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By Gabrielle Finora and the Team at LCWNS Creative New Year Resolution Ideas for 2024 Still looking for a New Year’s Resolution? Read this article for some ideas. By Gabrielle Finora and the Team at LCWNS   In 2024, we are focusing on holistic well-being, personal growth, and happiness. Expensive gym memberships are so 2010! Check out these creative ideas for New Year’s resolutions that will leave you with a more well-rounded and happier version of who you already are. Mindful Mindset Intentions Practice Gratitude Practicing gratitude is a quick and easy way to feel more present in your life. Research shows that practicing gratitude is consistently associated with greater happiness by relishing good experiences. Gratitude can build stronger relationships, improve health, navigate challenges more effectively, and generally feel more positive.  Increase Mindfulness Mindfulness is the awareness that comes from purposely, non-judgmentally, paying attention to the present moment. It has been associated with higher levels of life satisfaction, agreeableness, conscientiousness, self-esteem, empathy, sense of autonomy, optimism, pleasantness, and more. Practicing mindfulness is like meditation. Check out this article from the Mayo Clinic for ideas on how to get started.  Personal Growth Intentions Learn a New Skill or Hobby Not only does learning a new skill improve courage and self-confidence, but a study also showed that learning multiple real-world skills at the same time, such as new languages and painting, improved cognitive function and functional independence in older adults. Learning just one new skill can increase motivation, beat boredom, and keep your brain flexible and healthy. Prioritize Mental Health Prioritizing your mental health can be equally rewarding as your physical health. A few ways to start tending to your mental health include noticing negative self-talk, interrupting repetitive anxious thoughts, and learning to say no. By incorporating these practices into your daily life, you can create a foundation for a healthier and more balanced mindset.  Connection and Community Intentions Strengthen Relationships Relationships can influence mental and physical health, behaviors about health, and even mortality risk – for better and for worse. The magic of positive relationships manifests in lowered rates of anxiety and depression, along with a boost in self-esteem. Choosing to surround ourselves with the right people isn’t just about companionship; it’s a proactive strategy for preventing chronic illnesses and paving the way for a longer, happier journey through life. Volunteer and Give Back Studies have shown that volunteering can bring about health benefits at all ages, but specifically in older adults by improving mental and physical health, providing a sense of purpose, fostering new relationships, and teaching valuable skills. Volunteering just a few times  Now that you have an idea of your new intentions, want to get started? Michigan State University recommends writing them down, making a reliable plan on how to work towards your goal, and rallying the support of a friend to help motivate you. Use the “SMART” acronym to make realistic goals. It stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. Check out this resource to help create achievable goals. If you are interested in exploring more ways to improve your lifestyle and wellness, check out Laura Cipullo’s Whole Nutrition Services offering a range of holistic approaches. Sources: Effects of Mindfulness of Psychological Health Harvard Medical School Helping people, changing lives: 3 Health Benefits of Volunteering Mayo Clinic Michigan State University The Impact of Learning Multiple New Skills on Cognitive Development and Functional Independence in Older Adulthood The Mind-Body Benefits of Learning a New Skill The Ultimate Guide to S.M.A.R.T. Goals Social Relationships and Health: A flashpoint for Health Policy 6 Ways to Prioritize your Mental Health  

By Laura Cipullo and the Whole Nutrition Services Team Entertain the Concept of Health this Holiday Season The holidays are almost here! I thought now would be the perfect time to revisit an older blog post about how to celebrate without thinking about your weight and instead just enjoying the present — all the happiness, family and great food that comes with the holiday season. Read on for my tips on how to celebrate health and holidays during the month of December and beyond. Tis the season of food, food, and food. So how do we manage our health while entertaining and celebrating?  Instead of fearing weight gain or trying for weight loss during the holidays, let yourself maintain your current weight. Slow and steady wins the race. However, this is not a race, rather an almost two-month period of eating and drinking.  This year, vow to make the holiday season healthy with family and friends as the focus, and these tips to plan a mindful season balanced between food and fitness.   