McKinley Grapevine

 

Hi Everyone!!

 This last weekend many of us got the shovel or snow blower out for the first time this year 🙂.  This cold, snowy weather can make you want to hibernate in front of a warm, crackling fire with a cup of hot chocolate or some other delicious comfort food.  I hope you all have the opportunity to do so and I want to provide you with a list of 5 comfort foods that are healthy choices and totally satisfying!  Hot cocoa just happens to be one of those delicious comfort foods so I’ll start there 🙂

 

1.      Hot Cocoa: There’s only 8g of sugar per serving and contains a healthy combination of carbs and protein.  If you want to make hot cocoa from scratch, use plain cocoa powder (0g of sugar/tbsp) and milk of your choice.  Now, the next step I just learned about this weekend from a really cool mom!  Melt down some semi-sweet chocolate and dip your spoon so it’s covered in chocolate and place it in the fridge or freezer to harden (dip it a 2^nd time if you would like).  Then dip it into your cocoa and stir it to sweeten.  You could also add a dash of cinnamon.  According to research in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, adding a dash of cinnamon boosts your treat’s health benefits—it contains compounds that keep insulin out of the blood stream and from storing fat.

2.      Chicken Noodle/Rice Soup:  When you eat soup, you generally eat slower either because of the temperature of the soup or the size of your spoon J.  By eating slower your body has time to notice feelings of fullness.  It also provides a balanced combination of fat, protein and carbs.  Try this recipe with noodles or rice: http://www.eatingwell.com/print/4466. 

3.      Pot Roast:  Really?!?  Yes!  When you consume protein, your body has to work harder to break it down and use it for energy, which results in more calories burned during the digestion process.  Also, as we all know, protein supports our lean muscle mass which we all want to hold on to! You still need to watch your portion sizes and the amount of GRAVY you use if any J.  Here’s a delicious pot roast recipe with root vegetables: http://www.health.com/health/recipe/print/0,,10000001144126,00.html

4.      Oatmeal: You can use steel cut oats or gluten free oats.  Oatmeal is a great way for you to get your fiber which makes it another food that will keep you fuller longer! If you have the opportunity to make your own from scratch, you can control the amount sugar in your oatmeal.  If not, here are some healthier instant oatmeal options:

~ Kashi Go Lean Truly Vanilla Hot Cereal: https://www.kashi.com/our-foods/hot-cereal/kashi-golean-truly-vanilla-hot-cereal

~ Glutenfreeda Instant Oatmeal Natural: http://www.vitacost.com/glutenfreeda-instant-oatmeal-natural-6-packages?srccode=cii_328768002&cpncode=26-280890336-2&csrc=PPCBPA-[sku]#nutritionFacts

5.      Chili: Another food with a great source of fat, protein, carbs and fiber.  Chili also packs a hefty punch when you use cayenne, chili peppers, and jalapeños.  Capsaicin is the compound that gives these peppers their heat which causes some to sweat and can also help torch some fat!!  Vegetarian Chili: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?recipeID=72508&origin=detail&servings=8&metric=false

Buffalo and Black Bean Chili: http://www.eatingwell.com/print/278230

 Stay cozy this winter and enjoy!!

 

Yours in Health and Wellness,

 Meredith Mitchell

 

Hi Everyone!

“The scale isn’t budging but my clothes are fitting looser and looser everyday, what’s going on?!?!?”.  Does this sound familiar?  Let me help makes sense of this so if you are one who can relate with discouraging numbers on the scale but more room in your clothes, you won’t really have to feel discouraged 🙂

It’s actually very simple.  Muscle weighs more than fat, as you can see above. When you start an exercise regimen your body starts to burn fat mass and build muscle mass. You’re trading fat for muscle which means your body composition is changing and this is very good!

There are two things you need to understand:

First, when you burn calories you are always burning some lean muscle mass along with the fat mass.  How do you burn the most amount of fat and lose the least amount of lean muscle mass? By doing a variety of cardio (alternate between steady state cardio and intense cardio intervals. Click the link for more info http://grapevine.mckinley.com/?p=693 ), strength training (so you can maintain your current muscle mass and build a stronger, tighter body) and by consuming enough protein to support your muscle mass.

Second, it usually takes about 2-3 months of strength training 2-4x weekly to gain 1-2lbs of lean muscle mass for females and in males with the same time span, 2-4lbs of lean muscle mass.  However, if you are brand new to exercise, you may experience the muscle gain a little quicker because you are “shocking” your body.  Once your body is familiar with your new exercise routine you will be back on track to gaining lean muscle mass at the rate I explained above.

