The Scoop on Anti-Inflammatory Diets

What is inflammation?

Inflammation occurs when the body is fighting something harmful and/or foreign. It is a natural immune response that helps bring blood flow, and therefore nutrients, to repair the damaged/irritated area.  Inflammation is often localized, but can also be systemic.

Inflammation is NECESSARY and serves a purpose to protect us from injuries and disease, however if it is chronic (constant), it can lead to other serious health issues.

What causes inflammation?

• Injury
• Stress
• Exposure to irritants
• Exposure to foreign materials the body can’t eliminate easily
• Diet

How does diet affect inflammation?

Diet can affect inflammation in many ways including:

• Food allergies and intolerance’s triggering an immune response
• Ingestion of foreign “non-food” compounds in highly processed foods, triggering an immune response
• Imbalance of essential pro-inflammatory fats to essential anti-inflammatory fats

What is the best diet for reducing inflammation?

Though there is no specific diet targeted at reducing inflammation, there are a few things you can do:

1) EAT WHOLE FOODS

Whole foods are foods that have not been altered to take away any of their edible portions. By consuming whole foods, you are ensuring that the foods will contain their natural composition of fiber, water, sugars, and other nutrients in a way that will act balanced in your body.

2) LIMIT PROCESSED FOODS

Processed foods are foods that have gone through a “process” to achieve its current state. Processed foods can have unnecessary additives such as sodium, and chemical agents that are safe for human consumption, but may have unknown and unwanted effects on the body.

3) A GOOD RATIO OF PRO-INFLAMMATORY FATS TO ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FATS

Inflammation is necessary in the body. Without it, healing internally or externally would not occur. Poly-unsaturated fats known as Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s play a large role in inflammation. Omega 6’s are actually needed in a higher ratio than Omega 3’s, at a ratio of 4:1. However the typical western diet is showing trends of ratios closer to 16:1 and up to 50:1. This is a major cause of inflammation because we are consuming much more pro-inflammatory fats than anti-inflammatory fats.

Omega 6’s · Pro-inflammatory Main sources include seed and vegetable oils such as: o   Soybean oil o   Corn oil o   Sunflower oil o   Cotton Seed oil o   Olive oil o   Canola oil

Omega 3’s ·  Anti-inflammatory Main sources include fish and fish oils (DHA & EPA) o  Salmon o   Sardines o   Tuna o   Mackerel o   Halibut o   Herring Other sources (much less bioavailable- ALA): o   Walnuts o   Flax seeds Other animal fats such as: o   Eggs o   Pasture raised beef

TIPS ON GETTING CLOSER TO THE 4:1 (OMEGA 6: OMEGA 3) RATIO

• Reduce or eliminate processed vegetable OILS – they key word is OILS. Oils are a much more concentrated, extracted form of these fats. There is no need to eliminate their whole food
• Increase intake of fatty fish as it contains bio-available Omega 3’s in DHA and EPA form. Though ALA is a form of Omega 3, it is not as easily absorbed or used by the body.

 

Samira Bouldt, is a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist at Saint Mary’s Fitness Center.

Benefits High Intensity Interval Training

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a super-efficient workout. Most people aren’t used to pushing into the anaerobic zone (this happens when you can’t breathe and you feel like your heart is trying to jump out of your chest). During HIIT, you work very hard in short intervals and then you recover.

You burn more calories during a HIIT workout, more muscle is preserved, and also HIIT stimulates production of your human growth hormone (HGH) by up to 450 percent during the 24 hours after you finish your workout. HGH is responsible for increased caloric burn and slows down the aging process. Calories burned from HIIT come from a higher metabolism, which lasts for hours after exercise.

Overall, HIIT produces many of the same health benefits as other forms of exercise such as reducing inflammation in your body, improving heart health, lower body fat, heart rate, and blood pressure, in a shorter amount of time. Intense exertion kicks your body’s repair cycle into hyperdrive and as a consequence you burn more fat and calories in the 24 hours after a HIIT workout than you do after a steady-pace workout such as running.

A study recently published on cell.com shows that HIIT is more effective than weight training or cardio for improving metabolic health, is superior for fighting age related decline, and may yield anti-aging benefits down to the cellular level. HIIT was found to be even more effective at improving mitochondria biogenesis.

