Favorite Health Blogs of 2011

Happy 2012! Before setting my sights to the new year, I'd like to take a quick look back at my favorite blogs of 2011. The blogosphere is a crowded place and it is necessary to exercise caution when taking advice from health-related blogs. Here are some blogs that rose above the rest in my opinion (and in no particular order): 1. Mayo Clinic's "Nutrition-wise Blog" I mean, the Mayo Clinic rocks. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/MY00431/TAB=expertblog 2. Nutrition Blog Network This blog intends to help consumers mine through the vast numbers of nutrition blogs out there by picking out some of the most interesting posts - it's maintained by registered dietitians. 3. Fit to Eat This blog is by Christine Rosenbloom, a professor emerita of nutrition at Georgia State. She didn't post as frequently as I'd like in the latter part of 2012 but everything she posts is of high quality. Here's hoping she posts more in 2012! 4. Stuft Mama Family Fitness Blog Disclaimer: I am friends with this blogger, Kristin Stehly, who is the owner of Stuft Fitness and an all-around amazing athlete. She has run marathons while pushing her twins in a double stroller, people! Her blog has great info about her own food favorites, workout tips and heart-warming personal experience anecdotes. http://stuftmama.com/ Happy New Year, everyone! Here is to a fantastic 2012 full of food, family, friends, fitness and fun.

Healthy Holiday Tips

The holidays have come on quickly, haven't they!? I feel that it was just Halloween and now here we are a few days before Christmas.

The holidays are joyful, stressful and almost certainly filled with challenges to your healthy lifestyle. There are extra sweets and fun holiday foods around and there seems to be much less time for exercise. When you combine extra calories consumed, fewer calories burned and the short December days, it can lead to weight changes and more stress.

So, how do you stay healthy during the holidays?

Try some of these tips:
1. Eat at regular intervals - meaning, do not skip a meal because you are going to a party later in the day and want to eat a bunch of goodies there. Eat normally prior to going to the party so that you're not ravenous by the time you get to sample your favorite treats - this will help prevent over-indulging.
2. If time is an issue, exercise in shorter bouts. Sometimes we get hung up on not having enough time to get in our "full workout," but it's better to squeeze in a 20-minute jog than to skip it entirely.
3. Watch the booze - alcohol not only has plenty of calories, it can also increase our appetite and lowers our resolve to eat healthfully. And, of course, never drink and drive. Be safe.
4. Remember your year-round strategies for healthy eating:
eat lots of fruits and veggies, stay hydrated, eat slowly and so on

Check out this article on 10 Strategies to Prevent the Holiday Bulge: http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/10_Strategies_to_Prevent_the_Holiday_Bulge.htm

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, all the best to you and yours!

The Importance of Being Well Fed

Dining Services locations will be open at 7am from Dec 5-9th for Early Bird breakfast hours. You should eat prior to taking your early morning finals -

If you're not convinced, check out this article:

Does Eating Breakfast Affect the Performance of College Students on Biology Exams? Gregory W. Phillips at Blinn College

http://amcbt.indstate.edu/volume_30/v30-4p15-19.pdf

Ok, I know, it's finals week and the last thing you want to do is read an article that won't be on your test! So here is the gist: in this study, the college students who ate breakfast had a higher pass rate than those who did not eat breakfast.

Booyah.

EAT BREAKFAST!

Good luck on your finals!

Healthy Thanksgiving Foods

Some people associate Thanksgiving with over-eating on rich, delicious, homemade foods...oh ok, everyone thinks of Thanksgiving that way! And, to some extent, that is healthy. Celebration, relaxation, meals with family and friends - these are all very healthy and wonderful parts of life.

But did you know that many of the traditional Thanksgiving foods are quite healthy as well?

• turkey white meat
• cranberries
• sweet potatoes
• pumpkins
• carrots, peas, green beans, broccoli

That's the good news! The next step is to avoid over-indulging so much so that you can still enjoy the football games, great company and spirit of the holiday.

Check out this article for the healthy Thanksgiving foods to include on your table this Thursday:

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/11/17/Thanksgiving-foods-are-some-of-the-healthiest/UPI-43321321582377/

What are you thankful for this year? I am thankful for my 3-week old healthy baby. I am also thankful that I can still write full sentences on the smallest amount of sleep I've ever had in a 3-week period. Ah, life with a newborn.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Freshman 15 - Fact or Fiction?

A new study shows that the so-called, "Freshman 15," the supposed 15 pounds that first-year college students gain during their freshman year, might be a fallacy for the majority of college students.

