Introducing Walking Wednesdays at Lown Cardiovascular Center

I’m always encouraging (ok, begging) my clients and patients to “keep it moving.” It’s no surprise that a commitment to regular exercise has many benefits, for both body and mind. What’s more, it’s fun with the support of others.

I’m now offering my follow-up office nutrition visits as outside walking visits. I also just started an evening walking wellness group at the Lown Cardiovascular Center in Brookline.

The “Walking Wednesdays” group meets from 5 – 6 pm every Wednesday. The walks will start and finish at Lown, 21 Longwood Avenue, Brookline MA. The walks are rain or shine.

The group is FREE. Participation is open to anyone wanting to exercise with the motivation of others. All levels of fitness are welcome. The walks can be adapted to your fitness level. Parking is available on a first come, first serve basis from 5-6 pm at Lown. Public transportation is only a block away with the MBTA Green Line C Train, Coolidge Corner stop. There is also a Hubway bike share stop in the Coolidge Corner area. (more…)

Fed Up: A Few Thoughts

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a special preview screening of Fed Up, the new food documentary at the Harvard School of Public Health. The screening was followed by a short panel Q&A with film producer Laurie David, ChopChop Magazine  founder Sally Sampson and Dr. Eric Rimm, nutrition epidemiologist at HSPH.

The film intends to piss people off about the state of food marketing and the inability of the government to make changes to protect our collective health, especially that of American children. (more…)

Who are you getting your nutrition information from?

Load Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or any web site. Search for the nutrition topic of your choice. What will you find? Pages upon pages of information, meaning your simple nutrition question just became a million times more confusing.

So, how do you know what information to trust? One way is to look at the credentials of the writer.

Here is what some of the credentials of nutrition writers mean: (more…)

Coconut Water: Are you drinking the “right beverage” for your workout?

Many articles have been published on the importance of staying hydrated during physical activity. Markets have a wide array of beverages that promote “rehydration” benefits. But, how do you choose the best beverage for your workout?  Do you need Gatorade? Coconut water? Or plain water?

For the everyday exerciser, water is still the only recommended beverage within the scientific literature.

Researchers* have tested active adults’ and athletes’ hydration response to a generic sports drink, coconut water, and water after their exercise routine. All participants performed intense exercises that would dehydrate them. Following that exercise, participants consumed one of the three beverages. Their body weights were recorded prior to exercise, following exercise, and then in hourly intervals following the “rehydration beverage.” For a regular exercise regimen—less intense than an athlete—all beverages had the same effect on hydration. (more…)

Stay on Trend in 2014: Five Foods to Add to Your Grocery List

Check out the 5 popular foods of 2014 that will add something extra to your food repertoire while keeping it healthful and delicious.

Tea

Move over coffee, tea (in a hot or cold preparation) is front and center this year. In 2014, tea bars are opening that exclusively serve tea. But don’t limit yourself to just a tea beverage. Tea can be added to many dishes—try it on proteins—for an herbaceous flavoring similar to traditional seasonings. Along with its great taste and many varieties, tea is an excellent source of polyphenols: a type of antioxidant associated with lowering your risk for multiple chronic diseases. So toast the New Year with a delectable, hot cup of tea.

Asparagus

Roasted asparagus is a thing of the past; this year asparagus ribbons are in. Asparagus ribbons are the new base to the traditional leafy green salad. With a knife or mandolin, asparagus can be thinly sliced lengthwise to make ribbons. If high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems are a concern, the potassium in asparagus should help to reduce your risk. Try asparagus in its new or old form—it will always be delicious. (more…)

New Year, New Resolution, New You

At this time every year, we make resolutions for the future. Often times those resolutions are about getting healthy, losing weight, eating better, and other healthful adjustments to daily living. Unfortunately, shortly after these resolutions are made they are discontinued or placed “on hold”. This year it is possible to make the change and stick to it. All it takes is following the 5 steps of the “stages of change” within the “transtheoretical”, or behavior change, model. These steps include pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.

1. Pre-contemplation- Unprepared to make a change in your behavior.
2. Contemplation- Determine the change you want to make in your life.
3. Preparation- Collect all of the things you need to make your resolution.
4. Action- Make your change and keep it.
5. Maintenance- Keep your resolution for 6 months. You have finally reached maintenance.

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Jumpstarting Microresolutions

My young nephews, Trent (9) and Bryce (6) received tablets for Christmas. They’ve been nestled on the couch the very second the devices were fully charged. I’m hopeful  the novelty will eventually wear off, at least a little, right?

These two boys are very active. They play basketball and soccer. They play ‘tickle tackle’ outside in the yard for hours and look like they’re NFL-ready. Bryce will take your legs out from under you without fear. Trent will out run you and has cat-like agility. They burn calories at that enviable young boy rate.

They also eat very healthfully. Thanks to my sister’s insistence, fruits and vegetables are part of their vocabulary. They know what quinoa is and prefer kale chips to Lays. They love ChopChop magazine and ChopChop cookbook. Trent knows more about food labels than any dietitian I know. Bryce wants his plate to be colorful. Eating the right stuff fits seamlessly into their day. (more…)

Try some Yummly new dishes for the holidays

Still unsure of what you are cooking for Thanksgiving tomorrow? Do you want to add a twist to a dish that you have been making for years? Then check out Yummly.

Yummly is a recipe app and website (www.yummly.com) that has a variety of recipes from different web sources.  When using Yummly, you can easily access the cook time, ingredients, and direct link to the directions for any recipe. For the Yummly recipes that you enjoy, or want to try, you just click “yum” and they are saved for later. Think of this app as your portable recipe book. (more…)

10 Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

1. Enjoy. The holidays are a great time to gather with family and friends and eat incredible foods. Don’t miss out!

2. Balance. Most people do eat more calories during the holiday stretch. Think about ways to increase your activity to balance out the excess calories. Walk more during your workday. Extend your walk or run by 5-10 minutes. Take the T or bus and get off a stop or two earlier. Small increases in activity can make a big difference.

3. Think Mediterranean. Go for savory vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains, yogurt and olive oil whenever possible and use spices to help enhance flavor rather than an extra pat of butter.

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Two Facts and A Myth: Vitamin A

“Two Facts and A Myth” is a series of nutrition topics that you can share at the dinner table, around the water cooler, or in line at a coffee shop. This series will bust popular misconceptions about nutrition while highlighting little-known facts. For this week, we will focus on Vitamin A.

Fact Vitamin A is important to your eyesight.

Vitamin A takes part in several key steps that allow us to see. The retina (the inner part of the eye) uses vitamin A to convert light into visual signals that are sent to the brain. So, carrots may not make your vision better, but they (and other foods with vitamin A) are important to eyesight.

Fact Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness.

Night blindness is when your eyes have difficulty adapting from bright light to darkness. To treat night blindness, clinicians have prescribed diets rich in vitamin A to patients. This practice has been used for centuries. The first known treatment dates back to Hippocrates’ advice to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. (more…)