimulating. Instead, get up and do something relaxing, such as reading a paper—not digital —book. Or, wind down with an adult coloring book.

Long-term hack: If you binge-watch shows, at least take a break between episodes to give your mind a rest, and turn off all screens at least 30 minutes before bed. Additionally, download f.lux (justgetflux.com) on your tablet and other digital devices to reduce your evening exposure to blue light—wavelengths of light especially prone to suppress your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep.

 

SUPPLEMENTS SLIP YOUR MIND

There’s a growing collection of dietary supplements in your cabinet that seem to be collecting dust rather than fortifying your body. You have multivitamins to fill nutritional gaps, vitamin D to boost immunity in the winter months, an omega-3 fish oil pill, a probiotic for gut health, curcumin for inflammation, a bone health supplement and more. You just can’t seem to remember to take them regularly.

Quick fix: Get a pill container that breaks doses into time of day and day of the week. Divvy the pills into the container based on the label instructions or advice from your health practitioner.

Long-term hack: Use your smartphone to create a photo inventory of each supplement bottle, capturing both the front and the Supplement Facts label. Next time you’re considering adding a new supplement to your regimen, cross- check it with what you’re already taking to make sure you’re not duplicating.

 

TAKING TIME FOR TEETH

During a dental checkup, you’re told you have gingivitis, meaning you have red, swollen gums that bleed easily. Fortunately, it’s a mild form of gum disease that you can likely reverse. Your hygienist reminds you to brush twice a day and floss daily. You’re consistent about brushing but have never mastered the flossing habit. It just seems like such a chore.

Quick fix: Set a goal to floss just one tooth after you brush your teeth tonight, and then celebrate your achievement with a little happy dance. It may sound silly, but it works, according to research by behavior scientist BJ Fogg, PhD, at Stanford University in California. He advises tackling new behaviors by making them so tiny and simple that you can’t help but do them.

Long-term hack: Once you’ve tackled the initial hurdle of starting to floss, every night add another tooth (or more) to your flossing routine. Continue to celebrate your efforts until you’re flossing your entire mouth every night. Try this approach with other new health habits, too. Get tips at tinyhabits.com.

 

HOME DETOX

You’ve heard that many products used in homes contain ingredients that can potentially harm health and the environment. As you look around your house and take stock of the chemical- laden detergents, hand sanitizers, air fresheners, perfumes, body lotions, hair products, deodorants, soaps, cosmetics and bathroom cleaning agents, you become overwhelmed.

Quick fix: Build your motivation and know-how for ridding your house of potentially toxic products by watching a documentary on the topic, such as stinkmovie.com.

Long-term hack: Decide whether you want to donate products or gradually replace them with natural alternatives as they’re used up. Research clean product choices at ewg.org/guides/cleanersand ewg.org/skindeep, and download an app such as Detox Me at silentspring.org/detoxme to walk you through the process and track your progress.

 

FAMILY FOOD TIES

You come from a close-knit family and see your parents and adult siblings often. Here’s the rub: Their eating habits don’t mesh with your get-healthy goals. Mealtime gatherings often involve carryout pizza, fried chicken, bratwurst, chips, soda and sugary desserts—so you end up eating such foods a lot more often than you’d like.

Quick fix: The next time your family gathers for a meal, don’t try to change the whole menu, but try to get at least one healthy item on the table. For example, bring a big, leafy-green salad or a colorful tray of fresh fruit to share.

Long-term hack: Invite your family over for meals, and subtly show them how good it can taste to eat healthy. Consider getting them involved in helping you make meals, too. For inspiration, flip through old issues of Delicious Living or peruse recipes at deliciousliving.com, take a cooking class or watch a cooking channel on TV.

 

FOOT FLARE-UPS ON FLIGHT

Your connecting flight on a cross-country business trip is delayed by two hours. As you walk to your next gate, you notice your shoes are feeling tight and you’re thirsty. Anxious to get off your feet, you head into a Mexican restaurant near your gate and enjoy a margarita with chips and salsa while you wait. After polishing off half the basket of chips, you notice you’re feeling even thirstier than when you sat down and now your ankles are swollen.

Quick fix: The salty snack, alcohol and air travel is a triple whammy to your hydration and increases risk of foot and ankle swelling. Walk around the airport to get the blood flowing in your limbs, fill up your water bottle and drink it while putting your feet up for a bit.

