Menu Makeover: Slow is the New Fast

The goal of the Michiana BetterU healthy cooking class is to demonstrate "fast food" does not only exist at the drive through window. I am not so sure "fast food" is really that fast.  Think about this for a minute; by the time you decide where to go to pick up food, get in your car, drive to the restaurant, order, then be served and drive home 30 – 45 minutes has passed. In the same amount of time you could have enjoyed a relaxing home cooked healthy meal with your family creating a healthier life for you and your family. 

The Michiana BetterU Challengers learned how to fight fast food with slow food during the interactive Menu Makeover healthy cooking class. In case you have not heard of the Slow Food Movement, it's a philosophy which focuses on combating the idea when it comes to food, fast food is NOT your only choice nor is it the best choice.

The Slow Food Movement, like the American Heart Association focuses on choosing healthier food options, the fresher the better. There seems to be confusion as to what healthy food is and is not. To add to the confusion are hundreds of media messages every day telling us manufactured foods are cheaper, faster and has the same level of nutrition as foods made at home from natural whole food ingredients. This is simply is not true.

The fact is any food you prepare from home, with your ingredients and that do not come out of a bag, box or freezer are always going to be healthier than any food you get anywhere else. During the cooking class we chopped, mixed, stirred, cooked then served a 5 course meal fast in just 30 minutes. I'd say that's pretty fast!

The menu included foods we think of as fast food: 

oven baked corn chips

tomato and fruit salsa

vegetable soup

fruit and vegetable green salad

oven baked chicken nuggets

fruit parfait 

and sparkling water with a dash of pomegranate juice.

Here is what else we learned: 

1. The easier the food is to make the more sodium and fat it tends to have.

2. What is unhealthy about prepared and process foods.

3. How to make healthy substitutions for prepared foods common to family menus.

4. Food is always healthier when prepared at home.

5. Healthy foods can be prepared “fast” at home.

6. A serving size of chicken, beef, pork and fish is smaller than you think.

7. The recommended servings of fruits, vegetables and whole grains are more than you think.

8. New nutrition facts label will help us make better food choices. 

In class we examined food for heart healthy labeling looking for sodium, cholesterol, fat, fiber and sugar comparing these "ready to go foods" with foods requiring some simple preparation. We prepared a full meal containing USDA recommendations for a healthy diet and reviewed healthy plate management strategies.

The healthy cooking class demonstrates with an organized plan, knowledge and a strategy that works cooking from home is nutritious, easy to do, economical and takes very little time.

Thank you to Martin's Supermarkets for assisting us with our cooking class and the beautiful cooking school location. Also to American Heart Association for providing helpful tools in their Nutrition Center and C2 Your Health LLC for teaching the class.

Slow is the new fast!  

Your partner in health,

Cindy Cohen RN

Certified Health Coach

C2 Your Health LLC

2014 Michiana BetterU 12 Week Challenge Celebration Join Us May 8th, 2014

Join us for the American Heart Association Go Red for Women Michiana BetterU Luncheon when we celebrate the challenges and successes of 12 women from Elkhart General Hospital seeking a healthy life. These women are an example of what you can do to develop healthy lifestyle behavior change with community support and those around you. This is a call to action for each one of us to reach out to one women in our community and  teach them what we have learned to be healthy.

Thank you to our sponsors Macy's, Merck, Teachers Credit Union, Elkhart General Hospital, C2 Your Health LLC, Body Evolution of South Bend, South Bend Medical Foundation and Martin's Supermarkets.

Congratulations 2013 Michiana BetterU Challengers!

Today is the big event! The "reveal" of the 2013  AHA Go Red For Women  Michiana BetterU MakeoverChallenge. In just a blink of the eye. the 12 weeks just few by!  You met the challenge to improve your health, reduce your heart attach risks and improve your quality of life. 

 What does good health feel like?  

Good health feels alert, energetic, calm, rested and confident knowing you are making the best healthy choices you can for you and your family.

During our coaching sessions the Challengers projected for them good health feels:

• Peaceful
• Strong 
• Empowering 
• Nurturing
• Caring

What does good health look like? 

It looks like normal blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar in acceptable range, physically fit, beautiful inside and out because you know you are providing what your body needs to be vital and strong.

During our coaching sessions the Challengers projected for them good health looks:

• Standing above the crowd
• Like a leader
• Solid, confident
• Family focused
• Future oriented

Today this is what I see …

Women who are proud, strong and empowered: who have worked towards ambitious goals together to be healthier, wiser and smarter in their decisions about their personal health.  

I salute the 2013 Michiana BetterU Challengers for truly becoming a Better You. 

I salute Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center for taking a stand, being the example to the community, and caring about their employees. 

I salute the American Heart Association for providing the research, information, education and tools for helping us all to be the best we can be, our healthiest self. 

It has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of this 2013 BetterU Makeover Challenge.

Thank you.

