By: Jacob Luckey & Kendra Kainz
Sure we all look forward to the holidays, especially the Thanksgiving meal with friends and family. But what you don’t know is that Americans are estimated to consume anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 calories at the average Thanksgiving meal and that’s not including second helpings!
Want to know what the biggest calories bomb on your plate is? Pecan pie! A slice has an average of 503 calories (compared to 316 calories for pumpkin pie and 411 calories for apple pie). Where does this seemingly innocent pie get all of its calories? Sugar, mostly, and copious amounts of pecans, which harbor lots of fat. The runner-up for calorie-packed dishes is sweet potato casserole at 460 calories a serving, and in third place: wine. Wine adds up fast at 382 calories for three average-size glass. Yikes!
To give a better sense of how much exercise you’d have to do to burn those calories, think ultra-marathon. An average 150 lbs person would have to run an average of 29 miles to burn off 2800 calories. If you weigh more, you can run a little less. So you have to wonder, is it worth it to overeat or overindulge in unhealthy options?
One way to burn some pre-meal calories is cooking the Thanksgiving dinner yourself. If you’re thinking, how much of a workout can that be? More than you might think! If you make the whole dinner yourself (that’s everything from turkey to the gravy, sides, and dessert, with about 4½ hours in the kitchen chopping, stuffing, and rubbing), you’ll burn about 700 calories!
Ultimately, your best bet is to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that’s lower in fat and calories but still thrills the crowd! All it takes is a few ingredient substitutions and some clever fat-busting techniques. Here are some low-cal suggestions for your staple Thanksgiving food items:
The Turkey
- If you’re hosting a small gathering, buy a turkey breast rather than the whole bird, as breast meat is lower in calories than dark meat.
- If you do buy a whole turkey, avoid “self-basting” turkeys, as they often contain added fat.
- Stay away from the deep fryer this year, roast or smoke instead
- Rather than rubbing the skin with butter or oil, spray it with an oil spray and season it with salt and pepper.
- Roast turkey on a rack so that the fat will drain off.
Good Gravy
- Gravy is another big calorie culprits on the table. Use vegetable oil rather than turkey drippings when making the gravy–it’s still fat, but oil is lower in saturated fat and is cholesterol-free.
- If you use turkey drippings to add flavor, use a gravy separator. Pour the gravy into a separator and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Some of the fat in the gravy will rise to the top of the glass where you can skim it off easily.
- Better yet, make low-fat broth-based gravy or vegetarian gravy instead.
Carbo-loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Instead of using butter and cream to mash potatoes, save the cooking water when you boil off the potatoes. The starchy water will give the potatoes a creamier texture than plain water would.
- You can also add turkey or chicken broth, evaporated skim milk, or fat-free sour cream.
- For extra flavor, stir in roasted garlic and herbs.
- Perhaps you for -go the potatoes and puree cooked cauliflower, parsnips, or turnips instead!
Dressing, not Stuffing
- Bake the dressing in a casserole dish rather than in the turkey, where it absorbs fat from the turkey as it bakes.
- Avoid recipes using sausage or bacon; wild rice and grains are more nutritious than bread stuffing.
- Buy French baguettes (they’re made without fat or sugar) for stuffing; serve instead of high-calorie dinner rolls.
- It’s hard to slim down a stuffing recipe, so take a small serving if it’s your Thanksgiving favorite.
Slimmed-down Sides
- Scrap the traditional candied sweet potato casseroles in favor of a low-fat, naturally-sweetened dish.
- Lighten your string bean casserole by skipping tradition. Instead, sauté with onions in olive oil until they caramelize; top with slivered almonds.
- For dips, blend equal amounts of reduced-fat sour cream and low-fat yogurt with fresh herbs like dill and chives; for a chunkier texture, add a package of chopped spinach and/or a cup of diced artichoke hearts.
- Reduce salt in your Thanksgiving recipes, or use herbs to enhance natural flavors.
- Flavor food with spices (not sugars) like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- To bring out their natural sweetness without the added sugar, roast -don’t boil sweet potatoes.
- Try a cranberry relish or cut down on the amount of sugar in your cranberry sauce by adding fruit juices or apple sauce.
Hurrah for the Dessert
- Most of the fat in a pie comes from the crust. Try a reduced-fat graham cracker crust or a crust-free pumpkin pie recipe.
- Use French-style tarts to cut the amount of piecrust in half; crisps made with fruit and a crumb topping have even less dough. (If it’s really the filling you love, skip the crust altogether.)
