We have all been there. We have been on the playground as a child. We have been teased about our appearance: our size, our clothes, our hair. We have all reacted differently. Some of us have gotten into fights. Others of us have had our friends defend us. Some of us have withdrawn and avoided the playground at all costs.
Indoor activities, especially video games and watching TV, become the norm, as does the ease of snacking…snacking on something sweet (ice cream, cookies, cake) or salty (chips, pretzels) while drinking sugary drinks (soda, energy drinks).
These activities are all reactionary to outside interactions, which, sadly, often follow us into adulthood. Our perceptions of ourselves, even as young children, affect our physical and mental states. This can lead to major health issues as children and have lasting effects on us as adults.
A change in the home environment can help parents struggling with their own self-image and health challenges. These home changes can also affect children in a positive way.
According the the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 35% of adults and 17% of children in the United States are currently diagnosed as obese. In adults, some cultural groups have higher obesity rates than others, particularly non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Asians. Age, education, and economic status can also affect obesity in adults. Childhood obesity has been linked to the education and income of the adults in the household.
Many states and communities have developed programs targeting the home as the primary setting to promote family health. These programs target areas that lack the resources with a positive, culturally appropriate message. Fit Families focuses large Hispanic population in New Mexico through the New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service and New Mexico State University. The University of Maryland Extension has a similar program through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).
In the home, and particularly with young children, parents set the first and primary example of healthy lifestyle choices, which can be affected by the following:
- accessibility to neighborhood grocery stores
- affordability of healthier food options
- accessibility of healthier food options in the kitchen
- knowledge of meal preparation and cooking
- designation of and commitment to family mealtimes (often restricted to specific locations such as a dining table)
- encouragement of and participation in age-appropriate physical activity
- limitation of excessive screen time (television, tablets, computers, and other devices)
- positive reinforcement and support
While there are many external influences that can alter our perceptions of ourselves, a positive home environment that encourages a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition and recreational or organized exercise can lead to a positive view of ourselves and our children.
Contact the specialists at your local Metabolic Medical Center to design your family weight management program and take control of you and your family’s self image.
Have you ever thought about the mental challenges for weight loss? Some of this is carving out dedicated time for your dietary counseling sessions. Or making sure you make it to whichever fitness class has caught your interest. Juggling your time with family, work, and social commitments can also challenge your weight loss goals.
Then comes your actual eating habits within the course of a day, a week, a month.
We have all encountered some of these scenarios:
- You forgot to pack your lunch, and someone ordered pizza for the office.
- You are stuck in traffic on your lunch break trying to find a decent salad
- You are rushing to make your lunch in the morning, and the only things you have in the refrigerator are pickles and mustard.
- You made it through your intensive exhaustive workout, and getting a sub seems so convenient.
Let’s be honest: meal prep takes a little bit of forethought. It doesn’t have to happen all the time, but when it does, it makes your day and week go smoother and helps you keep your weight loss goals in mind. These 11 tips can help you stay the weight loss course:
- Make a meal plan: Pick simple recipes that you are familiar with.
- Check your pantry for ingredients you already have.
- Stick to your grocery shopping list to avoid impulse buying of unhealthy foods.
- Have good quality containers with sizes and shapes that help you with portion control.
- Use a food scale to help you when you’re not necessarily counting calories.
- Take some time just to prepare your fruits and vegetables: peeling, chopping, slicing and dicing.
- Make the complicated recipes first followed by the simpler ones, including freezer-friendly meals which can also help on very hectic days.
- Have healthy condiments around to season your meals.
- Eat leftovers. Depending on what meal you’ve made, leftovers can be transformed into another dish.
- Organize food in your refrigerator to make it easily accessible and in the appropriate areas for the optimum temperature.
- Store healthy snacks around the house, in snack sizes to help with your portion control.
It is much more challenging to eat healthy when you do not cook your own meals. Making your own system will help you take control of your weight loss and lifestyle goals.
