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5 Healthy Habits to Improve the Quality of Your Sleep

by Archana Revankar
healthy sleep habits

We spend a third of lives sleeping. The recommended 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night is required for refreshing our mind. Neuroscientists have discovered that it is in our sleep that our brain’s specialized networks called the glymphatic system work hard to clear the waste products called the Amyloid B proteins. The rapid clearance of Amyloid B proteins is 60% more productive in sleep possibly preventing us from developing Alzheimer’s disease as we age.

Getting the right amount sleep each night is a feasible lifestyle modification to manage weight and works very well in conjunction with other lifestyle modification such as counting calories and staying active.

Evidence suggests that a restful night sleep can lead to better food choices the following day by fighting off cravings for junk food. Sleep deprivation alters the levels of the two hormones ghrelin and leptin that control our appetite. Ghrelin is a hormone produced in our gut that promotes hunger and is responsible for producing a sense of pleasure associated with eating. When sleep duration decreases the ghrelin production increases causing our appetite to increase. Leptin is a chemical produced by fat cells that produces a feeling of fullness and when sleep duration decreases leptin levels decreases masking the feeling of fullness and making us want to eat more.

Research shows that poor quality sleep is directly linked to increased risk of heart attacks, increased blood pressure, and stroke, increased risk of depression and worsening of anxiety. Getting more sleep also helps to improve our body’s immunity against viruses and bacteria.

Here are few healthy sleep habits that you can incorporate to improve the quality of your sleep:

  1. Follow a strict sleep schedule – go to bed and wake up at the same times every day even on the days that you are off work.
  2. Practice relaxing and calming activity before bed time such as reading a book, meditation, deep breathing or even taking a warm shower.
  3. Exercise regularly – CDC recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days a week or 15 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise 5 days a week. It is best is to exercise in the mornings or afternoon, but if you have to exercise in the evening do it at least 3 hours before your bed time.
  4. Pay attention to your sleep environment – make sure your mattress is comfortable and you have a comfortable and a supportive pillow. It is best to sleep in a quiet room, free from light with a comfortable room temperature setting. Use black out curtains or eye masks to ward off light if needed.
  5. Most importantly keep all the electronic gadgets such as laptop computers, iPad, and smart phones away from the sleep environment. Avoid screen times at least 30 minutes to an hour before your bed time.

If you still have trouble with sleeping restfully please discuss the matter with a sleep professional. Use a sleep diary to journal the pattern of your sleep and discuss it with your doctor.

See the TED Talk below for more on why sleep is important:

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Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

by Surabhi Aggarwal, RD, LDN
instant pot mexican quinoa

Quinoa is a whole grain that provides complete protein along with other nutrients. It is a great addition to a healthy eating pattern but many people are not familiar with this super food or may not know how to cook it. The recipe below is one of my favorite ways to cook quinoa. It is not only delicious but also very easy and quick to make in a time crunch.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/3rd can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3/4th cup frozen sweet corn, rinsed in hot water
  • 1 – 2 jalapeños, diced
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup quinoa, washed
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 – 2 tsp cayenne pepper or red chili powder
  • 2 tsp Mexican seasoning
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
  • 1 medium avocado, diced (optional)

Directions:

  1. Turn Instant Pot on and put on sauté mode.
  2. Add olive oil and once it is hot, add the crushed tomatoes and stir for a few seconds.
  3. Add all other ingredients (except lemon juice, cilantro, and avocado) and stir well.
  4. Press cancel on the Instant Pot and close the lid. Make sure the pressure valve is turned towards sealing. Put it on pressure cook mode (high) for 1 minute. Let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid.
  5. Add the lemon juice and fluff it with a fork.
  6. Garnish with cilantro and avocado before serving.

Note: To make the quinoa softer, add ¼ cup extra broth or cook for 2 minutes.

Nutrition Information per Serving (including avocado):

Serving size: 6, Calories: 280, Fat: 8.5 grams, Protein: 11 grams, Carbohydrates: 42 grams.

* Calculated using MyFitnessPal recipe analyzer, www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator

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How Practicing Gratitude May Benefit Your Health

by Archana Revankar
practice gratitude to improve health

DID YOU KNOW?

Being GRATEFUL has many health benefits. According to a recent study, practicing gratitude everyday may help you sleep better, lower your body aches and pains and improve your heart health.

According to Harvard Medical School, gratitude is “a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals – whether to other people, nature or a higher power.”

