Staying Healthy on Vacation

Recently I asked the Advanced Wellness Centre's nutritionist, Paula Schnurman how to stay healthy while traveling this summer. Her answers are the basis for the article "On the Road: Simple Strategies for a Happy, Healthy Vacation" published in this month's issue of The Health Journal. Click on over to read all about it.

Happy travels!

“Nothing’s More Important than Family”

This is one of my husband’s favorite movie lines. While I’m not sure Don Carleone actually said this in The Godfather, Michael likes to pretend he did because he always delivers it while impersonating Marlon Brando. With a deep, guttural, whisper of a voice Michael says, “Nothing’s more important than family.” For added emphasis he shakes his right hand and kisses the tops of his fingers. And then he throws in a couple of Godfather slaps to someone’s cheek and finishes the scene by repeating the sound “eh?” a few dozen times.

The newest member of my family.
Holden, born May 2 to my sister
Cathy and her husband Troy.

We get it honey. Family’s important.

Good social relationships are important, not only for your mental health, but your physical health as well.

A recent study by Brigham Young University (BYU) has demonstrated that strong social relationships will help you live longer. (Unless of course you’re an enemy of the Carleone family. Then your life expectancy is only until Saturday, before mass.)

The BYU study found that “people with stronger social relationships had a 50% increased likelihood of survival than those with weaker social relationships.”

The researchers went on to state that, “…the influence of social relationships on the risk of death are comparable with well-established risk factors for mortality such as smoking and alcohol consumption and exceed the influence of other risk factors such as physical inactivity and obesity.”

Weak social relationships are as risky to your health as smoking and alcohol consumption. Yikes!

I’m blessed to be surrounded by a wonderful extended family. But for those of you that have less than stellar relations with your family (it happens), strong friendships count toward a healthier life as well.

And you don’t need that many friends for it to affect your life in a positive way. A British study found that the magic number of friends to be happy was 10.

Dr Richard Tunney, of Nottingham University, quizzed more than 1,700 people about their satisfaction with their lives and the state of their friendships. Those with five friends or fewer had just a 40 percent chance of being happy. In other words, they were more likely to be unhappy than happy. When participants reached ten friends, they were more likely to be happy than unhappy.

Don’t worry. If you’re like me and the number of friends on your Facebook page is appallingly low, the study found that old friends are no more likely to make us happy than new friends. So it’s never too late to up these numbers!

I don’t need any research to tell me spending time with people I care about is healthy. I simply think about what I like to do most and it’s sharing a good meal and good wine with good friends.

With that we’re off this weekend to Cape Cod, MA. To get healthy by spending time with some old friends. I’m pretty sure there will be wine involved, so I’ll be sure and drink red. To really boost my health.

Snack Attack

It happens every day around 4:00 pm. I start wandering around the kitchen, opening and closing the pantry door, then shuffling over to the fridge and stare blankly into it. “God I’m hungry,” I think. But I don’t want a full meal just a little something to tide me over until dinner.

If I’m not careful this is when I’ll pound down a pound of cheese, squirt whipped cream directly from the can into my mouth or dig through the freezer for my stash of raw cookie dough and devour, I don’t know, six or seven cookies.

I don’t mean to overeat at this time or reach for bad food options, but when I’m hungry it’s really difficult to make good choices.

This is exactly why experts say you should eat five small meals a day—three main meals and two snacks—to keep your blood sugar level even throughout the day.

Knowing that my afternoon snack attack erupts regularly, like Old Faithful, I stock my house with good choices. Saving the whipped cream and cookies for quiet moments of celebration.

Here are some of my favorite healthy snacks that keep me feeling satisfied without ruining my dinner, or my waistline.

WHEN I CRAVE SOMETHING SWEET:

Fresh Fruit

This is always my go to option for me and the kids. (One of the myriad of reasons they hate me. “Can I have a snack?” they ask me. And my consistently irritating reply is, “Sure, there’s plenty of fruit in the fridge.” It’s amazing how often they decide they’re really not that hungry.)

This week I’m stocked with peaches, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries and cantaloupe. And here’s a trick to get your kids (and spouse) to eat more fruit…cut it up. I’m telling you, it’s magic. There’s something about a fresh fruit salad that makes people want to dig in.

Don’t have the time or inclination to slice and dice it yourself? Buy it pre-made. Just eat it quickly. I find that the prepared fresh fruit salads in the grocery store are more ripe than the whole fruit so they spoil faster.

