Word-of-mouth Referrals - the Best Complimentary Feedback a Provider Can Receive

It has been nearly three months since I started working in Haines, and over two months since I had my first client.

A quick recap of the current promotional projects I've been working on:

• Chilkat Valley News column To Your Health (bimonthly)

• Radio spot on the Monday Morning Health Report
• High school health class lecture
• Blogging

• Social media (Google Plus, Twitter)

• Public policy outreach to expand Medicare coverage (to include prediabetes as a covered diagnosis)
• Featured in Michelle LaBrosse's Everyday PM blog series Weight Weight Just Love Me

However, I have to admit that the promotional project that makes me happiest is one that I have no direct part in: word-of-mouth referrals. 

These feel great for two reasons:

1. The client trusts me enough to tell a friend that they can trust me.
2. The client feels that they are successful in what we are discussing.

I hope to continue fostering these types of productive relationships moving forward. I love to see clients happy and fulfilled. 

Moving forward, I hope to work with more outreach within the community - potentially the Wellness Committee at the school cafeteria, with the seniors at the Senior Center, and maybe with the Headstart program. 

I had a great time on the KHNS radio Monday Morning Health Report (the fastest 15 minutes of my life), and hope to have another opportunity like that in the future. 

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 30, 2015

Spontaneity and a New Recipe

Yesterday, we woke up in Whitehorse intending to spend another night in Canada. An hour later and multiple plan changes, we decided to head to Skagway and head back to Haines via a ferry today.

To those of you who want to understand the route in reference to the rest of the continent a bit better, here's a Google Map screenshot:

29-hour vacation route

However, once we got to Skagway, we realized that most shops had closed for the season. It was a ghost town. Skagway has a more dramatic population drop than Haines. Both are affected seasonally by the tourism industry, but Skagway's population swells and drops a bit more dramatically.

Haines has around 2,500 residents in the summer and 1,500 in the winter. Skagway's summer population is 2,000 while it has around 800 residents in the winter (according to the Skagway Chamber of Commerce - but Trip Advisor estimates winter numbers at 450 residents).

Therefore, we decided to change plans once again and get on the 3 pm ferry back to Haines. This way, I got to see Kyle before he left for a fire conference in Seward and my mom and I got to test out my first attempt at salmon chowder.

You see, we encountered colder weather up in the Yukon. We got slushed on in Whitehorse and had very cold rain blown at us on the way to Skagway. It chilled our bones and gave us a good appetite for warm soup.

I've been wanting to try different preparations of canned salmon - I tend to get sick of salmon burgers after a few times eating them in one month. Canned salmon is some of the healthiest preparation. Kyle's dad catches it, his mom helps us jar it safely, and then it lasts for years. The canning process gelatinizes the bones, so no need to dig out pin bones before canning. This also makes them an excellent source of calcium.

My mom has had a lot of experience in cooking. First, personal experience starting young, and then over the past few years, she has been attending international culinary schools to fine tune her art. She has a strong preference towards French cooking. She'll imitate Julia Child for you if you're lucky.

She guided me through my first experience making any kind of soup. I know, soup is typically an easy dish, but I have cooking self-efficacy issues. Once I can do it successfully, there is nothing stopping me. BUT I do have a lot of fear keeping me back from trying a new recipe.

I'm not alone with first-timers fear. Check out this Kickstarter page to fund a guy's first go at potato salad.

Here's what I remember from our recipe. The good news is that I learned that soup is hard to mess up, so if you change the amounts of ingredients, it'll probably still be great.

This tupperware photo is proof positive that hindsight is 20/20

First set of ingredients:
1 onion, diced
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp canola oil

Second set of ingredients:
4 cups water
6 small potatoes, cut into child-bite-sized pieces, so they cook faster

Third set of ingredients:
2 half-pints canned salmon
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp dried dill
1 tbsp sea salt, to taste

Steps:
1) Put all ingredients from first set into a medium-sized stock pot. Sautee the onion, shallot, and garlic until the onion is golden brown. I found it important to not rush this step - it will take time, but it will be very much worth it.

2) Add the second set of ingredients. This step is done when the potatoes are cooked.

3) Once the potatoes are cooked, add the third set of ingredients. Once the soup is back up to the earliest stage of boiling (not even barely a boil), it's ready to serve.

Feel free to post your own picture of this chowder when you give it a shot. It should be a milky white color with dill floating on top, and small salmon flakes coming to the top when you stir it.

