Nutrition News: Cooking Together

Modified from Cooking Together by Rachael of Kitchen Courses

Cooking together can mean more "mommy and me", "daddy and me" or even "us" time.

For most people, cooking is the means to an end. It’s often one of those things we all do so often that it can begin to feel like a chore. And sometimes, so much like a chore that we skip it and eat out but only to spend too much money and over eat.

Aside from what you make or how long it takes, cooking together has its benefits and can certainly strengthen any relationship, no matter if you’re a chef or an expert at dialing for takeout.

Here are five good reasons to make the time to get cooking with your kiddos or your partner:

1. The two of you will get some quality one-on-one time.
Whether you’re a busy mom, a traveling dad or have super soccer kiddos, getting quality time with your family members is a nice change of pace from any average meal time. Here are some links to some great kid friendly recipes: Cooking Light, Martha Stewart, AllRecipes, Pinterest MyPlate Recipes

2. You’ll build teamwork in your relationship.
Learn to rely on each other and work together towards a common goal.
Either choose one dish and divide up the tasks or divide up multiple dishes that each of you can be responsible for. You’ll have an opportunity not only to have a good time together, but to see how well you can problem solve. You’ll be able to use this as a good representation of how you can work together as a team outside of the kitchen.

3. A connection will be formed over learning together and trying new things.
There’s nothing more exciting than taking on a new skill, and what’s better than showing each other a thing or two in the process? And what better way to start teaching your children how to enjoy creating something.

4. You’ll be encouraged to have fun!
How often do we forget to have a good time without scheduling it in?

Don't worry about making a mess! It is bound to happen, so just let it.

Taste test as you go! Pick a dish that your kid like and put a zesty spin on it with a new fresh herb or a bright new vegetable.

Take the time to cook together and make the experience the exciting part by grabbing a glass of wine, turning up the tunes for an impromptu dance party, and putting your skills to good use.

5. You can be proud of what you’re eating.
When you know the ingredients and effort that’s gone into your dish, you’ll feel that much more satisfied eating it. Chances are high that if you’ve made it at home, it’s a lot healthier than anything you can eat at a restaurant so you can feel good about choosing a quiet night at home. Plus, you can be proud of your own effort.

Patience and effort may seem tedious in the beginning, but the end goal will show children that there is a creative process instead of relying on instance gratification. Kids will learn to take pride in making something that the whole family gets to enjoy.

Nutrition News: Move It!

Having trouble deciding between a trip to the gym and the newest episode of Modern Family?

Good news: You can watch at home AND still break a serious sweat! workout you can do during commercial breaks.

 

Each of the moves below takes between 30 seconds and 1 minute—which means they fit perfectly between super-important plot points. Plus, each exercise hits different muscles which is better for your body.

 

Instead of sitting through TV commercials, get up and exercise!

Nutrition News: Keep Food in Perspective

 

Holiday foods and parties can be the source of unwanted weight gain. Here are some tips to share that may help "maintain, not gain" through the holiday season.

• Eat a healthy snack before you go to a holiday party. Try an apple or a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat to keep you feeling full.

• At parties and celebrations, slowly taste each bite and sip beverages. Be sure to hydrate with non alcoholic beverages like sparkling water or low calorie/sugar free punch.

• Enjoy favorite holiday foods in smaller amounts, especially those that are high in fat. Don't deprive yourself of these favorites, just don't overindulge.

• When going to a buffet, fill your plate with healthier items first (fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains). Steer clear of the high fat dips, cubed cheeses and anything fried.

• Let people, not food be the center of attention. Sit the furthest from the buffet table so you are not tempted to constantly snack.

Here is a Holiday Tip Sheet to print and share with employees.

Dietitian Visits Nursing Skills Fair at WHC

Megan Peters enjoys being able to educate residents and employees on a daily basis the importance of process and eating healthy. However, at the nursing skills fair held November 8th, Peters was able to dive deep into a few subjects and speak with nurses from the Martin Health Center about the importance of mechanically altered diets and therapeutic diets.

  

 

This is a great time for Peters as she believes that educating nursing departments in all areas of their jobs including food service is extremely important for the best quality care of the residents they both serve on a daily basis.  She will continue to educate whenever possible, but agrees that having everyone come out on the same day to see all the different displays on different areas of their jobs as nurses is a great way to catch a number of people at once.  She will look forward to more opportunities for growth and education as she continues on a day to day basis.

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Amanda Lynch, Wellness Coordinator
Western Home Communities

Using Technology at Wexner Heritage Village

 

There are no boundaries when it comes to diet education at Wexner Heritage House in Columbus, Ohio! With the guidance of Susan Rode, the Clinical Nutrition Manager, Becky Mok an Ohio State Medical Dietetics student was able to go the extra mile and teach a resident about calorie tracking and healthy weight loss strategies in an unexpected way. After spending 15 minutes with the patient, she pulled out her smartphone and asked, "Do you know about apps? My son downloaded this "MyPlate" app for me but I don't know how to use it!" Becky was very eager to assist the patient in learning all about her new calorie tracker and show her the other features available that may assist her with her goals. The patient was so pleased she asked for Becky to come back at a later time so that they could look at her progress together. It just goes to show, diet education doesn't just have to be about handouts and menus anymore! Technology is opening new doors to us everyday and our patients may need us to show them the way!

