A Shout Out To Seniors

I love my senior clients. They are full of wisdom and they tell it like it is. You would think that when you hit a certain age, you should be able to eat anything you want. I wish that were so. How you eat is important at any age, but as we get older it's even more vital.

Unfortunately, eating well is not on the priority list as we get older. I hear this anthem over and over from senior women: "I cooked for 40 years and I'm tired of it, it's just easier to eat out." Wonder if I will say that one day? Mind you, I don't have a large family to cook for, so cooking for one to three people is not hard. Maybe I would feel differently if I had to cook for more than 3 every day. Anyway... as seniors become more carefree and leave their kitchens for restaurant meals, it really effects their health. Let's face it, you can't eat a meal out for less than 1500 mg of sodium - and that's just one meal out. I won't even bore you with the fat, cholesterol and additives in restaurant foods. Our "golden years" are supposed to be about relaxation, fun and adventure. That's not going to happen if you eat out constantly. It's no wonder that most of us have to take more medicine as we age. You can't blame every health problem on the aging process. What you put into your body and how active you are makes the biggest impact on your health. Think about that if you know a senior who has been put on a third blood pressure pill or a second diabetes pill. That could be less likely to happen if activity goes up and eating out goes down. Dare I even talk about the pot lucks????

Every Once In a While

How often do you do something just every once in a while?
“I only eat ice cream every once in a while”
“I only eat steak every once in a while”
“I only go to the buffet every once in a while”
“I only eat candy every once in a while”

I hear these phrases all day long. Maybe we should add up all of our “once in a whiles”.

In the dressing room

So I was in the dressing room at Old Navy (my fav inexpensive clothing store) several weeks ago. I overheard a mom and her daughter in the room next to me. The daughter was frustrated trying on clothes as everything seemed to be too small. Mom was doing her best to not upset her daughter. I was waiting for it... and then it happened. The daughter called herself the dreaded "fat" word and mom said what so many moms have said before - "You're not fat honey, I just want you to be healthy". What's wrong with that you ask? Nothing really. It's actually the word "healthy" that has started to bug me. When you tell your overweight child that you just want them to be healthy, don't you think that most kids, if they hear it enough will soon associate the word healthy with being thin. I'm not saying that we should call overweight kids fat by any means. It just seems that the word healthy gets thrown around a lot. There are a lot of thin kids that are not healthy. I just don't want kids to think that healthy means thin - because it doesn't. If the daughter decided that she would only eat salads to fit into clothes better, that would not be healthy. So, we are all worried about self esteem in our daughters. Maybe rather than saying "I just want you to be healthy" when discussing weight, how about a different approach. How about "Lets find you a better style and size of clothing." This could imply that its the clothes fault and not the daughters fault. You know what I mean? What do you think??

On Cooking

Isn't it funny how a long time ago, families would eat out when it was a special occasion. Today, it's the reverse. Eating at home has become a rare, special occasion. When I talk to people about cooking healthy, it seems that their eyes glaze over and I feel like I'm speaking a foreign language. Then they quite often give me the same argument about how buying healthy foods cost too much. Mind you - these are the very same people eating out almost everyday. I will argue that I can make a quarter pounder with cheese at home (using a more expensive extra lean ground beef)for a fraction of the cost compared to what they would pay at a fast food restaurant. And it will be lower in calories, fat and sodium.

I suppose I may have control issues (friends and family would heartily agree...) but I like to have more control of my food. (I mean - really, have you ever worked in a restaurant??? If you have, you know what I mean.) When I prepare food at home, I know what I'm getting (for the most part) and I'm positive that I can make it far healthier for less money. There's nothing worse than going out to eat and discovering that I could have made it better at home.

So why is cooking at home so daunting for people? Has the Food Network helped or has it made us feel more like inferior cooks? Recipe flops are great (really - how are you supposed to become a good cook without having some failures? You learn a lot from cooking mistakes.) So, I continue to try to get people back in the kitchen. If you have any ideas or inspirations, or if you have your own cooking stories please comment!

You Are Not Your Weight

I have never been a fan of the “weigh in”. I’ve resisted the weigh in procedure for clients and weight loss classes throughout the years. I gave into weighing people when I started the Weight Management Support Group. I finally accepted that people need to weigh in as a form of accountability – a way to stay on track and have a measureable goal. I get that, but I continue to struggle with it. Do you find it strange that a dietitian does not like to weigh people? It pains me to weigh someone when they know they haven’t lost weight. Or they are shocked and disappointed that the scale did not go in their favor. It’s also worrisome to me when someone loses a great deal of weight in one week. I worry that they starved too much and they will only gain it right back again. We seem to hang too much importance on the number on the scale.