All cells in our bodies contain mitochondria. They produce energy that powers everything your cells do. HIIT boosted the ability of the mitochondria within cells to generate energy by 69 percent in older volunteers, and by 49 percent in the younger group. Mitochondrial activity declines with age, which may aggravate fatigue and reduce the size and ability of muscles to burn excess blood sugar – a risk factor for diabetes. But this decline was halted and even reversed with HIIT after three months of interval training in older participants in the study, where everything converged towards what they saw in young people. Interval trainers also saw surges in the amount of oxygen they could inhale and consume, another indicator of higher metabolism.

New research also found evidence of the HIIT effect on the aging process by measuring the structures at the end of chromosomes, known as telomeres. Telomeres are a kind of “junk DNA”, which does not encode protein sequences and whose function is not well known.  Each time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When they get too short, the cell can no longer divide; it becomes inactive or “senescent” or it dies. This shortening process is associated with aging, cancer, and a higher risk of death.

We know that our telomeres start to shrink as we age, but we also know that older people with longer telomeres don’t experience vascular aging as rapidly as people with shorter ones. This means their veins are generally in better shape and they are less at risk for conditions like heart disease and stroke. Researchers found that the people in the aerobic and HIIT groups experienced more telomerase activity. Telomerase is an enzyme that adds nucleotides (the molecules that form DNA) to telomeres. This process causes chromosomes to become longer. In other words, HIIT acts “like a drug” protecting your telomeres, producing the anti-aging effect.

Gabriela Brochu, Biologist, Ph.D.

Gabriela Brochu is a College Professor by day and Group Fitness Instructor at Saint Mary’s Fitness Center by night. She teaches HIIT a couple of times per week. Her classes can be found under the class schedule on our website: www.saintmarysfitness.com 

Using the Pinky Ball for Trigger Point Therapy & Self-Massage.

The Pinky Ball is a portable massage aid that can go anywhere you do. Ideal for self-massage of chronically tight muscles in the feet, glutes, hips, back, shoulders, forearms and more. It can also help with the prevention or relief of plantar fasciitis by rolling it under the foot to stretch the plantar fascia.

These irritable, painful areas of muscle are often referred to as trigger points.  Chronically tight muscles tend to have restricted blood flow causing reduced oxygen and nutrients in the muscle as well as increased levels of metabolic waste products. This leads to pain, irritability and localized areas of pathological contractions within the muscle. Trigger point therapy uses steady pressure applied to the muscles to force stale blood out of the muscle, stretch the muscle fibers and restore normal blood flow.

Watch the video below as Rori demonstrates various ways to use the Pinky Ball to  release tension in your body and reduce pain in tight areas.

We hope you found this helpful!

Please feel free to contact Rori Lee, Health Coaching & Corporate Wellness Supervisor if you have questions! 775.770.7503 or RLee@primehealthcare.com

3 Ways to Save on Groceries & Eat Healthier

Don’t break the bank by choosing to eat better and more wholesome foods. More importantly, don’t let large grocery bills keep you from feeding your family with good, nourishing food. Grocery stores as well as food producers have become more health conscious and put out more products that are made with better ingredients. Though these better options can be very convenient, the bills can add up quickly.

You can offset these costs by choosing to make some of your weekly staples at home. A dollar saved here and there can really add up over the course of a week, month, or even year!

In our household, our lunches consist of a lot of sandwiches, peanut butter, almond butter, and granola bars to keep us energized.

Let’s do a little accounting….(Depending on where you shop prices may differ slightly, however the prices listed below are the average prices in your most common grocery store or value supermarket)

Comparison #1 – Bread:

1 loaf of whole grain seeded sandwich bread                               $4.99

Vs.

1 loaf of homemade whole grain seeded sandwich bread                      $1.23

Breakdown

13.4oz Flour                                                                                      $0.66

10g Yeast                                                                                           $0.09

7g Salt                                                                                                 $0.05

2oz Flax seeds                                                                                   $0.15

1oz Pumpkin seeds                                                                           $0.35

 

Comparison #2 – Fruit & Nut Bars:

5-pack 1.7oz natural fruit and nut bars                                         $5.00 or $1.00/ea

Vs.

5 1.7oz homemade fruit and nut bars                                            $2.50

Breakdown

(This makes 24 1.7oz bars)

200g rolled oats                                                                                $0.68

625g pitted dates                                                                              $9.77

50g peanuts                                                                                       $0.21

100g agave                                                                                        $0.89

100g quinoa                                                                                      $0.40

Total                                                                                                   $12.02

Price per bar                                                                                     $0.50

 

Comparison $3 – Nut Butters:

16oz jar of natural unsalted peanut butter                                 $3.29

Vs.