Long-term hack: The day before your next flight, drink plenty of water and limit your sodium intake as much as you can, which will reduce the fluid retention that contributes to swelling. Also, consider starting a supplement of the well- researched pine-bark extract Pycnogenol (take 50 mg three times a day) three days before your next flight to minimize ankle swelling during travel.

 

CRUMMY-WEATHER WORKOUTS

You love fitness walking outside in the fall, but when the temperature nose-dives you’re prone to put exercise on hold. You live in a small town, so there’s not a mall where you can walk inside. There’s not even a local gym to join. You’d buy a treadmill, but you don’t really have space for it.

Quick fix: Try a walking video you can do in a small space in your home. Check out youtube.com/walkathomemedia to start.

Long-term hack: Though you can exercise indoors in colder months, it’s healthy to get fresh air when you can, too. Dress in weather- appropriate layers, and explore new ways to exercise outside when the sidewalks aren’t clear, such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or simply walking in snow boots.

 

CAFFEINE ADDICT

You work two jobs, take college classes in the evenings and help care for a wheelchair-bound parent. Most of the time you feel frazzled and on edge. You rely on caffeinated drinks to keep you going when you’re tired and stressed. Your doctor says you need to get your blood pressure under better control or you may have to take medication.

Quick fix: Stress and anxiety can increase your body’s excretion of magnesium, a mineral important for controlling blood pressure. Supplement with 300–500 mg of magnesium (such as magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate) daily in divided doses with meals.

Long-term hack: Drinking highly caffeinated beverages, such as energy drinks, can increase anxiety and blood pressure in some people. Gradually wean off the energy drinks and caffeine, and replace them with a stress-reducing tea, such as ashwagandha or decaffeinated green tea.

 

THE LUNCH CRUNCH

Your late-morning meeting ran long, leaving you just 5 minutes to eat before your next meeting. Though you planned to visit the salad bar at your local natural foods store, this is no longer an option. With a sigh, you buy a granola bar from the office vending machine. You munch it hungrily and peer at the wrapper, noticing it contains several common GMO ingredients, including sugar, canola oil and soy lecithin.

Quick fix: Though you can’t take back the GMOs you just ate, you can balance out the sugary carbs. Pick up some peanuts at the vending machine to keep your blood sugar from dipping halfway through your next meeting.

Long-term hack: Assemble a lunchtime emergency kit with organic and non- GMO items such as freeze-dried fruits and veggies, grass-fed beef sticks and single-serve nut packs. You’ll be prepared the next time your lunch plans derail.

 

 

MOM MISSED HER WORKOUT

As a full-time working mom with young children, your workouts are hit or miss— mostly a miss. Before kids, you used to love going to the gym after work. Now, even if you could manage to get out of the house to exercise in the evening, you’re usually too exhausted to consider it. The mornings aren’t a great option, either, as getting everyone fed, dressed and out the door already feels so chaotic.

Quick fix: The few minutes of extra sleep you get in the morning between hitting the snooze button generally aren’t very restful, so retrain yourself to get up as soon as your alarm goes off the first time. To boost motivation initially, think of something you really love to do—such as reading a novel or watching a reality TV show—and get up to do that first thing in the morning.

Long-term hack: Once you’ve retrained yourself to enjoy getting up earlier, start using the early-morning hours for quick exercise, whether it’s doing a workout video in your living room with the kids or setting up a home gym in your basement. If it’s more motivating, invite another mom to join you—in person or virtually.

 

Author Credit: Marsha McCulloch, RD

Marsha McCulloch is a registered dietitian and freelance writer.

Art Credit: New Hope Network

 

This post (or portions of this post) was provided by New Hope Network. I am a member of the New Hope Influencer Co-op, a network of health and wellness bloggers committed to spreading more health to more people.

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Is Plastic Food Storage Wrap Your Sustainability Achilles’ Heel?

Sustainability tip: Why you should switch to reusable food wrap

You’ve swapped plastic grocery store bags for reusable cloth totes. You haven’t purchased bottled water in years. You even bring your own bamboo drinking straw to parties. But is plastic food-storage wrap your sustainability Achilles’ heel?

Then check out the bevy of new brands crafting reusable food wrap from beeswax-coated cotton fabric. Made by melting nontoxic beeswax (and sometimes jojoba oil and tree resin) into the fabric fibers, the cloth becomes pliable in the warmth of your hands. Use it just like plastic wrap around half an avocado, a bowl of cherries, a baguette or anything else to protect food, ward off mold and keep food from drying out. Each beeswax cloth can be washed by hand in warm water and hung to dry and lasts for about a year.