- Try a trifle. Alternate layers of fresh fruit chunks with fat-free ladyfingers and sugar-free vanilla or banana pudding; diet pudding also makes a great substitute for mascarpone in tiramisu and as a sauce for poached pears or baked apples.
- Let them eat torte. Try a recipe that calls for ground nuts and egg white layers — it’s more nutritious than recipes with a butter and flour base.
Refreshments
- Cut the calories of white wine by serving spritzers; equal amounts of wine and sparkling water.
For more information, please contact
Health News, November News & Events
dessert, dressing, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, refreshments, Slimmed-down sides, Turkey
The flu season will quickly be upon us. Here are some helpful tips on how to keep the chances of you contracting the seasonal flu low:
- Wash your hands often.
- Workout! This will boost your immune system.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Also, keep a healthy household. Wipe down and sanitize commonly touched surfaces.
- Get enough sleep!
- Cover your nose and mouth preferably with a tissue or your sleeve when you a cough or sneeze.
- Reduce stress. Stress can suppress your immune system, so keeping your stress levels low will help lower your chances of getting sick
For more information please contact Fitness Director, Jacob Luckey, at jluckey@sacdt.com.
Health News, November News & Events
eyes, flu, immune system, Sleep, snaitize, stress, Washing
Health Talk Topic: “ Healthy Living to 100! ”
How to Eat, Move, and Think Well
Tuesday, May 24th | 6:00pm in the front lobby
Presented by: Dr. Traci Grandfield DC
Please contact Kendra Kainz at kkainz@sacdt.com or sign up at the front desk to reserve a seat. Reservations are first come first serve.
Summary:
Most of us might be afraid to live to 100 years old because of the fear of a decreased quality of life or living with aches and pains. But if we could feel good and still do the things we love to do like playing with our grandchildren, then I’m sure most of us would want to stick around. What we don’t realize is that arthritis is not inevitable. It can be avoided if we make the right choices now. We have the ability to age well despite our genetics. Healthy lifestyle choices are key to not only live well now but in our later years too. This class will pin point the major culprits contributing to bad health and illuminate the tiny tweaks you can make now to make huge changes to your elder years.
Bio of Dr. Grandfield: Dr. Grandfield offers gentle and unique Chiropractic care with a focus on correcting the cause rather than the symptom. Dr. Grandfield utilizes NUCCA, a specialized adjusting technique, to correct misalignments. This focused adjustment is very light and effective to restore normal body balance and function. No cracking, popping or twisting kind of adjustments. With precision and specificity, NUCCA adjustments last longer which results in fewer visits to correct the problem.
Health News, Lifestyle, May News & Events
balance, Chropractic, function, misalignments
Hello fellow SAC members,
Pain sucks. One morning you woke up with that knee pain, but you could not recall what you did to hurt it. Or did you really hurt it?
For this article, I attached a TED talk link by Dr. Lorimer Moseley, a physiotherapist and an authority in pain science research from Australia. In this video, Dr. Moseley explains how the brain and the pain works. It may not be what you think.
As part of my treatment, I always try to install some forms of education on the latest researches on injuries rehabilitation, performance enhancement and pain. I hope you find this video informative and don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions after watching this.
Move better to feel better,
Dr. Michael Li, DACRB
Here is the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/gwd-wLdIHjs
Dr. Li has been taking care of the SAC staff and members since 2010. You can find him at the lobby performing injury screen for members every 3rd Tuesday of the month. His practice, Mobility Plus Sports Rehab, is conveniently located about 10 minute walk from the SAC. You can find out more about him and his clinic. He can be reached at info@mobilityplussportsrehab.com.
Dr. Li, Fitness Advice, Health News, Strength Training
The flu season will quickly be upon us. Here are some helpful tips on how to avoid the flu this season.
- Wash your hands often.
- Work out! This will boost your immune system.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Also, keep a healthy household. Wipe down and sanitize commonly touched surfaces.
- Get enough sleep!
- Cover your nose and mouth, preferably with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough or sneeze.
- Reduce stress. Stress can suppress your immune system, so keeping your stress levels low will help lower your chances of getting sick
Health News
cough, flu, immune system, reduce stress, sneeze, washing hands
Sure we all look forward to the holidays, especially the Thanksgiving meal with friends and family. But what you don’t know, is that Americans are estimated to consume anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 calories at the average Thanksgiving meal and that’s not including second helpings!
Want to know what the biggest calories bomb on your plate is? Pecan pie! A slice has an average of 503 calories (compared to 316 calories for pumpkin pie and 411 calories for apple pie). Where does this seemingly innocent pie get all of its calories? Sugar, mostly, and copious amounts of pecans, which harbor lots of fat. The runner up for calorie-packed dishes is: sweet potato casserole at 460 calories a serving, and in third place: wine. Wine adds up fast at 382 calories for three average-size glass. Yikes!
