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Dine in or take out: Order well at any restaurant

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Rethink Takeout

July 6, 2023July 6, 2023 by Casey Collins

Busy lifestyles compete with time spent in the home kitchen. On a weeknight, ordering takeout can seem like the easiest, most convenient option. Eating out provides convenient nourishment as well as opportunities for socializing, celebrating, and experiencing new flavors. There is nothing wrong with eating out because it is one of life’s pleasures. However, it is good to make mindful decisions and if you look closely, you can find dishes that aren’t full of cheese, red meat, sugar, or half a day’s calories. Changing the way we order meals can improve nutritional quality without sacrificing convenience or taste.

Tips to rethink takeout:

Stick to one starch. The default is often double refined carbs like a hamburger and fries. Go with your favorite starch and try to make it a whole grain.
Replace red meat. Get poultry, seafood, or beans. Also, look for the words grilled, steamed, lightly sautéed, baked and roasted on the menu.
Load up on vegetables. Choose vegetable-based side dishes, pile vegetables onto your burrito bowl and don’t be afraid to try a vegetarian meal!
Mind the sodium. Nearly all food served in restaurants is too salty. More vegetables can help counter the sodium in other items.
Dressing on the side. Ask for any dressings, oil, butter or sauces on the side so that you can choose how much you add to your dish.
Be mindful of portion sizes. Portion sizes are scaling up. Today’s “medium” is often yesterday’s “extra-large.” Share your meal with a friend or family member. Set aside half of your entree to save for another meal before you begin eating.
Make water your beverage of choice. It is easy to forget about the sneaky calories in sugar-sweetened or alcoholic beverages.

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What a world of difference good sleep quality makes!

June 26, 2023May 31, 2023 by Christine Lavelle

My ability to get a good night’s sleep has definitely declined over the years. First, there were years of raising young children followed by years of worrying about their well-being and safety as teens/young adults. Add in hot flashes and aging joints, and I found myself waking up every few hours during the night. I have never had trouble falling asleep, but I definitely have had trouble staying asleep. As the years wore on, I found myself cranky, less resilient, and lacking motivation to do just about anything. I got to the point where I felt I needed to address my sleep quality or adverse health effects would soon follow. Here is what I found works for me.

Letting go:

I stopped focusing on how many times I woke up each night and instead pay attention to how my body felt the next day. I realized that I don’t need 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night to feel really great the next day.
I realized it was important for me to perform a “brain dump” every evening by writing thoughts, tasks, and emotions in a notebook. Now when I wake up in the middle of the night, I am able to fall back to sleep rather quickly since my brain doesn’t start “working overtime”.
I stopped worrying about getting through the night without the need to use the bathroom. If I need to use the bathroom, I simply get up, use the bathroom, then go back to sleep.

Necessary environmental changes:

I found a dark room really essential to me staying asleep for longer periods of time. Hello to lined curtains and goodbye to all those bright LED accessory lights which were everywhere.
Percale sheets, a very lightweight quilt, and the ceiling fan on low speed really do help keep me cooler and mitigate the side effects of hot flashes.
I had to say goodbye to my beloved firm mattress and opt for a slightly softer mattress that “cushions and supports” my aging joints.

It was a process of trial and error for me to get to where I am now, but I feel so much better about my sleep quality. Do I still wake up in the middle of the night? Absolutely! However, I am able to fall back to sleep relatively quickly and my mood, resiliency, and motivation are all drastically improved. I rarely feel the need for a nap, and I rarely need to rely on caffeine.

Do you wake up alert and energized the next day? Are there steps you can take to improve your sleep quality? Consider sharing what works for you as could benefit someone else who is not happy with their sleep quality.