Another welcome difference between plastic wrap and beeswax cloth: a slightly honeyed scent that wafts from the cloth during use. We love it!

Try it out:

Abeego Reusable Beeswax Food Wrap, Medium

This beeswax wrap protects food from air and moisture, and mimics natural and porous lemon peel and onion skin to let your food breathe.

Khala Cloths Multi Pack

Preserve food by wrapping it with this beeswax wrap and sealing with the warmth of your hands. The blend of organic beeswax, coconut oil, and natural tree resin created for Khala Cloths will adhere to itself, keeping food fresh until you are ready to use it again.

 

Author: Jenna Blumenfeld

Thank you to  Author, Jenna Blumenfeld and  New Hope Network Blogger CO-OP

 

 

 

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Going gluten free as a senior

  While learning to live a gluten-free lifestyle can be daunting to anyone, it provides unique challenges to seniors over age 65.

As awareness of gluten issues grow, more and more people – including seniors – are being diagnosed with celiac disease and gluten allergies. While learning to live a gluten-free lifestyle can be daunting to anyone, it provides unique challenges to seniors over age 65.

Here, we address some challenges seniors going gluten-free may grapple with.

 

 

 

 

 

Getting diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity

Once considered a disease that affects mainly children, doctors now know that gluten issues can affect anyone at any age. But for older people who may be grappling with other health issues, getting a proper diagnosis can be tricky because the symptoms mimic those of a number of other ailments.

To get a proper diagnosis, you’ll want to first rule out celiac disease, an auto-immune disorder caused by gluten that attacks the small intestines. Celiac affects 1 percent of Americans, says Lola O’Rourke, the education supervisor at The Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. That translates to about 400,000 adults over age 60.

A celiac screening test is a simple blood test and the key to this test is to get screened before you take gluten out of your diet, says O’Rourke. Otherwise, “you’re going to have a potential false negative.”

If you don’t have celiac, the next step is to test yourself for “non-celiac gluten sensitivity,” which affects about 18 million Americans, or six times the number of those who have celiac, according to the Beyond Celiac website.

“There isn’t a test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity. The only way to know if you have it is to give up gluten for several weeks and then binge on it. If you feel really bad, then you probably have it,” says Jane Anderson, a medical journalist who writes about the gluten-free lifestyle for Verywell.com and who has been gluten-free since 2003.

The good news is most gluten issues can be managed with diet alone, and the growing awareness of the gluten-free lifestyle means living gluten-free has never been easier.

 

Dining out

Many restaurants these days have gluten-free options labeled on their menus, making dining out for gluten-free seniors much easier.

Here are some tips:

  • Call ahead to find out if a restaurant has a gluten-free menu or gluten-free options
  • Inform your waiter that you are gluten-free, not by choice, but because of serious health reasons
  • Speak to the chef and ask for menu accommodations or recommendations

“The beauty is now if you say, ‘I’m gluten-free,’ you don’t get a blank stare, you get, ‘oh yeah, my mother or my aunt is gluten-free,’” says Anderson, who has written many articles for Verywell on dining out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten-free eating at home

 

Dining at home is always a gluten-free person’s best option. You don’t have to worry about cross-contamination on a cutting board or someone adding a dash of flour as a sauce thickener.

But while there are a ton of gluten-free labeled processed foods (no need to give up beer, bread, crackers or even cereal), seniors should consider sticking to the basics, such as: dairy, fresh fruits, meats and veggies.

Why? Because for seniors, “your caloric needs go down, but your need for nutrients goes up,” says O’Rourke, who is also a registered dietician. Processed foods, even the gluten-free ones, can be unhealthy.

What’s more, there’s no reason a gluten-free lifestyle should be limiting.

“We encourage people to really explore ethnic cuisines. There’s a whole world of Asian, Indian and Mexican cuisines that don’t rely on gluten-filled ingredients at all,” says O’Rourke.

To learn more about gluten-free food options, see “What Can I Eat” from the Celiac Disease Foundation.

 

 

Grocery shopping

Anyone on a gluten-free diet needs to become an expert label reader because many foods contain gluten, especially processed ones.

“The biggest issue is learning where to look for gluten. You can’t just say, ‘I’m going to give up bread and cookies.’ It’s nowhere near the only gluten in everything,” says O’Rourke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some tips to follow when reading labels, according to Celiac.org:

  • Check for obvious glutens: barley, brewer’s yeast, malt, oats, rye, soy, wheat.
  • “Wheat-free” does not necessarily mean “gluten-free.” When in doubt, go without.
  • You can generally trust the “gluten-free” label because the FDA regulates gluten in food.