To give a better sense of how much exercise you’d have to do to burn those calories, think ultra-marathon. An average 150 lbs person would have to run an average of 29 miles to burn off 2800 calories. If you weigh more, you can run a little less. So you have to wonder, is it worth it to over eat or overindulge in unhealthy options?
One way to burn some pre-meal calories is cooking the Thanksgiving dinner yourself. If you’re thinking, how much of a workout can that be? More than you might think! If you make the whole dinner yourself (that’s everything from turkey to gravy, sides and dessert, with about 4½ hours in the kitchen chopping, stuffing and rubbing), you’ll burn about 700 calories!
Ultimately, your best bet is to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that’s lower in fat and calories but still thrills the crowd! All it takes is a few ingredient substitutions and some clever fat-busting techniques. Here are some low-cal suggestions for your staple Thanksgiving food items:
The Turkey
- If you’re hosting a small gathering, buy a turkey breast rather than the whole bird, as breast meat is lower in calories than dark meat.
- If you do buy a whole turkey, avoid “self-basting” turkeys, as they often contain added fat.
- Stay away from the deep fryer this year, roast or smoke instead
- Rather than rubbing the skin with butter or oil, spray it with an oil spray and season it with salt and pepper.
- Roast turkey on a rack so that the fat will drain off.
Good Gravy
- Gravy is another big calorie culprits on the table. Use vegetable oil rather than turkey drippings when making the gravy–it’s still fat, but oil is lower in saturated fat and is cholesterol-free.
- If you use turkey drippings to add flavor, use a gravy separator. Pour the gravy into a separator and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Some of the fat in the gravy will rise to the top of the glass where you can skim it off easily.
- Better yet, make low-fat broth-based gravy or vegetarian gravy instead.
Carbo-loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Instead of using butter and cream to mash potatoes, save the cooking water when you boil of the potatoes. The starchy water will give the potatoes a creamier texture than plain water would.
- You can also add turkey or chicken broth, evaporated skim milk, or fat-free sour cream.
- For extra flavor, stir in roasted garlic and herbs.
- Perhaps you forgo the potatoes and pureed cooked cauliflower, parsnips, or turnips instead!
Dressing, not Stuffing
- Bake the dressing in a casserole dish rather than in the turkey, where it absorbs fat from the turkey as it bakes.
- Avoid recipes using sausage or bacon; wild rice and grains are more nutritious than bread stuffing.
- Buy French baguettes (they’re made without fat or sugar) for stuffing; serve instead of high-calorie dinner rolls.
- It’s hard to slim down a stuffing recipe, so take a small serving if it’s your Thanksgiving favorite.
Slimmed-down Sides
- Scrap the traditional candied sweet potato casseroles in favor of a low-fat, naturally-sweetened dish.
- Lighten your string bean casserole by skipping tradition. Instead, sauté with onions in olive oil until they caramelize; top with slivered almonds.
- For dips, blend equal amounts of reduced-fat sour cream and low-fat yogurt with fresh herbs like dill and chives; for a chunkier texture, add a package of chopped spinach and/or a cup of diced artichoke hearts.
- Reduce salt in your Thanksgiving recipes, or use herbs to enhance natural flavors.
- Flavor food with spices (not sugars) like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- To bring out their natural sweetness without the added sugar, roast -don’t boil-sweet potatoes.
- Try a cranberry relish or cut down on the amount of sugar in your cranberry sauce by adding fruit juices or apple sauce.
Hurrah for the Dessert
- Most of the fat in a pie comes from the crust. Try a reduced-fat graham cracker crust or a crust-free pumpkin pie recipe.
- Use French-style tarts to cut the amount of piecrust in half; crisps made with fruit and a crumb topping have even less dough. (If it’s really the filling you love, skip the crust altogether.)
- Try a trifle. Alternate layers of fresh fruit chunks with fat-free ladyfingers and sugar-free vanilla or banana pudding; diet pudding also makes a great substitute for mascarpone in tiramisu and as a sauce for poached pears or baked apples.
- Let them eat torte. Try a recipe that calls for ground nuts and egg white layers — it’s more nutritious than recipes with a butter and flour base.
Refreshments
- Cut the calories of white wine by serving spritzers; equal amounts of wine and sparkling water.