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Four Ways to Reduce Cortisol

June 12, 2023May 23, 2023 by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN

Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. It is made in the adrenal gland and is elevated when we experience heightened anxiety or stress. When we are relaxed, it is decreased. Chronic stress means chronically high cortisol. While cortisol is needed for the fight or flight response when we experience acute stress, chronically high cortisol levels are not healthy and can lead to increase adipose tissue, especially in the midsection, and decreased immune response. You can keep your cortisol levels in check by trying these tips to reduce stress.

Meditation. A few minutes can reduce stress. New to meditation, try guided meditation where a narrator guides you through a few minutes of relaxation. There are literally hundreds for free online.
Deep breathing. Take just a few minutes each day to take several deep breaths. This will help you center and be in the moment.
Exercise. Walking is one of the best ways to reduce stress and cortisol levels.
Sleep. Getting 7-9 hours a night helps keep cortisol levels in check.

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Benefits of Casual Social Ties

June 5, 2023May 22, 2023 by Casey Collins

Loneliness has become a significant public health issue, prompting the Surgeon General to issue a warning about its impact on individual well-being and society as a whole. The increasing prevalence of social isolation and loneliness can lead to various adverse health effects, including increased risk of mental health disorders, cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality to a magnitude on par with that associated with habitual daily smoking. _¹

A fascinating study by Hanne Collins discussed on NPR sheds light on an unexpected discovery: casual social ties can be just as important as strong ones in contributing to greater life satisfaction.² This idea challenges our conventional understanding of social connections and highlights the value of expanding our social networks.

Conventional wisdom suggests that strong social connections, such as close friends and family, are the key to happiness and life satisfaction. While these relationships undoubtedly play a crucial role, the study emphasizes the often-overlooked significance of casual social ties, which encompass acquaintances, colleagues, and familiar strangers (this could be the people you see around your neighborhood or another frequently visited location but don’t necessarily know).

Why we Should Expand our Social Networks

One of the aspects highlighted in the study is that casual social ties tend to introduce us to new social circles and communities. Actively engaging with casual ties, such as participating in community events, joining clubs or organizations, and fostering connections in the workplace, can help individuals combat the negative effects of loneliness and improve their overall well-being. By engaging with people who are different from us, we expose ourselves to a wide range of experiences, beliefs, and perspectives. This exposure not only enhances our understanding of the world but also helps us develop empathy and tolerance, leading to personal growth and a more fulfilling life.

The Power of Serendipity

Casual social ties often act as conduits for serendipitous encounters and unexpected opportunities. Think about the times you met someone new at a social gathering or struck up a conversation with a stranger on a plane. These chance encounters can lead to unforeseen connections, professional opportunities, and even lifelong friendships. By actively cultivating casual ties and engaging with diverse social groups, we increase the likelihood of encountering serendipitous moments that can positively impact our lives.

Social media platforms, online communities, and professional networks have made it easier to maintain casual ties and cultivate new connections. Embracing these technologies can help us leverage the power of casual ties, as they provide opportunities to engage with individuals from various backgrounds, interests, and locations.

While strong social ties remain vital to our well-being, don’t forget about the role of casual social ties and their ability to contribute to greater life satisfaction!

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Can We Rebrand Salads?

May 29, 2023May 22, 2023 by Casey Collins

Salads are often labeled as “diet foods” and that is quite frankly a bummer. Rather than simply being a boring and healthy side dish. Salad should be reimagined as a delicious and satisfying main course. One way to do this is by adding flavorful and filling ingredients, such as protein-rich grilled chicken, hearty grains like quinoa or farro, and bold dressings made with fresh herbs and spices. With so many types of salads to choose from – leafy green salads, grain-based salads, fruit salads, and vegetable salads – there’s sure to be a salad that you’ll enjoy. Salads are a great way to increase your consumption of fruit and vegetables!

