nutrition Archives - Be Well Solutions

Benefits of a Balanced Diet: Micronutrients

What are micronutrients? Your body is a complex machine that requires many types of fuel to function smoothly. Micronutrients are one of these essential fuels. Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals our bodies need to operate properly and achieve optimal health. Apart from vitamin D, which we can produce with exposure to sunlight, our body is unable to produce individual micronutrients. Therefore, we must obtain them from our diet or through supplements. The amount and type of micronutrients found in food varies, which is why consuming a wide variety of nutritious foods is essential to ensure adequate intake. There are approximately thirty micronutrients we need to consume regularly. Iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, iodine, folate, and zinc are examples of the micronutrients that are essential to our health. Why are micronutrients important for our health? According to the World Health [...]

Tags: #balanceddiet, #fuel, #micronutrients, #nutrients, health, nutrition, wellness|

Munch Mindfully with Strategies to Overcome Emotional Eating

During stressful or overwhelming days, it can be easy to turn to food to help us cope. We start craving comfort foods and indulgent snacks but usually feel guilty or even more stressed. Munch more mindfully with these strategies to help overcome emotional eating. Check Your Hunger As you experience a comfort food craving, check in with your hunger cues. If your go-to method of coping with stressful situations has been food for longer than you can remember, it can be hard to differentiate real hunger from emotional hunger. Take a moment to ask yourself if your body is physically hungry. Try delaying the snack or sipping water to see if the hunger subsides or continues. Also, ask yourself if your craving is for a specific food item. If your craving is specific, it can indicate emotional hunger. Checking your [...]

Tags: #emotionaleating, #foodjournal, #healthieroptions, #mindfuleating, #stressrelief, health, hunger, nutrition, wellness|

Holistic Approaches to Managing Chronic Stress and Anxiety

Stress can impact everybody system, making it necessary to consider a holistic approach to managing it. While we can’t eliminate all stress, combining physical, mental, and social strategies can help build effective and lasting ways to be more resilient during stressful times. Balanced Nutrition Anytime we’re in stressful situations, it’s common to notice appetite changes. Whether we’re prone to snacking on anything in sight, skipping meals, or craving comfort foods, our nutrition typically takes a hit. However, balanced nutrition is one of our body’s top energy sources, and it can help us healthily manage stress. You don't need to begin a strict or extreme fad diet that can cause even more stress. Instead, think about ways to be more mindful of your eating. Intentionally incorporate more colorful fruits, veggies, lean protein, and whole grains in your meals and snacks. Make [...]

Tags: #Anxiety, #HolisticWellness, health, meditation, mindfulness, nutrition, SocialSupport, stress, wellness|

Mindful Eating – Making Every Bite Matter

In our fast-paced, modern lives, the act of eating has become more of a routine than a mindful experience. Instead of appreciating the food we are putting into our bodies, eating becomes a mindless habit that accompanies everyday tasks such as answering emails, watching TV, or driving. The prevalence of quick meals, processed foods, and distracted eating has uncoupled us from the essence of nourishing our bodies. Mindful eating has gained prominence as a holistic approach to creating a healthier relationship with food. By paying attention to the moment and savoring each bite, mindful eating encourages people to make every morsel matter. For many this fosters a more conscious and satisfying culinary experience. When applied to eating, mindfulness encourages individuals to engage all their senses; to appreciate the colors, textures, and flavors of each dish, and to be attuned to [...]

Tags: #mindfuleating, health, nutrition, wellness|

Our Top 10 Nutrition Gifts for 2023

Spiralizer Sneak in more veggies or shake up pasta night with a spiralizer. From zucchini to carrots, it can make eating vegetables more fun for kids and adults alike. The Spiralizer Ultimate 10 is a version that comes with several blade choices to fit a variety of options. Meal Planning Notepad A meal planning notepad can help you organize your week and stay on track with healthier meal planning. Make more mindful eating choices by planning daily meals and a grocery list to avoid over or under-purchasing. Meal Prep Containers Make meal prep a breeze with leak-proof, multi-compartment, microwave-safe containers. A set of containers will make it easier to fill at once and then grab and go each morning. Gift the Rubbermaid BPA Free Food Storage Containers for your meal-prepper. Kitchen Conversion Chart A quick conversion chart is helpful for [...]

