Since it’s the new year, I decided to try a new recipe. While doing a little after-holiday shopping, I picked up this new cookbook from Williams-Sonoma to get me back in the mood for cooking. Due to the Steelers making the playoffs (YAY!!!!), I knew pizza and wings would be on the menu this weekend. However, I still wanted a slice of pizza but with a twist. I saw this recipe for a Balsamic-Red Onion, Chard, and Gorgonzola Tart. Sounded and looked amazing. However, the local grocery store I went to last night had nothing left on the shelf. Therefore, I decided to revamp the recipe slightly with my own flare.
Here’s a list of the ingredients:
One (1) small red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
Olive Oil (~3 TBSP)
Two (2) TBSP of balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
One (1) cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup black olives (chopped/halved)
One (1) container of crumbled Feta cheese
One (1) tomato diced
One (1) large egg lightly beaten
One (1) container of crescent rolls
Directions:
Preheat the over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Saute onions in ~2TBSP olive olive over high heat for ~4minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook until golden brown (takes about 10 minutes). Then add 2TBSP balsamic vinegar for that extra flavor and cook for another two (2) minutes. Place sauteed onions into a separate bowl.
Sauteed onions!
With the rest of the olive oil, saute the spinach in the same frying pan for at least three (3) minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste. Transfer to bowl of onions and toss.
Place parchment paper on a baking/cookie sheet. Gently roll out crescent rolls into eight (8) triangles.
Rolled out crescent rolls!
Brush egg on crescent triangles.
Arrange prepared toppings and add crumbled Feta cheese and diced tomato.
End product before it goes in the oven!
Bake until golden brown for ~10-15 minutes.
Enjoy this lighter in calories and fat option vs the standard pepperoni pizza! Wine optional 🙂
The busy holiday season is coming to an end. Now it’s time to place more focus on what’s important, your health! Here’s to a New Year and a Healthier New You! It’s time to ring in 2016 with a small resolution that is easily attainable.
WMC Wellness RD’s Top 10 Nutrition Resolutions:
10: Set small goals for change and address one at a time.
9: Aim for at least eight (8) hours of sleep.
8: Increase your physical activity.
7: Reduce late night snacking.
6: Prepare meals at home vs dining out.
5: Practice portion control.
4: Don’t multitask when eating…enjoy your meal.
3: Eat more fruits and vegetables.
2: Drink more water vs sugary beverages.
1: Reward yourself for accomplished goals with non-food related treats (i.e. shopping)!
In hopes to reduce the possibility of becoming a couch potato, Maria will try to increase her physical activity by joining her husband at the local gym ~2-3x/week and taking their new puppy out for walks.
Alyssa is aiming to let the energizer battery lose power by taking the time to enjoy a meal. Like the majority of individuals, she is busy running errands in between work, house projects, and a high maintenance, yet lovable dog. Sometimes nutrition takes the backseat. Therefore, she will try to not multitask during meal times.
What about you? What will your New Year’s resolution be?
It’s that special time of the year for good food and quality family time. Snowflakes are beginning to fall, the fireplace is lit, and the neighborhood children will be sledding down a blanket of soft snow. Oh wait, who are we kidding, it’s one of the most stressful times of the year. There are last minute gifts to buy/wrap, Christmas eve/day menus to make, and diet’s blown. To take a look into our crazy schedules this year, we took the liberty of writing a song to the tune of “O Holidays”.
O Holidays! O Holidays!
The stress, the food, and of course the wine.
O Holidays! O Holidays!
You’re harmful to my waistline!
Meal after meal, each stop we make,
For grandma’s pie and auntie’s cake.
O Holidays! O Holidays!
You’re harmful to my waistline.
If you feel that you are worried about your waistline, here are a few tips to help with providing a tasteful, yet healthy Christmas.
Make don’t bake! This year, try making holiday arts and crafts instead of baking 200 dozen cookies.
Hit the pause button on weight loss. Put more focus on weight maintenance this time of year.
Continue exercising in order to maintain the weight you’ve lost all year.