Health News, Inspiration
dessert, Gravy, Potatoes, stuffing, Thanksgiving, Turkey
Jennifer is one of those people that is an example how perseverance and determination can surmount any obstacle. As an athlete, runner with the SAC Run Club and regular participant in many of the club’s group exercise classes, Jennifer set a new goal for herself. She wanted to complete her first FULL marathon (26.2 miles) in October.
Before she had opportunity to begin her new journey, she unfortunately experienced a physical setback; incurring a lower leg stress fracture which confined her to a boot for many weeks. This only made her more determined to succeed. She followed all protocols to facilitate her healing and continued to find ways to keep exercising within her limitations. She worked with our instructors to help rehabilitate her back to her level of strength and endurance while maintaining a focus and positive outlook that is testament to Jennifer’s personality. She continued to work hard towards her goal, transitioning back to running. She took one day at a time, with fierce perseverance, grace and a competitive spirit that got her back to training.
And she came back with a vengeance! Once her training began, she became a stronger competitor, leader as well as a source of inspiration and encouragement for her teammates. She was consistent, precise, diligent and committed; qualities that enhanced her success. On October 11th 2015, Jennifer competed in the Goodlife Fitness Victoria, B. C. Marathon, her FIRST full marathon and did so with a phenomenal time! She not only qualified for the Boston Marathon, but placed 10th in her age division! We think she surpassed her goal!!
Congratulations Jennifer! Your perseverance is truly inspirational.
Fitness Programs, Health News, Inspiration, Inspirational Member of The Month, Lifestyle, Motivation, RECAP, Running, SAC Team, Strength Training
Boston Marathon, injury, Inspirational Member of the Month, Marathon, recovery, Team
Effective meal planning must encompass the nights when you need to get dinner on the table for yourself and/or your family in 15 minutes or less. If we have the right ingredients on hand we can always answer the question “What’s for dinner tonight?”
Below is a list of some of my favorite quick proteins, starches and vegetables. A healthy meal can combine all these into a well-portioned “balanced plate”: ¼ protein, ¼ starch and ½ vegetables.
Quick Proteins:
Leftovers or rotisserie chicken, precooked chicken sausage (Adele’s or Trader Joes), precooked turkey kielbasa, canned and rinsed LS beans, eggs, tofu, frozen edamame, precooked veggie or salmon patties, canned tuna or salmon, frozen turkey meatballs
Quick Starches:
Frozen microwaveable rice, microwaved sweet or russet potato, frozen peas or corn, roast a bag of pre-cut squash, sweet potato or fingerling potatoes, microwaved spaghetti squash, frozen grain blends, couscous (takes 5 minutes to cook), quinoa or white rice (15 minutes to cook), whole wheat pitas/tortillas/bread
Quick Vegetables:
Frozen: broccoli, asparagus, pepper strips, Brussels sprouts, frozen specialty blends with or without sauce (TJ’s has a lot of interesting blends), bag of broccoli slaw (add raisins/craisins, sunflower seeds and poppy seed dressing), bag of prewashed and cut veggies (green beans, mini zucchini, cucumbers, snap peas, baby carrots, mushrooms, specialty mixes), bagged fresh lettuce: romaine, spinach, mixed greens (add shredded bagged carrot, grape tomatoes, pre-sliced mushrooms)
Next time you meal plan buy the ingredients for a quick meal as a back-up. An example would be a flavored pre-cooked Adele’s chicken sausage, a box of couscous and a new frozen vegetable blend. These ingredients will keep for weeks/months. You’ll always have a quick meal on hand and will avoid the pitfalls of dining out.
For more information, please contact our Nutritionist, Kathryn Reed, MS at kreed@sacdt.com.
Diet & Nutrition, Health News
Quick Proteins, Quick Starches, Quick Vegetables
I recently went through a very extensive ankle surgery to take out some bone chips, grind down some bone spurs and fix some ligaments. After 11 years of using a progressively worsening foot I opted for the surgery and the 8 week recovery because without it I would be in constant pain and not able to function during my normal day. Through this process I realized that like me, many people may not recognize what a chronic injury is and are just living with it.
My injury occurred while playing college football; after my first ankle sprain came many, to the point where I had a permanent ½ golf ball sized swollen bump on my ankle. After college I was still active and worked out and that ankle progressively worsened until I was limping and couldn’t walk. So with the advice of my boss I went to an ankle specialist to see what was going on. After my doc assessed my ankle and looked at the x-rays, which showed a few bone spurs and bone chips, we decided to try a cortisone shot. Fast forward 3 years later, 2 cortisone shots later and I am still limping and in pain daily. I go into my ankle doctor to find that the bone spurs and chips in my ankle had doubled or tripled in size; leaving my ankle no room to function. So the next step was surgery to fix the ankle.