Grateful people are more patient. Gratitude practice fosters resilience by guarding against the feelings of frustration and disappointment. Practicing gratitude promotes increased levels of well-being. People who practice gratitude are found to experience more happiness in their lives. By practicing gratitude, you become more forgiving to others. It also helps reduce your stress levels and promote optimism in all the areas of your health and wellbeing.

We find ourselves focusing on the problems and stressors and forget that we have so much to be grateful for. We can practice gratitude by paying attention to the good things around us.

Here are six simple gratitude exercises that may benefit your health:

  • Journaling: Write down 3 things you are grateful for in a journal every day or once a week.
  • Gratitude Jar: Write down what you are grateful for everyday on small slips of paper and collect them in a mason jar.
  • Gratitude rock: You can practice a mini mindfulness moment by placing a rock that you like (something that looks interesting to you) on your work desk or any place where you will see it every day. Pause for a moment when you look at the rock and think about what you are grateful for at that moment.
  • Gratitude walk: Just take a walk on the greenway and listen to the sounds of nature. Take a moment to think about the things you are grateful for in your life.
  • Gratitude prompts: Just fill in the blanks –

                                  I am grateful for the things I hear_________

                                  I am grateful for the things I see __________

                                  I am grateful for a friend ________ a family member ______ Etc.

These gratitude exercises are all great ways to practice self-care! Set aside a few minutes each day to pause and check-in with yourself. Try journaling, going on a short walk, meditating or listening to music. Use this time to evaluate your stress, take a break from work/life events, practice gratitude or whatever else helps you feel better.

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Small Steps, Bright Future Campaign Aims to Reduce Risk of Stroke in NC

by Kendrick Kemp
small steps bright future

After decades of decline, stroke deaths have begun rising in adults 35 and older in North Carolina. Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability and the fourth leading cause of death in the state. Small Steps, Bright Future, a North Carolina Stroke Advisory Council Prevention Campaign, focuses on preventing stroke among African Americans who are at a disproportionate risk for stroke. Small Steps, Bright Future highlights endearing moments that could be missed if a person suffers from health complications related to stroke and heart disease.

Up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The campaign encourages people to make behavior changes that can prevent stroke and heart disease, and it drives viewers to startwithyourheart.com for links to resources to support making small steps toward preventing stroke. Those small steps include:

  • Eating more fruits and vegetables
  •  Preparing more meals at home
  • Re-thinking your drink
  • Right-sizing portions
  • Moving more every day
  • Limiting screen time
  • Monitoring your blood pressure
  • Quitting tobacco use
  • Taking a diabetes prevention or management class

For more information and resources to share, visit startwithyourheart.com.

Original article written by Amy Dominello Braun, DHHS Office of Communications.

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Need an easy healthy weeknight recipe? Try a veggie bowl!

by Casey Collins
produce box veggie bowl

I recently signed up for a produce subscription service called The Produce Box, which serves the Triad, the Triangle, Charlotte, the Piedmont, and the Coast of North Carolina. I will admit that I have previously been hesitant to sign up for one of these services because I’m always afraid I will end up wasting lots of food. However, I really like this specific service because you can schedule skip weeks in advance all the way through the month of December. Right now, getting a box every two weeks works best for my family.

The other week I had a few odds and ends left from my most recent produce haul. I decided to sauté my leftover veggies and add an egg for some extra protein. What helped make this meal come together quickly was having a few pantry staples like the olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. I don’t know if you would consider eggs and cheese as pantry staples, but I think that having eggs and some kind of cheese on hand can really elevate a simple meal of sautéed veggies. 

Warm the olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté the kale, squash, and mushrooms until all veggies are tender. In a separate pan cook an egg (over easy). Put the sautéed veggies in a bowl and top with the over easy egg. For the finishing touches, use a microplane to grate the parmesan.  This meal comes together in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

  • Kale*
  • Eggs
  • Summer Squash*
  • Baby Bella Mushrooms*
  • Parmesan
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

*Items from produce box

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“My A1C is in the normal range and I feel better about myself”

by Sydney Wills

Below is a testimonial from current Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes participant, Eric:

a1c in normal range

I have been hovering around 250 lbs. for several years. My doctor was concerned about metabolic syndrome and my A1C was in the pre-diabetic range. I am fairly active, but I had never really dieted or tried very hard to lose weight. I had read and knew a lot of tips but never really put anything into action. I signed up for the Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes program hoping to kick start myself into that action.