Plan for multiple meals in one day if you have to visit multiple family members in one day. Plan to make one stop at each mealtime. Ex: mom’s for lunch, in-laws for dinner, and grandmas for dessert.
Drink responsibly. Remember it’s easy to consume excess calories and sugar through our drinks during the holidays.
Bring a healthy dish to the party in order to keep your calories in check and ultimately balance out your meal.
Survey the buffet first, find your favorite foods, and skip your not-so-favorite ones to prevent over eating.
May you and your family have a Merry Christmas!
From: The Wellness Dietitians at Weirton Medical Center
Thanksgiving: a time for family and friends to gather around the table for good food and laughs. While eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures, we cannot forget about our health during the holiday seasons. This is especially important for those with diabetes, a disease that can be manageable through diet and exercise.
The typical Thanksgiving meal consists mostly of carbohydrates (foods that the body turns into sugar). For example: stuffing, gravy, sweet rolls, mashed/sweet potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, beverages, and pumpkin pie. According to The Week Magazine, the typical American consumes approximately 3,157 calories and 390g of carbohydrates. Double those figures when going back for seconds. That’s the amount of carbohydrates Dietitians would recommend for about 7 meals! Can you imagine what your glucometer would be thinking?!
In order to avoid a lecture from your physician, since Diabetes doesn’t fly south for the holidays, try incorporating these 5 tips to balance your diet with holiday fun.
Enjoy Grandma’s Classic Dishes?Try swapping ingredients to make your favorite dish a healthier one. (Tip: Experiment ahead of time).
Don’t skip a meal!Try having a light breakfast & lunch to avoid overeating at your thanksgiving dinner.
Unsure of what your host will be serving?Try bringing a healthier side-dish so that you can incorporate it into your meal plan.
Keep in mind,MyPlate!Balance your thanksgiving dinner by choosing small portions of your favorite holiday foods from each food group. Only fill up your plate once; no seconds or thirds.
Don’t blame the tryptophan! Avoid the after dinner slump. Try going for a walk, jog or even run (to the stores for your Black Friday shopping)!
Looking for more tips: As the American Diabetes Association marks its 75th anniversary, they’ll be proving the tools needed to achieve health and wellness every single day throughout the month of November. Look for nutritious recipes for every meal of the day and tip sheets for shopping lists.
Visit diabetesforecast.org/adm for more information.
Hey WMC employees! Make sure you stop by the WMC benefits fair and learn more about the new Healthy-U Wellness Program that involves your Wellness Dietitians!
Double, double toil and trouble. Wait I can’t find my eye of newt or toe of frog. Help, the cauldron is bubbling!
Anyway, while I’m searching for my supplies, I’d like to begin this blog post by singing to the tune of ‘Jingle Bells’. Yes, it is incredibly early to be singing Christmas songs. However, it’s just a bunch of HOCUS POCUS my darlings. Everyone should be able to relate to this post. So sing along!
Dashing through the streets In costumes sure to fright. To each house we go For TONS of treats tonight (LITERALLY)!
Halloween is here! So MUCH candy in one night! What can I do better To keep my dentist out of sight?!?! Oh Candy Bells, Candy Bells! It’s scary don’t you say? All that sugar causing cavities. WHY does it have to be this way?!
Okay everyone, Halloween is literally 17 days away! Do you have your treats ready for all the ghosts and goblins? If not…GOOD! According to a study by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a typical bag of Halloween candy was found to be equivalent to 4,800 calories, one-and-a-half cups of fat, and three cups of sugar. To avoid the “bouncing off the walls” and eventually get your kids to sleep later, let’s try these ideas to make your Halloween night a little bit healthier. Try passing out:
Granola bars
Raisins
Pretzels/Popcorn
Fruit (Whole/Fruit snacks)
Gum
Rice Krispie Treats
Animal Crackers
Mini versions of your favorite candies
Now that you’ve SAVED the neighborhood by watching what you’re passing out at the doorstep, let’s place the focus on you and your family. Before you head out the door, make sure you and the kids have a well-balanced dinner to reduce the temptation to indulge in a bottomless pit of a glow-in-the-dark pumpkin container. Don’t forget, if safe and possible, consider walking the Halloween route for that little bit of exercise instead of getting into mom’s mini van. The last step is reducing the urge to splurge on the candy afterwards. Instead of putting a spell on you, consider these options: limiting the candy intake to 1-3 pieces per day; storing candy in the freezer (out of sight, out of mind); donating to a local senior citizens home, food pantry, or children’s hospital; offering your kids a reward (games/allowance) in exchange.