Fruit and Yogurt

Greek yogurt has twice as much protein as regular yogurt. Try drizzling some honey on your favorite plain, fat free brand and for an added kick throw on some fresh fruit. Or for a real treat, make a smoothie with frozen fruit. Click here for my favorite recipe. (Scroll down, the recipe is at the end of the article.)

WHEN I CRAVE SOMETHING SALTY:

Nuts

This is another staple on my kitchen counter. The problem of course is that nuts are pretty heavy in calories so you have to be really careful about how much you eat. Limit yourself to a single handful. If you can’t stop at one handful, nosh on pistachios—you can have around 50 nuts for just 160 calories.

Popcorn

Popcorn is a naturally high fiber food. Snacks with fiber are great choices because fiber is one of those nutrients that makes us feel full. Popcorn will fill you up and, an entire bag of Act II 94% Fat Free Popcorn has only 130 calories.

WHEN DINNER IS HOURS AWAY AND I NEED A HEAVIER SNACK:

Protein Bars

Bars can be really filling and delicious but you have to READ THE LABELS. Just because it comes in a bar form doesn’t mean it’s good for you or that it’s low calorie.

I find that I need about 10 grams of protein in a bar otherwise it doesn’t fill me up. And I keep the calorie count to around 200 per bar. (If you’re not careful you can pick up a bar that packs over 400 calories! That’s the same as a Chick-fil-A fried chicken sandwich. Yikes!)

Also, more protein is not necessarily better. Those bars that tout “30 grams of protein,” typically have a lot more calories and they are really designed for bodybuilding, not weight loss. Plus, most of them taste horrible.

I like Zone Perfect, Balance, and Kind bars.

Cheese and Crackers

I have to be careful with this snack and only pull out the number of crackers I want to eat, otherwise I keep reaching into the box and pulling out more!

My favorite combo is a Triscuit Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil cracker paired with low-fat Havarti cheese. Triscuits are 100% whole grain so enjoying six crackers gives you 22 grams of whole grains (45% of your recommended daily allowance) plus some dietary fiber.

Food Spotlight: Avocado

The Subway restaurant chain recently announced plans to add avocados to its mix of sandwich ingredients and all I can say is, “It's about time!”

In addition to being creamy and delicious, avocados are packed full of nutrients including fiber, potassium, vitamins C, E, K and B6 and folic acid.

In the past avocados have gotten a bad rap because of their fat content. And yes, they are high in fat. (An average avocado has 29g of fat, which is 45% of the recommended daily allowance.)

BUT…it’s the good fat. Avocados contain oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid. The same one found in olive oil. Thus avocados have the same heart healthy benefits as olive oil. They lower blood cholesterol levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein, the bad stuff) and raise levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein, the good stuff), for a total effect of lowering cholesterol overall.

It’s not all wine and roses though. With all that fat comes high calories. (A whole avocado contains 322 calories. That’s the same as consuming two and a half bananas.) So, as much as it pains me to say this, we should eat them in moderation.

I like to dice one and add it to a salad or put slices on a sandwich. And of course, there’s guacamole. My favorite store brand is Wholly Guacamole. They sell a three-pack at Costco. Don’t worry, you don’t have to eat it all within a week, guacamole freezes really well. Just don’t defrost it in the microwave. Defrost it in the refrigerator.

For a real treat, make your own guacamole. My family loves this recipe. Enjoy!

Guacamole

2 ripe avocados

1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, stems and seeds removed, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

A dash of freshly ground black pepper

           

• Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel with a spoon, put in a bowl.
• Using a fork, mash the avocado.
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. (Note: Depending on how spicy you like things, you might want to start with half of the jalapeno pepper)

Tip: The best method for preserving leftover guacamole is to vacuum-pack it. I have a Food Saver machine which works great. If you don’t have something like this, place the leftovers in a bowl and press plastic wrap over the entire surface of the guacamole and up the sides of the bowl, eliminating as much air as you can. It’s the oxygen in the air that makes it turn brown. Or, you could just eat all of it. Which is what I tend to do.

Does Gardening Count as Exercise?

My Knockout roses underneath
a cherry tree. I love these. They'll bloom
from now until frost!

The bamboo-like stalks of my Snowbank Boltonia plant have been pruned. The majority of the weeds plucked and disposed of from my flower beds. Two new geraniums planted and watered. And finally, last year’s Mother’s Day gift, a Topsy Turvy for tomatoes is prepared and dangling off my back porch. And yet, there’s still more weeding to do and it’s time to prune my late-blooming azaleas.

