Nutrition Archives - Page 7 of 10

Personalize Your Plate

Personalize Your Plate Read Time: 2 minutes 45 seconds Happy National Nutrition Month®! Each year, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics creates a campaign to engage the public in learning how to make more informed food choices. This year’s theme, “Personalize Your Plate,” emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. By personalizing your plate, you get to create the type of food adventure you want to have. Outside of adding more veggies or increasing healthy protein, try using new spices, a new fruit or vegetable, baking instead of frying, different whole grains, or even healthier fats – the options are endless! How to make it happen Start with a plan. Meal planning is a great way to organize you and your family's food preferences for the week. When we meal plan, we can ensure [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate wellnss, healthy habits, myplate, national nutrition month, nutrition|

Emotional Health: Bust Your Winter Blues

Bust Your Winter Blues Read Time: 2 min 00 sec Winter is well underway, which means warmer, sunny days of Spring can seem so far out of reach. Motivation and energy can feel just as elusive as the sunlight this season. If you are starting to feel the winter blues, try these tips below to put a little extra pep in your step. Stay Active Feeling sluggish is common this time of year, but you can combat it by adding more movement into your day. Even a little exercise can produce those feel-good endorphins and help raise energy levels. Bundle up and take a walk outside or try a quick indoor workout. Avoid that afternoon slump by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or incorporating a quick stretch break into your day. Keeping active this time of year [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, healthy lifestyle, lifestyle habits, s.a.d., SAD, seasonal affective disorder|

Nutrition: White Whole-Wheat Flour

White Whole-Wheat Flour Read Time: 2 min 12 sec Cookies, pastries, and baked goods are synonymous with the holiday season. This year try giving your holiday baking a nutrient boost without compromising taste by substituting white whole-wheat flour for traditional all-purpose flour (“white” or “refined” flour). White whole wheat flour comes from a different type of plant that gives it a lighter color and milder taste compared to its traditional counterpart. WHOLE grain flour made from WHITE wheat! Not all “white” foods need to be avoided. Similar to regular whole-wheat flour, white whole-wheat flour is made using all three layers of the grain – bran, germ, and endosperm. In the baking aisle, you will generally find three types of wheat flour: regular whole wheat, white whole-wheat, and enriched (refined) all-purpose flour. Only whole-wheat and white whole-wheat are classified as whole [...]

Tags: corporate wellness, flour, gluten, whole wheat|

Try a New Food: Fruit Salad with In-Season Citrus

Fruit Salad with In-Season Citrus Read Time: 1 min 29 sec We may have only been chasing winter’s fleeting daylight for about a month, but if you’re anything like us, you could use a dose of in-season sunshine. For those who aren’t getting any, the Cara Cara orange offers a little taste of summer in the winter, when it conveniently comes to harvest December through May. From the outside, Cara Caras may look like a run of the mill citrus, but don’t judge a book by its cover. Beneath its easy-to-peel skin, you’ll find deep, pink-grapefruit colored flesh that’s super juicy, low in acid, and seedless. Flavor-wise, imagine a cross between a naval orange and tangerine but throw in a hint of berries. Not to mention, Cara Cara oranges are nutrient-dense, just like other citrus fruits. One medium Cara Cara [...]

Tags: citrus, corporate wellness, fruit, fruit recipe, fruit salad, recipe, winter fruit|

Understanding Diabetes

Understanding Diabetes Read Time: 2 min 2 sec November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Diabetes is a condition where people have higher than normal blood sugar (glucose). There are a few different types of diabetes, but type 2 diabetes is by far the most common. Nearly 35 million Americans have diabetes; that’s more than one in every 10 people. Another 20% have prediabetes, a condition where sugar values are higher than normal, but not high enough to qualify for a diagnosis of diabetes. Prediabetes usually lasts for years before type 2 diabetes develops. Diabetes has serious complications, including blindness, kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and heart disease. Diabetes is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The good news is that about 90% of diabetes cases can be prevented through improvement in nutrition and exercise. In addition, most cases [...]