5 Tips to Celebrate Health and Holidays 1. Focus on Family and Friends Growing up in an Italian family, I remember the holidays were about food and family. Instead of making food for 25 people, we made enough for 50 people. Instead of sitting around the fire, we sat around the table. If this was your family, start a new tradition this year. Celebrate your health and the holiday season by focusing on family and friends, not food. Have family and friends come over to socialize rather than eat. You can serve food, but don’t center the evening on/around the food and the act of eating all of it.   2. Plan Fitness  With limited time, shopping exhaustion, and colder weather, our fitness routines get displaced. Since moving increases your energy, your mood, and your metabolism, this is the last thing you want to give up over the holiday season. Instead, make dates with friends to go to yoga together rather than getting drinks. Schedule spin classes or any classes that you have to pay for if you miss. This is a great incentive to make sure you attend class.   3. Make a Date Use your daily planner or PDA to schedule all activities, whether it is food shopping, meal prep, exercise or therapy. If it gets scheduled, just like any important meeting, you will set the precedent to ensure this activity gets done.   4. Slow down and Savor Being a foodie, I know how hard it is not to celebrate with food. However, you can change your mindset and that of your guests too by hosting smaller, more intimate holiday parties. Create small, intense, flavorful meals. Start the meal off with a prayer, a toast or even a moment of silence to allow you and your guests to refocus, create inner calm, and engage in mindful eating.   5. Use Your Five Senses Rather than race through your holiday meal and overeat, be sure to use all five senses while eating. Smell your food and think about memories the aroma may conjure up. Touch your food – is your bread hot and crusty or naturally rough with seeds and nuts? Think about the texture and how it makes you feel. Really look at the plate. Is the food presented beautifully? Are there multiple colors on your plate – there should be. Listen to the food. Yes, listen to see if the turkey’s skin is crispy or the biscotti crunchy. And finally taste your meal!! Many people eat an entire meal and can never tell you what it really tasted like. They were too busy talking, or shoveling the food in so they could either leave the dinner table or get seconds. This holiday season, be healthy mentally and physically by truly tasting your food and appreciating each bite. A small amount of food tasted will fulfill you more than a few plates of food you never tasted would.

Image via FreeImages.com/Jean Scheijen By Laura Cipullo and the Whole Nutrition Services Team Health Benefits of Bone Broth, According To A dietitian What Is Bone Broth? Bone broth is a collection of animal bones that are boiled in water and combined with different herbs and spices. It is thought to be very similar to regular soup stock – the kind your grandmother made with the chicken carcass. The biggest difference between regular soup stock and bone broth is that the bones are boiled in water for approximately 24-48 hours.  Grandma’s only boiled for about three hours.  You can drink the broth, add it as a soup base, or cook with it when making foods such as mashed potatoes. The greater duration of boiling is thought to be beneficial because it allows the bones to release nutrients and minerals into the boiling water.  It is also thought that by soaking the bone, collagen, gelatin, and amino acids, which are nutrient-rich, become easier to digest.1   What Are The Claims About Bone Broth? Claim 1: Bone Broth is Good For Bone Health While there are very few if any evidence-based studies supporting bone broth’s benefits, people are consuming it regularly.  There are claims assuming collagen from the animal bones will make a human’s bones stronger. In reality, your body breaks down the animal’s bones into amino acids, which are then used to build hormones and muscles, like any other source of amino acids2.  This is similar to how dietary fat is absorbed by your body and gets used to make hormones, line your nerves, and does not necessarily get stored directly as fat. Claim 2: Bone Broth Helps With Allergies, Inflammation, Healing, and Fatigue Time Magazine’s ‘You Asked’ writes that the book Nourishing Broth claims bone broth reduces inflammation, speeds healing, calms allergies, and combats fatigue. It is a mouthful of claims that points back to the collagen found in bones and the connective tissues of the animal’s body and your body, too. When specifically focusing on collagen it is important to know that Vitamin C is needed to bind the two amino acids found in collagen (known as lysine and proline) to form pro-collagen in your body. This means if you are drinking bone broth, you need to have Vitamin C with it to get the collagen benefit (helping to make collagen in your body). But does this reduce inflammation or speed healing? Read The Collagen Connection3 for more food for thought. Below are four of at least 14 types of collagen documented in Linus Pauling’s Unified Theory of Human Cardiovascular Disease3 by Jim English and Hyla Cass Type I: Makes up the fibers found in connective tissues of the skin, bone, teeth, tendons and ligaments. Type II: Round fibers found in cartilage. Type III: Forms connective tissues that give shape and strength to organs, such as the liver, heart, kidneys, etc. Type IV: Forms sheets that lie between layers of cells in the blood vessels, muscles, and eye. Claim 3: Bone Broth Heals Leaky Gut One Medical 4 and Dr. Mercola5 both reference individuals following the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) and Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diets as proponents of bone broth, believing that the gelatin “undoes” leaky gut