Most Important Meal Of The Day...Breakfast!

Importance of Breakfast

How many of us out there believe that skipping breakfast will help us lose weight? Do we think we are eating fewer calories because we are “skipping” a meal? Well think again. In reality, most of us probably know that breakfast has the reputation of being the most important meal of the day. But do we know why?

There is plenty of sound research available that supports the notion that eating breakfast not only helps to lose weight, but to also keep it off and maintain a healthy weight. Think about it, during the 8 (or so) hours we are sleeping we are generally not eating (if we are, we have other problems to address). Therefore, we are “fasting” sometimes 15-20 hours. When we eat breakfast it prevents us from being ravenous wolves when we FINALLY do eat. Plus, eating breakfast also helps start our metabolism for the day.

A large base of research shows that eating breakfast prevents overeating throughout the day. Eating breakfast helps us to naturally spread out what we eat throughout the day. This is better for our body because we are constantly fueled throughout the day and we also have the time needed to burn the fuel we consume.

Eating Smart for Breakfast

Now that we understand the importance of eating breakfast, what should we eat? Just like eating breakfast is important, it is also important that we make smart choices in what we eat for breakfast.

Fruits and whole grains are a great breakfast option because they have a lot of fiber and are low in fat. They are low in calories but also high in nutrition density. These items are what we could call energy dense. They are foods that we help you feel full and provide high energy without being high in calories. Overall, you get More for Less.

Some examples of great breakfast items could include:

• A bowl of oatmeal and fruit
• A bowl of whole grain cold cereal and fruit
• Multigrain waffles
• Low-fat yogurt and fruit
• Whole grain toast and fruit
• Fruit Smoothie
• Whole grain toast with peanut butter

Note: If you have not had a high fiber diet, introduce fiber gradually. Too much fiber at once if you are not used to it can cause constipation, diarrhea or an upset stomach.
Source:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/lose-weight-eat-breakfast

Here are some additional resources you can view if you want more information or ideas about adding breakfast into your daily routine.

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=3261&terms=breakfast
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=1573
http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6747&terms=breakfast
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/NU00197
http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=3759&terms=breakfast

Being More Active!

Regular physical activity is good for your health. 

Physical activity is anything that gets your body moving. Start at a comfortable level. Once you get the hang of it, add a little more activity each time you exercise. Then try exercising more often.

What kinds of activity should I do?
To get the health benefits of physical activity, do a combination of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.

• Aerobic (“air-OH-bik”) activities make you breathe harder and cause your heart to beat faster. Walking fast is an example of aerobic activity.
• Muscle-strengthening activities make your muscles stronger. Muscle-strengthening activities include lifting weights and using exercise bands.

What are the benefits of physical activity?
Physical activity increases your chances of living longer. Exercise can also help:

• Control your blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight
• Lower your “bad” cholesterol and raise your “good” cholesterol
• Prevent heart disease, colorectal and breast cancer, and type 2 diabetes

And that’s not all. Being more active can:

• Be fun
• Help you look your best
• Improve your sleep
• Make your bones, muscles, and joints stronger
• Lower your chances of becoming depressed
• Reduce falls and pain from arthritis
• Help you feel better about yourself

How much aerobic activity do I need each week?

• If you choose moderate activities, do at least 2 hours and 30 minutes a week. Moderate activities include things like walking fast, dancing, and raking leaves.
• If you choose vigorous activities, do at least 1 hour and 15 minutes a week. Vigorous activities include things like jogging, jumping rope, swimming laps, or riding a bike on hills.

Do moderate or vigorous aerobic activity for at least 10 minutes at a time. You can also combine moderate and vigorous activities.

How do I know if my activity level is moderate or vigorous?
Your body is working at a moderate level when you can talk but not sing. Your body is working at a vigorous level when you can’t say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.

How much muscle-strengthening activity do I need each week?
Do muscle-strengthening activities at least 2 days a week. Muscle-strengthening activities include push-ups, sit-ups, and lifting weights.

Be sure to strengthen all major muscle groups including the legs, hips, back, chest, stomach, shoulders, and arms. Do these activities to the point where it’s hard for you to do more without help. If you can, do several sets of each exercise.