Remember: Have a SPOOKtakular Halloween!
***Also, check out our bulletin board located in the WMC cafeteria.
Panera Bread Pink Ribbon Bagels and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure set the tone for October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Breast Cancer is the most common form of cancer to affect women. Did you know that it can also develop in men? Thanks to advances in modern medicine, approximately 89% of women have a 5-year survival rate. That number has grown from 63% in the 1960’s! Breast Cancer acts as a malignant tumor that begins in the cells of the breast. The risk factors include: Women (ages 55 or older), genetics, high breast density (less fatty tissue & more glandular & fibrous tissue), Obesity (BMI >30 contributes to an increase in estrogen levels), and excessive alcohol consumption.
Now is the time to reduce our risk! First, we need to rethink our current lifestyle and change our old habits. Current research suggests that a diet is responsible for 30-40% of all cancers; yet a certain food or diet cannot cure Cancer. However, certain foods can assist with providing a healthy immune system and reduce your risk of Cancer!
Here are a few examples of ways to reduce your risk of Breast Cancer via nutrition:
Incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. They provide a low fat/high fiber content and are packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals.
Buy a variety of colors (ex: mixed berries, oranges, apples, tomatoes, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes,carrots, garlic, squash, mushrooms).
Add vegetables to omelets, spaghetti sauce, soups, and stews.
Eat more whole fruit due to their enhanced nutritional value.
Freeze fruit for a refreshing cool treat.
Limit ‘bad fats’ (fried foods & processed meats) by incorporating more ‘healthful fats’ (ex: olive oil, flaxseeds, avocado).
GO LEAN with protein (ex: beans, cod, salmon, white meat chicken/turkey, eggs).
New research suggests that foods containing soy may possibly decrease the risk of hormone related cancers (breast/prostate). Soy got it’s bad rep by having a similar chemical structure to estrogen; yet they do not contain estrogen. However, it is best to avoid soy supplements (ex: soy protein isolates, soy-protein powder, genistein & daidzein) until more research is done.
Tired of drinking water only? Try green tea for its anticancer properties, skim milk, or pomegranate juice. Regarding safe alcohol intake, limit alcohol to no more than 2 servings/week. One serving is equivalent to: 5oz glass red wine, 12oz beer, 1 1/2oz liquor.
Need to increase your fiber intake? Try including lentils, brown rice, whole grain bread, and oatmeal into your diet.
Limit concentrated sweets, processed foods with added sugar, and sugary beverages.
Be Bold! Make an impact on your health! Get a mammogram and start living a healthier lifestyle, not only in the month of October, but year round.
September is designated as National Cholesterol Education Month. Therefore, we decided to provide a few quick facts about cholesterol and ways to reduce your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is both naturally produced in your body and found in some food sources. If in excess, plaque forms between layers of the artery walls, making it harder for your heart to circulate the blood. This can lead to blood clots, stroke, or heart attack. There are two types of cholesterol, LDL and HDL. LDL, aka bad cholesterol, contributes to plaque (thick/hard deposit) which clogs the arteries and makes them less flexible. HDL, aka good cholesterol, helps remove LDL cholesterol from the arteries.
What do your numbers mean?
There are no warning symptoms for elevated cholesterol. Therefore, it is important to find out what your cholesterol numbers are in advance. Everyone, 20 years of age and older, should have their cholesterol checked at least once every 5 years. A lipoprotein profile is done after a 9-12 hour fast and tells your doctor about your total cholesterol, LDL (bad), HDL (good), and Triglycerides.