Pros of this recipe:

• garlic, onion, and shallots all contribute allium compounds which have been shown in peer-reviewed literature to have antiviral, antibiotic, and overall antimicrobial effects.
• canola oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids which help decrease inflammation and promote a healthy lipid panel balance
• whole-skinned small potatoes have good balance of vitamins, minerals, and fiber with less carbohydrate than giant, skinned potatoes (ala mashed potatoes)
• salmon is a lean protein with excellent omega-3 fatty acids (see second point), beta-carotene, high calcium, and low sodium

Things that could be more nutritious, but I wouldn't change based on the premise of taste and quality:

• whole milk was used rather than skim - adds saturated fat, but this was deemed to be worth it. There's not much milk used, and it still has great vitamins, minerals, protein, and calcium. You try to tell a French woman to use reduced-fat dairy.

Eat up!

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD
September 27, 2015

Small Town Perks Part 1 - Access to Awesome

Haines is a border town - it is just over 30 miles to the USA-Canada border. And, this weekend is turning into a great one for fall foliage. Perhaps the last great weekend before the leaves totally fall off the trees.

At our first stretching break

AND my mom is in town, so we headed out on a long weekend road trip to Whitehorse. A city in Yukon Territory about 5 hours outside of Haines, it's a smart place for shopping right now because of the strength of the American dollar compared to the Canadian dollar.

Heading into Haines Junction

Gourmet sandwiches on the way - fresh made, whole grain rye with sourdough topped with sandwich meats and veggies.

But we came for adventure, and here we are. We found this awesome place to stay called Muktuk Adventures, home to 125 sled dogs, all of which are friendly and love being petted. This leads me to believe that there is heaven on earth.

View from our room

Tomorrow we plan on taking a tour with the dogs. When there's no snow, they train using an ATV. We got confirmation that we don't have to run the 10 km alongside them - we get to sit on the ATV through the tour.

Some of the Siberian huskies at Muktuk Adventures

Within a five hour drive, we ended up at a Canadian dog mushing B&B. Over the course of the weekend, we plan to find more wildlife, some studded snow tires for the upcoming winter, and maybe our way back to Haines via Skagway.

A small ground squirrel in British Columbia

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 25, 2015

Sugar, Sugar, Sugar - Recap From Haines High Health Class

This Wednesday morning, I had the privilege to guest speak at Mrs. Hutton's health class in the Haines High School. Prior to my talk, Mrs. Hutton had taught them about the 6 nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, water), major digestive system organs (pancreas, liver, gall bladder), and the importance of fiber.

All in all, extremely impressive background information for a month into the school year. I expected to do a bit of review with the students and then introduce them to simple and complex carbohydrates.

I brought homemade granola bars (source, but with walnuts instead of almonds and flaxseed instead of chia seeds, based on what I had in my kitchen) and started the review. Imagine my surprise when all 9 students remembered each nutrient, the organs previously discussed, and had examples of simple and complex carbohydrates without much prompting.

Within 5 minutes, we had run through everything I had planned on talking about. We moved onto a Q&A style for the rest of the hour, and I was incredibly impressed.

What would the future health of our country look like if everyone graduated high school with this knowledge?

For example, one student asked about the health effects of coffee - so I responded with, "what do you typically add to your coffee?" Their response "half and half, sometimes sugar". When asked if any of those contained simple carbohydrates, they were very confident that sugar would contribute simple carbohydrates and that half and half would contribute extra calories.

We talked about Hot Pockets, the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and Mountain Dew. We touched a bit on best places to find fiber, the discovery of the first vitamin (B1, thiamin, in pellagra-stricken China), and a cautionary tale of inadequate fiber intake over the whole lifetime.

Other questions revolved around some health systems they hadn't addressed yet (does coffee actually help people sober up, like they say it does in the movies? What does the "H" and "N" stand for in virus names? Why does drinking water prevent headaches?).

These students are heading towards a healthy adulthood, thanks to honestly and scientifically learning about anatomy and physiology in their health class. I likely won't be seeing them in my office in the future, except for a friendly chat - that sounds great to me.


Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 25, 2015

Community Outreach - Allies and Partnerships

Small town life serves as the stark comparison to city living. In cities, your life is your own. There's a circle of friends here, a regular restaurant there, and the daily commute. In a small town, we have a similar routine, except that in each instance, every face is a familiar one. Lives are connected and interwoven. It's like a supercharged 6-degrees-of-separation game.

As a friend's new husband remarked at their wedding "this town is great - I see the same people multiple times a day, and they seem happy to see me each time!". He wasn't exaggerating, either. We must have run into them four to five times on the fourth of July alone. 

When you couple small-town charm with rough Alaskan weather, the result is camaraderie. Part necessity, part neighborly-love, Haines residents support each other. This has not been more apparent than my entry into this town as a dietitian.