 

 

Prescription medications, supplements and vitamins with gluten  

Seniors with a gluten intolerance need to be careful managing over-the-counter and prescription meds, many of which contain gluten in their

binding agents.

Both Anderson and O’Rourke recommend seniors make friends with their pharmacist. The pharmacist can check if your meds contain gluten and help find an alternative for those that do. Because binders can change in a prescription, you should have the pharmacist check every prescription with every refill.

Anderson also adds that “it’s easy to do supplements because a lot of them are gluten-free and the companies want you to know it,” says Anderson, who orders her own supplements on Amazon and finds that many companies label their products “gluten-free.”

She does caution, however, that “it’s unusual, but not unheard of, to find a supplement that has gluten.”

Learn more at Celiac.org and Glutenfreedrugs.com, a searchable prescription and over-the-counter database that is managed by a pharmacist.

 

Searching for gluten-free senior living

One of the biggest problems gluten-free seniors face is finding an assisted living or long-term care community that can accommodate their specific dietary needs.

Communities that provide long-term care must provide a diet prescribed by a doctor, but assisted living and retirement facilities do not, Ronni Alicea, a dietician specializing in gluten-free diets in healthcare facilities, said to the Gluten-Free & More website.

Still, more and more residences are adopting gluten-free menu options. Grandview Terrace in Sun City West, Arizona, and GenCare Lifestyle communities in Arizona and Washington are all gluten-free certified.

Not all seniors can afford or want to move far away to a community that specialize in their needs. So how to find a place that can work with you? You can start by researching residences and setting up appointments.

 

“You have to talk to the people in charge of the food – the dining coordinator or dietitian or the staff on consult,” says Anderson, who recommends that you “don’t just ask, ‘can you do gluten-free.’” Instead, ask them to walk you through a week’s worth of menus.

Also ask to speak to other gluten-free residents who can tell you straight out if the food is good, if the community really sticks to a GF menu and if there is variety and a lot of options so you won’t get bored.

 

This article originally appeared on aplaceformom.com.

Author: Julyne Derrick

https://goo.gl/rMG84n

DISCLAIMER–The views and opinions expressed here are based solely on personal experience, research and my interactions other professionals in the field of health and wellness. This article is not a diagnose, or medically based advise. Your experiences and sentiments may differ from my own. If you are suffering from any serious medical condition, you should consult your doctor or naturopath for a diagnosis.

 

 

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IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME

Spring Giveaway! 

My Sage Gourmet and The Swag have teamed up for a Spring Giveaway.

To Enter- Head over to Instagram, find @mysagegourmet   and simply follow the rules to enter

 

THE RULES:

Follow @mysagegourmet and @theswagusa and tag a friend.

Enter as many times as you’d like to increase your chances.

A set of winners (tagger and tagee) will be picked by our team.

Contest ends on the first day of Spring-March 20 @ 12:00pm PST

 

 

What’s up for grabs

Each Winner will receive The Swag Bundle includes each of the Swag Produce Bags (Small, Long & Large) and The Grocery Shopping Bag.

Winners must live in the U.S. and be 18 years or older to enter.  This giveaway is not associated with Instagram.

Please visit the http://www.theswagusa.com to learn all about this incredible product line.

 

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Starve a Fever, Feed a Cold?

If you’re not quite sure how this saying goes, no worries: Starving is definitely not the right solution.

When your food consists of a nourishing diet, your body responds in kind. Foods that are nutrient dense assist in fighting infections and may reduce and prevent illness. Let’s get to know the best sources.
Antioxidants
These can help keep your immune system strong. Antioxidants, which include beta carotene and vitamins C and E, are essential nutrients and can help keep your immune system strong. They help protect your body on the inside. One way they do that is to target “free radicals,” which are molecules that can harm things including cell membranes. By taking away their destructive power, antioxidants may help you stay healthy or bounce back faster if you do get sick.
The best way to include them in your diet is to eat more fruits and vegetables. If you cook them, use as little liquid as possible to keep the nutrients in the food.

Foods rich in beta carotene and other carotenoids include:
Apricots
Asparagus
Beef liver
Beets
Broccoli
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Corn
Dark Chocolate-yes you read that correctly 
Guava
Kale
Mango
Mustard and collard greens
Nectarines
Peaches
Pink grapefruit
Squash
Sweet potato
Tangerines
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Bioflavonoids

Foods rich in bioflavonoids may also help you stay in tip top health. Research shows that these key nutrients help to boost immune system activation. These natural substances accompany vitamin C in plants and act as an antioxidant.
Food sources: You can find bioflavonoids in the pulp and pith in the center of citrus fruits, green peppers, lemons, limes, oranges, cherries, and grapes.