Your partner in health,

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA

Owner, Wellness Consultant, Health Coach

C2 YourHealth LLC

 
 

 
 

What We Learned - 7 Keys to a BetterU

The American Heart Association Go Red for Women 2013 Michiana BetterU Challenge is coming to a close. Over the last 12 weeks, 12 women from Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center have been weighted and measured, attended weekly coaching sessions, exercised on a regular basis, developed a personal mission statement, visited Martin's Supermarkets for a lesson in food label reading and a cooking class.

The BetterU Challengers have learned how lifestyle choices such as smoking, being overweight, choosing to eat unhealthy foods and inactivity increase their risks of heart disease, heart attack and stroke along with other chronic illnesses.

7 Keys to a BetterU

1. You need a plan - A program, system, or guide to point you in the right direction and give you the steps towards making lasting healthy lifestyle changes such as the Go Red for Women 12 Week BetterU Program.

2. Education is key - As they say, knowledge is power. Accurate information (not hype) from a reliable source like the American Heart Association gives you the tools to build a healthy life.

3. Follow the pattern for success - There are no secrets. The foundation to a healthy life includes eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and good fats. A healthy life is built on adding activity to include exercising 30 minutes most days of the week and sealed with managing stress. This advice has not changed in over 10 years.

4. Find strategies that work - Overcoming the old habits is not easy. Trying new strategies until you find a strategy to break old habits takes a new way of thinking about old habits. It's a trial and error process to find the ones that work. 

5. Commit and persist - Staying committed over the "long haul" takes time, energy and focus. Life is a "one day at a time" program, with a new start each morning. Persistence is a daily choice and comes with great rewards.

6. Get a buddy - A buddy, a coach, a cheerleader or a support group to hold you accountable, help you remember what your plan was, and encourage you to stick to it.

7. It takes a community - Telling others your healthy life plan, sharing what you learn along the way with those you care about not only helps you; it helps those around you too live a healthy life too. Participating in community health events like the Heart Walk inspires others to  begin or continue their path to a healthier life with you.

The BetterU Challengers shared their challenges, obstacles and stories of success on their road to better health.  Together we learned the road to better health is one step at a time, sometimes confusing, but with a plan, good strategies and a buddy it's was easier than we thought.

Your partner in health,

 

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA

Health Coach

C2 Your Health LLC

Healthy Cooking Makeover for a BetterU

This week the Michiana BetterU Challengers participated in an interactive healthy cooking class. You might be asking "Why a healthy cooking class?" For some time now I have met a significant number of people who have been raised on processed foods, designer foods, fast foods and restaurant foods to the point they either never learned or forgot how to prepare a home cooked meal. For this reason healthy food and home cooking is generally misunderstood. 

The misunderstanding about healthy food and home cooking is it is more expensive, takes too much time and has the same level of nutrition as foods we prepare for ourselves. This is simply is not true. 

It takes too much time to prepare a healthy meal? 
Let's see ...

Healthy home cooking can require very little actual cooking. The USDA recommendation is to eat 4 servings of fresh vegetables and 2 servings of fruits every day. In many food markets these foods come chopped so really all you need to do is open the package and dump the food on a plate. With any combination of fresh raw foods from the produce department of your food market you can create a beautiful salad. How much time does that take? Seconds. With these same vegetables put in a pot with vegetable broth a few spices and in 15 minutes it's soup. Vuala! There you have it economical and healthy fast food!

The fact is any food you prepare from home, with your ingredients and that do not come out of a bag, box or freezer are always going to be healthier than any food you get anywhere else. 

What's the healthy scoop on restaurant food? Most of the time it's not. Restaurant food can be expensive and may seem healthy as you look over the menu but the fact is many restaurant chains load their food up with hidden salt, sugar and fat so it "tastes better" and lasts longer on the shelf. In January 2013 Nutrition Action Newsletter reported in the article Extreme Eating 2013  just how far restaurants will go to boost their bottom line. 

The goals of the Healthy Cooking Makeover BetterU class were to identify:

1. what processed foods are

2. what is unhealthy about prepared and process foods

3. foods common to family menus that are processed

4. healthier food substitutions

5. how to prepare healthier foods substitutions in you kitchen.

In class we examined food for heart healthy labeling looking for sodium, cholesterol, fat, fiber and sugar comparing these "ready to go foods" with foods requiring some simple preparation. We prepared a full meal containing USDA recommendations for a healthy diet and reviewed healthy plate management strategies.

Some of the things we learned ...

• Food is always healthier when prepared from home.
• Healthy food can be prepared "fast". 
• Salt you add to your food will always be less than what comes from processed food.
• Sugar your add to your drinks will always be less then drinks that come with sugar.
• The amount of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet are more than you think.
• The serving size for meat, chicken, fish is less than you think.

The Healthy Cooking Class demonstrates with an organized plan, knowledge and a strategy that works cooking from home is nutritious, easy to do, economical and takes very little time.

Healthy IS the new fast! 

