North Carolina Action for Healthy Kids (from Jill)

The North Carolina Board of Dietetics (the local branch of the American Dietetic Association that licenses all Registered Dietitians) is promoting a program called North Carolina Action for Healthy Kids. This group has declared September "Successful Students East Smart and Move More" month. This was done to help raise awareness that parents, teachers, administrators and the community at large need to understand for themselves and promote the importance of good nutrition and physical activity for children and adolescents. Check out the website www.NCActionForHealthyKids.org for resources you can use to educate yourself and the young people in your life. OR call your closest Health Educator and make an appointment today!

Exercise Pill (from Jill)

I'm sure there will be LOTS of inquiries in the next few weeks since the article came out yesterday about a new "exercise pill" so let's talk about it now before we get too far gone. First of all, this research was done in a small population of mice... there is NO way to tell if the pill will have the same effect in humans. Second, there are many other benefits to exercise besides just burning calories.... you increase your cardiovascular health, improve your mood, increase your stamina and build muscle mass - just to name a few. So, while it may seem like a "miracle cure" for any couch potatoes out there, remember the saying that "... if it's too good to be true, it probably is"

Eat, not drink, your fruit (from Jill)

Just wanted to bring to light the discrepency between what you THINK you get in a fruit smoothie and what you actually get. What many people think they get is good nutrition but what you actually get is alot of sugar and not alot of nutrition. Now, this is not always true across the board - especially if you make it at home. But, for the most part, if you order a smoothie at any of the popular chains, what you are getting are mostly fruit-flavored syrups and ice - and ALOT of it! A standard 20 ounce (the smallest option at most chains) provide you with ~ 400 calories, almost no fiber, no protein and alot of sugar. Yes, some of that MAY be natural fruit sugar (depending on what was real fruit and what was syrup) and yes, it will most likely be fat free, but slurping down 400 calories of mostly quick-absorbing carbohydrates as a "snack" isn't going to give you nearly the longer-term fullness factor that other 400 calorie items might and, most of use grab these as a snack but, for most of us 400 calories is way too much for a snack. So, again, be prepared when you leave the house and bring your own fresh fruit and water for a snack and, if you HAVE to stop off at a smoothie bar, get the smallest size possible, check to see if they add any fresh fruit to it and SPLIT it with a friend :-)

Happy 4th (from Jill)

Many people see a long holiday weekend as an impossible hurdle to sticking to a healthy living plan but you CAN celebrate the holiday and not throw all of your good habits out the window. If attending a barbeque or cookout, try to find out ahead of time what the menu will be. If possible, offer to bring something to the event (like chicken breast or veggie burgers so that you won't be stuck eating unhealthier fare like burgers and hotdogs). If you feel awkward bringing something or can't find out ahead of time, maybe consider eating a healthy meal before you go and spending your time mingling and socializing instead of eating. Or, if you feel like you will be "obligated" to eat sometime, at least have a snack before you go so that you won't be starving and can feel satisfied with just a few bites of a higher-fat food choice. Remember to also try to stay well-hydrated and don't stand near the buffet table or bowl of chips and other junk food. If all else fails, remember that you have all day friday, saturday and sunday to get in some good exercise to balance out any unhealthy food choices that may play into the celebration this weekend. Whatever you do, be safe, have fun and be sure to return to your healthy lifestyle as soon as possible. One weekend shouldn't, and doesn't have to, change your overall health.

Parents' Money (from Jill)

I read an interesting article lately that was both surprising and upsetting. It talked about a study showing that parents spend more on fast food for their children per year than on entertainment such as books, music, video games and movies combined! Now, that's not ALL food, but just fast food alone. Not to say that there aren't times when we are all too busy to cook and also not to say that there aren't healthy choices to be made at fast food restaurants, BUT, we all know that the choices kids make at fast food restaurants are generally full of saturated fat and "empty calories". So, again, I know there are times when we are running and the drive-thru might be a necessary evil but I thought this eye-opening statistic may help spur us to plan ahead a bit more and pack a sandwich when we think we'll be on the run. Not only is it healthier for the kids but will also help save us lots of money (and fat and calories) at the end of the year :-)

health for the whole family (by Jill)

This week, i read and interesting article that talked about ways parents can help their kids eat healthy and I wanted to share those ideas with you.

1) Don't Nag- being a “food cop” is only going to drive your child further away from our healthy intentions. Rather than watching over their shoulder and what they are eating, try bringing only healthy food choices into the house so that there is not question if what they are eating is healthy. 2) Lead by example. - If you eat right and exercise regularly, studies show that eventually they will, too. 3) Do it for the whole family. – no matter if one person or the whole family is overweight, eating healthy will benefit everyone and prevents you from “singling out” one child who may be overweight. 4) Make it easy- Keep sliced fruit in the refrigerator and other healthy choices at eye-level or out on the table. 5)Give them a say. – a great way to help the kids fell empowered is to teach them what healthy foods are and then let them pick which snacks they’d like to have (that are within the healthy guidelines) 6) Eat together.- show the kids that the “rules” are for everyone, not just them.
If you’d like to incorporate healthy eating but need some guidance, feel free to call and make an appointment with one of our health educators today 

200 decisions (from Jill)

I read a really interesting article this past week and I wanted to share the main point with you. People often lament how hard it is to eat healthy all the time and they say they feel like a "failure" if they can't "stick to a diet". First, let me say that you really want to look at eating as a healthy lifestyle, not a diet. But, beyond that, i thought this article was very interesting because it said that we are faced with, on average, about 200 decisions about food each day. You know you have decisions to make for meals and snacks but this article was also pointing out that every time we see a commercial, an ad in the newspaper or pass by a yummy-smelling bakery, we are constantly bombarded with food images and make split-second decisions right then and there if this is something we are going to eat or not - even if we aren't hungry. So, my point is that, yes it IS hard and you are NOT a failure if you can't "stick to it". What you need are the skills to help you make healthy decisions 200 times a day and working one-on-one with your own dietitian can do that for you :-)