syndrome. While I have not read in depth about these two diets, having “gelatin plug up the holes,” or the idea that as One Medical’s post addresses it, “Gelatin helps seal holes in the intestines that are associated with food allergies and autoimmune conditions, and is a key component in both the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) and Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diets, which are designed to address gut issues and promote healthy digestion” seems preposterous. Perhaps this is not meant to be a literal interpretation. In RD jargon, it seems that bone broth like chicken soup can be a digestive aid due to its warmth and stimulation of the GI tract and for the psychological comfort it provides, which thereby decreases anxiety and thus potentially leaky gut. So while not the perfect food, as there is no perfect food or perfect remedy, bone broth can be incorporated into a varied diet. I recommend using the bones of organic and sustainably-raised animals to prevent exposure to unnecessary hormones and pesticides. Skim the fat off the broth after it has been refrigerated – as the fat has been associated with causing lead poisoning and vitamin D toxicity. References: Heid, M. (2016). You Asked: Does Bone Broth Really Have Health Benefits? Retrieved December 07, 2016, from http://time.com/4159156/bone-broth-health-benefits/ Sakimura, J. (2014, December 03). Will Bone Broth Cure What Ails You? Retrieved December 07, 2016, from http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/johannah-sakimura-nutrition-sleuth/will-bone-broth-cure-what-ails-you/ English, Jim and Cass, MD, Hyla. (2013, April 09). The Collagen Connection Retrieved December 14, 2016 from https://nutritionreview.org/2013/04/collagen-connection/ Konstantinovsky, Michelle (2015, March 05). What’s the Deal with Bone Broth? Retrieved December 14, 2016 from http://www.onemedical.com/blog/eat-well/bone-broth/ Mercola, Joseph, MD (2013, December 16). Bone Broth — One of Your Most Healing Diet Staples Retrieved December 14, 2016 from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/16/bone-broth-benefits.aspx

By Laura Cipullo, RDN, CDE, CEDRD, CDN Physical Hunger: The Cause of Sugar Cravings Physical hunger sends the signal to eat but it doesn’t always mean one needs to eat. Sugar cravings are real. The body senses a dip in blood sugar, when it is falling dramatically after a higher carbohydrate meal like pasta (think 200 mg/dl to 100 mg/dl) or perhaps because the blood sugar is falling below the body’s lowest norm (below 70mg/dl). The body is biologically wired to either seek out food or to make sugar from the body’s stores. This is what I call Physical Hunger. Now, this does not mean all desires for sugar are legit, meaning a physical necessity for eating. If your sugar is falling after you eat the Valentine’s candied Kiss, this is not an indicator to eat more sugar. Rather you are likely just feeling the results of your blood sugar dropping. If you have a craving and you have not eaten in 4 hours, this is the time to eat!!! Follow your natural eating schedule There are some very specific times of day, that the body is preparing for food, sleep or even activity. Eating consistently and in sync with the body clock’s natural rhythms will reduce cravings. And remember cravings can be for carbs, proteins, and or fats. For instance, around 3 or 4 pm in the afternoon, the body experiences a drop in alertness due to the fact cortisol, the hormone is falling. This decrease leads to a feeling of fatigue, which many of us feed in effort to increase alertness. As discussed in the Body Clock Diet, the best remedies are to move, get fresh air and eat a macronutrient-balanced snack. The movement will naturally increase alertness, fresh air will give an oxygen boost and the snack-balanced snack will provide a slow release of energy for the next few hours. How eating sugar affects your brain In terms of mind, and body, it is essential to first recognize there is a bidirectional relationship between the mind and body especially that of the gastrointestinal tract. One always affects the other and vice versa. Knowing this is important especially when understanding that sugar which is another name for carbohydrate can and does affect the entire body in multiple ways and differently in different people. What we are learning from experts in the field including The Yale Rudd Center and Dr. Pamela Peeke, is that just like insulin and leptin, some people do not produce enough of the reward hormone known as dopamine when they eat. They never feel satisfied and thus the desire to eat continues. Yet, there is also evidence pointing to a high sugar/fat intake resulting in high levels of dopamine. The activation of the reward system leads the body to crave more of the food to further increase dopamine and activate the brain’s reward system. This is extremely complex because there are other substances such as the appetite hormone, ghrelin, and the fullness hormone, leptin that must be considered. In sum, there is some type of “addicting” quality to sugar. The best solution at present is to naturally increase dopamine through exercise, regulate blood sugar with a macronutrient-balanced meal, and to regularly practice mindfulness. In addition, much more information and research using humans (rather than animals) is needed. The most exciting news is that our food intake and weight are also being linked to the bacteria in our bellies!!