Your partner in health,

 

Cindy Cohen RN

Health Coach

C2 Your Health LLC

To learn more about healthy cooking techniques check out AHA Nutrition Center Healthy Cooking. Looking for recipes and video demonstrations check out the AHA Simple Cooking with Heart.

Prescription for Better Health

What do you do when you get sick?

I start with trying to heal my self, depending on symptoms I am experiencing. If that doesn't work I ask a trusted friend who is a nurse or medical professional what they do. Most of the time I get better, as a last resort I will make an appointment with my physician. My physician then gives me a prescription for a medication or treatment I am to follow until I get better. I think this is what most of us do.

The dictionary refers to a prescription as act of establishing rules,  a long established custom and written instructions such as an order by a physician. 

Heart disease is now impacting 100% of us since 50% of us either dying or almost dying of it. It's not just the adults that are touched by heart disease, sadly children are now developing heart disease risks just like their parents.  Heart disease is the leading the way for cause of death, disability and medical costs. The symptoms of heart disease negatively impact your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and diabetes.

The American Heart Association has a established a set of rules for better health. In fact all major government health organizations after years of independent study by research doctors are in agreement as to what the set of instructions are and what happens when they are not followed as prescribed. The American Heart Association's prescription is not kept secret.  And it's not new! We walk about it (Heart Walk), we talk about it (radio & TV) , we read about it (internet) but what is this long established custom, the prescription for better health?

The prescription for better health is easy as 1, 2, 3, 4

1. follow a healthy diet - loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats
2. get up and move - exercise 30 minutes most days of the week
3. stress less - take care of yourself
4. quit smoking - breath better

That's it! Just 4 to follow, the prescription written by doctors for you to achieve better health.

So what happens when you go back to your doctor for a check up and you didn't follow the prescription?  Did you tell your doctor the prescription was just too hard to follow, you didn't have time, or you were just too busy? If you did, who are you hurting? The doctor?

You have your prescription for your better health. Now it's time for you to follow it. Make it easy for you by adding new healthy foods to your diet every day. Make time for you to add a few minutes of exercise by walking every day a little further. Take care of you, stress less and breath  slowly and calmly. Adding just a few extra minutes for you will make your life vibrant for years to come. Aren't you worth it?

Your partner in health,

Health Coach
C2 Your Health LLC


Looking for the American Heart Association prescription for better health?  click here

   

When it Comes to Health What's Your Plan?

"Plan your work and work your plan." Sound familiar?

As a student, your teachers planned lessons, home-work assignments and taught you planning to get your school work done on time creates success.

As a new employee, you might have been asked  "What's your 5 year plan?" Why? People who have a plan of action know where they are going and are more successful at achieving what they planned than those who don't.

As a boss, you have plans for your business each day, week and month. Why? Because having a plan creates a successful business.

As you have children, you plan every aspect of their life from sunrise to sunset. You not only plan their daily activities, you plan for their future too so they can have the best possible life. 

When it comes to your health, what's your plan for the best possible life? If you don't have a plan right now you are probably wondering
"A plan, I need a plan?"

You spend so much time planning for other things and people in your life sometimes you forget you need a plan for yourself. Why is a plan important? Because without a plan, what's important gets lost in the messiness of every day. You loose sight of what's really important. You are really important. You are worth planning for. You deserve to live a full life filled with longevity and vitality;
for that you need a plan.

So what's the plan?  How about planning to start with a small change, something easy to do?  It's a big mistake to plan to 'over hall' your diet in one day or even to try to make too many little changes at once going for the big weight loss. This plan creates disappointment, failure, undermines your success and results in gaining the weight back and then some.

A healthy life plan; one free of chronic illness and disease is the plan to go for. The healthy life plan takes time and commitment.

An example of one small change is to plan to eat a healthy breakfast every day. Sounds easy enough but if you are a 'breakfast skipper' or a 'grab-n-go' kind of gal, then this maybe harder than it seems a first. Planning for breakfast takes a few minutes of brainstorming, and strategy developing but once you have a plan, stick to it. Eat breakfast everyday without fail, then select your next healthy lifestyle modification maybe add one fruit to your lunch menu.

What's important is not what you change but how you make the changes; one step at a time. Once you have mastered one healthy lifestyle habit you are ready to take the next small step with confidence, building on your successes and insuring your health. You're not in race, you are creating a life!

The AHA BetterU Challenge focuses on creating a personal plan of action to move you towards better health and longevity.  The AHA BetterU plan demonstrates the road to better health is traveled best with small weekly behavior adjustments, developing strategies that work, slowly moving you towards your goal of making perminate lifestyle behavior changes with a group of like minded people who all want to get healthier.  This is the plan to the healthier life you are seeking.

Enjoying a healthier life is not just for our BetterU Challengers it's for all of us, after all we deserve it! 

Sounds like a winning plan to me!

Your partner in health,

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA

Health Coach

C2 Your Health LLC