What affects cholesterol levels?
Men 45 years or older; Women 55 years or older
Family history of heart disease
Cigarette smoking
High blood pressure (140/90mmHg or higher)
A diet high in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol
Overweight or obese
Limited physical exercise
How to achieve a desirable cholesterol level?
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) involves diet, exercise, and weight management. TLC may be used in combination with cholesterol-lowering medications.
Diet:
Limit saturated fats (fats that are solid at room temperature and are found in butter/meat fat), trans fats (foods that contain hydrogenated oils: margarine, shortening, and some processed foods), and dietary fats (meat/poultry/eggs/whole milk dairy products).
Use low-fat or fat-free yogurt, cheese, milk, and sour cream.
Limit foods containing hydrogenated/tropical oils (coconut and palm kernel).
Choose lean proteins [Examples: lean ground chuck (90%/10%), white meat pork and chicken (boneless/skinless), and fish].
Substitute whole eggs with egg whites or egg substitutes.
Try more plant-based meals consisting of tofu, nuts, and legumes.
Add foods containing soluble fiber (whole grains, fruits, and vegetables).
Bake, broil, or steam rather than fry your food.
Use liquid oils or trans-fat free soft margarine for butter, shortening, stick margarine, and lard.
Select low-fat or fat-free salad dressings.
Choose more vegetable- or broth-based soups rather than cream soups.
Become more aware and read food labels for the amounts of saturated fat, trans fat, and dietary cholesterol.
<5g of total fat per serving
<3g per serving of saturated and trans fat
Try to limit the amount of cholesterol consumed to <200mg per day
Exercise/Medications:
Regular physical activity (~30mins a day, 5 days a week) to assist with weight management and the lowering of LDL and raising of HDL.
If cholesterol lowering drugs are needed, please speak with your healthcare provider to determine which type of medication is appropriate in conjunction with TLC treatment.
**If you are at high risk for developing heart disease, please speak to your local healthcare provider/registered dietitian-nutritionist.
August is the designated month to celebrate Kid’s Eat Right at Weirton Medical Center. It focuses on the importance of healthy eating and active lifestyles for children and families.
Quick Tips:
Parents, be your child’s role model by eating a variety of healthful foods.
Respect your child’s food preferences by asking what food groups they’d like to have on hand.
Avoid setting forbidden foods. May cause your child to want to eat them more.
Involve your child in meal preparation.
Keep your child’s lunch safe by using an insulated lunch bag or lunch box with an ice pack.
Prepare school lunches the night before.
Quick and Inexpensive Healthy Snacks For That A+ School Lunch Box:
MINI PIZZA: Toasted English muffin drizzled with pizza sauce & low-fat mozzarella cheese.
ROLL-UP SANDWICH: Flour/Whole Wheat tortilla topped with mustard, slice of turkey/ham, low-fat cheese, mustard, lettuce & tomato. Then rolled up.
SANDWICH CUT OUTS: Sandwich made with whole-grain bread cut out using big cookie cutter.
Bake Potato: Microwave small baked potato and top with reduced-fat cheddar cheese and salsa.
SAFARI ADVENTURE: Dip animal crackers in low-fat pudding.
GRANNY’S RECIPE: Whole-grain pita pocket stuffed with ricotta cheese, granny smith apple slices, and a dash of cinnamon.
L’EGGO MY FRUIT EGGO: Toast whole-grain waffle and top with low-fat yogurt & peaches.
FRUIT WAFFLE CONE: Waffle cone with cut up fruit and topped with low-fat vanilla yogurt.
SNACK KABOBS: Cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel stick.
APPLE PIE OATMEAL: Make one (1) packet of oatmeal with low-fat milk. Mix in ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce. Sprinkle with cinnamon/apple pie spice.
***Stop by and visit our bulletin board in the WMC cafeteria to gather more quick tips for your child’s school lunchbox.
Weirton Medical Center offers nutrition counseling and general wellness to both the community and its staff members. Please stop by or call to make an appointment to meet with a Licensed and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
WMC Wellness Dietitians 