- Author: Patti C. Wooten Swanson
Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including obesity.
Less sleep, higher obesity rates
According to a 2008 National Health Statistics Report, adults who slept less than 7 hours had the highest rate of obesity (33%) and adults who slept 7 to 8 hours had the lowest (22%).
Findings, based on both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, were the same for men and women in all age groups and most race/ethnicity groups studied. However, the association was stronger for younger adults, than those over age 65.
More recently, an experimental study of men found that after just one night with very little sleep (4 hours), subjects ate 550+ more calories and were less physically active the next day than study participants who slept 8 hours the night before.
What does this mean?
We can’t say that getting enough sleep will help you lose weight, but NOT getting enough sleep puts you at-risk for obesity and other chronic diseases.
What can you do?
Why not go to bed an hour earlier? It might improve your health.
Having trouble sleeping?
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute suggests 13 tips for a good night’s sleep.
National Sleep Awareness Week is March7-13, 2011.
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- Author: Patti C. Wooten Swanson
Small Step:
Eat 1 ½ - 2 cups* of dark green vegetables every week.
Some people go all out for the green on St. Patrick's Day---green beer, green milkshakes (that was the special at a fast food place near my house!), green hamburger buns, green everything!
Eat better ALL year by going for dark green vegetables!
Why?
USDA nutritionists organize vegetables into 5 subgroups based on their nutrients. The dark green vegetables group supplies vitamin C, folate, and vitamin K, as well as iron and dietary fiber.
What are the dark green vegetables?
Dark leafy greens and broccoli. Some commonly eaten examples are listed below:
bok choy collard greens kale |
mesclun mustard greens romaine lettuce |
spinach turnip greens watercress |
*See What Counts as a Cup of Vegetables?
How do you prepare dark green vegetables?
Steam, stir-fry, sauté, or microwave.
Add to salads, soups, and casseroles.
Find easy, healthful recipes for dark greens by using the online Fruit and Vegetable Recipe Search from the Produce for Better Health Foundation.
Think green---and eat dark green all year!
- Author: Patti C. Wooten Swanson
Small Step: Change the way you store and serve food at home.
Change your home "food environment" and eat less without really trying!
Dr. Brian Wansink, Cornell University eating behavior expert and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More than We Think, recommends these steps to organize your home so you eat less.
1. Use smaller plates, bowls and serving utensils.
Many of us grew up in the "clean plate club". But plate sizes are much larger today, and we're still cleaning our plates. This easily leads to overeating and weight gain. However, the solution is simple:
- Use smaller dinner plates and bowls.
Substitute a 9” plate for the typical 10” or 11” plate. - Put beverages in tall, slender glasses instead of short wide ones that hold more but appear to hold less.
- Use smaller spoons rather than larger ones when eating from a bowl or serving from a container or dish. ?
2. Put tempting foods out of sight and out of mind.
Seeing and smelling foods, particularly those we like, can makes us want to eat even when we're not hungry. Re-arrange your refrigerator, freezer and cupboards so you are less likely to see or smell the high calorie foods that tempt you.
- Put high calorie foods on either high or low shelves so they are not at eye level where you see them every time you open the cupboard.
- Instead, place them where you have to reach or stoop to see and retrieve them.
- Place healthier foods in the front of the refrigerator, less healthy foods in the back.
- Eliminate the cookie jar, or replace it with a fruit bowl.
- Wrap tempting foods in foil or store them in opaque containers to make them less visible.
3. Make it inconvenient to eat foods that tempt you.
The more effort it takes to obtain a particular food, the less likely you are to eat it. Make those tempting high calorie foods inconvenient to eat.
- Keep second helpings a safe distance away---don’t leave serving bowls and platters on the dinner table.
- Put the tempting food in hard to reach areas (storage) that you seldom access such as the cupboard above the refrigerator, the basement, or an outside freezer.
- Don’t keep the foods in your home at all.
This last suggestion is a little extreme, but it works for me. Except when having company, I don't buy ice cream at the store.
If I really want ice cream, I have to make an extra effort and go out to get the ice cream---one cup or cone at a time. Not very convenient when I'm comfortably settled in at home (and also more expensive).
- Author: Patti C. Wooten Swanson
Two steps to cut your grocery bill by 20%:
1. Plan meals in advance.
2. Make a detailed shopping list.
With a little practice you can do both in 30 minutes. Here's how:
1. First, get organized.
Grab a pen, notepad, weekly grocery store fliers, and your calendar.