Hydration at Christian Rest Homes

Hydration!  It is so important and sometimes so hard to convince a resident to drink more water! Dining Services is teaming up with Activities to increase hydration, by inserting it into Sit and Be Fit excersise class, and even exercise video class in Assisted Living ("Wow that movie made me thirsty!") Of course, offering a fruit infused water adds just a touch of flavor and encourages seconds. Enjoy!

National Nutrition Month at Oakwood Rehab

 

 

Residents at Oakwood Rehab center are experiencing foods they have never seen or even heard of during the month of March in celebration of National Nutrition Month. On March 4, 2013 DDS Debbie Watt and RD Lisa Dejules (pictured in photo) presented samples of quinoa to approximately 30 interested residents. Brochures were passed out and the benefits of the grain were discussed. Next week is roasted almonds with sugar.

 

Western Home Communities features Tasting Tables for National Nutrition Month

With March being National Nutrition Month, Gary and the dining services team at the Western Home Communities are providing Tasting Tables throughout the month for residents to try out new and exciting recipes. This week the residents experienced a new food to them called edamame. There is always a learning curve when it comes to new food items, explaining and then showing residents the glory of trying newer foods is the fun part of it all. We are looking forward to many more food displays and tasting tables throughout the month, and look forward to the continued education that we can provide to residents and staff about the importance of healthy eating. This weeks featured dishes: Fried Brown Rice, Broccoli, with Edamame & A Stuffed Vegetarian Cabbage Roll.

Pictures include Chef Chris Johnston and Teresa Hougan serving residents in Standard Family Assisted Living Fried Brown Rice, Broccoli, with Edamame.

Heart Health Month at Western Homes

The month of February, the Western Home Communities Wellness Department celebrated the awareness of American Heart Month with many activities highlighting the importance of heart health. From blood pressure checks, chair massages, food demonstrations, to teaching residents and staff about the importance of exercise it was a great month full of wonderful hands-on activities.

 

One of the biggest hits was the food demonstration that took place. A couscous salad was prepared and served for residents to try something "new", while they chatted with Chefs and Wellness Coordinator Amanda Lynch about the importance of healthy eating. It was an enjoyable time to just sit down and talk with residents about their eating habits, whether good or bad and understand how they can make healthier choices not only in their homes, but also when selecting meals for dinner. Most of the participants that came to the demonstrations liked the salad and commented that they had never tried anything like it before. It was a fun experience that the wellness and dining services departments are looking forward to continuing in the coming months.

Pictures Include: Amanda Lynch speaking with residents and staff at Windgrace talking about the importance of healthy eating. Many topics were discussed and all felt like they learned a thing or two when they left the presentation.

Nutrition News: Three Crown Park's Diversity Activity

This past month, the dining services team discussed the various ways to be heart healthy on Valentine's day through better control of portion sizes, choosing whole grains and more fruits and vegetables, and choosing healthier fats and vegetable protein sources. The dietitian also provided a dark chocolate presentation to the residents explaining the cardiovascular benefits from raw cacoa. Residents sampled dark chocolate pieces ranging from 75% to 90% cacao. The higher percentage chocolates, with little to no sugar added, were more bitter and dryer offering the most benefits over the lesser percentage chocolate pieces.

Shelby County Nursing Students at Masonic Shelbyville

Cathy Blair Dietitian and Cook Chris Thomas trained the students on Transitional Diets. This training included thicken liquids, overall nutrition for the elderly, hydration, measuring food intake, dysphasia, food allergies, hot liquid risk and adaptive equipment.

 

 

Nutrition News: Are you getting too much caffeine?

Over 90% of Americans consume caffeine in one form or another. Over 50% of Americans consume 300 mg of caffeine per day making it the most common drug in America by far. Although caffeine may have its perks, too much may cause unwanted side effects such as insomnia, sleep disruptions, nervousness, irritability, upset stomach, fast heartbeat, and muscle tremors. Caffeine may also interfere with your body's ability to use folate, vitamin B12, and Vitamin B6 which will overtime deplete your energy. Caffeine may also over stimulate your adrenals which activate your fight or flight response creating a hormonal imbalance of estrogen and progesterone. To avoid the negative effects of caffeine, limit your intake to no more than 200 mg per day.

 ~submitted by
Katie Kunkel, MS, RD, LDN
Assistant Director of Dining Services
Three Crowns Park

Nutrition News: Sugary Drink Facts

 

Food Myths.org has a page on their website with great resources and handouts about sugary drinks and fast food marketing. Check it out!

 

http://foodmyths.org/reports-resources/sugary-drinks-facts-food-advertising-to-children-and-teens-score/

Nutrition News: The Nelson's Organic Farm

The Nelson Family in Minnesota used to raise their cattle conventionally, until illness and financial difficulties made the alternative path obvious. They switched to organic and selling milk though Organic Valley, a cooperative of farmers. Now they run a thriving family farm business. See them reflect on their transition and where it’s led them. - from Food Myths.org

Nutrition News: Can we feed everyone?