Coaching Corner: Fly on the Wall

On Monday, I was walking down the hall and overheard a guest encouraging another guest to try Aqua Zumba.  “It’s so much fun!” she said, “You’re able to move in the water the way you want to on land, without the fear of hurting yourself.  I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun – I used to love to go dancing.”

At the manager’s reception, several guests mentioned how much they enjoyed the chicken meatballs from the night before, which continued further to discussions on how to implement healthy food at home that still tastes great.

Today, a staff member complimented a guest on her appearance…. Not her weight, her appearance.  She noticed how much more energy the guest has, as well as the way she is carrying herself – with more confidence – just in the past 2 weeks.

You know what’s really cool about all that?  The reactions.  Every day a guest at H3 is encouraged by one of their peers to go out on a limb and try something new.  Every day a guest is amazed at how good the food is, and at the fact that they are not hungry with only 1200 calories.  Every day a guest has a moment of clarity when they realize they can actually do this at home.  Every day a guest reflects on where they were and how far they’ve come – if only after a couple of days.

We often do not take the time in our daily lives to try something “off course” or linger a moment to enjoy a meal or even take a second to notice a change, let alone make a comment about it.  But these are markers of success, growth… change.  So today, pat someone on the back (if even yourself), think a bit outside the box, and acknowledge one positive today.

Healthy Recipes: Potato Tulips

There are so many ways to be creative with your potatoes! The picture above shows our chefs when they were getting into football season with twice baked potato footballs. The recipe I attached today is something new for y'all to try... potato tulips!

INGREDIENTS:

6                                 Potatoes, red bliss, medium size

1 Tablespoon          Olive oil

¼ cup                      Skim milk

1 Tablespoon           Chives

¼ teaspoon               Onion powder

¼ teaspoon               Garlic powder

½ teaspoon               Salt

1 teaspoon                Turkey bacon bits

¼ cup                  2% Sharp Cheddar cheese

2 Tablespoon      Scallions (for garnish)

 

DIRECTIONS: 

• Preheat oven to 350°F.


• Lightly spray baking sheet with pan spray.


• Wash potatoes well, as you will keep the skins on. 


• Steam potatoes until fork tender.


• Then let cool slightly, cut in half then scoop out the centers and place in mixing bowl.


• Keep tulips set aside then warm sauté pan with tablespoon of olive oil.


• Once oil is hot sauté tulip skins until lightly or golden brown.  Then place on baking sheet.


• Meanwhile in mixing bowl add the warmed skim milk, chives, onion and garlic powder, salt, turkey bacon, and cheddar cheese. 


• Mix with hand beaters or stand mixer until potatoes are smooth.


• Place whipped potatoes in piping bag if available and pipe mixture into sautéed potato tulips.


• Then place in oven for about 15 to 20 minutes


• Garnish with scallions and serve with mock sour cream.

 

NUTRITION:

Number of servings: 6

Serving Size: 1whole potato/2 halves

Calories: 60

Fat: 4.5grams

Best Weight Loss Program! Hilton Head Health Wins Top Honors

Fox News has named Hilton Head Health the top weight loss resort in the U.S. Learn why our weight loss program is number one in the US for men and women.

In a recent article posted on FoxNews.com, Hilton Head Health (H3) was named the number one weight loss resort in the United States. Author Laura Kelly made her selection from a wide variety of the country’s best-known resort and spa properties, recognizing Hilton Head Health as the best of the best – “a far cry from the fat camps image that has been around for decades.”

The article noted H3’s wide range of weight loss programs, including three-day retreats, weeklong stays, and an extended program for guests interested in more intensive weight loss.

“Over the years, we’ve helped thousands of people lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle,” said H3 owner John H. Schmitz. "We are extremely gratified to receive this kind of recognition. Especially since I know how hard our staff works every day to provide our guests with the best possible experience.”

John also commented, “I also want to thank all of our guests who have been with us over the years and provided feedback that's helped make us better.  I am personally committed and confident that our staff is also dedicated to making sure you receive the best of the best at Hilton Head Health.  We hope that you'll join us again soon to experience America's #1 Weight Loss Resort!”

SUSTAINABILITY and SEASONAL SHOPPING

What does sustainability mean to us here at Hilton Head Health and what it should mean to you? In order to provide the best product to our guests we try to only get in what’s sustainable and what is close to our area, which can be pretty difficult when we are trying to also give variety.  All of our seafood comes from the Charleston, SC area up through the coasts of North Carolina.  The only fish that we clearly can’t get local is Salmon, which comes out of Boston.

With this being available to us, we are able to get fish from the waters to our prep tables within 24 hours.  That’s not saying that frozen fish is bad because if you live in places that are truly land locked it’s going to be harder to get some of that variety locally.  It helps the environment if we all chose to eat and shop this way.  In our society we think well, i want peaches tonight, knowing it’s not peach season but we buy them anyway, and chances are they aren’t as good as you thought they were going to be.  That’s why during peak seasons for fish, fruits, and vegetables, you load up on them.  I always think when I eat strawberries in December, they are nothing like eating strawberries in June or July. They are so plump, red and delicious it makes my mouth water.