Tags: gifts, health, holiday, nutrition, wellness|

Celebrate with Healthy Nutrition

The holiday season is a time of celebration, family gatherings, and, of course, holiday parties. While it's often easy to over-indulge in festive treats and decadent dishes, it's also possible to maintain a commitment to health. With a little planning and some mindful choices, you can enjoy the festivities while keeping your nutrition on track. We want you to maximize holiday fun and feel good about the decisions you make throughout the season. Here are a few strategies from our dietitians and health coaches to help you balance celebration and wellbeing at upcoming holiday parties. Plan Ahead Holiday budgets are a great idea. Whether we are budgeting finances or calories, it is helpful to understand reasonable limits. Know what a healthy amount of food and drink should be for a person of your size and stature and keep that in [...]

Tags: exercise, health, Healthy Dish, healthy holidays, mindful eating, nutrition, wellness|

8 Tips for Exercising Safely

Regular exercise provides many health benefits, from weight management to disease prevention. However, safety is paramount to avoid unnecessary injuries or setbacks. We’ve compiled eight tips to help you exercise safely and get the most out of your workout session. Get the Green Light from Your Doctor Before beginning a new exercise routine, or if it’s been a while since you’ve consistently exercised, you should consult your physician first. Working with your doctor helps determine your readiness for activity, guidelines and adaptations for injuries or conditions, and when an exercise professional could be helpful. Start Slowly, Increase Gradually Incorporate exercise in small bouts as you’re getting started. Then, slowly increase your duration, intensity, and frequency. Starting slower will allow your body to adapt and develop endurance and strength. If you begin with too much too fast, you can increase the [...]

Tags: cool down, corporate wellness, exercise, exercise recovery, health, hydration, nutrition, rest, warm-up, wellness|

The Perfect Picnic

Sunny weather is here again! And what's more perfect for picnics? With picnics in mind, we thought we'd write some helpful hints on ways to keep picnics fun, simple, and healthy. Remember back to our "Building A Healthy Salad" article, we used the Plate Method as a starting point for building a great salad. Many of those same principles, plus the tips in this article, can be used to plan for The Perfect Picnic! To review, the plate method encourages filling at least half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter of it with lean protein and the remainder with whole grains and fruits. Stay Ahead of Dehydration with Water, Fruits and Vegetables It's always important to ensure adequate hydration, especially with any increase in physical activity. While packing our food for the day, we might accidentally forget to [...]

Tags: corporate wellness, easy meals, fruits and vegetables, healthy eating, nutrition, picnic, summertime, water|

Ditch the Diets

The dieting industry is a multi-billion dollar industry for a reason. The reason you keep seeing all of these new trendy diets hitting the market is because diets don’t work! Millions of Americans attempt to lose weight each year by purchasing diet pills, meal plans, and other various dieting programs. Only to fail miserably. The truth is, it's not your fault. For years we have been taking the wrong approach, restriction is not the answer. Psychologically, dietary restraint can lead to greater reactivity to food cues, increased cravings, and indulgence. This, in-turn can cause overeating and binge eating. Biologically, dieting can lead to unhealthy changes in body composition, hormonal changes, reduced bone density, menstrual disturbances, and lower resting energy expenditure. The smartest decision you can make is to ditch the dieting and restriction mentality. Instead, incorporate healthy foods into [...]

Tags: corporate wellness, diet, dietetic internship, dietitian, HAES, health at every size, healthy eating, intuitive eating, lifestyle change, nutrition|

Building a Healthy Salad

Salads are the image of "health food". When we think "I'm going to eat healthily", we often default to salads. Although, when we don't build a well-balanced salad, we might end up overeating at snacks or later meals. The salad could be loaded with salt and fat and we feel as sluggish as if we had consumed a burger! In between these two extremes is a salad that will help us sustain energy, without yearning for more or feeling too tired to keep moving. This can be a great option if we make a great plan! As fresh vegetable season is around the corner, here is a guide for creating optimal salad combinations. Plate Method: this encourages a balanced meal with lean proteins, dairy/non-dairy alternatives, vegetables/fruits, grains, and heart-healthy fats. Salads incorporating most, or all, of these in recommended [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate wellness, nutrition, recipe, salad, vegetable|