What if we measured other things besides weight? It’s virtually impossible to measure energy level, and attitude when someone embarks on a healthy eating plan. It’s too subjective, but to me it’s important. People always report that they feel so much better when they eat healthier. That means more to me than the number on the scale. How you eat can totally determine your health and isn’t your overall health the most important thing? When you change your eating for the better, so many aspects of your life improve and with patience your weight will slowly improve as well.

Something occurred to me the other day. It seems like some people unfortunately associate their identities with the number on the scale. It’s as if they have a neon sign that says “I am my weight”. Here is what I think about that…

• You are not your weight
• Your weight should not determine or influence your mood and outlook for the day
• Your weight should not determine feast or famine
• Your weight should not provide a reason for reward or punishment
• Your weight is only a number – your attitude and self esteem is what counts
• Be kind to yourself – talk to yourself as you would a good friend
• Be mindful and caring about what you put into your body, not what your body does to you on the scale

I’ll continue to weigh people because it’s what they want. I just hope they know that it’s often not any better being on the other side of the scale.

When in Rome (or Arizona)

Just returned from sunny Arizona only to arrive to a winter wonderland. After cancelled flights and lost luggage, sorta wish I had stayed longer.
My belief when I go away on vacation is to eat like the locals. (If only I could have a job like Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations - Travel Channel.) Anyway on a much smaller scale, I like to eat foods that are local to the area. How could I pass up a dollop of fresh southwest guacamole served with nearly everything? Yes -everything. (Guac is great with eggs!) At a fabulous hotel brunch in Scottsdale I obtained their recipe for homemade guacamole. It looks easy enough.
2 avocados peeled & chopped, 1 diced onion, 2 diced tomatoes, 1 bunch chopped cilantro and 1/2 lime, juiced. For 4 servings, that's only 137 calories. Or for the more calorie conscience 8 servings for only 69 calories each. It's so simple!
And chorizo! It's a spanish sausage which I'm sure I've seen and eaten before, but never like this. Like guac, it's in so many dishes. It's an unusually good tasting sausage, but calorie-counters beware. One small ounce has 129 calories and 10 grams of fat. Perhaps at this point, I should add that I also ate a lot of fresh delicious fruit. Nothing compares to fruit that you can pick right off of a tree (thank you Aunt Kay!). My mid-western upbringing never afforded me the exposure of totally fresh fruit - wow, so good! Now I am longing for Arkansas spring strawberry season. With the snow right outside my window, think I will opt for soup instead. Bet some homemade guacamole would be good in my soup?

Random Happenings

Heading to sunny (I hope) Phoenix today for a weekend get-away. Good luck to our house/dog-sitter. He has plenty of dog treats to spare his life so that the dog will eat the treats instead of him...

Airport fast food - ugh. Will try to avoid it. My bag is loaded with Kashi granola bars, nuts and dried fruit. Going to a super-nice Hawiian Fusion Steakhouse Friday night for dinner - can't wait! Not to mention a superbowl party at my aunts house. There should be plenty of food and beverages on hand.
BTW - Cookinglight.com has some great superbowl recipes for the weekend. They say that Superbowl Sunday is the second highest food consumption day (second to Thanksgiving of course). Wow. (Go Saints)

OK, so Heather Kendrick (host of the show: Living Local) just stopped by my office. (She gave her permission for me to share this wonderful bit of news.) Her weigh-in today...she just hit the 20 pound weight loss mark!!!! After a bit of jumping up and down and high-fiving she's thrilled and so am I. What a fun client she has been -great job Heather.

Last night in Weight Management Support Group we talked about metabolism. I'm so proud of this group. They have really jumped on board the weight loss band wagon. Everyone is doing so well. It's easy to forget that in order for your metabolism to work, you have to feed it. If you eat too few calories, you won't get very far. Another trick is to spread out your calories evenly. Over-eating at one setting promotes fat storage, and who on earth wants to be a fat-storer? A sure way to help your metabolism is weight-training. Metabolism lowers through the years more due to muscle loss rather than age alone. So do your best to keep and maintain your muscle mass! I can hardly type right now, as one of our personal trainers has gotten a hold of me this past week to help my poor deflated muscle mass. It's a good pain and I'm already feeling stronger! If you ever even considered getting a personal trainer - its soooo worth it!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!