McKinley Grapevine

Hello All,

This past Tuesday we had the pleasure of having Liza Baker as the leader of the Lunch N’ Learn . Liza is a certified Health Coach and chef that likes to place great emphasis on SOLE food: Seasonal, Organic, Local and Ethical and “from scratch” cooking.

• Seasonal: Try to eat food that is in season—and with hoop houses, that variety has increased, even in the winter in Michigan!
• Organic (and/or sustainably grown). Food should be raised in a way that is most beneficial (or at a minimum, the least harmful) to the environment.
• Local: you can get at least 80% of your food—vegetables, some fruit, milk, meat, poultry, and eggs—directly from local farms.
• Ethical: Try to purchase food that is grown/picked/transported in such a way that all the human beings who touch it along the food chain earn enough to feed themselves and their families and have other basic needs of stable work, shelter, clean air, and water taken care of.

Liza follows the belief of food being “healthful, “green”, fair and affordable for all”. She also takes the approach of simple, easy steps for at home cooking. Through fulfilling many roles in her life (one of the few being a busy parent), Liza identified a system to decrease the burden of from-scratch-at-home-cooking. Fl!P Your Kitchen is a system (and cookbook) that follows 4 basic steps:

1. create a whole foods pantry
2. learn some basic recipes and techniques
3. plan your meals for the week
4. ALWAYS cook for more than 1 meal

Liza applied these to the cooking demonstrations here at 320.

For example, during our lunch n’ learn, she created 4 meals using the main staple of rice and beans. Notice that these 2 ingredients are “whole” foods (no preservatives or other additives) that were cooked ahead of time and in bulk (several servings). Utilizing this method allowed Liza to quickly put together 4 meals: Southwest Rice & Beans Casserole, Black Bean Rollups, Tortilla Soup and Rice Fritters -all within an hour!

Liza’s goal is to “bring a deep mindfulness to cooking—not only by teaching people how to get back into the kitchen cooking from scratch on a regular basis but also by helping them see how our food can connect us to our own health, the health of the environment, and the health of our local community and economy”.

Liza’s recommendation for local sourcing (eating SOLE-fully):

• shop at Arbor Farms and/or Argus Farm Stop
• veggies: Sunseed Farm
• eggs, poultry, lamb: http://www.salomongardens.com/
• raw dairy, veggies, meats: Family Farms Co-op (269-476-8883)

*right click the links

You can always search for local sources by ZIP code at LocalHarvest.org

If you are interested in getting her cookbook right-click HERE!

For a copy of the recipes cooked during the Lunch N’ Learn right-click https://is.gd/FlipMcKinley

Plus, a bonus recipe for her Mexican Spice Blend:

(combine in these proportions and keep in a tightly covered container at room temperature):

• 1 T chili powder (or use 1/2 tsp pure ground chile + 2.5 tsp paprika)
• 1 tsp dried cumin
• 1 tsp dried coriander
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• (salt + pepper to taste—start with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, or add to final seasoning of dish)

Please feel free to connect with myself or Meredith!

Happy Eating!!

Hello All,

It’s a very exciting time of year! The cool weather is slowly creeping its way to our neighborhood (at least for those of us in the northern regions), and with that comes the changing of the leaves. Mother nature is providing us great timing to transition into our October Health Challenge!!

Like the colors of the leaves we too are changing. How are we changing? We are reaching beyond typical, physical health goals (i.e. eat more fruits and veggies, reach “X” number of miles, etc.) through the introduction of money saving goals, stress management goals and socializing goals.  We will use this challenge to incorporate financial, work, social and physical well-being allowing us to create a great environment for whole-being-wellness.

Stefanie did a fantastic job putting together the attached spreadsheet (see link below) with several resources for each topic.  Each week you will get the chance to earn 5 points by doing one or more of the suggested activities within the spreadsheet. For example, week 1 is associated with stress management. There will be several stress-management tools/activities to participate in, do one or more 5 days out of the week and you will earn 1 point. The goal is to reach 5 points for each individual week.

In week 5, we will combine all of the previous weekly topics. During this week the goal will be to achieve 5 points (1 per day) by doing 3 of the 4 weekly topics in one day. It can be any combination of 3. For example, you can choose any activity from weeks 1, 2 & 3 or perhaps weeks 2, 3 & 4. Whatever works for you!