Springtime always makes me question my decision a few years ago to bulldoze my boring but low-maintenance flower beds and install a perennial garden. But then my roses bloom. And then comes the pink spirea, yellow daylilies, ornamental grasses, red and purple bee balm, lavender butterfly bush and others and I forget about the hard work. It’s like childbirth. When you’re presented with a beautiful little baby you soon forget about the 36-hours of labor is took to get there.

Shirobana spirea (pink),
gardenia (white), and
Kaleidoscope Abelia (yellow)

After toiling in the yard for a few hours the other day I thought, surely this must count as exercise. I mean, I’m sweating, bending over, squatting, walking back and forth to the garage for various tools. It’s got to count! I pleaded to the exercise gods.

So I looked it up. And the short answer is…no, it doesn’t count.

Drat!

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) adults need at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week plus, two or more days of muscle-strengthening activities. And my little gardening project doesn’t count toward meeting either of these goals.

In order to qualify as part of my required moderate-intensity workouts I have to get my heart rate up, my breathing needs to be labored and I need to break a sweat.

Well, I was certainly sweating, but that was because it was ridiculously hot. The more relevant fact is, I could still talk, sing, chat on the phone, etc. All signs that the activity really wasn’t that difficult. (This is why shopping and cooking aren't considered exercise either.)

The CDC lists the following as examples of moderate-intensity activities:

•                Walking fast

•                Doing water aerobics

•                Riding a bike on level ground or with few hills

•                Playing doubles tennis

•                Pushing a lawn mower

Next time I think I’ll try speed gardening. Surely zipping around the yard like The Flash will get my heart rate up.

In the meantime, I guess I'll hit the gym and console myself with the knowledge that at least gardening is better than sitting on the couch or being parked in front of the computer. And of course, I get to enjoy my garden. Which is reward enough.

For more information on the CDC guidelines for physical activity, click here.

Side Dishes for a Healthy Memorial Day

Break out the grills people. It’s time to kickoff the summer season with a backyard BBQ.

I love the idea of a BBQ, but honestly, I’m almost always disappointed with the meal. My problem is that I don’t really like burgers, grilled chicken or hot dogs. They’re fine, but for me, not that appetizing. This is odd, I know. For most people the meat is the star of the show. But not for me. I like the side dishes.

Unfortunately, the accompaniments of any backyard BBQ are mayo-based potato salad, chips and salsa, and a veggie tray from Costco. Ugh!

It doesn’t have to be like this. The sides can be just as appealing as the grilled meat.

Here are three recipes for delicious and healthy side dishes to liven up your Memorial Day BBQ.

No-mayo Potato Salad

“What?” You’re saying. “No mayonnaise in a potato salad? Why that’s just not done.”

Trust me. This is fabulous. And since it’s oil and vinegar based you cut loads of fat calories out of it and you don’t have to worry about refrigerating it—a real plus for a backyard BBQ.

6 large potatoes, peeled, cut into one-inch cubes

3 c. chicken stock

2 shallots, finely chopped

3 TBLS scallions, finely chopped

3 tsp mustard seeds

6 TBLS olive oil

4 TBLS cider vinegar

3 TBLS fresh parsley, finely chopped

3 tsp salt

3 tsp freshly ground pepper

·      Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

·      While you’re waiting for the water to boil, heat the chicken stock in a microwave or on the stove.

·      Add the potatoes and boil until just cooked (about ten minutes). You want them firm, not mushy.

·      Pour the potatoes into a colander and drain off all the water.

·      Transfer the potatoes to a large ceramic or glass bowl and pour the hot chicken stock over them.

·      Toss gently and let stand about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes absorb most of the stock and are cool.

·      Pour off any excess stock.

·      Gently mix in the remaining ingredients.

·      Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Note: This can get a bit salty since the chicken stock has a lot of salt in it too. Before adding the 3 tsps of salt at the end, taste the salad and see if you want any more. You can always add, but you can’t take it away!

Grilled Corn and Sweet Onion Salad (from Boy Meets Grill by Bobby Flay)

This is a nice, light, fresh tasting salad. I made it for a dinner party a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I hope you like it too.

6 ears of corn, husks and silk removed

¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing the corn

2 TBLS aged sherry vinegar (Note: I couldn’t find this so I substituted white wine vinegar)

1 ½ tsps Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

½ large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

2 ripe plum tomatoes, finely chopped

½ jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

2 TBLS chives, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

·      Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium.

·      In a large pot of boiling water, cook the corn 5 minutes until barely tender.

·      Brush the cooked corn with olive oil and grill until slightly charred on all sides, about 2 minutes.

·      Remove from the grill and with a sharp knife stand each ear on a cutting surface and scrape downward to remove the kernels.