I’ve been amazed at how just tracking what you’re eating and being mindful of it can change your habits. Being single again after 24 years of marriage (I was widowed in 2014), cooking for one and buying healthy foods was just not high on my priorities. But my self image was poor and I think that matters a lot in the dating world.

Since beginning the program, I’ve lost 22 lbs. My A1C is in the normal range. I no longer have to wear my “fat” pants all the time. I feel better about myself and know that I can get down to an even more ideal weight. That will be my goal for the second part of the class. I still feel old some days because I am, but I notice that I feel a lot healthier most days. I can play pickleball for two hours, go to spin class or ride my bike 17 miles without feeling like I’m going to die. I’m more motivated about being active and going to the gym. And one of the little things that I’ve noticed is that I can bend and trim my toenails easier. That seems like such a small thing but it was something I noticed and was tickled about. I was recently on vacation and was able to go zip lining because I was under the weight limit now!

My self image has improved, I haven’t found a girlfriend yet but I’m more optimistic than I was. I’ve learned a lot about eating and exercise, how the little details matter and how to figure out if something is really good for you. I’m looking forward to continue learning and enjoying a healthy eating lifestyle. My instructor has been a fabulous and enthusiastic teacher!

–Eric, a current Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes participant

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A Dietitian’s Review of the Air Fryer

by Catherine Hill, RD, LDN

By now you may have heard about the air fryer craze. This kitchen gadget has rivaled the InstaPot for trendiest cooking invention of the decade, and for good reason!

Air fryers work by circulating hot air around a metal mesh cooking basket, allowing the food to cook evenly and quickly with little to no added fat. As part of a healthy lifestyle, air fryers can offer an alternative to high calorie styles of cooking.

I am the first to admit it is not an attractive appliance. Slightly bulky with a small digital screen, I often refer to it as the UFO. However, you may come to use it so often that it is worth leaving on the counter for ease. One of the best parts is that the attachments are dishwasher safe!

Some of my favorite foods to cook in the air fryer are vegetables (like these air fried sweet potato fries) and chickpeas. From frozen bags of broccoli to canned chickpeas, cooking with an air fryer can help you load up your plate with more nutrient dense, lower calorie foods!

Tip: Use your air fryer for reheating cooked items. The hot circulating air reheats cooked food quickly without drying it out. Leftover grilled chicken? Throw it in the air fryer! Made too many meatballs? Freeze some and reheat in the air fryer when you need a quick dinner option. Frozen veggie burgers? Reheat them in the air fryer for a crunchy texture.

See below for a satisfying snack of air fried spiced chickpeas.

Air Fried Spiced Chickpeas

air fried chickpeas

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

  1. Turn air fryer on to 400F for 3-5 minutes to preheat.
  2. Dry chickpeas very well with a paper towel, rubbing off loose skins.
  3. Combine spices in a small bowl.
  4. Toss chickpeas first with olive oil and then add the spices.
  5. Cook for 15-20 minutes, shaking the basket a few times during cooking. The chickpeas should be dry and crunchy when ready.
  6. Serve warm or room temperature. Can store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Here are a few more of my favorite air fryer recipes:

Air fryer hard cooked eggs

Air fryer chicken nuggets

Air fryer salmon

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5 Tips to Not Gain Weight on a Cruise

by Kelly Nordby, RD, LDN
not gain weight on cruise

My family and I recently took a cruise to Alaska and it was awesome!  Between all of the activities scheduled during the at sea days and the walking during the days in port, there was plenty to do and despite the 24/7 access to food, I am happy to report that I did not gain weight! 

Here are my top 5 tips to not gain weight on a cruise:

  1. Take the stairs instead of the elevator on the boat.It is truly amazing how many steps you can get just by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, especially when the state room is on the 13th floor and most of the activities are located on the 4th and 5th floors.  There was usually a line for the elevators anyway, so taking the stairs ended up being quicker in most cases. 
  2. Stay busy by participating in the many activities on the boat. Among the bumper cars, volleyball, dodgeball, ping pong, indoor sky diving, introduction classes for acupuncture, events, shows, and activities on the boat, there was not a lot of time or interest in snacking.  In addition, walking from activity to activity on an enormous cruise liner produces a lot of steps.  I was able to get 10,000+ on most days.
  3. Order a salad or broth-based soup as an appetizer. Since the dining room meals included three courses, I tried not to overdo it by ordering a heavy appetizer.  Instead, I ordered a salad with vinaigrette dressing or broth-based soup like minestrone and saved my calories for the main course and dessert.
  4. Allow yourself one dessert per day. Since every meal on a cruise can be finished off with a dessert, I tried to only pick my favorite dessert of the options available and allowed myself one dessert per day.  After all, it is vacation!  Most of the dining room options included a very tasty ‘no sugar added’ (not sugar-free) option which worked perfectly.  It was sweet, but not too sweet and only a small piece was served.
  5. Load up with vegetables first at the buffet. The buffet can be very tough to navigate especially when I was really hungry and wanted to put one of everything on my plate.  To tackle this, I started each meal with a large salad or grilled vegetables and finished it off with lean protein like fish and chicken.  I tried to limit starchy foods like white rice, pasta, and potatoes and saved these calories for my daily dessert (as noted in #4).

