Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

weight loss

Making Holiday Beverages Healthier

We all know it can be challenging to stay healthy and avoid weight gain during the holiday season. With parties approaching, there will most likely be an endless supply of food and drinks, it is difficult to resist the temptation to overindulge; however choosing a few healthier options can go a long way in cutting back some calories. When we think about holiday weight gain, many people’s first thoughts are about all the food we consume from snacks to large meals with family and friends and of course all the tasty desserts. However, a lot of calories come from the popular beverages that are always around for the holidays (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Not only are these drinks around at holiday parties, but about every coffee shop advertises their seasonal holiday drinks that can have large amounts of calories, fat, and sugar. Here are a few simple tips to follow to make those tasty holiday beverages a bit healthier!

  • Leave alcohol out of drinks when you can.
  • Skip on the whipped cream- that goes for your favorite Starbucks drink as well as your homemade hot chocolate! Whipped cream can add 60-70 calories to your drink and 6-7 grams of fat.
  • Try and skip out on the caramel drizzle, which can save you around 25 calories as well as added sugar.
  • Skip sugary ingredients in your apple cider drink and try adding that sweetness or spice in other ways with natural, healthier options such as nutmeg, cloves, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks.
  • Eggnog is a holiday classic that many people like to enjoy around the holidays, however what we might not realize is that the average 6-ounce eggnog drink can pack 435 calories and 30g of fat. Make this popular holiday beverage healthier by using low-fat or skim milk, using egg substitute, and opting for liquor free.
  • In drinks that call for chocolate, try and use dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate. Dark chocolate contains more flavonoids which can reduce inflammation. (The higher the cocoa content, the better)
  • Categorize those holiday beverages as desserts rather than drinks and you will be less likely to over indulge and drink more calories than necessary.
  • Mix drinks with low or no calorie options such as seltzer rather than soda, and make sure you stay hydrated by having a glass of water every other drink!

 

Check back this week for a recipe that puts a healthy spin on classic eggnog!

 

By Lisa Cassata

Getting Passed the “Weight Loss Plateau”

The process of healthy weight loss takes a combination of changing your diet (calories in) and increasing exercise (calories burned). It’s common to see a rapid loss of weight in the early stages of the weight loss process due to diet restrictions, increases in exercise, and losses in water weight. However, after this initial weight loss people tend to hit a wall and the rate of weight lost slows down or stops completely. This “weight loss plateau” effect is caused by the body’s ability to adjust to the changes in diet and exercise intensity. Therefore, the same effort it took to lose the weight initially will not continue to have the same effect going forward.

In order continue the process you must continually alter the factors that contribute to weight loss; i.e. diet and exercise. Here are a few tips to help break through the weight loss plateau.

  • Diet – after the initial stages of weight loss, you may have to further decrease your caloric intake OR maintain caloric intake but modify the ratio of carbohydrates and proteins.
    • Increasing protein intake will aid in the growth of muscle tissue which is responsible for maintaining our metabolism
  • Exercise – an increase in exercise frequency (number of workouts per week) or exercise intensity will be necessary to break the plateau. As our bodies get stronger and more fit we need to continue to challenge ourselves in order to progress.
  • Fluid intake – make sure that enough water is being consumed throughout the day. Dehydration can cause cravings for food and sugary drinks.
  • Sleep and rest – recovery time is pivotal for regulating our hormone activity and keeping our bodies healthy during the weight loss process.

 

By David McCalla

The Right Mindset for the Holidays

The holidays are quickly approaching and we are thinking about all the delicious food that comes with the holidays. It’s important to set your brain up for success, too! It’s time to establish a game plan for keeping your mind and body healthy is during this time of year.