by Courtney Darsa, RDN, CDN Your Guide to Eating out with Diabetes   Navigating diabetes and eating out can make your head spin. We have taken the time out of the equation and given you 3 days worth of consistent carbohydrate meal options at three of our favorite fast/casual food spots: Panera, PRET, and Au Bon Pain. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are based on 3-4 carbohydrate servings per meal or 45-60 g carbohydrates and snacks are based on 1-2 carbohydrate servings per meal or 15-30 g carbohydrates per snack.   Panera Bread PRET Au Bon Pain Breakfast French Croissant + plain Greek yogurt + fruit cup = 55-60 g carb   Steel cut oatmeal with strawberries and pecans = 50-55 g carb     Cranberry orange scone   + egg and spinach pot = 50-55 g carb   Five grain oatmeal + raw almonds = 60-65 g carb   2 egg and cheese on plain bagel = 50-55 g carb   Superfood Blueberry Chia Hot Cereal + 2 hard boiled eggs + 16 oz cafe latte = 35-40 g carb Lunch You Pick Two: half roasted turkey and avocado BLT + half bistro French onion soup = 45-50 g carb   Classic chicken salad + ½ chocolate chip cookie = 45-50 g carb   Chicken and bacon sandwich + 1 serving of organic popcorn = 45-50 g carb   Large tomato and feta cheese soup + Pret’s tuna salad sandwich = 50-55 g carb   Caprese melt on ciabatta + small chicken noodle soup = 60-65 g carb   Chicken cobb salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing + Multigrain chips = 40-45 g carb   Dinner ½ portion of macaroni and cheese + Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with almonds = 50-55 g carb   Chicken soba noodle salad with peanut sauce = 50-55g carb   Lentil Quinoa Bowl with Chicken = 45-60 g carb Falafael mezze salad with tahini dressing + sea salt chips = 60-65 g carb   Spicy shrimp and cilantro wrap + melon medley = 45-50 g carb   5 oz chicken parmesan +¾ c pasta rigate = 55-60 g carb   Garden and avocado wrap + small chicken and vegetable stew = 55-60 g carb   Snack Other ½ chocolate chip cookie (from lunch) + handful nuts (brought from home) = 25-30 g carb   Small latte with whole milk + packet of peanut butter (brought from home) = 20-25 g carb   Blueberry and granola pot = 30-35 g carb total   Omega 3 mix (cranberries, roasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, pepitas) = 15-20 g carb   Strawberry fruit cup   + kind bar = 25-30 g carb   Potato chips + handful of mixed nuts = 20-25 g carb  

Image via Flickr/JoshWillis By Laura Cipullo, RD, CDE, CEDRD and Laura Cipullo Whole Nutrition Services Team Knowing the signs of when your diet becomes a disorder The line between eating healthy and disordered eating can be a thin one. These days, there are all kinds of diets you can follow that advocate depriving yourself of certain foods, but a balanced diet is healthiest unless you have an allergy to a certain food and have been told by a doctor, nutritionist, or dietitian not to eat it. Obsessing over diet Often people start restrictive diets to gain a sense of control, but you are out of control when your eating is disordered. As I wrote in The Women’s Health Body Clock Diet, “You’re afraid to eat anything for fear of weight gain. Chicken and broccoli are your safe foods!” Eating may be disordered when you find yourself avoiding certain activities because you can’t eat the food there — for instance, you avoid a party because of the “fattening” food, or you avoid pleasant activities to partake in “healthy” ones. When faced with a choice between an enjoyable day out with a friend and the gym, for instance, you choose the gym. Thoughts about calories and nutrition labels take over your thoughts. You are obsessed with food and how you look. Extreme dieting can also lead to bingeing, then starving again to “punish” yourself for the bingeing. There are other more subtle signs that your eating either is or has the potential to become disordered. Eating the same foods every day, only eating foods when they come with a calorie count, exercising to burn off all or most of the food you eat, starving during the day to “pig out” at night, and weighing yourself many times a day, with your mood fluctuating according to the number on the scale. What to do when your diet becomes disordered eating The solution to disordered eating? It’s complicated, and I urge you to read my book to learn more, but if you just begin by incorporating mindfulness into your eating then you’ll portion food just fine and be more fulfilled by what you eat. Be aware of the tastes and smells of what you’re eating, and use the other senses to enjoy food as well. Also take note of how full or hungry you feel as you’re eating, and try eating where there isn’t a screen (TV, iPad, etc). This can help prevent mindless eating and reconnect you with the joy of eating. “You can empower change with the right help,” I wrote in the Women’s Health Body Clock Diet, and it’s something I really believe with all my heart. Seek a professional’s help, like a registered dietitian and a therapist who specializes in eating disorders (you will see the initials CEDRD–certified eating disorder registered dietitian– and CEDS –certified eating disorder specialist–after his or her name). Read my book to understand the concepts of habitual nourishment and the Five Pillars of Positive Nutrition. And be sure to check out these organizations for additional support — The International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals Foundation, The National Eating Disorders Association and the Binge Eating Disorder Association. Recognize the signs of disordered eating and get ready to move on with a happy, healthy, beautiful life! You deserve it.