Foods rich in vitamin C
Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of vitamin C. Citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato juice, and potatoes are major contributors of vitamin C to the American diet. Other good food sources include red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe. Although vitamin C is not naturally present in grains, it is added to some fortified breakfast cereals.
Getting plenty of C may be especially important for pregnant moms and infants.
Recent studies in Seoul, South Korea, reported higher birth weights among babies born to mothers with high vitamin C levels. Further, the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that vitamin C in breast milk may reduce the risk of allergic dermatitis in predisposed infants.

Fruits with the highest sources of vitamin C include:
Berries-Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, blueberries, cranberries
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts,
Cantaloupe, Cauliflower and Citrus fruits and juices, such as orange and grapefruit
Kiwi fruit
Mango
Papaya and Pineapple
Potatoes
Watermelon
Spinach, Cabbage and Turnip greens
Tomatoes and tomato juice
Winter squash
Vegetables with the highest sources of vitamin C include: Green and red peppers

Cooking vitamin C-rich foods or storing them for a long period of time can reduce the vitamin C content. Microwaving and steaming vitamin C-rich foods may reduce cooking losses. The best food sources of vitamin C are uncooked or raw fruits and vegetables. Fortunately, many of the best food sources of vitamin C, such as fruits and vegetables, are usually consumed raw. Consuming five varied servings of fruits and vegetables a day can provide more than 200 mg of vitamin C.

How Much You Need
The current recommended daily intake for men is 90 mg and for women it is 75 mg. “Don’t waste your money on mega-doses of vitamin C,” says Higdon. A National Institutes of Health study showed that the body can only absorb a maximum of about 400 milligrams a day; more than that simply washes out of the system (the upper tolerable limit for vitamin C has been set at 2,000 milligrams per day). Follow the latest advice to eat between five and nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day and chances are you’ll get all you need—especially if you choose several foods high in C.

Phytochemicals and Glutathione
Phytochemicals Glutathione are found in plants and fruits, A diet that includes a variety of grains, fruits, and non-starchy vegetables are a great choice.

Foods rich in Phytochemicals include :
• Apples
• Apricots
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Fresh Garlic
• Legumes
• Onions
• Sweet potatoes
• Yams
• Tomatoes.

Protein
Protein is essential for building and repairing tissue, and for fighting infection.

Choose protein sources that are nutrient-rich and lower in saturated fat and calories, such as:
• Canned Tuna (I recommend Safe Catch) https://safecatch.com/
• Lean, organic, grass-fed beef meats
• Seafood-click before you pick-http://www.seafoodwatch.org/
• Beans
• Soy
• Cottage cheese
• Nut butters
• Eggs-organic, range free, no antibiotics
• Sweet Potato
• Lentils
• Quinoa
• Broccoli, Spinach and other leafy greens
• Nuts and seeds. Especially pumpkin seeds with over 9 gr. Per serving
Remember variety is King! Choose different protein sources to get the best of all sources.

Good ole Chicken Soup
Chicken soup appears to help fight colds in at least two research studies. It helps clear nasal congestion as well as thin mucus so you can better cough it up. Also, research shows it may have a mild anti-inflammatory effect that can help ease cold symptoms.

Time for Tea
Drinking hot tea is another great old home remedy. Hot tea helps to thin mucus and ensure proper hydration of the body. Green and black teas are filled with flavonoids, which are potent antioxidants.

The Bottom Line-
Keep meals and snacks on the lighter side. Paying attention to you’re the messages your body is sending.
Stay Hydrated!
Steer clear of sugar, especially processed sugar. Not only is sugar not helping you get and stay better but it could actually make you much sicker, lowering your resistance and potentially attracting a secondary infection like bronchitis or pneumonia. Stay Home- going out in public is harming not only your health but the health of others, and it could lengthen your illness.
Finally, get Lots of Rest.
None of these things will absolutely keep you from getting that dreaded bug but stacking the deck in your favorite and taking care of yourself most certainly are the best methods for your overall health and wellness.

DISCLAIMER–The views and opinions expressed here are based solely on personal experience, research and my interactions other professionals in the field of health and wellness. This article is not a diagnose, or medically based advise. Your experiences and sentiments may differ from my own. If you are suffering from any serious medical condition, you should consult your doctor or naturopath for a diagnosis.

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