Well, the Holidays are almost upon us and if you are anything like me…you are thinking about some of those delicious holiday treats and gatherings with family and friends. Almost every event that you attend will tempt your will power: cocktail parties, Christmas parties, office parties, etc. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa…food and drink will abound! Tasty hors d’oeuvres….Eggnog …Christmas cookies…Toasting the New Year with your favorite cocktail…etc.etc.etc.

Here are some tips to help you make it through the holiday season without too much damage to your waistline. There are things you can do to try and minimize weight gain during this tough season!

Heart Healthy Holiday Eating Tips:
1) Do not go to holiday parties hungry to avoid overeating at the party.
a. Eat regular meals before the party – do not skip meals.
b. Drink plenty of water before you go.
2) Avoid talking/socializing around the buffet or in the kitchen.
3) Walk around the buffet table first so you can choose the foods you really enjoy-which might be near the end of the table.
4) Watch your portion sizes-moderation is key. Choose a smaller plate if you have an option!
5) Eat slowly! Put your fork down between bites. Eating slower allows you to feel full when you have eaten enough.
6) Avoid high fat items-fried, buttery, creamy, and cheesy; fill your plate with healthy choices like fruits, vegetables, and baked, grilled or broiled options. Try to minimize sauces, dressings and condiments, if possible. These usually add a lot of calories to your food!
7) Bring a healthy meal or snack to a potluck dinner.
Take healthy snacks with you when you go food shopping. NEVER go food shopping when you are hungry.
9) If you are the cook – select healthy dishes prepared in a healthy manner.
a. Try to bake, broil or grill food, avoid fried frying.
b. Use low fat sour cream, cheese, and milk in recipes.
c. When baking, try to use fat free sprays or lower fat ingredients.
d. Try to add beans to salads, casseroles and appetizers (beans add fiber to the meal and helps you feel fuller).
e. Select whole wheat/whole grain products – crackers, bread and pasta (avoid white flour).
f. Serve fresh fruit for dessert or include it in dessert options with low fat cool whip or dark chocolate.
g. Offer bite-sized desserts that are low fat.
h. Serve fruit and vegetables as the main dish and meat as a side dish.

Heart Healthy Drinking Tips:
1) Limit alcoholic beverages to 1 or 2 servings per day.
2) Drink a glass of water in between alcoholic beverages.
3) Eat food prior to and while drinking alcoholic beverages.
4) Do not drink and drive.
5) Choose lighter options to cut back on extra calories – try spritzers, lite beer or low calorie mixers. Avoid drinks mixed with cream and frozen drinks.

Hopefully some of these tips will help guide you through the holiday celebrations. Remember, even small healthy changes count!

Join us next week when we discuss healthy travel tips and ways to stay active and decrease stress during the holidays.

All of us at Heartstrong wish you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season!!

For more healthy tips, visit us at www.heart-strong.com.

A new study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that wolfing down your food may increase your risk of overeating. Eating too quickly may halt the release of hormones in the stomach that make you feel full, which will cause you to overeat! In this small study, 17 men ate the same test meal at two different rates-once over a period of five minutes and once over 30 minutes. Blood levels of stomach hormones were drawn at 30-minute intervals ending at 210 minutes. When the men ate quickly, there were lower levels of stomach hormones that cause a full feeling. The researchers concluded that eating more slowly leads to greater appetite reduction than eating fast.

Bottom line is……if you are rushing through your day, spare a few extra minutes for eating your meals!!

For more information about healthy lifestyles visit www.heart-strong.com.

With a stroke every 40 seconds counts, Do not wait to act!!!

A lot can happen in 40 seconds. A hummingbird will flap its wings 2080 times; the world’s fastest sprinter will cover close to 400 meters; a heart will beat about 60 times; and someone in the United States will suffer a stroke.

Luckily, it also takes just seconds to send a potentially life-saving message to our law makers.

Although much has been done, the reality is that stroke is still the No. 3 killer and No. 1 cause of devastating, long term disability in the nation.

We need to ensure that we are doing all we can to help prevent stroke, and when needed, providing the best treatment available to each and every stroke patient. Stroke can hit anyone, at any time, and patients need access to the best treatment available. Visit the link below to let members of the Public Health Committee know about ways they can support comprehensive systems of care for all stroke patients.

Please help the American Heart Association in its efforts to fight heart disease and stroke by visiting http://www.capitolconnect.com/yourethecure

Approximately 24 million people have diabetes mellitus (DM) and 57 million are at risk of developing it.  The increased risk is due to the fact that more and more people are overweight/obese and thus have impaired blood sugar control.

A recent study published in The Lancet followed 3,000 high-risk patients for 10 years.  The focus of this study was on preventing DM.  One third of the participants were told to eat a low fat diet and exercise for 30 minutes at least 5 days/week.  The goal was a 7% weight reduction in one year.  The second 1/3 were given Metformin, a diabetes medication to control blood sugars.  The remaining 1/3 received no intervention.

 Many people in the lifestyle group met the weight reduction goal.  However, many also gained some of the weight back over time.  The good news was that their risk of developing DM was still the lowest of the 3 groups although there was some weight regained. 

 After 3 years, the incidence of DM was decreased by 58% in the lifestyle group and 31% in the Metformin group as compared to the group with no intervention.  After 10 years, the lifestyle group and the Metformin group had a decreased incidence of DM by 34% and 18% respectively.

 Lifestyle interventions delayed the onset of DM by 4 years and the Metformin delayed onset by 2 years.  The greatest benefit of lifestyle changes was seen in the 60 year old and above group.  The diet and exercise lowered their risk of developing DM by 50%!

These results emphasize the significant benefit of healthy lifestyle changes in preventing DM.  These simple measures should be incorporated into everyone’s daily life.

 Remember….SMALL LIFESTYLE CHANGES YIELD GREAT HEALTH BENEFITS!!!

This is exactly what Heartstrong is trying to teach. For more info please visit www.heart-strong.com

The 34th Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, is scheduled to take place Nov. 19, 2009.  The purpose of this day is to help smokers quit by giving up tobacco for one full day with the hope that they will one day quit completely.
Although lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women, it is the most preventable form of cancer.  The American Cancer Society estimates that 161,000 people will die from lung cancer this year and there will be 220,000 new cases diagnosed.  How is this form of cancer prevented? The key is to never start smoking.  However, if you do smoke, quitting will decrease your risk of developing lung cancer.  Quitting also decreases your risk for heart attack and stroke.
 Two helpful websites with resources to help you quit smoking are:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/greatamericans/index.asp
http://www.smokefree.gov/
JOIN THE GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT on 11/19/09!!!!! 

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

 “If a Health-Care Bill Passes, Nurse Practitioners Could Be Key”, said a recent TIME article. Heartstrong also acknowledges the expanding role of Nurse Practitioners in the health-care debate and is celebrating National Nurse Practitioner Week from November 8th through 14th along with the over 147,000 nurse practitioners practicing in the United States today. Prevention of disease is the ultimate cure for our national health care crisis. Nurse Practitioners (NP) have been providing primary care in the U.S. for more than 40 years. They examine, diagnose, prescribe medication, treat, counsel and educate patients. NPs are different from other healthcare providers because they focus on the whole person when treating specific health problems and educating their patients. They have masters or doctoral degrees and receive advanced clinical training. NPs partner with their patients, assisting them in making better lifestyle and healthcare decisions. That’s our mission at Heartstrong. Please visit our website www.heart-strong.com