Once my signing on with Klondike Chiropractic LLC was made official, small talk in the grocery store or post office revolved around how people were looking forward to a nutrition professional working in the community. 

Other healthcare providers have asked for business cards, referred patients, and supported this new offering. Today, the high school is letting me speak to their health class about added sugars. Over the school year, I hope to work with the wellness team for the school cafeteria. I also plan to reach out to teach our seniors about healthy and easy meals. 

This post is my thank-you note to Haines. Thank you for welcoming me back, inviting me into your health circles, and helping improve lifestyle choices of this town one focus area at a time. I look forward to a future of partnering with the entire community and spreading nutrition joy!

Intentional Eating #1 - Enjoy Your Food!

Intentional Eating graduation day! Everything we've learned up to this point culminates with enjoying your food.

Enjoy your food!

Take your time eating it, save the leftovers, and make sure it's only the best. Choose only foods that are worth it. Everyone will have different foods that are worth the bother.

For example, I don't care too much for oatmeal raisin cookies. They're masquerading as chocolate chip cookies, but then when I bite into them, they're very deceiving. They're still packed full of saturated fats, sugars, and empty calories - so why would I bother eating them? They simply are not worth it.

Choose foods that give back to you. The ones that fulfill every aspect of you - they satiate your appetite, but also your soul. This philosophy is why I don't advocate unseasoned chicken breasts with a side of broccoli for each dinner - how boring.

This last bit of Intentional Eating advice should fuel your desire to get creative in the kitchen. Try different spices, herbs, and preparations. There are plenty of healthy cooking ideas out there that are also gourmet AND simple.

Enjoying your food also means avoiding deprivation. There is a balance between living life to the fullest and ensuring that one is healthy, as health helps quality of life. This is why most dietitians fully admit to eating all foods (always with the caveat: in moderation).

I'll leave this post with two of my favorite food-quotes:

-Michael Pollan

-Socrates, Julia Child, Oscar Wilde, Horace Porter, or Petronius (Google can't make up its mind - take your pick)

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 21, 2015

Intentional Eating #2 - When Hunger and Thirst get Confused

The penultimate Intentional Eating post. Here, we try to tease out hunger verses thirst. It'll take a few guesses-and-checks to dial in listening to your body, but give it a shot.

Try drinking water if you're hungry between meals. Sometimes hunger and thirst cues get mixed, and hunger is actually thirst.

Hunger and thirst are like twins; they may seem similar at face value, but can have vastly different personalities. While Hunger calls attention to itself multiple times per day, it can keep itself occupied.

Thirst, on the other hand, is very needy. It requires near constant supervision. And when it nags, it is relentless.

From a biological standpoint, this is because we can survive weeks without eating; we can only last 1-2 days without water.

Hunger and Thirst - competitive twins that like to confuse you!

Sometimes, these two siblings get confused and competitive. Hunger comes running when Thirst is called. We eat because that's what we think our body wants. Instead, it could have done with a simple sip of water.

What can we do instead? Keep Thirst occupied. Choose water instead of juice, soda, or sweetened tea or coffee. Drinks with calories are simply empty calories - they contribute excess calories that can quickly add up for weight gain. 

Keeping that toddler in check is the best way to ensure that Hunger and Thirst don't get mixed-up again. 

Another way to think of it is like calling your body's bluff. Is your stomach claiming that it's hungry, but you don't think so because you just finished your last meal an hour ago? Call it the Boy Who Cried Wolf, or Pinocchio, or your least favorite politician - and drink some water. 

If your stomach was telling the truth after all, and you're still hungry 10 minutes after drinking water, reach for a snack. Try a small handful of almonds or walnuts (healthy fat and protein) with an apple (moderate but fast acting carbohydrate with healthy fiber). 

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 19, 2015

Intentional Eating #3 - Proper Plating

Thanks for joining us for another installment of Intentional Eating. This time, I'm revoking your Clean Plate Club membership.

Don't feel like you have to join the Clean Plate Club.

Who here has heard the phrase "waste not, want not"? What about "your eyes are bigger than your stomach"? Or "children around the world are starving, don't leave that food on your plate"?

Food and eating guilt starts young. Food is a major expense in many households and wasting any is akin to wasting money. But what happens when you grow up and the costs of healthcare following overeating are more expensive than the wasted food?

Therefore, I'm revoking your membership to the Clean Plate Club. Take that plaque off your wall, the card out of your wallet, the notion out of your brain. In an analysis done in 2014 of many studies of overeating, researchers found that adults ate 92% of what they put on their plates. Kids only ate around 60% of what was on their plates. (source).

