Nutrition Class "Summer Favorites"

Thank you to all those of you who were able to come to our cooking class last Wednesday. We had fun and we got to try some delicious food. Our teacher Raven A. shared with us a few recipes.

We would like to share one of them with you. 

Braised Chickpeas & Kale in Coconut Milk

1/2# prepared kale, tough stems removed, roughly chopped

1 15-oz can lite coconut milk (you can use full-fat as well)

1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed well

2 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 t. prepared curry powder, or curry paste (both red or yellow would be perfect- adjust to taste)

In a large deep skillet with a lid, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil, and add garlic. Cook and stir for a few minutes until garlic becomes opaque. Add kale in handfuls, stirring continually, until it’s all in the pan. Continue to stir until it turns a very bright and dark green and has taken on the oil in the pan. Add about a half cup of water and cover the pan, allowing to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas, coconut milk and curry powder. Cover and allow to cook, slowly, anywhere from 5-15 minutes more, depending on how you like your kale to taste. Stir again, seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired. If the kale seems a bit watery, remove the lid and allow some of the liquid to cook off. 

We hope you can recreate it at home, just like the winners of our raffle, who took home all the ingredients necessary for this recipe :)

Our Next Class will be
Wednesday July 9th
--Cholesterol--
Don't miss it!

&

Happy 4th of July Everybody!!

Choose to lose and Zumba!

Thank you to everyone who came to our classes. We had a wonderful experience learning how to watch our weight during the summer parties. If you were not able to come, here are some of the things we learned and we hope they are helpful to you too!

5 Tips For Not Regretting Your 4^th of July

Use small plates

People who choose smaller plates and utensils eat less without noticing it, yet everyone reports the same level of fullness and satisfaction.

Eat slowly and mindfully

People who eat more slowly eat fewer calories over the course of a meal. 

The more you’re chatting, the less you’re eating.

Eat healthiest foods first

Salads are a great place to start because watery vegetables slow digestion and have very few calories

Skip the chips, crackers and breads

Refined carbohydrates are the worst things you can eat because they offer little satisfaction, loads of calories and dangerous insulin spikes.

Pass on the pointless chips and other snacks that lure you when you’re not thinking.

Keep dessert small

The difference between a large slice of cake and a smaller slice of

cake can literally be hundreds of calories.

5 Tips Para no lamentar el 4 ^de Julio

Use platos pequeños

La gente que escoge platos y utensilios pequeños comen menos sin notarlo, sin embargo, todos reportan el mismo nevel de satisfacción.

Coma lenta y conscientemente

La gente que come más despacio, comen menos calorías, Mientras más platique menos comerá.

Coma las comidas más saludables primero

Es bueno empezar con las ensaladas  porque las verduras retardan la digestión y tienen menos calorías

Evite las frituras, las galletas y el pan

Carbohidratos refinados son lo peor que podemos comer porque ofrecen poca satisfacción , muchas calorías y aumentos de insulina.

No coma papas fritas y otras frituras que nos atrapan cuando no tenemos cuidado.

Coma un pedazo pequeño de postre

La diferencia entre una rebanada grande de pastel y una rebanada pequeña puede ser cientos de calorías.

After our Choose to lose class we moved into the back part of the room for a fun Zumba class. Here are some of the pictures from that day! 

Our Next Class will be this 

Wednesday, June 25th at 11:00 am

Cooking Class

Summer Favorites

Nuestra Proxima Clase será 

el miércoles 25 de junio a las 11:00 am

Clase de nutrición y cocina

Favoritos para el verano

06/04/2014 Blood Pressure Class

We had an amazing class in which we learned more about what happens when someone has high blood pressure, as well as risks for it, testing, treatment, and things that can be done to lower your blood pressure. 

If you missed it ... here are some of the things we learned. And we hope to see you next time...

Our next class will be 

June 18th 5:15pm Choose to lose (weight loss)

June 18th 6:00pm Zumba

Blood pressure is also called hypertension and it refers to "blood pumping against your artery walls with too much force".

High Blood pressure doesn't usually have symptoms. So it is important to check with your doctor every few months.

Some factors can increase your risk:

*age--your risk increases as you get older

*being overweight

*family history

*race-more common in African Americans

*not being physically active

*smoking

*eating high sodium or low potassium diet

*drinking too much alcohol

*certain medicines-birth control pills, some over the counter cold medicines, and pain relievers

Your blood pressure is divided in Systolic and Diastolic pressure.

Systolic pressure: is when your heart beats and pumps blood out of your heart and into your arteries.

Diastolic pressure is when your heart rests between beats. 

Here are the guidelines to help you understand your numbers:

"The most important step to lower high blood pressure is making healthy lifestyle changes, but you might also need medicine" 

What you can do:

>> Reduce anxiety and stress

>> Lose extra weight

>> Limit alcohol

>>Try a well-rounded eating plan

>>Eat less sodium

We went into depth talking about why sodium is one of the most important things to watch for. First, we need to remember that "Sodium (or salt) makes your body hold on to extra water, so your heart has to work harder and your blood pressure goes up."

Eat less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day (about 3/4 teaspoon) 

Here are some examples of how much salt you can find in canned/processed food.

Don't forget to read the levels before deciding which food to buy!

Instead of buying regular canned food ... look for Low sodium or Not Salt added food. In the example below we have regular Canned Diced Tomatoes (200 mg of salt) versus Canned Diced Tomatoes-No Salt Added (50 mg of salt).

Always make sure to read the labels before choosing what you are going to buy, keep in mind that all processed foods and food prepared in a restaurant contain high levels of sodium. Do everything you can to control your daily Sodium intake. This will help you lower your high blood pressure!

If you have any questions please leave a comment. And just to give you a heads up ... in our next Blood pressure class that will be in about 4 months, everyone who attends will be able to have their blood pressure checked as part of the class. Don't miss it :)

Reference:

High Blood Pressure

Reaching Health Numbers

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