When I went in for surgery they gave me a pre-surgery Qualify of Life questionnaire and to my astonishment I failed it. Every single question they asked I marked to the far end of dissatisfaction and pain…yet even with all the doctor visits and cortisone shots, in my head my ankle wasn’t that bad. I made excuse after excuse to why it was ok to live with this chronic injury and not address it when in reality it was affecting every aspect of my life.
Cardio Training, Fitness Advice, Health News
ankle, bone spurs, chips, injury, ligaments, sprain
FACT: 71% of Americans surveyed were not sure of or do not recall their LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.
Because high levels of bad cholesterol can contribute to cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke,knowing your levels and talking to a doctor are important to help manage cholesterol and assess the risk of potential cardiac events.
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fat-like material in your blood. Your body makes its own cholesterol. When you eat foods that have lots of fat or cholesterol, you can have too much cholesterol in your blood.
When there is too much cholesterol, it builds up in the walls of your arteries. If too much cholesterol builds up, the arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart is slowed down or blocked.
The blood carries oxygen to the heart, and if enough blood and oxygen cannot reach your heart, you may suffer chest pain. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by a blockage, the result is a heart attack.
The Good and Bad of Cholesterol
HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is “GOOD” cholesterol
- HDL helps keep cholesterol from building up in the arteries
- Protects against heart disease
LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is “BAD” cholesterol
- LDL causes the build up or blockages in arteries, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke
- Can cause heart disease
Triglycerides
- Triglycerides are another type of fat, and they’re used to store excess energy from your diet.
- High levels of triglycerides in the blood are associated with atherosclerosis
Many people with heart disease or diabetes also have high triglyceride levels.
| When should you be checked? |
- If you are 20 years and older
|
- If you have a family history of heart disease
|
- If you are a man over age 35
|
- If you are a woman over age 45
|
Desirable Cholesterol Levels
|
|
Total cholesterol
|
< 200 mg/dL
|
|
LDL (“bad” cholesterol)
|
< 100 mg/dL
|
|
HDL (“good” cholesterol)
|
≥ 60 mg/dL
|
|
Triglycerides
|
< 150 mg/dL
|
Prevention and Treatment of High Cholesterol
In addition to making sure to eat a heart healthy diet and avoid tobacco smoke, one of the best ways to prevent and treat High Cholesterol levels is through a well planned and consistent exercise program.
Exercise for Healthy Cholesterol Numbers
To truly lose weight and lower cholesterol, cardiovascular exercise is going to take a key role in staying healthy. It gets your heart rate up and burns the most calories. Exercise helps change one’s cholesterol by lowering the triglycerides and increasing the good HDLs. Exercise does not have much impact on LDL unless combined with dietary changes and weight loss. To get the most benefit out of exercise, be sure to:
- Check with your doctor to ensure safety before starting an exercise program. Do not engage in any activity that causes chest pain, excessive shortness of breath, dizziness, or lightheadedness. Stop immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.
- Start out slowly. If you’re overweight and out of shape, this is especially important when you begin your exercise program. You want to strengthen your heart, not overextend it.
- Gradually increase the intensity and length of your workouts. To start a walking program, for instance, try going for a medium-paced walk for 20 minutes about four days a week. Each week start walking a little longer and a little faster, and add an extra day. Eventually, you want to be walking for about an hour on almost every day of the week. Challenge yourself by doing some light jogging on your walk, or walk up some big hills.
- Keep it interesting. For exercise to be an effective treatment for high cholesterol, you have to stick with your program. If you’re the kind of person who gets bored easily, alternate between sports, outdoor activities, gym work, and classes.
- Don’t overdo it. Remember that improving health and fitness with an exercise program should be a gradual change. It takes time for your body to be fit enough to keep up with strenuous exercise, and you’re likely to be sore, burned out, and frustrated if you push yourself too fast. So while it’s great to be enthusiastic about losing weight, be smart and slow about it. Don’t run five miles your first time out; build up to that pace. This approach will pay off with greater dividends in the long run.
Cholesterol Resources:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/Good-vs-Bad-Cholesterol_UCM_305561_Article.jsp
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Diabetes/PreventionTreatmentofDiabetes/Know-Your-Health-Numbers_UCM_313882_Article.jsp
http://www.everydayhealth.com/high-cholesterol/fitness-and-cholesterol.aspx
http://www.nwhealth.org/pubs/N-561.pdf
Fitness Advice, Health News
Bad Cholesterol, Good Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, prevention, treatment, Triglycerides
