Many professionals are incredible at what they do! But some struggle with maintaining a healthy weight, which can lead them to feel less successful than they actually are.

Green Mountain at Fox Run is an incredible facility to help women learn how to live in peace with their bodies, and learn how to improve their health in a supportive, healthy way, rather than drastic dieting or guilt trips.

Green Mountain falls into the category of “adult weight loss camps”, but it’s much, much more. Here is the link to learn more about it: http://www.fitwoman.com/

So, I could write more, but I think my colleague Monika Woolsey does a much better job. To read what she has to say, click here

Even if you really don’t have a lot of weight to lose, but are looking for an experience of caring and self-discovery, Green Mountain is the place for you!

Margie

There has been a lot of discussion among nutrition professionals, lately about the wealth of inaccurate nutrition information being spread by the media. The problem is the media doesn’t know any better than the public!

Why would the media do such a thing? Do they do this when looking for someone to discuss medical issues? Nope; they contact an MD. Do they do this when discussing teeth? Nope; they contact a DDS or other dental professional.

But when it comes to nutrition, it seems that if someone reads a lot of books or takes some certification program (as many people do to list their qualifications to call themselves a ‘nutritionist’), or just decides to call themselves a ‘nutritionist’, or even today a ‘nutrition coach’, then they are suddenly the person asked to speak to an audience that could be in the millions!

YIKES!

I have shared links of dietitians who have shown up on national shows on Twitter, but not everyone is on Twitter, so I’ll share a couple of them, here:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8295838

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8278705

As a result of the discussions I mentioned above, another colleague finally had enough and felt compelled to write a blog on the issue, which is here: http://tinyurl.com/p27obu.

What is the point to all of this? My point is that as a business professional, you may not know what is really accurate nutrition information and what isn’t. When a ‘nutritionist’ comes onto a national show and gives advice, some of the advice may be just a bit off. Will it harm you? Probably not. But it also may cause you to change your eating habits that COULD actually put your health at risk!

If someone tells you to eat avocado every day for lunch, instead of a balanced meal, I again cringe. I LOVE avocados, but unless you’re working to GAIN weight, I would NOT suggest you eat a whole one every day. Yes, it’s a healthy fat, but it IS all fat! A fat serving is 1/8th of an avocado, which is 45 calories. This means you will eat an extra 360 calories a day if you ate a whole one each day. At that rate, you could gain a pound of weight in 9 days!

And I’ll use another one of of these issues as an example: Fruit. Does it matter WHEN you eat fruit? NO! What’s most important is you EAT it! Now, maybe YOU can’t eat fruit at certain times, like after a meal, but rather than promoting that eating fruit after a meal will slow down digestion (which is mis-information), you need to determine if eating fruit for YOU causes you problems after a meal.

Now, before I get tons of complaints about disparaging the term ‘nutritionist’, let me end by saying that there IS such a thing as a ‘qualified’ nutritionist. Do your homework. Someone who has taken a certification program is NOT anyone I would want providing nutrition information to any family member or friend of mine. But, not everyone decides to take the next steps and become a registered dietitian after getting a degree in nutrition from a QUALIFIED educational program, which is fine. More important is, what do I mean by qualified? A correspondence school is NOT a qualified educational program. A bachelor’s degree or above in nutrition would be a qualified program.

How do you know if a person is someone you should listen to? Look at where they went to school and what their experience is. If they said they attended a particular school, check out the school! It should be an accredited school in the educational system, not some little hole-in-the-wall that provided a diploma.

I’ve love to hear your comments!

Margie

Recently there has been a lot of discussion about the acai berry. It is showing up in a lot of MLM products and has become the next ‘miracle’ product, that will provide cures for whatever you can imagine.

I don’t always have the time to really research such thing when they come up. And most, honestly, eventually die out a natural death (remember the Atkins diet??), but colleague and registered dietitian Lisa Harkins shared the results of her own research in an article she wrote.

It was so good that I asked her if I could post it! So, enjoy reading the REAL scoop on acai berry.

The amazing (?) acai berry…

By Lisa Harkins, RD

Wondering what the fuss is about the itty bitty acai berry? Does your neighbor order Mona Vie by the case load? What IS it about this puny purple fruit?

No question about it, the acai berry (or Euterpe oleraceae Mart for you botanists) DOES have powerful antioxidant properties, that is, the phytochemicals in its pulp scavenge free-radicals, molecules known to damage cells and cause mutations. But what makes it better than a glass of red wine? Or a half a cup of berries in your smoothie? That my friends, is up for debate.

In a 2007 study by Schauss et al, researchers found that the acai berry had “the highest antioxidant activity of any food reported to date”, as well as significant anti-inflammatory and immunity benefits, and concluded it could have serious potential in disease prevention. Jensen et al reported scientifically significant results in a 2008 study regarding antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in the acai berry blend juice Mona Vie. Note though, Mona Vie supplied the product used, and the study only included a mere 12 (healthy) human subjects.

Now the flip side. In a study published in 2005, researchers lead by Lichtenthaler compared the total oxidant scavenging capabilities of 11 different acai pulp varieties and found that although the berry scored high on certain tests, it failed to perform on others, leading the team to believe that there was something else in the pulp not yet identified that was responsible for the free-radical foiling. Seeram et al published their study in 2008 that bluntly stated the acai berry wasn’t quite the antioxidant wunderkind it was cracked up to be. In fact, plain old Concord grape juice beat the berry when run through four standardized antioxidant potency tests.

So what’s the deal? To drink or not to drink? Acai berries have potent potential as a powerful preventive. But so do a lot of other foods that are widely available and far less costly. Mona Vie can cost consumers up to $40 per week per individual based on suggested consumption (two ounces in the morning, two ounces in the evening). You could put two tablespoons of blueberries on your cereal for seven mornings for about $3.00.

As a registered dietitian, I am all for people increasing their intake of foods that contain antioxidants due to the overwhelming amount of evidence supporting their health benefits. But I believe (along with many other respected health professionals), that eating the whole food itself (versus in juice or supplement form) is the best way to take advantage of these benefits. Although certain compounds have been identified and isolated as antioxidants, the other substances within the whole food itself may also play a part in the prevention of disease. So enjoy your Mona Vie, but drink it with a big salad, some lentil soup, a slice of whole grain bread, and cup of fresh fruit!

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So, what is the bottom line? All things in moderation and make sure you understand where you are spending your money!

Margie

You’re busy. Business is going well. And you’re running all the time! But, we all know you have to eat!

What happens with so many people is they rush from here to there, seldom taking time to focus on their health.

But, with farmers markets springing up everywhere, spring is a great time to take a break, refresh your spirit, refresh your mind… and refresh your dietary habits!

How many fruits and veggies do YOU eat each day?? Did you realize that you should AT LEAST be eating 5 servings per day? Now, I still hear people say, “Oh, I’ll gain weight if I do that!”, but this is totally the opposite. Try it and see!

My challenge for you today is to start increasing your fruit and veggie intake, today! It’s spring; you have no more excuses that there isn’t any produce available. Take a break and hit one of the local farmers markets. And, to introduce you to what it would be like to visit one, along with tips on how to keep that produce fresh once you take it home, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkTS5CrA34U.

Let’s hear what YOU had to eat, now! I’m off to make my salad for lunch…

Margie