If you forgot what your membership card looked like, this is what you should be looking for in your wallet.

Because most of us were raised in households where we were told to finish more on our plates, I won't ask you to start throwing out food. Instead, plan to save a portion of the food you cook (bonus: leftovers make great lunch). Put it in tupperwares and put it in the fridge before you sit down to eat. 

When out to eat, ask for a to-go container and place some of your entree into it before you start eating. 

Look out for future-you. Future-you will thank you with extended and better quality of life.


Kate Fossman, RDN, LD
September 17, 2015

Intentional Eating #4 - Reframing Socialization

Working towards the finish in the Intentional Eating countdown, we'll discuss a crucial reason why we eat when we aren't hungry: socialization. Friends, families, and work colleagues who need a reason to get together automatically choose food as a starting point. An alternative?

Plan get-togethers around activities instead of meals.

We choose meals to center our socialization because for many of us, that's how we subconsciously organize our day. 

When will the kids do their homework - before or after dinner? When will that report be filed - before or after lunch? Where will we take our spouse for the next date - the Italian restaurant for dinner, or the Moroccan one for lunch?

This concept of timing makes evolutionary and biological sense. Because we need food so frequently compared to other species, we need to frame our days around our meals. If we were ball pythons that needed one meal per month, our days may be structured around other necessary milestones.

However, we are humans, and as such, we have social needs to fill as well as food needs. Therefore, it makes sense to fall into the pattern of grouping the two together. However, this can result in excuses being made to overeat or overindulge on a "special occasion" treat.

Consider activities for some get-togethers instead of meals. Don't go cold-turkey on bonding over turkey, but instead of the after-work beer with your coworker, suggest a walk around the local park. Rather than a December 26th pig out of Christmas leftovers, try sledding or playing in the snow.

This idea fits under the practice of reframing.

Rabbit=old habits, hand=new habits

Reframing can be practiced by seeing old habits in a new way. Something to note is that reframing socialization requires that your friends and family support the new habit. If they need to be reminded why the new way is important, introduce them to this blog.

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 15, 2015

Intentional Eating #5 - No More Bad Aftertastes

Over the hill on the Intentional Eating countdown. With 6 tips in, hopefully you've started to incorporate a couple of these here and there. If so, leave a comment below how you've best implemented Intentional Eating.

Brush your teeth after you eat. This will remove any bad aftertastes that make you want to eat more to cleanse your palate. A similar effect can be achieved by drinking water flavored with lemon or mint.

As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I am to give recommendations based on evidence - not personal experience. This is the one exception to the rule, and the reasoning behind it is two-fold. 

First: brushing your teeth and drinking more water are healthy for more than just weight loss. Dental hygiene is necessary for whole-body health and most of us are dehydrated and don't even know it. Unless you drink too much water (which is possible), or are eating your toothpaste instead of spitting it out, there is no harm in this recommendation.

Second: this recommendation is not costly. It's not like an extraordinarily expensive essential oil that I am claiming will cure every ail and make you drop weight in a week. Nope, tooth brushing and tap water are very cheap recommendations. 

Because there's no bodily or financial harm to this recommendation, give it a shot. Analyze how you feel after you eat and if you want to eat more. Do you want to eat more because you're hungry, or because you need to cleanse your palate?


Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 13, 2015

Intentional Eating #6 - Hiding Your Trigger Foods

It's the halfway point of the Intentional Eating countdown! This time, we work on honing your smart snacking skills, and continuing to remove the over-eating booby traps.

Place “trigger foods” in difficult to reach locations, or locations you don’t check often (like that cabinet above the fridge).

Ever heard of the "seafood" diet? If you see food, you eat it. Many of us are unknowingly on this diet - if the food is in sight, we'll want to eat it.

Why do we want to eat food if we see it? Are we simply bored, and looking for something to do? Maybe you didn't know you wanted it until you saw it staring at you on the shelf. Or perhaps it's been a part of your routine for so long to place the bag of chocolates within sight that it happens without much thought now.

Regardless of the motivation, this is a clearly documented phenomenon; you are not alone. A 2006 study used 40 secretaries over 4 weeks to see how proximity and container color influenced amount of candy consumed (source).

The researchers found that if the candy was on their desk (verses 2 meters away), secretaries ate 1.8 more candies per day. If the candy was in a clear container (rather than an opaque container), they ate 2.2 more candies per day. 

Therefore, if the candy averaged 80 calories per candy (the amount in a fun-size Snickers) and the candy was in a clear container on their desk, these secretaries were eating 240 more calories per day than if the candy wasn't close and visible. That's about 1/2 lb of weight gain per week!