Is physical activity for everyone?
Yes! People of all ages and body types benefit from physical activity. Even if you feel out-of-shape or haven’t been active in a long time, you can find activities that will work for you.

For more information on how you can be more active visit the Get Active page. 

References: 
http://healthfinder.gov/HealthTopics/Category/health-conditions-and-diseases/diabetes/get-active

What is cholesterol?

We hear a lot about cholesterol, but do you know what it is?  According to the Mayo Clinic cholesterol is a waxy substance that builds up in the blood stream and clogs the arteries and veins.  Having high cholesterol puts you at risk for health problems, such as heart disease. 

It is important to know what your cholesterol is and how to manage it. 

 

 

 Below are the numbers used to measure cholesterol:

 Healthy: Less than 200

Borderline: 200-239

High: More than 240

High, alert: More than 400

 There are two different types of cholesterol that is measured when you are tested.  HDLs (stands for high-density lipoprotein) are a type of fat that can actually be good for your heart.  How can fat be good for your heart?  HDLs are like the garbage man of the blood.  They go around and collect excess cholesterol and take it to the liver to be processed and broken down.  LDLs (stands for low-density lipoprotein) on the other hand are not good for your heart.  They are like the delivery man from of the body.  LDLs go around dropping off cholesterol to organs.  If there is excess LDL cholesterol, it floats around in the body.

A healthy HDL number is over 40. 

 

LDL numbers are as follows:

 

Best: Less than 200

Good: 100-129

Borderline: 130-159

High: 160-189

Very high: More than 190.

The lower the LDL number the better.  The higher the HDL number the better.

Upcoming Free BeWise Classes!

Ready to start the year off right with health and exercises classes???

Join BeWise next week for our New BeWise Weight Workshop!

It is a 6 week program that includes various activities and lessons to help you obtain a healthy weight.

The program starts Thursday January 17th at 10:30am-11:30am in the West Valley Library.

Registration is required.  Call 385-468-4055 to register.

Or Join our BeWise Exercise Classes!

Saturdays, starting January 19th at 10:30-11:30 am we will be getting our grove on with 30 minutes of Zumba-like dance aerobics and 30 minutes of strength training and other exercises.

This is our FIRST TIME offering classes on the WEEKENDS so take advantage of the time.

We will be at the West Valley Library (2880 West 3650 South).

No registration required.  Bring family and friends!

ALL CLASSES ARE FREE!

Know your Fats...The Good the Bad and the Ugly

We all know that we should limit the amount of fat in our diets but do we really understand the different types of fat. Are some fats worse than others?  Is there such a thing as "Good" fats?  The answers are YES!

Even though we should limit fat in our diet we should understand that some fat in our diet is essential.  But more importantly the types of fat we are eating can affect our health greatly.

Types of Fat

There are essentially 4 different types of fat.

• Trans Fats
• Saturated Fats
• Monounsaturated Fats
• Polyunsaturated Fats

The Good
Both Monosaturated and Polyunsaturated fats are what would be considered "Good Fats".  These types of fat are found mostly in fish, nuts, seeds and oils from plants. Both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats may help lower your blood cholesterol level when you use them in place of saturated and trans fats. But a moderate intake of all types of fat is best.

Examples:

• Salmon
• Trout
• Herring
• Avocados
• Olives
• Walnuts
• Liquid vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive and sunflower.

The Bad
Saturated fat is considered to be a "Bad Fat".  A diet high in saturated fat is the main cause for high cholesterol.  You can find saturated fats in animal or diary products and occasionally in some plants. Saturated fat is not the WORST fat out there but should be limited.

Examples:

• Animal Products:
• Beef
• Beef Fat
• Veal
• Lamb
• Pork
• Lard
• Poultry fat
• Diary Products: 
• Butter
• Cream
• Milk (Mostly your higher percent milks like 2% and Whole)
• Cheeses and other dairy products made from whole and 2 percent milk.
• Plants:
• Coconut
• Coconut oil
• Palm oil and palm kernel oil (often called tropical oils)
• Cocoa butter.

