Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas

Now that you have begun to prepare your healthy Thanksgiving meal you don't want to go overboard with a high-calorie or high-fat dessert. Here are some things to have as a sweet treat to end your festive holiday meal:

Fresh fruit

Unsweetened dried fruit

Poached Pears in Earl Grey Tea with Dried Fruit

Apple Oatmeal Crumble

Chocolate Pecan Tartlets

Any of these desserts - or even your favorite healthy dessert can be served for Thanksgiving. If you know there is a dessert that you are looking forward to enjoying this holiday then take smaller portions during your meal to save room for a small serving of it.

Don't forget to start planning out how you are going to start your Thanksgiving Day too...exercise, breakfast, healthy snacks should all be part of your day.

photo by: Sang An

Build your Immune System

Most of us are experiencing exposure to people who are becoming sick due to colds or the flu. More and more info keeps popping up on how to stay well. Honestly though the best way not to get sick is to build your immune system. So here are some tips to do so:

• Get adequate rest, at least 6 to 8 hours each night. This is the time the body rebuilds and repairs itself so allow it to do so!
• Drink enough fluids,1-2 quarts daily, especially water. Water is the universal detox liquid. And, contrary to what you frequently hear about fruit juices they really aren't the best way to go; they are primarily just the sugar of the fruit which can actually deplete the immune system when consumed in excess.
• Consume a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, offering great vitamin, antioxidants and plant sterols that safeguard the immune system.
• Do avoid sugar, fructose and simple refined carbohydrates. These quickly compromise the immune system.
• Researcher David Nieman, Dr.PH suggests quercetin, green tea extract and fish oil to help immune system. Also, enough can’t be said about vitamin D3 to enhance immunity so get out in the sun when you can! Adding high quality vitamins and minerals to your diet might help as well.  And of course, you want to eat healthy to get nutrients from your food intake.
• Dr. Nieman suggests moderate exercise when you are well but not to overdue it either. Exercise to build your immune system but be cautious when you are just getting over being ill or coming down with something.
• And even though simple washing of your hands more consistently may not build your immune system specifically, it does helps keep those lurking virus bugs from attaching on to you.  Keep your hands away from your face as much as possible too.

For an user friendly, interesting and sometimes amusing video on how a virus enters the body see this!

How Healthy is Your State?

I don't know why, but I love seeing the latest ranking polls especially when it comes to health and fitness…

Today, I was reading over an article that listed the healthiest states in the US. It clearly showed how New England and many other Northern states were much higher rated than their Southern counterpart which unfortunately has been the trend for quite a while now. I was happy to see that my home state of Massachusetts, which used to be number 10 has inched its way up to number 3 in the healthiest states to live in column (and one of the least obese).

Of course, I don’t hold these rankings to be steadfast truths but I’m willing to bet they're close approximations. Here’s the criteria that was used:

"This annual ranking, published by the United Health Foundation, looks at 22 indicators of health, including everything from how many children receive recommended vaccinations, to obesity and smoking rates, to cancer deaths."

Where did your state rank and do you think it’s accurate?

> Check out all 50 states here

Exercise of the Week: Butt Kicks!

Butt kicks are a fun exercise to do as part of a dynamic warm-up or even as a fat burning interval. The nice part is that after a long day of sitting this movement of trying to kick your heel up to your butt will allow your quads to stretch and help to realign your thigh muscles.

Here’s how to complete the butt kicks exercise:
1. Stand with your feet hip width apart
2. Stay on the balls of your feet
3. Kick one heel up to your butt
4. Lower that leg and kick up with the opposite leg
5. Repeat for 20 reps or 10-20 seconds

Tips to remember:
1. Keep your chest up
2. Breathe naturally
3. Kick as high as you can with your heel but don’t overstretch
4. Land softly on the balls of your feet
5. Stop if you feel any pain

Butt kicks can also be done moving forwards and backwards in a straight line. I would first recommend getting comfortable doing them in place and then you can try moving in space. Have some fun with them!

Sides and More for Thanksgiving

To follow up from Monday's post of healthy starters for your Thanksgiving meal here are some more dishes that are healthy and delicious (and many are vegetarian friendly!)

Stuffings

Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing

Quinoa Stuffing

Vegetables

Sauteed Green Beans and Brussels Sprouts with Chile and Mint

Kale with Garlic and Cranberries

Squash

Spiced Winter Squash with Fennel

Turkey

Herb-Rubbed Turkey with Roasted Garlic Gravy

The Simplest Roast Turkey

All of these dishes can be part of a healthy Thanksgiving meal. They are low in fat, high in fiber, and the variety of seasonal foods are very nutritious. These dishes make great leftovers and can be dishes that you serve for friends and family throughout the season. 

Don't forget to check back on Friday for healthy Thanksgiving dessert recipes and tips to get you through the day!

Is Heat an Appetite Suppressant?

A small study was just conducted that showed that men who exercised in hot temperatures were less inclined to eat a lot of calories after working out.

Researchers believe it may be that since the men exercised in hot conditions it raised their core body temperature to a higher degree which shut down their appetite. This is believed to be the case since eating would further heat up your body and as a result your appetite would naturally be suppressed. It’s also the reason why cold temperatures may increase your appetite.

Even if this study is true, neither the researchers nor I recommend working out in extreme heat or unsafe conditions. Your safety and health should always be your top priority, but this study may explain why you sometimes feel less hungry after an intense workout.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 2009

Does having a normal weight mean you are always healthy?

Most medical authorities utilize the BMI (body mass index) as a means to determine if a person may be at risk for heart disease and diabetes, as well as overweight. However according to the Archives of Internal Medicine,  a quarter of even  normal weight adults had high blood pressure and high triglycerides, and high blood glucose blood work-ups, putting them at risk  for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease.

So what’s the take home message here? Just because you are within a normal weight range doesn’t mean you will automatically be and remain healthy. You still have to have healthy eating habits, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle to keep from getting common diseases. You may have a family history or even your ethnicity may put you at risk for any given health condition.

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." Confucius

Corporate Wellness Programs Save $400 per Employee

In the past I’ve outlined wellness programs that corporations are currently using to improve corporate morale, community, and health. I’m also happy to hear that many of these companies have continued to stick with these programs even during this current economic slump. Plus, we now have a good amount of data to show that these wellness programs actually work and are saving companies money!

Check out some of the data presented on November 11, 2009 by Emory University researchers at the American Public Health Association meeting in Philadelphia.

“For the moderate or intense intervention employees, the average days absent due to illness per year decreased from 3.9 days in 2006 to 3.4 days in 2007. Researchers found that average absenteeism days at the moderate or intense sites were 1.5 days lower than at the standard sites between 2006 and 2007.

Cost savings due to reduced absenteeism were estimated at $414.90 per employee per year.”

Ten Days Until Thanksgiving

Have you started putting your menu together for Thanksgiving?

Do you need some ideas for healthy dishes for your family and guests?

Here are some tips and dishes for you to try for your Thanksgiving feast:

Are People Still Going to Health Clubs?

Do you think people are canceling their gym memberships because of the economy?

2 day ago The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) announced the results of IHRSA’s Monthly Trends Survey. What they found surprised a lot of non-health club owners.

IHRSA’s survey of health clubs showed that although many “forecasters” who believed that people would cancel their gym memberships during these more difficult economic times were just flat out wrong.

From September 2008 to September 2009 health club memberships stayed steady and even grew during the past year. Also, almost 90% of clubs were planning on hiring additional staff over the next quarter to keep up with demand.

Do these findings surprise you or do you think people need the stress-releasing and healthy aspects of working out more than ever?