16oz bulk unsalted dry roasted peanuts                                       $1.88

or

16oz unsalted natural almond butter                                             $6.37

Vs.

16oz bulk unsalted raw almonds                                                    $4.60

Total cost of grocery store products                                          $26.60            

Vs.

Total cost of equivalent homemade products                         $10.38

Total savings                                                                                       $16.22

 

Let’s say you consume these items in 2 weeks (our average for a 2-person household), this adds up $422 in savings per year!

If this doesn’t convince you to try making some of your weekly staples at home, maybe these recipes will…

Homemade Whole Grain Seeded Sandwich Bread

When making bread, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/8 cups whole grain flour (375g)
• 1 1/8 cups room temperature water (272g)
• 1 tbsp instant yeast (10g)
• 2 tsp salt (7g)
• 2 tbsp flax seeds (56g)
• 1/4 pumpkin seeds (1 oz)

Directions:

Mix flour and water until well combined. Cover and rest for 30 minutes – 2 hours, the longer the better! Add remaining ingredients and knead by hand for 12-15 minutes or by mixer on speed 2 for 5 minutes. Cover and let double in size for 45 minutes.

Note: The temperature at everyone’s house is a little different, therefore the time it takes for your bread to double in size may also vary.

Preheat oven to 425.

Transfer dough onto floured surface and punch down to flatten into a square. Roll dough into a smooth 3”x 8” log and place seam-side-down into a greased 5” x 9” bread pan. Allow to rise for 30-45 minutes until ½ above pan edge.

Bake for 5 minutes at 425 then drop temperature to 375 for another 25 minutes.

Note: Oven temps also vary, bread is done when golden brown all around.

Remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

 

Homemade Fruit and Nut Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pitted dates (625g)
• 2 cups rolled oats (200g)
• ¼ cup peanuts or preferred nuts/seeds (50g)
• ½ cup dry quinoa (100g)
• ½ cup agave (100g)

Directions:

In a food processor, process dates until sticky paste forms into a ball. In a separate bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix oats, nuts/seeds, and quinoa. Wet hands and break up date paste into smaller chunks over dry ingredients. Pour agave over all ingredients and mix using paddle attachment or hands until fully mixed. If using hand, make sure keep slightly wet to repel the sticky dates. Remove dough and press into a 9”x 13” baking sheet line with parchment paper or plastic wrap until evenly dispersed to all corners of pan. Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from freezer and cut into 24 bars. These bars don’t need refrigeration, however they keep their shape better when cold.

 

One-Ingredient Homemade Peanut Butter or Almond Butter

Peanut Butter:

Ingredient:

• 4 cups (1lb) unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

In a food processor or high-speed blender, puree peanuts until smooth and creamy. This can take up to 5 minutes, depending on how smooth you prefer it.

Almond Butter:

Ingredient:

• 4 cups (1lb) raw almonds

Directions:

Preheat over to 350. Place almonds on a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, mixing/flipping almonds half way through baking time. Allow almonds to cool completely.

**Tip: You can use roasted almonds to save time, however roasted almonds are typically a little more expensive that raw almonds**

In a food processor or high-speed blender, puree cooled almonds until smooth and creamy. This can take up to 7-10 minutes, depending on how smooth you prefer it. Stop food processor after 5 minutes and allow to rest before resuming.

Samira Bouldt, is a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist at Saint Mary’s Fitness Center.

kNOw Fad Nutrition

As quoted by Michael Pollan, bestselling author and huge source of influence in the world of health and food, we are living in the “the age of nutritionism”.  There is a recent preoccupation with only eating food for it’s specific nutritional properties, function, or health claim – rather than simply just eating real food.

With the uprising epidemic of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, etc., it is perfectly understandable why this diet mentality shift is taking place. People are beginning to realize that the food they are consuming is making them sick instead of giving them life.

The food and diet industries have taken advantage of this and have flooded the markets with books and products promoting weight loss and health claims, many of which are not founded by scientific evidence. It is easy to get lost in all the craze with so many different fad diets being introduced… paleo, low-carb, vegan, atkins, plant-based, ketogenic, gluten-free, carnivore, raw, the list goes on.