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Just Move: How doing anything, but sitting, can lead to improved health

by Melissa Rockett
just move

We’ve all probably heard by now the idea that sitting is the new smoking. We spend our days hunched over our desks, sitting in our vehicles, enjoying our latest Netflix binge, using our smartphones to order dinner and next week’s groceries- it’s inevitable that at some point in your day you are likely sitting.

A sedentary lifestyle is linked to a large range of health risks, including increased risk of obesity, high blood pressure, early aging and cardiovascular disease. The good news is, we can all take miniscule measures to improve our health throughout the day and in between these sedentary tasks. The movements we make in between our daily activities-refreshing our coffee, taking the longer way to the breakroom, or parking a few extra parking spots away- all contribute to the National Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommendation for adults of getting between 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise each week; in addition to strength-training exercises two or more days a week. 

This exciting discovery came out of the update to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines, where researchers discovered that any amount of exercise is beneficial and health promoting, breaking from the old rule that physical activity be accumulated in bouts of at least 10 minutes in order to count towards your weekly recommended physical activity.

The research found that even accumulated bouts of exercise that were less than ten minutes were helpful in lowering blood sugar, controlling blood pressure and protecting against chronic disease and early death. Additionally, physical activity provides immediate benefits and can help you sleep better, feel better, think better and decrease your risk of anxiety or depression. 

Gone are the days where we must be on the go and moving for at least ten minutes in order to count as physical activity. With only one in four adults in the U.S. fully meeting the physical activity guidelines and one in ten premature deaths related to inactivity, this new concept in physical activity research provides a glimmer of hope for improving health in a predominantly sedentary culture.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention every year, found that moving more strongly influenced longevity and the adults studied that were the least physically active, were at the highest risk of premature death. Those who moved more often (over twenty minutes a day), cut their mortality risk in half.

Even on those days where you can’t find the time to fit in a purposeful and continuous exercise session, be mindful in your daily tasks and take every extra step when you have the opportunity, and rest easy knowing that this extra bit of movement is still working to your good and is beneficial for your health. 

For me, on my busiest of days my mini move motivator gets me going-even if we only get a few five minute walk breaks-we never fail to come back happier and healthier. So, get moving-anytime, anywhere and by any way that gets you active. Once you get started, you may find you can change small things in the way you live your life to improve your health and move more.

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How to Make Perfect Seared Salmon

by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN

For some, cooking fish at home may seem like a daunting task. While fish such as salmon can be an excellent source of lean protein and omega-3’s, concerns over food safety and proper preparation abound. But in truth, cooking with seafood can be a quick and enjoyable way to break the monotony of weeknight dinners. Pair seared salmon with Kale Napa Cabbage Slaw for a complete meal.

Tips for Success:

  • If using frozen salmon, ensure it has properly defrosted in the refrigerator and pat dry before cooking
  • Salmon skin is edible and helps keep the filet together while cooking
  • Start searing skin side down to render fat
  • Ensure the salmon cooks undisturbed for 6 minutes on each side

See the short how-to video below for an easy way to cook fresh or frozen salmon.

Seared Salmon

Ingredients:

  • 2 (3-5 oz) salmon filets (skin-on preferred).
  • Pinch of salt.
  • Pinch of pepper.

Directions:

  • Heat a skillet on medium heat. Once heated, place the salmon filet skin side down and cook for about 6 minutes.
  • Flip the salmon filet and cook for about 6 minutes (until internal temperature reaches 145°F).
  • Serve your seared salmon along side your favorite vegetables and whole grains for a healthy delicious meal.

Nutrition Information per Serving

Serving size: 5 oz salmon filet; Calories: 250 calories; Carbohydrates: 1.7 grams; Fiber: 0 grams; Protein 30 grams; Fat: 12.5 grams; Sodium 226 mg

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