·      In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard and garlic and slowly whisk in the ¼ cup of olive oil until emulsified.

·      Add the corn kernels, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, jalapeno and chives, and toss to coat with the dressing.

·      Season with salt and pepper.

Note: The raw red pepper was nice, but next time I think I’m going to try it with roasted red peppers.

Best Veggie Dip Ever

Tired of ranch dressing with your veggies? Here’s an old southern recipe that’s fabulous. It’s mayonnaise based, so not the healthiest of dips, but if you use light mayo and fat-free sour cream you can cut some calories.

2 c. light mayo (I like Hellmann’s Light)

½ c. fat-free sour cream

¼ tsp turmeric

1 TBLS curry

½ tsp garlic powder

4 tsp sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp salt

·     Mix all ingredients together.

·     Make several hours ahead of time and serve with your favorite raw vegetables.

·     For a twist on the standard veggie tray add blanched asparagus. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Trim off the tough ends of the asparagus stalks. Toss the asparagus into the boiling water. Boil for only a couple of minutes (2-3) until it turns bright green. Pour into a colander and drain off all the hot water. Then toss the hot asparagus immediately into a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking further. You want them firm, not mushy. After they’re cool, store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve your veggie tray.

 Happy Memorial Day everyone. Have a wonderful weekend!!

The Happiest Place on Earth

I’m blogging to you live from Disney World this week. Michael’s family has converged on central Florida in celebration of his parent’s 50^th wedding anniversary.

Between screaming my head off on the Space Mountain roller coaster in the Magic Kingdom, bouncing along on the Kilimanjaro Safari Tour at Animal Kingdom, and watching stunt drivers careen around a fictitious Parisian market square at Disney Studios, I’ve been contemplating Disney’s claim that this is “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

There are certainly signs of happiness all around: Disney employees greeting you with a smile and a wave; new brides strolling through the park wearing white sparkly Mickey Mouse ears attached to a veil; kids excitedly hugging Snow White, Donald Duck and Goofy; an audience of thousands staring up at the night sky in delight as fireworks light up Cinderella’s castle.

But there are also scenes of some very unhappy folks: over-stimulated and overtired toddlers melting down in every corner of the Magic Kingdom and frustrated parents shaking their heads, wagging their fingers and threatening to exit the park.

I think Disney might need to alter their slogan to: “The Happiest Place on Earth, Unless You’re a Toddler or the Parent of One, then it’s Happy for a Couple of Minutes, Maybe an Hour if You’re Lucky.”

And that’s the thing with happiness. You can feel it for a few moments in any given day, but making it last, well, that’s the real trick.

Achieving lasting happiness is not only good for us mentally, but it’s also good for our physical health. A recent study published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being reviewed more than 160 studies on happiness and found that, “all else being equal, happy people tend to live longer and experience better health than their unhappy peers.”

For example, one study the authors reviewed followed 5,000 people for more than 40 years and found that the most pessimistic ones tended to die younger. Another study followed 180 Catholic nuns from early adulthood to old age and found that those who wrote positive autobiographies in their early 20s tended to outlive those who wrote more negative accounts of their young lives.

“Be an optimist.”

“Think positive.”

I hate it when perpetually perky people tell me to do this. But, according to the research, they’re on to something.

I could, if I chose to, dwell on the negative aspects of my week: feeling weak and nauseous after riding the Mission Space simulator at Epcot; the horribly over-priced and unappetizing food at the Coral Reef restaurant; or, here’s a good one, the total expense of taking three kids and two adults to Disney. (That’ll really depress you.)

But, to achieve lasting happiness, the research is telling me to, “think positive.”

So, I choose to remember the following instead: Amanda (my 13-year-old daughter) and I screaming like, well, like a couple of girls as we hurled down the tracks of the Expedition Everest roller coaster; Grant (my 10-year-old son) snuggling in to my shoulder and telling me he didn’t have the words to express his appreciation for taking him to Disney World; Janelle (my 8-year-old daughter) excitedly pointing out all the beautiful figures and scenery on the “It’s a Small World” boat ride; and most of all, joining up with Michael’s parents, siblings and their families for fun-filled days at Animal Kingdom and Epcot.

I feel healthier already!

The crew at Epcot. Our young married couple are in the
center. Happy 50th Grandma and Grandpa!

Michael and Grant on the "Spin and Barf."
I mean, the Mad Tea Cup ride.

Amanda, Janelle and I before the craziness begins.

All of us doing "jazz hands" as we plunge
50 feet down the slope of Splash Mountain.