To lose weight and keep it off, you can expect 1-2lbs weekly with a balanced diet and exercise.  If you are exercising and still don’t see the numbers dropping on the scale, you may need to change some things in your diet. Need some help? Start a food journal, send it to me and I can make some suggestions :).

Have a great evening!!

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith Mitchell

Hi All!

It’s Halloween!!  Here comes the candy…and lots of it.  Most of you might be expecting me to say “Ditch the candy at the end of the night and rid yourself of the temptation”.  Even though I think that would be the best thing to do, it’s not realistic.  Here are some ways you can avoid eating all of the Halloween Candy:

Option 1:  Allow yourself and your kids ONE piece of candy daily for the next 7-10 days and THEN throw the rest away.  To keep yourself from being tempted to grab candy throughout the day or evening, stuff it in a place that is not easily accessible (in a bowl on the counter or on your kitchen table would NOT be the right spot).

Option 2: Put the decision making in your kids hands.  For every candy they throw away offer them $.10 (or whatever dollar amount you think is appropriate).

Options 3:
From Christina Wurm:
~ You can sell your candy for $1/lb at participating dentists.  Type in your zip code at this site to find your local participating dentist office.
http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com/

Option 4:

From Angie Mullan:
~ One of my daughters friends was telling her last night that her family has a Witch Switch.  The kids keep some of the candy they get trick or treating but they put the rest out overnight and the “Witch” switches it for a toy(s)!

Option 5:

From Caroline:
~ Instead of throwing the candy out, folks could donate the candy to a homeless shelter, food kitchen or nursing home as a special treat for the less fortunate who might not be able to afford it! *^_^*

I believe in living a balanced lifestyle so if you choose to have a piece of candy don’t avoid looking at the sugar grams, make yourself aware.  That way you know how much sugar you can eat throughout the day and how much room you need to leave for the piece of candy at the end of the day.  Just to give you an idea, 1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup has 8.8g of sugar.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!!!

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith

McKinley Family,

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I wanted to take a moment to go over some ways you can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer.  Gentlemen, you may be thinking this doesn’t apply to you.  However, there have been male breast cancer cases reported even though the chances of getting breast cancer are MUCH less in males.  Please read on and share this with the women in your life.

While there are risk factors we have no control over such as gender, genetics, age and family history (click the following link for the full list  http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/overviewguide/breast-cancer-overview-what-causes ) there are things you can control.  Many websites have their own list of “10 Ways to Prevent Cancer” and it can be overwhelming.  The five factors every article agrees on and every doctor I have questioned agrees with are the following:
1. Maintain a healthy body weight
2. Eat a healthy and balanced diet: spinach, kale and broccoli are three popular “cancer fighting” foods.  If you don’t like salads or eating them just as they are, trying juicing 🙂
3. Exercise regularly (3-5x/weekly)
4. Consume no more than 1 alcoholic drink daily or avoid it altogether
5. Regular mammograms: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force mammogram guidelines recommend women begin screening at age 50 and repeat the test every two years.  The Mayo Clinic recommends getting a mammogram starting at age 40 and to repeat yearly.  I have a close family history of breast cancer.  My Doctor recommended I start screening at age 30 so I did.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to meet with your Doctor and come up a with personal cancer prevention plan.  Before your doctors appointment WRITE down the questions you have for your doctor and don’t leave your appointment until you fully understand the answers to your questions :).

The American Cancer Society’s estimates for breast cancer in women in the United States for 2013 are:

~  About 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer
~ About 64,640 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the breast will be found (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
~ About 39,620 deaths from breast cancer

The American Cancer Society also states:

“Cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.  The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer during her life is about 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 36. Breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment. Right now there are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.”

It’s encouraging to read the breast cancer death rates are decreasing.  Let’s do what we can to make sure that number continues to decease by taking care of ourselves, sharing preventative info with our loved ones and encourage them to take the steps necessary.  Email me with any questions 🙂

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith Mitchell

Hi Everyone!

Thanks to all who supported Team McKinley this year! A special thanks to those who dressed up in their 80’s attire and walked with us…even in the rain!!  We raised a total of $3,653.64!!!  Nice job everyone, we’re one year closer to finding a cure for T1D!