I am not here to tell you that these diets are good or bad. I’m here to de-clutter your brain, to give you the unbiased evidence-based facts, and to make things a little more simple when it comes to eating FOOD.

Create energy balance. Eat whole foods. Eat your veggies.

Simple, right? Not so much, let’s dig a little deeper into what this means.

Energy balance is achieved when the number of calories eaten is equal to the number of calories burned. Calories IN = Calories OUT. The time of day, type of food, or even nutritional properties do not affect your weight. Whatever “diet” you embark on, it will always come down to energy balance. Want to lose weight? Create a calorie deficit. This means burning more calories than you consume. Want to gain weight? Consume more calories than you use.

Eat whole foods. The more refined and processed a food is, the further it is from it’s natural state. Nature has a magical way of creating the perfect food. When you take away parts of it or change its composition, you are taking away from its perfect balance.

Eat your veggies. We all know this one. The USDA has been providing research founded, evidence based dietary guidance for over 100 years now, and even though much has changed over the years and new conflicting research surfaces constantly, one thing has not changed; vegetables are good for you. The USDA recommends eating AT LEAST 5 servings of vegetables per day.

These three facts are timeless. Take this bit of information and use it as your new platform to educate yourself on the facts, not the fads.

And one last tip from me, enjoy the foods you eat.

“Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”- Michael Pollan

Samira Dilles, is a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist at Saint Mary’s Fitness Center.

Our kNOw Fad Nutrition course which goes more in depth about the above principles runs from February 11-April 1, 2019. Contact our nutrition team at 775.770.3632  or jwickens@primehealthcare.com to learn more or to sign up!

Good-For-Your-Gut Hot Cocoa

The snow has hit the valley floor! Let’s welcome the season with a cup of hot cocoa that has a gut-healthy twist! Hot cocoa tends to have quite a bit of sugar and a whole lot of calories. This hot cocoa is low in calories and high in protein, so get your blender and whip up this frothy cup of comfort in less than 10 minutes!

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp collagen or unflavored gelatin
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tbsp agave nectar or ¼ tsp stevia (for no sugar)
• 2 cups hot but not boiling almond milk or water

 

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed for 30 seconds. The proteins in the collagen/gelatin mixed with the healthy fats of the almond butter will make a wonderful foam that will have you skipping the whipped cream on top!

Recipes developed by Samira Dilles, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist. For more information on nutrition, recipes, and meal prep, please contact our Nutrition team at 775.770.3632.

Recipes – Eggplant Pie

Cooler weather has us reaching for comfort food, and this lightened up lower-carb version of Eggplant Parmesan (or Eggplant Pie as Samira calls it) has us ready to go home and cook!

Don’t worry, this isn’t some weird way of sneaking vegetables into your dessert. This eggplant pie is a perfect side dish. Warm, savory, and full of nutrients!

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 medium/large eggplants, cubed
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• 2 tomatoes, sliced into rounds
• cheese for topping (mozzarella)

Preheat oil in a small pan. Saute onion and garlic on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Set aside. In a large pot, cover egg plant with water, only covering half-way. Bring to a boil and simmer until all water is evaporated. Using a potato masher, mash egg plant until creamy. Add sauteed onions and garlic, basil, and Parmesan. Mix well and remove from heat. Mix in one raw egg.

In a 10-inch pie dish, spoon egg plant mixture and smooth the top. Top with tomato slices and cheese. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy with your favorite protein and a side salad. Yum!

Recipes developed by Samira Dilles, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist. For more information on meal prep, please contact our Nutrition team at 775.770.3632.

Dance 4 Life 2018 – Who Do You Dance For?

October 3, 2018 may have been a normal Wednesday for most, but for my family (shown above at the 1st Dance 4 Life Event 3 years ago) this marked the ten-year anniversary of my sister Amy’s passing. Over time the pain of losing her has lessened, but the pain caused from a suicide loss can never be completely healed.

My family was left with many unanswered questions. Was there was something we could have done? How could we have not seen the warning signs? Did we see the warning signs and choose to ignore them? The answers to all these questions will go unanswered, and we now know what happened was out of our control. What we do get to control is how we choose to remember her. Do we remember her as someone we lost to suicide? Or, do we remember the person she was at her best?