Consult with your local Metabolic Medical Center for more tips on meal preparation for weight loss.
Diabetes is often known as the sugar disease. It is a metabolic disorder in which the body has challenges in breaking down food into the simple sugar glucose. Glucose is a main source of fuel for growth and energy.
The pancreas, a large organ located behind the stomach, creates the hormone insulin, which allows glucose to move from the blood stream into our cells. Diabetes, in its various forms, occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. The glucose will pass out of the body along with other waste products, unable to provide vital energy for the body.
Diabetes has been linked to memory loss, as the brain like other organs in the body consumes glucose for energy. The brain consumes about 20% of energy used by the body. When the brain does not receive enough energy, it slowly loses cognitive function. Many individuals diagnosed with diabetes may or may not have other health issues such as Alzheimer’s disease, depression, stress, stroke, an underactive thyroid, or others which may cause or exacerbate memory loss and which can be deeply affected by diabetes. These can cause long-term changes in brain function and development.
Research studies have been conducted regarding the effects of weight loss as a limiting factor in long-term damage to the brain.
The Look AHEAD program, a multi-site study, followed thousands of participants, diagnosed with diabetes or obesity, for more than a decade. Some participants received standard diabetes education management and counseling, while others also participated in intensive counseling that included diet and exercise support.
While the Look AHEAD study has concluded with similar cognitive results among the two groups, participants still reduced overall glucose levels that are toxic to the brain. Researchers did not use the intense lifestyle interventions to track changes in other factors (depression, medication use, sleep apnea, etc.) that could lead to better diabetes control.
The WISE Program is currently investigating the effects of bariatric surgery on brain function with obese and diabetic patients. Again, two groups will participate in the study, one group electing to have the surgery, and the other not.
Weight loss in general has been found to help provide energy to the body, and therefore the brain. Those diagnosed with diabetes have the extra challenge of providing energy to the body and the brain which greatly affects their lifestyle choices. Acute awareness of best practices to maintain a healthy body and a healthy mind will help diabetic individuals continue to live a long and memorable life.
Metabolic Medical Center can help you manage your diabetes, reduce your weight, and help reduce memory loss.
Sprouts have been a medicinal and nutritional mainstay in Asia for centuries. Interactions with the Asian continent introduced sprouts to many cultures, but it was the emigration of those of Asian descent across the globe that allowed the sprout revolution to really take root. Sprouts began gaining popularity in the United States in the 1970s, and hasn’t stopped.
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| Alfalfa Sprouts |
So, what is a sprout? Sprouts are those very very young plants emerging from their seeds. There are many different sprouts available on the market; the most familiar being bean sprouts. But sprouts can also come from grains like buckwheat and rye, nuts, and beans like garbanzo beans; grass like alfalfa; greens like sunflowers; leafy vegetables like radishes; or from the mustard family, especially broccoli.
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| Broccoli Sprouts |
Sprouting is a good introduction into growing your own food for the uninitiated on a small scale with no soil in any climate. Sprout growth and consumption does not come without risk. The US Food and Drug Administration provides guidelines and are developing mandatory produce safety regulations for the sprout industry which are also useful for growing sprouts at home.
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| Onion Sprouts |
Like its fully formed vegetable counterparts, sprouts provide you a healthy dose of vitamins, fiber, protein, and fats. As young versions of the vegetables, sprouts are more easily digestible as they have not yet developed the thick fibrous exteriors. The USDA Food Composition database provides detailed health information on a variety of vegetable sprouts. Sprouts have altered chemical makeup, reducing their starch contents and increasing their vitamin and mineral levels. When soaked, they also break down other anti-nutrients which allows the body to absorb more of these vital vitamins and minerals.
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| Mung Bean Sprouts |
In addition to the general healthy benefits of sprouts, there are ongoing studies investigating the disease-preventing phytochemicals in sprouts to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases like diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and various cancers.
See the experts at Metabolic Medical Center and add sprouts to your next meal to get a super nutritional punch from small package.