In the warmer months of the year, I thoroughly enjoy making fridge salads which are just salads that hold up in the fridge for several days. There are some tools that can make prepping delicious salads easier:

Chef’s Knife
Mandolin
Microplane
Food Processor

Perhaps you enjoy salads but have become salad weary. Are you using a salad dressing over and over again until you are so tired of it that you don’t want salad anymore? The more dressings you have in your repertoire, the more salad (i.e. vegetables) you’ll eat! Try some of these dressings to get out of your salad rut:

Lime Ginger Sauce

Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette

Peanut Sauce

Cumin Vinaigrette

Sherry Dijon Vinaigrette

Citrus Salad Dressing

Chili Lime Vinaigrette

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Best Scrambled Eggs…EVER

May 22, 2023May 16, 2023 by Carolyn Dunn, PhD, RD, LDN

It is hard to improve on a classic. No dish is more classic than scrambled eggs. It is a go-to breakfast, lunch, or dinner for a quick comfort food that is bound to please. You may think it is impossible to improve. Well, that is what I thought until I added cottage cheese.

Yes, cottage cheese. Adding about 1 tablespoon of cottage cheese per egg results in the creamiest perfectly seasoned scrambled eggs ever. It is super simple. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat well. Add the cottage cheese and mix. Scramble on medium heat in a nonstick pan coated with nonstick spray. You want to make sure the cottage cheese melts well. It happens very quickly after the eggs are almost done. There you have it. An improved-upon classic that not only tastes great and low-fat cottage cheese only adds about 17 calories and does boost the protein a little adding about 3 grams.

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Aspirational versus Inspirational

May 15, 2023May 2, 2023 by Casey Collins

In my recent blog post, Avoid the Trap of Comparison, I referred to “health and wellness” social media content as aspirational. I did this because most of social media’s “health and wellness” content is aspirational.

Aspiration refers to ambition whereas inspiration refers to the urge to do something. Aspiration motivates an individual to achieve a goal in the future, while inspiration is the trigger for aspirations. Inspiration comes from within the individual and aspiration focuses this energy toward future goals.

Translating aspirational content–from any source not just social media–into attainable practices can be a big step toward achieving personal goals and growth. While it is important to have a vision or goal to aspire to, it is often difficult to put that vision into practice in an achievable and sustainable way.

The key is to break down the aspirational content into smaller, actionable steps or practices that can be implemented daily. This involves identifying specific behaviors or actions that align with the aspirational content and then developing habits around those actions. By focusing on these smaller, attainable practices, individuals can make progress toward their larger goals in a way that feels manageable and sustainable over time.

Don’t forget to add fun to your practices! In order to sustain a new habit, there must be something rewarding–fun–about the process to make it worthwhile to continue long-term.

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Avoid the Trap of Comparison

May 8, 2023May 2, 2023 by Casey Collins

Even just a casual scroll through your social media feeds can trigger feelings of not being enough. With the prevalence of social media, it is so easy to become consumed with comparing oneself to others who appear to be living their best life. You may not even realize you are internalizing the messages on your social feeds. It is worthwhile to frequently remind yourself that social media often presents an idealized version of people’s lives, which may not accurately represent their true lived experiences.

Even if you feel you have a healthy relationship with social media it is a good rule of thumb to take content on social media feeds–especially aspirational health content– at face value. There is a vast black hole of aspirational “health and wellness” content on social media. This type of information and advice on social media doesn’t have the structure or support needed to make lasting changes in your life. That doesn’t mean you certainly can’t enjoy certain aspects of social media like peer support and camaraderie. But it can help to take an arm’s-length viewership stance and see this type of content as inspiration to fuel your personal goals and interests.

Maybe it is time to do a follower cleanse. This involves reviewing the accounts you follow on your social media feeds and asking yourself what their “value add” is for you in this particular season in your life. What emotions arise with specific accounts? It is probably wise to unfollow any accounts that make you feel unworthy, powerless, or just generally crappy.

Remember that rather than comparing oneself to others, it’s important to focus on personal growth and celebrate your own accomplishments and successes. You can cultivate a more positive and empowering relationship with social media by prioritizing personal growth and avoiding the trap of comparison.

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