Have your recipe file nearby.
2. Keep a list of meals your family likes.
You'll save planning time and cut down on spending for food that no one eats.
3. Think about your family’s schedule and lifestyle.
What days will you eat at home? Will you be pressed for time to fix dinner before an evening meeting or after your child’s baseball game? If so, plan easy, nutritious meals built around a few prepared items from the grocery or deli, such as a roasted chicken, frozen pizza dough and bottled pizza sauce---just add cheese and vegetables.
4. Plan the main meal of the day first.
Simplify the process by using a meal planning template. Make your own or find a template online, such as this one adapted from Planning Meals for a Family:
Sunday | Soup & sandwich |
Monday | Meatless Monday |
Tuesday | Dinner in a crock pot |
Wednesday | Coupon take-out night |
Thursday | Leftovers |
Friday | From the grill |
Saturday | Pasta night |
4. Plan for breakfast, lunch and snacks.
This is doesn’t need to be as specific as main meal plans. You may like to have cold cereal and fruit for breakfast every day, and take leftovers or a sandwich for lunch.
For snacks, plan grab and go items that don’t need preparation: pretzels, low-fat yogurt, whole or cut-up fruit, low-fat crackers and string cheese, 100-calorie packs of cookies, etc.
5. Make a detailed grocery list.
Review the recipe for each menu item and list any ingredients that you need to buy and the amount. Check your grocery list against what you already have on hand---in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer---so you don’t buy items you already have.
Stick to your grocery list when you shop. You’ll spend up to 20% less than if you shopped without a list.
/span>- Author: Patti C. Wooten Swanson
After overhearing a news report about the food borne illness outbreak in Germany, my friends's young son asked: Did they get sick because they ate what their mommy told them not to? Well, not exactly...
The deadly e.coli outbreak in Germany is being attributed to raw sprouts. However, during the last 10 years in the U.S. major outbreaks of foodborne illness have been attributed to other produce, including lettuce and leafy greens, tomatoes, cantaloupe, herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro) and green onions.
What can you do to reduce the risk of food poisoning when preparing fruits and vegetables at home?
1. Wash your hands before handling produce.
This is the most important and easiest thing you can do to prevent food borne illness when handling produce---or any other foods at home.
However, many people skip this step. In a national survey of 2,000 randomly selected households in the U.S., almost 50% of respondents said they didn't always wash their hands when preparing fresh produce at home.
Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing fresh produce.
2. Wash your cutting board, knives and preparation areas.
Warm water and soap work here too. You can wash plastic cutting boards in the dishwasher.
3. Wash the sink before and after washing and preparing produce.
This will prevent cross-contamination from the produce to other foods.
It's also a good idea to sanitize the sink, drain, and counter tops several times a week and after handling raw meat or poultry. Sanitize more often if your household includes anyone who is in a high risk group: young children, pregnant women, immune-compromised individuals such as diabetics, or older adults.
Make your own sanitizer in a spray bottle: mix 1 teaspoon of chlorine bleach into a quart (4 cups) of water. Replace the solution daily.
4. Wash fruits and vegetables* under cool running water.
Wash fruits and vegetables just before preparing or eating them to preserve freshness. This includes locally grown and organic produce, as well as that grown in your home garden.
How?
Hold the fruit (with your clean hands) under the running water. Wash small produce such as berries, muhsrooms or cherry tomatoes in a colander.
When possible, scrub firm fruits and vegetables such as cantaloupes, cucumbers and potatoes with a clean scrub brush before cutting or peeling them. If they are not washed, your knife can transfer bacteria from the skin or rind to the cut fruit. (You can wash vegetable scrubber in the dishwasher with your cutting board.) .
Why?
Using cool running water to wash produce is safer and more effective than soaking it in water which can lead to cross-contamination or using commercially-prepared "produce washes" which have not been tested for human consumption. Avoid anti-bacterial soaps and dish detergent since these may leave residues on your fruits and vegetables.
Don't assume pre-cut, pre-packaged produce* has already been washed. Check the label. If the bag doesn't say it's prewashed, then wash the produce before you eat it.
*Ready-to-eat prewashed, pre-bagged greens do not need to be washed.
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