Merry Christmas from PWN!

No matter which holidays you are celebrating this year, you’re likely to be faced with massive amounts of delicious food and treats that are difficult to resist. And why should you? It’s the holidays!

Come January, though, you may be ready for a fresh start, and I would love to be a part of that. Together, we can work on nutritional and lifestyle changes that will steadily help you to lose the extra weight and improve your quality of life. My weight loss clients, whether they’re trying to lose 5 pounds or 50 pounds, have found that in addition to weight loss, they experience better quality sleep, increased energy, improved emotional state, increased immunity, fewer headaches, and many more positive benefits.

Call or e-mail me to set up a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your needs and your goals.

• If you contact me before December 31^st, save $15 on each session going forward.

• If you contact me before January 15^th, save $10 on each session going forward.

• I have gift certificates available too, for those last-minute shoppers!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and cheers to building healthy habits in 2012!

Lime Jell-O, and the Importance of Reading Labels

I always try to educate my clients on the difference between marketing and actual nutrition information. A box of granola bars could say loud and clear on the front, “HIGH IN FIBER!”. But what does that really mean? More fiber than a bowl of chili? A candy bar? You need to read the actual nutrition label to find out. And while you’re there, check the sugar content. Usually those granola bars that claim to be high in fiber are also very high in sugar.

Another favorite of mine: “KIDS LOVE IT!” or “MOM APPROVED!”. First of all, if kids love it than it most likely has tons of sugar or artificial flavors. And exactly which “moms” are they talking about? Please don’t lump us all together, thank you very much.

Reading labels is very important, and it’s something I constantly have to remind myself of. Case in point: Over Thanksgiving, my entire family was together in a small town northwest of the Twin Cities. My sister and I were driving home from something, and wanted to stop for a coffee in this small town. As we parked, we noticed a place called the Nutrition Spot. We decided to give it a try. I think we were both hoping for a little natural foods store where we could get a cup of coffee and maybe a banana, healthy power bar, or something similar. But instead we walked into a smoothie bar. Not the most appealing thing on a cold morning, but we felt like we had to order something since the place was empty.

The chalkboard listed the smoothies. They had names like “Berry Blast” and “Banana Mango Punch.” Sounds harmless enough. My sister asked what was in the “Citrus Splash” smoothie, and the woman started listing off the ingredients. Among them were a flavored vitamin powder, and lime Jell-O powder. My sister then asked for a list of ingredients in each smoothie, and we realized that most contained some type of artificial flavors and sugars. We chose one that seemed the most natural, but it definitely still had that chalky, artificial sugary taste.

Can you believe that a place that calls themselves the Nutrition Spot uses Jell-O in their smoothies? I was appalled. It doesn’t even sound appetizing, much less nutritious! They probably have people coming in who don’t know any better, and drinking their smoothies in an attempt to lose weight... and little do they know that all those fake sugars only make them store more body fat.

Lesson learned – just because a restaurant has “nutrition” in its name doesn’t mean it will meet your standards of nutrition. Always ask for an ingredient list if you feel the need to, and always read labels carefully when you are buying foods. And for those of you who are my clients right now, if you don’t yet feel comfortable reading labels, speak up. I’m here to help!

Pregnant in Denver?

A local baby store, The Giggling Green Bean, is hosting the Ultimate Baby Shower on Friday night from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. There will be prizes and drawings all evening long, plus discounts and samples, food, mingling and fun. If you’re expecting, stop by! I will be there to talk nutrition with the ladies, and to hand out coupons for my Mommy Package, which includes nutrition for pregnancy, lactation and post-partum weight loss.

What: Ultimate Baby Shower, hosted by Giggling Green Bean

Where: 3929 Tennyson St., Denver, CO 80212

When: Friday, December 2^nd, 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Go here for more information.

Hope to see you there!

Eat Like A Baby

Since having my daughter Sally in April, I have come to realize that the phrase “sleep like a baby” really doesn’t make any sense. Or, I should say, it does not make sense if you’re referring to my baby. Because for her to sleep, we have needed everything from pacifiers to noisemakers to rocking chairs to made-up lullabies. She’s finally coming around in the sleep department, but I am still not sold on that phrase.

I’d like to replace it with “eat like a baby.”

For the past month and a half, I have had the pleasure of making all of Sally’s baby food. Most of what she has eaten has come from our weekly CSA box. I usually take one night per week to settle into the baby food-making routine: chopping, steaming, roasting, pureeing, sorting, labeling, freezing, washing dishes. Three or four hours later, I am completely exhausted. But when I get to feed Sally her fresh butternut squash and kale puree the next morning, and see the excitement in her eyes as she tries a new food, I feel such a strong sense of satisfaction.

It occurred to me one day that Sally’s diet is much better than my diet. In six weeks, her little 15-pound self has eaten four pumpkins, three squash, bags of apples and pears, over a dozen beets, one bunch of kale, three heads of cauliflower, two heads of broccoli, three heads of kohlrabi, and many more organic fruits and vegetables, most of them locally picked. She hasn’t eaten any Halloween candy or French fries or pizza, and she hasn’t indulged in any Miller Lites or glasses of red wine.

So, rather than sleep like a baby, I think we should all try to eat like a baby. Of course, we will have much more variety, but if we can try to make fresh fruits and vegetables the center of our diet, our health will improve and we will look and feel better. There is a reason that babies are so healthy-looking and happy all of the time!

I think this is an especially good challenge as we enter the holiday season. There are plenty of delicious, healthy holiday dishes that are traditionally served at Thanksgiving. Try to make these the focus of your plate, and forego the things that don’t truly celebrate the spirit of the season: choose a roasted sweet potato dish over a dinner roll; a slice of homemade apple pie over a frosted cookie.

I hope your Thanksgiving week is full of delicious food, family, friends, and relaxation. And I hope you can try to eat a little more like a baby, and sleep a little less like my baby!