The clients who are the most successful with staying healthy are the ones that plan in advance. Getting your mind to learn how to think healthy is the first step to getting your whole body to be healthy. Break it down into three steps to establish healthy ways of thinking:

  • Anticipate the day or event where you are going to enjoy eating with the family. Keep up with your workout routine before and continue your healthy eating habits. One day of indulging should not ruin all you have accomplished. If you know a big meal is coming, don’t react to a bad meal and then try to workout because you feel guilty about it. You should be able to enjoy the holidays and stay focused on your goals.
  • Plan what you are going to eat for the week in advance. Put your food in containers for the next few days at a time. This is important because it makes it easier to eat healthy and use portion control. If you take two days of your week for an hour each day to prepare your food, the rest of the week is easy. Hold yourself accountable for your actions- you are the only one that can control what you eat. Do your best to maintain a positive and healthy mindset!
  • Enjoy the holidays with your loved ones! The happier you are, the more you will want to take care of yourself. If you do the first two steps, this last step is easy! Don’t feel guilty about enjoying a cookie or two, but don’t eat the whole tray. Savor the foods you enjoy and eat them slowly. Appreciate the time you get to spend with your loved ones. You know how hard you worked up until this point and you deserve to enjoy the holidays!

A healthy mind set is just thinking about you and your health before you think about quick and easy. The saying goes “nothing worth having comes easy;” with hard work and consistency, you will truly appreciate the goals you achieve vs. having something handed to you.

The holidays are not a hard time to stay healthy if you truly want to be. Hold yourself accountable and be positive about your ability to control what you eat and do. If you exercise through the holidays you will feel so good about yourself and your New Years will be better then ever.

 

-Corynne Pereira, MS, CSCS

 

Recipe of the Week: Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole

Ingredients:

  • Cooking spray
  • 3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a pot with a large steamer basket in place. Put the sweet potatoes in the basket, cover and steam until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and let cool slightly. Add the honey, egg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the nutmeg, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt; whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread the sweet potato mixture in the prepared baking dish.
  3. Mix the brown sugar, pecans and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl; sprinkle over the potatoes. Bake until hot and beginning to brown around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes.

Nutrition:
Serves: 8
Per serving: Calories 160; Fat 4 g; Sodium 180 mg; Carbohydrate 31 g; Protein 3 g

Original recipe can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Sausage, Sage and Apple Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 cups sourdough bread, 1-inch cubes
  • 6 oz. mild Italian sausage
  • 1½ cups onion, chopped
  • 1¼ cups fennel bulb, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 3 cups chopped, peeled Golden Delicious apple (about 2)
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
  • ? cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1¼ cups chicken stock
  • ¼ cup apple cider
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • ½ tsp. black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Bake bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes or until golden. Cool and place in a large bowl. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook sausage until browned and crumbled. Add sausage to bread in bowl.
  3. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add onion, fennel and celery to pan. Saute for about 7 minutes until crisp and tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in apple and garlic; saute for 5 minutes until veggies are tender. Add sage and cook for an additional minute, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat and stir in chopped parsley. Add onion mixture to bread mixture and toss well to combine.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together chicken stock, apple cider, eggs and black pepper. Gently combine egg mixture with bread mixture. Spoon stuffing into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes until top is browned. Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Serves: 12 servings
Serving Size: ¾ cup
Per serving: Calories: 166 • Fat: 6 g • Carbs: 22.1 g • Fiber: 2.3 g • Protein: 7 g
Original recipe can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Healthier Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces
  • Cooking spray

For Creamy Sauce:

  • 10 small white mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (not packed)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For Parmesan Topping:

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 small onions, thinly sliced into circles
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat or Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (not packed)
  • 3 tbsp water

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, spray large baking dish (approximately 8 x 11) with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add beans along with pinch of salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5-6 minutes or until al dente. Green beans should be firm and not too soft. Drain and add a few cups of ice to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
  3. Preheat large skillet on medium high and add olive oil. Add onions and cook until golden brown/almost charred, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a medium bowl. Set aside.
  4. Return skillet to heat, spray with cooking spray and add mushrooms. Cook until golden brown.
  5. Reduce heat to low and add flour. Stir enough to coat the mushrooms. Slowly pour almond milk and whisk while you’re pouring, until no lumps are left. Add water, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and whisk again. Bring to a boil and let simmer to thicken, for about 3-4 minutes.
  6. In the meanwhile, add breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and water to a bowl with onions and mix with your hands until crumbs appear.
  7. Drain green beans, add the sauce and stir to combine.
  8. Transfer green beans to prepared baking dish and sprinkle with topping. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Serve warm. Casserole tastes best within first couple hours after it has been cooked.