Tags: blood glucose, blood sugar, corporate wellness, diabetes, prediabetes, risk factor|

Supporting a Healthy Immune System

Supporting a Healthy Immune System Read Time: 2 min 54 sec Ways to boost immunity has become a hot topic as of late, but unfortunately, there are many factors about our immune system that we do not yet understand. To begin with, the immune system is an incredibly complex system and not a single entity. It is composed of multiple mechanisms throughout our body that recognize and destroy potential invaders like bacteria and viruses. Networks of cells and tissues are programmed to work in concert to properly protect our bodies from illness. There is still much research to be done to understand the details of our unique immune response. This complexity is one possible reason why research has not yet proven that any single lifestyle behavior or habit can directly enhance immune function. However, that doesn’t mean that lifestyle and [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate welllness, diet, exercise, healthy diet, immunizations, nutrient-dense diet, nutrition, sleep, stres management, stress|

Try a New Food: Pumpkin Breakfast Bars

Pumpkin Breakfast Bars Read Time: 1 min 30 sec It’s the time of year again for pumpkin-flavored everything! From savory dishes to sweet desserts and lattes, there is no escaping the fall pumpkin craze. Unfortunately, many fall favorite treats not only have added pumpkin flavor, but they may also have a lot of added sugar. Research has shown that too much added sugar may increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease and makes it hard to maintain a healthy weight. But not to worry! You can still enjoy the taste of pumpkin all season long by making your own pumpkin treats at home. Pumpkins are a winter squash, naturally low in calories and packed with nutrients. One cup of cooked pumpkin provides 245% Daily Value (DV) of vitamin A, 19% DV of vitamin C, 564 mg potassium, and 2.7g [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, nutrition, PSL, pumpkin, pumpkin spice, recipe|

Identifying Credible Nutrition Information, September 2020

5 Tips for Identifying Credible Nutrition Information Read time: 3 min 9 sec Accessing nutrition information is now easier than ever with social media, television, and the internet. But with an onslaught of information comes the challenge of having to decide which sources you can trust. Our registered dietitians have provided their top 5 tips for identifying credible nutrition and health-related information. 1. Evaluate the Source Media and News Outlets: These sources often sensationalize articles to engage readers and TV viewers. As a result, nutrition research can be over-generalized or misrepresented. It is always best to check with a trusted, science-based source to compare what you see/hear in the news. Websites: In most cases, credible websites end in -.gov, -.edu, or -.org. This does not mean that websites ending in -.com or -.net should not be trusted, but they [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate wellness, nutrition, research based, science based|

Hydrating for Peak Performance

Healthy Hydration is a Key to Peak Performance Read time: 2 min 56 sec Water is essential for life; about 60 percent of your body is made up of water. Staying well-hydrated keeps our joints lubricated, our body temperature and blood pressure stable, and allows our cells to function in a healthy coordinated way. Keeping your body at a peak performance level means drinking enough water daily, in addition to regular exercise and a well-balanced diet. Recommendations for daily fluid intake vary by age, gender, activity level, and overall health. General recommendations for water intake is 9 cups a day for women and about 12.5 cups a day for men. Fluid needs vary for individuals who are pregnant or breastfeeding, have congestive heart failure, or have been diagnosed with kidney disease. One easy way to monitor your fluid status is [...]

Tags: corporate welllness, dehydration, exercise, fluids, hydration, sports nutrition, water|

Try a New Food: Swirl Sorbet

Red and Blue Swirl Sorbet Read time: 1 min 18 sec Cool off this summer with a refreshing, kid-friendly sorbet swirl. Making your own sorbet at home takes only a few minutes and can be done with any fruit you have on hand. This month’s recipe sneaks in some extra nutrients by using frozen cauliflower which adds a creamy texture without changing the overall flavor. Summer is a great time to try new fruits since many of them are in season and relatively inexpensive. If you purchase or grow large amounts of fruit in the summer, you can easily preserve and freeze them for use in the winter months. Investing in a quality blender or food processor turns frozen fruit into a healthy treat that can be enjoyed throughout the year. How to freeze any fruit Preparing the Fruit: The [...]

Tags: corporate wellness, fruit, recipe, sorbet|