The new data suggest that about 90% of first year students do NOT gain the Freshman 15. A researcher at Ohio State University tracked back the concept of the Freshman 15 to a 1989 article in Seventeen magazine - isn't that wild!? Check out more information on the recent study that debunks the Freshman 15 and offers some more insight as to what college students should be concerned about: http://teens.webmd.com/news/20111103/freshman-15-may-be-just-a-myth .

Transitioning to college is a challenge but don't be overly worried about weight gain. Make smart choices - eat healthfully most of the time, exercise regularly, get your sleep, avoid alcohol. Ok, when I read that list of suggestions, I wonder if I would've snickered at it as a freshman...yep, I would have. But be smart, first-years. College is a wonderful, exciting, stressful time...just don't stress about the Freshman 15!

Fruits and Veggies - You Know You Need Them But...

Are you eating enough fruit and vegetable servings on average in your day?

Most college students do not eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetable daily but the good news is that a larger number of people in the U.S., including college students, are aware that they need to eat more fruit and vegetable everyday. Awareness is a great first step.

The picture at right is the Produce Patch (or fresh veggie/fruit area) of the Village Place & Market. Look at all that yummy produce!

What are you looking for when you are trying to increase your fruit and veggie intake?

• select fruits and veggies that you like - that way you'll be more inclined to actually eat them!
• but don't be afraid to try new things, of course - you never know what you might enjoy. What's my current veggie obsession? It's hearts of palm, which I honestly only eat at restaurants...but I love them nonetheless.
• choose organic when you can (lots of choices in Dining Services restaurants and Markets are organic - feel free to ask the chef or manager on duty for that info). Check out the "dirty dozen" from the EWG to know which fruits/veggies are more important to buy organic: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/ On the flip side, maybe don't stress about the Clean 15 - those would be less important to purchase organic since they tend to have the lowest pesticide residue according to the EWG.
• choose many different colors of fruits and veggies - basically the different hue coordinate with different nutrients. Choosing different colors helps you to get in a variety of nutrients.
• incorporate fruits and veggies into your meals to help you bump up your daily servings - for examples, slice a banana onto your toast and peanut butter in the morning or add steamed broccoli to that formerly boring bowl of dinnertime pasta.

And a final thought on fruits and veggies: although we learn new things everyday about nutrition, nutrients in our foods, the impact of farming practices and environmental changes on our food supply and more, NO ONE has ever said, "eat fewer fruits and veggies to be healthier" - that would just be crazy! So, it's an extremely consistent message: fresh produce and lightly cooked produce - GOOD FOR YOU.

What Should You Drink?

The photo here is of a few doors of the beverage refrigerators at the Village Place & Market in the Village East community. Look at all those choices! We are lucky in the U.S. to have so many options but sometimes those options for beverages (or gum, or bread, or pasta sauce or cheese or the millions of other things for which we have a zillion choices) can overwhelm us, making it hard to settle on a simple drink.

So what should you drink? Beverages quench our thirst, keep us hydrated and can provide nutrients. Beverages often provide too many calories and added sugars for many people in the U.S., which can contribute to weight gain. That doesn't mean that soda is evil - it does mean that you should know not to drink soda in large quantities, though.

Here are some beverages to include regularly:

• water
• non fat or lowfat milk or soy milk
• tea (hot or iced)

Here are some beverages that most people can derive some benefits from but should be consumed in small quantities:

• 100% juices (great nutrients, but most of us should aim to eat more whole fruits)
• coffee (has some health benefits; know your caffeine tolerance)
• artificially-sweetened, low-to-no calorie beverages (don't want to start a great debate about artificial sweeteners here but the real deal is this: it is better to be hydrated by an artificially-sweetened, low-to-no calorie beverage than to be dehydrated or drink excessive calories from a sugar-sweetened beverage and gaining weight)

Here are some drinks to consider "treats":

• regular soda
• fancy, high-calorie coffee drinks
• juice drinks

What do college students drink all the time that they really don't need and could be dangerous if consumed excessively?

• ok, yes, alcohol
• but I was really thinking of so-called "energy drinks" - Basically, energy drinks have unproven health claims, can make you jittery, can be dangerous when paired with alcohol and are generally unnecessary and unable to deliver on their promises. If you feel like you "need energy," don't look for an energy drink as a solution. Instead, evaluate your sleep habits, your eating habits, your stress management, your hydration status, and/or your medical status.
  

I'm off to get a glass of water!