Nutritional Info:
Number of Servings: 6, Serving size = 1 cup
Calories: 196, Total Fat: 7.6 g, Sodium: 458.5 mg, Total Carbs: 20.0 g, Protein: 9.3 g
 

Original recipe can be found here at ifoodreal.com!

Meal Prepping for Success

With a busy schedule of work, school, taking care of a family, or whatever it may be, it can be difficult to find the time to cook every meal. Rushing around or not having meals readily available can lead to choosing the quickest option-which may not be the healthiest option. This often ends with takeout which in many cases can be loaded with sodium and empty calories. Meal prepping, which is simply planning and prepping your meals for the week, saves you the time and stress of having to cook every day. It also helps to keep you on track with healthy eating. Although meal prepping can seem like it would be very time consuming on the day, it does not necessarily mean that you must cook all your meals at once. Meal prepping can include cooking in bulk to plan for the week, cutting vegetables so they are ready to roast or eat raw for a snack, or even just having a set menu for meals each day. Not only will being better prepared lead to healthier eating, it will also be more cost efficient in the long run!

Getting Started…

Designating a specific day of the week to go food shopping is a good way to make sure that you are prepared for the week ahead. Going to the grocery store with a list ensures that you are getting everything that you need and helps to avoid picking up any unhealthy impulse buys. Stock up on various sizes of Tupperware to help store food in the freezer/refrigerator or when you are taking it on the go. This system is all about being organized and prepared when it comes to your meals!

Whether it is on the same day as your weekly grocery shop, or on another designated day of the week, look to prepare your food to make your meals easier when time is limited.

Some ways to do this are:

  • Peel, chop, and cut all raw vegetables, that way they are easily accessible when you want to use them for meals or to take as a healthy snack option.
  • Steam, roast, or sauté a large batch of vegetables and store them in clear containers in the refrigerator so they are easy to find when you need them. You can do the same with fruit, especially fruit that needs more preparation to eat such as a pineapples or strawberries. Having fruit already sliced and ready to eat also makes a healthy fruit smoothie easy to put together on the go.
  • Make meal choices that can be stored in the freezer and easily defrosted to cook or eat right away such as homemade soup, casseroles, and meat. They can be stored in serving sizes of 5 or 6 ounces so you are defrosting just what is needed.
  • Brown/wild rice and quinoa can also be made in large batches to have leftovers throughout the week.
  • Having snacks on hand helps to keep hunger under control and will help keep your metabolism up as the day goes on. Snacks such as veggies, fruit, hard boiled eggs, and nuts can be stored in proper containers or bags so they are easy to take with you.

Meal prepping can be kept as simple or made more thorough depending on how much time you have to put into it. Think what will save you the most time throughout the week and try to prepare that ahead of time. Also, try to balance out the meals you are making for yourself. When preparing lunches and dinners try and pack a protein, vegetable, and a carbohydrate. Again, there is no set way to meal prepping, it is all about working around your schedule and putting in some time and preparation to help yourself stay on track with a healthy diet even when your schedule is hectic!

 

By Lisa Cassata

Member Spotlight: Cathy

Since joining Peak 5 months ago, I have seen many improvements in my healthy – I have more energy, my blood pressure is down, I sleep better, and I am down quite a few pounds. When I joined Peak, it was never about “the number” or how many pounds I “lost,” it was about changing my eating habits and my lifestyle.

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Tyler has always made me feel welcome and worthwhile from day one. He has never judged me or made me feel like I wouldn’t succeed. He has been my steadfast supporter, my cheerleader, and my voice of reason when I needed it. I have truly enjoyed working with him and look forward to much more success under his guidance.

-Cathieann Rowland