Full Text
in recipes such as greek yogurt in place of sour cream or may- onnaise in dips, and apple- sauce in place of oil or butter in baked goods. Sustaining Healthy Habits Keep up with regular physical activity, which not only burns calories but also creates “feel good” hormones in the body, which helps to reduce and regu- late stress. Be sure to get plenty of rest and avoid drinking too much alcohol which is a depressant and packs on empty calories that are stored as fat. Remember to take time for yourself, both to unwind and to engage in activities that you enjoy. Although the holidays can be a time of great joy and cele- bration, for many people the holidays are also a time of increased stress and a depar- ture from their regular healthy lifestyle. Throughout this season, it is imperative to be mindful of one’s physical, mental, and emotional health. There are measures to take to help avoid holiday stress, including: Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain Weight gain not only takes a toll on the body, but can also affect the mind after the holi- days have come and gone. Since the holidays tend to give us an excuse to overindulge in foods and drinks which are high in fat and calories, it is important to be conscious of how much of these things we consume. Tricks to help with this include using a small plate and choosing smaller portions and lower fat foods like vegetable dishes. Trying not to linger and socialize around the food buffet will lessen mindless grazing; and drinking water rather than soda and alcoholic drinks will cut down on empty calories. If you are hosting a party, you can serve fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and lean meats. You can also lessen fat traps by using lower fat ingredients Holiday Stress & Blues Hungry After A Meal: Blame This Fat That fatty bacon cheeseburger may be loaded with calories, but at least it stomps out your hunger. Right? Not necessarily. Compared to low-fat meals with the same number of calo- ries, meals that are basically fat fiestas do an odd thing: the saturated fats in them make your body release a lower amount of leptin, a hormone, designed to turn off appetite. Saturated fats are the belly-bulgers and artery clogging fats that come from four-legged sources: high-fat red meats, butter, full-fat cheeses, and other whole-milk December 2011 City Of Lewiston– Employee Health News Letter Inside this issue: Holiday Stress & Blues 1-2 Blame This Fat 1 Hand Washing 2 Community Events 2 Cont’d on pg. 2 products. (Trans fats are just as bad, by the way.) Sat fats are rarely found in plant foods, with two vital excep- tions: palm and coconut oils. To help your body release leptin, which is stored in fat, you need to eat the healthier unsaturated fats. Find them in nuts (especially walnuts), seeds, ol- ives, avocados, most vegetable oils (especially canola), many fish, and even algae (or DHA omega-3 supple- ments made from algae). You don't want to avoid fat altogether. You need it to maintain your energy, absorb cer- tain nutrients, and repair tissue. And moderate amounts of healthy fats are associated with a decreased risk of heart disease. You also want to help leptin do its #1 job: telling you, "You're not hungry any more." So in addition to avoiding sat fat, adopt these waist protectors: Watch your alcohol intake. It inhibits leptin Walk 30 minutes every day, and build a lit- tle muscle. Sometimes, leptin doesn't work the way it's supposed to, and your cells stop responding to its messages. When you trim down, your cells become more sensitive to leptin again. ---PAGE BREAK--- Decreasing Holiday Blues Lots of things can contrib- ute to holiday blues, includ- ing the absence of loved ones and family conflicts. Having realistic expecta- tions of holiday encounters can help with this. Spend time with friends and fam- ily who lend a positive light rather than negative, and don’t disregard feelings of loss or sadness, pay special attention to them. Holiday Stress & Blues Con’t Hand Washing Before and after caring for someone who is sick Before and after treating a cut or wound After using the toilet After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing After touching an animal or animal waste After touching garbage Washing hands with soap and wa- ter is the best way to reduce the number of germs on them. If soap and water are not avail- able, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Alcohol- based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situa- tions, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs. Hand sanitizers are not effec- tive when hands are visibly dirty, then it is important to use soap and water. “1 in 3 E. Coli outbreaks are a result of poor hand washing” Page 2 December 2011 Preventing Injury Lots of accidents take place this time of year, both in the house and out. Be especially aware of things such as work- ing smoke and carbon monox- ide protectors, leaving fire- places and candles unattended, and clearing snowy and icy walkways. Lastly, always be aware when driving, of others who may be distracted and not paying attention to other mo- torists. They might have trou- ble driving in inclement weather, or may be under the influence. Keeping hands clean through im- proved hand hygiene is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean running water. If clean, running water is not accessible, as is common in many parts of the world to use an alcohol- based hand sanitizer. Wash Your Hands: The Right Way Before, during, and after pre- paring food Before eating food Heather Small CMMC 795-2473 Upcoming Community Events! Healthy Androscoggin– Quit and Win Program. Quit smoking by January 10th and stay quit until February 14th 2012 and you could win cash and other great prizes. Call 795-5990 or visit www.haelthyandroscoggin.org to enter.