The Ugly

Trans Fats are on "The Ugly" list in regards to fats.  They are classified by some doctors as the worst fat of them all. Trans Fats also known as Trans Fatty Acid should be either consumed very very little if at all. Essentially Trans fats should be less than 1% of your daily calories. Trans Fat used to be more common but are becoming less common due to the "bad rap" they receive.  The biggest concern with Trans Fats is that it raises your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and lowers your "good" (HDL) cholesterol.

Trans Fats are most commonly found in highly processed foods or commerically baked goods such as:

• Cookies
• Cakes
• Crackers
• Donuts
• French Fries
• Shortenings
• Some margarines

More commonly now you will find products that say "0 grams of Trans Fat" but you may need to take a closer look to get the full story. In the United States if a food has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, the food label can read 0 grams trans fat. Though that's a small amount of trans fat, if you eat multiple servings of foods with less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, you could exceed recommended limits.

Beware
As I mentioned before a nutrition label may say "0 grams of Trans Fat" but that may not be the full story.  When looking at the ingredients you want to look for the words "partially hydrogenated" vegetable oil. That's another term for trans fat. The word "shortening" also is a clue: Shortening contains some trans fat.

However, if a food label says "fully" or "completely" hydrogenated oil this does NOT contain Trans Tat. Unlike partially hydrogenated oil, the process used to make fully or completely hydrogenated oil doesn't result in trans-fatty acids. However, if the label says just "hydrogenated" vegetable oil, it could mean the oil contains some trans fat.

The Scoop

• Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35 percent of your total calories each day;
• Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories;
• Limit trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of total daily calories;
• The remaining fat should come from sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils;

References:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=532
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-fat/CL00032

Winter Exercise Ideas

Be Creative!
Typically, when we think about being physically active outdoors we automatically think of activities done mostly during the summertime. However, there are also a wide range of fun activities perfect for that beautiful winter day. The list of winter recreational activities could include:

• Ice Skating
• Building a snowman or fort
• Sledding/Tubing
• Snowshoeing
• Cross country skiing
• Downhill skiing
• Snowboarding

One of the wonderful things about being in Utah is that we have a lot of wonderful resources close by. The mountains are easily accessible and can provide hours of entertainment and also a great chance for exercise.

Use Your Resources!
Participating in the activities above does not have to be expensive. For example, the University of Utah has equipment you can rent for a great price. Campus Recreation is the perfect resource to use if you want to try something new without make a large investment of money. You don’t even have to be a student to take advantage of these resources.

For all you BYU fans out there (myself included) Outdoors Unlimited on the BYU campus has similar resources available for all your outdoor recreational needs.

Enjoy!

University of Utah Campus Recreation
Brigham Young University Outdoors Unlimited

Healthy Holiday Recipes

Mini Date-Nut Snowballs

From Elli Krieger for Food Network Magazine

Preparation Time: 10 minutes                                  Portion: Serves 6 cups

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut

3 1/2 ounces pitted dried dates (about 14)

15 small raw almonds

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

Spread the coconut on a plate.  Put the dates, almonds, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and process until finely chopped

Form rounded 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture into balls with your fingers, then roll in the coconut, pressing to coat.

Per serving (6 piencese): Calories 100; Total fat 3 g (saturated 2 g);  Cholesterol 0 mg;

Sodium 150 mg; Carbohydrates 20 g; Fiber 3 g, Protein 1 g

Mexican Bean Dip

From Meals in Minutes cookbook

Preparation Time: 10 minutes                                  Portion: Serves 6; 1/4 cup per serving

Ingredients

16 ounce can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup frozen chopped green bell peper or 1 small green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)

2 tablespoons of salsa

2 tablespoons lime juice (1 or 2 medium limes)

1 teaspoon bottles minced garlic or 2 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

In a food processor or blender, process all ingredients for 45 seconds, or until fairly smooth.  Serve or cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Per serving (1/4 cup): Calories 77; Total fat 1 g (saturated 1 g);  Cholesterol 0 mg;

Sodium 22mg; Carbohydrates 14 g; Fiber 3 g, Protein 5 g