Getting your fish, poultry, produce, and even dairy products from your local businesses is a great practice.  You potentially can see the company that makes your cheese and then find out which farms that dairy is coming from.  Or maybe you know the docks that your local market get their fish from.  This is more of a lifestyle to choose and can be a very healthy lifestyle.  Remember its quality and not quantity.  The value is how good it is for your body and how good it is for your environment.

With a more seasonal and local push, get to know which farms your produce come from and maybe get to know the people on the docks catching your fish or even raising your beef and chickens.   Home is always close to the heart so keep that heart healthy and shop close to home!

3 Basic Principles of a Good Diet

A study recently published online in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that of all the things you can do to manage your weight, doing three things seemed to have the biggest impact.

1. Keeping a food journal
2. Not skipping meals.
3. Eating out less frequently.

Lead author of the study, Anne McTierman M.D., Ph.D. commented, “When it comes to weight loss, evidence from randomized controlled trials comparing different diets finds that restricting total calories is more important than diet composition such as low fat versus low carbohydrate. Therefore, the specific aim of our study was to identify behaviors that support the goal of calorie restriction.” Those behaviors seemed to have the biggest effect on the caloric intake of the participants. Specifically, the study, based on data following 123 overweight to obese sedentary women aged 50 to 75 for one year, found that :

1. Women who kept food journals consistently lost about 6 pounds more than those who did not. McTierman commented that it is difficult to make changes in your diet when you are not paying attention to what you are eating.
2. Women who reported skipping meals lost almost 8 pounds less than those who did not. Those skipping meals tended to eat morehigh calorie foods and as a consequence consume more calories when they did eat.
3. Women who ate out for lunch lost an average of 5 pounds less than those who ate out less frequently. (Eating out often at all meal times was associated with less weight loss, but the strongest association was observed with lunch.) The authors commented that “eating in restaurants usually means less individual control over ingredients and cooking methods, as well as portion sizes.”

While not surprising, the results of the study are important because they confirm some of the basic principles we have recommended for years.

Healthy Eating Made Simple!

Program Intern, Kim Jobke, gives us insight on one of her favorite nutrition apps. Check out the post below!



Meal planning is often the first step in building a healthier diet. But, let’s face it, planning meals takes time, something we all could use more of! Add grocery shopping into the mix and eating healthy can take up a significant amount of your time. The good news is there are many websites available to help you eat healthy, and save time doing it. My favorite is a website called ZipList, where you cannot only plan your meals, but also create smart grocery lists and find deals at local grocery stores.

To get started, visit ziplist.com and create a free account and/or download the free app for your Smartphone. The account on the computer will automatically sync with the app on your phone. Once you have an account you can:

Find Recipes – Find thousands of recipes through ZipList’s recipe database, including those from popular food websites, add your own recipes, or “clip” and save recipes you find on the internet – try the recipes on our blog!

Create a Recipe Box – Save recipes in your recipe box for future use and sort by source, ingredient or cook time for faster meal planning.

Sync Meal Plans to Calendar – Sync the meal plans you create to your personal calendar on Google Calendar, iCalendar, or Outlook.

Generate Grocery Lists – Generate a grocery shopping list from your meal plan to make shopping less time consuming and cut down on unnecessary spending. You can even share your lists with others! Scan the barcode on items at the grocery store using your Smartphone to automatically add them to your list.

Find Deals and Get Coupons – ZipList will find local grocery store deals based on the items you buy and also send you coupons. Then, you can assign items to lists for purchase at specific stores based on the deals.

Try ZipList out today and comment to tell me what you think!

Healthy Recipes: Asian Style Eggplant

 

INGREDIENTS:

4 each                        Italian eggplant, cut into spears

¼ cup                         Mirin

¼ cup                         White miso

1 tablespoon             Granulated sugar

½ teaspoon               Sesame oil

½ teaspoon               Sesame seeds, for garnish

2 tablespoons           Green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

 

PREPERATION:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.


• Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Arrange the eggplant on the baking sheet and coat each piece lightly with non-stick cooking spray.


• Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggplant is cooked through and browned slightly on the edges.


• Meanwhile, mix the mirin, white miso, sugar, and sesame oil together in a bowl.


• Once the eggplant is ready, toss it with the miso glaze.


• Turn the oven up to 425°F and transfer the eggplant back to the baking sheet.


• Place the eggplant back in the oven and allow the glaze to become sticky and caramelized.


• Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

 

NUTRITION:

Serves: 16

Calories: 50

Fat: 0.5 grams

Carbohydrates: 11 grams

Sodium: 160 milligrams

Fiber: 5 grams

Protein:  2 grams