For many years we chose the first option. We mourned her loss at her birthday and at the anniversary of her suicide. We spoke of how she died often, and spent too much time trying to figure out “what went wrong”. Three years ago I decided something had to change. Enough time had passed that we needed to start processing the pain in a new, healthy way, for where we were in the grieving process. This was the start of our annual Dance for Life event

To hear my full story, and more details about how Dance for Life was created, read this post from 2016: https://smfcpowerofexercise.wordpress.com/2016/11/03/i-am-suicide-survivor/

Our third annual Dance for Life event will be held on November 20, 2018 from 8:30am to 12pm at Saint Mary’s Fitness Center. This year’s event will be a $5-10 suggested donation and it will benefit the Crisis Call Center.

The schedule is as follows:
8:30 am: Welcome & Refreshments
9 am: Cardio Dance with John
10 am: Barre Basics with Stacey
11 am: Yoga with Eren

I would like to invite anyone who has lost someone to suicide to come, dance, and celebrate the lives of those we loved and lost. This year, ten years after my sisters passing, I will dance for Amy. A kind soul who touched everyone she met. Who will you dance for?

By: Eren Sanborn, Group Exercise Supervisor, Saint Mary’s Fitness Center

Just a little reminder…

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we would like to take the time to share some statistics with you and urge all women who qualify to get their annual mammograms.

• 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
• 1 in 6 breast cancers occur in women ages 40-49.
• 3 out of 4 women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history and are not considered at high risk.
• Annual screening once a year, every year starting at age 40, has been shown to save the most lives from breast cancer.
• Mammography Saves Lives!

Have you heard of the newer 3-D mammography, tomosynthesis? This technology creates thin high resolution images through the breast, similar to a high definition movie. This can make cancer easier to detect. 3-D mammography offers many benefits, including:

• Increased cancer detection rate
• Decreased call back for additional images for normal overlapping breast tissue
• Better visualization of abnormalities in dense breast tissue

To schedule your 3-D mammogram today, call Saint Mary’s at 775-770-3187

If you or someone you love is a female age 40 or older, encourage her to get an annual screening mammogram this October.

Volunteering – the Secret to Staying Healthy!

Did you know that Volunteering is almost a sure-fire way to improve your health and happiness? The benefits of volunteerism have been studied for years and the results are almost always the same. People who volunteer regularly feel happier, more connected to their community, and fulfilled in their lives.

Why is this? In a world where we are taught that our time is valuable and it should be exchanged for money, why are people reporting higher rates of happiness in correlation with the amount they volunteer? Well, there is a lot that can be gained from volunteering that you might not realize.

• Volunteering connects you to others. Not only does volunteering for something that you care about connect you with like-minded people, it can also help you create stronger connections to your community, help you make new friends, and expand your network of contacts.
• It’s good for your mind and body. The social aspect of volunteering can help combat depression, anxiety, and stress which can all greatly impact your overall health. Studies also show that volunteering can help boost self-confidence and keep you physically active all while giving you a greater sense of purpose.
• Volunteering can help advance your career. You can learn valuable job skills just from volunteering! Things like organization, teamwork, communication, problem solving, and project management are all things you can potentially learn from volunteering. All of these things are very translatable jobs skills, not to mention volunteering looks great on a resume!
• Volunteering is a fun way to explore your passions and interests allowing you to feel overall more fulfilled. It can often be an energizing escape from your day-to-day routine of life, and can offer plenty of opportunities for fun and excitement.

The options for volunteering are absolutely endless, so finding an organization you want to work with based on your interests should be pretty easy. For example, if you work an office job but love the outdoors, try volunteering with a local conservation group or at a community garden. If you love animals, a local shelter could be a fun place for you to help with walking and caring for the animals.

Ask yourself what your interests and passions are and seek out a group that aligns with that. Reach out to them and ask what kind of volunteer opportunities they might have. It’s usually as simple as that. Your time commitment doesn’t have to be huge to see benefits for both you and the organization. Even just a few hours a week is such a huge boost for you and for them!

And, if you have kids, that’s even better. By modeling for them the act of kindness through volunteerism and showing how happy it makes you to give your time, you are planting the seed encouraging them to giving back to their community as well.

And if you are local to the Reno/Tahoe area, Saint Mary’s Hospital is always looking for good volunteers to help with a variety of things from helping people find their way around the hospital to holding someone’s hand through a tough situation. We love our volunteers here at Saint Mary’s and are grateful every day for their service. This hospital could not run as smoothly without them. For more info on how to get involved with volunteering at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, please contact Aimee Guthrel at AGuthrel@primehealthcare.com.