WOAC Blog

by: Janyce Gately MS, RD, LDN, HC

If you tell yourself Thanksgiving comes only once a year as a way to justify overeating, keep in mind that most yearly weight gain happens over the three month period of time between turkey day and New Year’s Day.  The typical American eats almost 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving, with 3,000 of those calories coming from the Thanksgiving dinner alone. 

Thanksgiving may look different this year for many of us, but if you’re planning to make a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, there are some ways that you can still enjoy the meal without sabotaging your waistline. No matter how you plan to spend the day, here are some tips to help satisfy your desire for this once-a-year meal guilt-free:

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by: Jessica Roy MS RD LDN

Many of my clients use their birthdays as a marker of weight changes. This habit may help or frustrate the individual. If it helps you, great, if it frustrates you, then find another way to track progress/success. Read on to see how I approach my own birthday.

My birthday is at the end of this week. I generally take this time to reflect on how my year went and how I want my next year to go. I try to focus on as many positive items as possible and frame my “what I am working on” list also in a very positive way. 

In terms of my health, I can reflect on the fact that my weight is higher than a year ago and embrace this number. A number on an inanimate object will never dictate my level of happiness, and I hope to convey that message to all those that I counsel as well. I see that I have been incorporating joyful movement on a daily basis, whether it is a walk with my husband, a bike ride with my son, playground time with my daughter, or a run on my own. I am particularly proud that I am role modeling joyful movement to my family, and my seven-year-old son can easily complete a three-mile bike ride with a smile plastered on his sweaty helmet face.

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By:Jessica Roy MS RD LDN

Yes, you read that correctly, processed foods can be part of balanced eating. The term processed is misleading, often times people think processed means unhealthy, which is just not true! So let’s start with the definition of a processed food per the USDA – any raw agricultural commodity that has been subject to washing, milling, cutting, chopping, heating, pasteurizing, etc. that alters the food from it’s natural state. This may also include adding other food substances or nutrients such as salt, sugar, fat and even vitamins/minerals. When we cook, we typically wash, cut, heat and add other food substances, so any time we cook we are processing a food.

The issue with processed foods stems from the extent of the processing. A range of processed items abound in our food system, from minimally processed cut veggies to ultra processed frozen pizzas. Let’s look at some examples:

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By: Janyce Gately MS, RD, LDN, CHC

As the weather gets colder, I like to bake to satisfy my sweet tooth.  This is a delicious bread that makes a regular appearance in my kitchen throughout the fall and winter.  The chocolate chips provide just the right amount of sweetness when I’m craving something chocolate and the canned pumpkin does double duty providing immune boosting nutrients like potassium, zinc and folate, as well as lending it’s creamy texture to create a moist loaf every time.  

If you have leftover canned pumpkin puree after making this recipe, you can put it in an ice cube tray and freeze it, placing the frozen cubes in a freezer bag for another use. 

 

 

 

 

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