The challenge will begin Monday October, 3^rd and the final week will end on Sunday November, 6^th.  To enter the challenge, simply email me or Stefanie to let us know and then start tracking your progress on the spreadsheet. The first 5 participants that reach 25 points will receive a $25 gift card!!!

If you have any questions about the challenge feel free to contact me or Stefanie!

Meredith and Stefanie

October.Challenge

Good afternoon everyone!

With this week wrapping up my time here at McKinley, this will be my final email to you all. I know you’re all probably very distraught and inconsolable right now, but please pull it together to read this last (and fantastic email)

Alright, here we go!

Ever since the dawn of time, we as humans have been told that there are three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and that’s the only correct way to eat. But now with modern medicine, research and professionals in health and wellness, we have discovered that 3 meals a day isn’t necessarily what’s best for everyone. Sure, for some people, 3 meals are perfect! But for others, they require even fewer meals, or on the other hand, more, like 5 or 6.

Intermittent fasting (IF): At first glance, the word “fast” will often shut many people off. But, most of us naturally fast daily for 8-10 hours (it’s called sleep!).  Pure IF is when you go without food for 16 hours (consuming only water) and eat your daily calorie allowance in an 8-hour window.  However, you can still reap the benefits with a shorter fast such as 12-13 hours. And in reality, that just means cutting out the late night snacks and pushing breakfast back an hour or two.

For some, 2-3 meals a day with longer 15 to 16-hour intermittent fasts (IF), is the perfect way to increase energy and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  For others, it might be 5-6 meals a day with shorter 12 to 13-hour fasts.

Benefits of IF:

• Burn fat and preserve muscle
• Increased sensitivity to human growth hormone (a hormone our bodies naturally produce in the pituitary gland)
• Increased sensitivity to Leptin
• Increased sensitivity to insulin
• Improved cholesterol levels

It’s very important to realize that there is no set fat loss plan that works perfectly for everybody. Every person’s body reacts differently to each and every variable on the fat loss journey. Finding your perfect meal routine may take time and can often seem frustrating, but once you find that perfect routine for your body, you will feel 10x better. So always keep in mind that if your current routine doesn’t seem to be suiting you well, you my need to try something else!

Yours in ending internships,

Beau Mourer

This email series will delve into a few of the hormones that are associated with hunger and fat regulation, intermittent fasting, and how to choose the appropriate number of meals per day for you.

Feeling déjà vu yet? Probably because Meredith wrote a Fat Loss Series on the Grapevine in May 2014. We thought it would be a good idea to have a refresher of these powerful hormones we all have and if you’d like more information on any of these topics, you can reference the Fat  Loss Series under Weight Loss 101 on the Grapevine OR you can click http://grapevine.mckinley.com/category/weight-loss-101/

We’ll start with adiponectin!

Adiponectin: It’s a protein hormone produced in and sent out from your fat cells to tell your body to burn fat for fuel.  It can also decrease inflammation and help regulate glucose levels when high levels of it are maintained in the body. This hormone sounds great, right?  It is, as long as you can keep producing enough of it.  Here’s the problem, as you start to gain weight, your adiponectin levels lower which is one of the reasons why it can be so challenging to lose weight.  Don’t worry, the good news is this hormone can be trained!

How to increase your adiponectin levels:
•    Exercise: Consistent strength training and cardio
•    Eat more monounsaturated fats from foods like: almonds, macadamia nuts, peanuts, avocados and olive oil
•    Eat more magnesium rich foods like:  brazil nuts, almonds, coriander, chives, basil, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, green leafy veggies like kale and spinach.
•    Sprinkle some Turmeric: turmeric fights inflammation, which, at high levels, contributes to weight gain. As well as working at the fat cell level, turmeric increases adiponectin production, improving your insulin sensitivity.  It works by reducing the hormones in your fat cells that cause inflammation (primarily resistin and leptin) and boosts adiponectin.
•    Combine fiber and Omega 3: Adding fiber supplementation with a daily intake of fish or Omega-3 supplements can increase adiponectin levels by 14-60 percent.

Because we are all unique individuals I would encourage you to check with your Doctor before adding any supplements so they can help you choose what would be best for you personally!