A graphical explanation of the 2006 study - from Crouse Hospital Online Wellness Center (source)

The concept of "out of sight, out of mind" typically comes with negative connotations. We don't see the to-do list, so we forget to do it. However, use this small flaw in human nature to your advantage.

Get those trigger-foods out of sight. Put them behind a barrier, in a cabinet, or just don't buy them in the first place. If the placement of trigger foods is out of your control (i.e. if your coworker also saw this article, and placed the candy jar at your cubicle, and you'd rather spare yourself the office drama), put a barrier between you and the food. Try a potted plant, a family picture, or an office calendar.

A similar concept applies to responding to other triggers of food consumption. For example, if you get breakfast from a fast food restaurant every morning because it's on your way to work, and there is no way you can drive past it without getting something, take a different route. Even if it adds 5 minutes to your commute, swapping the habit can take inches off your waistline.

The bottom line: identify your triggers, identify your excuses, identify your solutions. Implement your solutions to help support your new "out of sight, out of mind" motto.


Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 9, 2015

Intentional Eating #7 - Distracted Dining

After this, we're nearly halfway done with the Intentional Eating countdown. This time, it's more about what you're doing while eating dinner than what you're eating for dinner.

Don't watch tv, read, or check your phone while eating. Keep distractions in a separate area. Distracted eating makes it difficult for your brain to register full signals.

To best explain this phenomenon, we'll look at a study that analyzed women's intakes of Jaffa Cakes (source). Are you reading this as a fellow American, and don't know what a Jaffa Cake is? Here's an example, and description:

A sponge cookie, orange flavored jelly, topped with chocolate.
Looks to me like the British version of Girl Scout Cookies

The study had all participants eat 5 Jaffa Cakes and then rate how full they were. The distracted group played a computer game, while the non-distracted group sat in silence with their Jaffa Cakes. They then rated their level of fullness and their desire to eat another food after finishing the Jaffa Cakes.

Even when controlling for initial hunger, distracted participants did want to eat more food after eating the five Jaffa Cakes while the silent-eaters were quite satiated. 

Think back to the last time you ate - were you on your phone? Watching TV? Chasing after children? Thinking about what you were going to do at work? Having a spirited discussion or argument across the table? Are you eating right now, and reading this blog at the same time?

Now try to remember how much you ate. What did it it taste like? Did you feel full afterwards? What was your favorite part of that food?

If it's difficult to answer these questions, it's understandable to identify with the distracted, video-game playing, Jaffa Cake-eaters.

Eliminating distractions before and during a meal can not only help you eat less, but also be happier about what you ate. It can help eliminate food-related guilt, because you'll appreciate the meal more. The flavors, textures, and variety come alive, and each bite is satisfying.

I challenge you to try eating without distractions at your next eating opportunity. It can be at any meal or snack. While eating, give yourself the time to enjoy the moment. None of us are too busy to make focused eating a priority - consider it an investment in your relationship with food.

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 7, 2015

Intentional Eating #8 - Portioning for Success

We've reached the third installment of the 10 steps to Intentional Eating countdown. Here, we discuss how to prevent portion-sabotage. Look out for your future self by removing potential over-eating booby traps.

Instead of eating chips out of the bag or cookies out of the container, portion a few out into a bowl or plate

Diet and behavior research can be pretty quirky. There was a study done not too long ago about children's decision making and willpower. The design was this: the children were provided a marshmallow, but told that if they could wait a specified period if time, they would receive more marshmallows. Would the children be able to understand delayed gratification? See for yourself:

The point of bringing this up is that researchers sometimes do creative things to evaluate people's relationships with food. The bottomless soup bowl study did just that; in fact, it did such a good job, it won an Ig Nobel Prize (soup... I mean source).

And, if you want to hear more about the designer of the bottomless soup bowl experiment, here is a video:

The point of these clips is that our brains and stomach are at war over telling us that we're full. We often don't let our brains hear what our stomachs are trying to tell them. If eating chips is a big part of your day, and you're not comfortable changing that, try changing how many chips you eat.

Portion out the chips into a separate container and put the chip bag up and away. Go on about your routine, whether it's pouring the salsa into a bowl or chatting with a friend. If you finish the pre-portioned amount and can't stop obsessing over getting more chips, it might be a good time to examine why you wanted the chips in the first place and address it.

In the end, controlling portions and eating a reasonable amount is like the marshmallow experiment. Although it may be difficult to wait and see the fruits of your labor, the benefits of delayed gratification will be well worth it. Don't give up on your path to health; that researcher delivering your reward marshmallow may just be about to open the door.

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 5, 2015

Intentional Eating #9 - Fiber Focus

In this second installment of the 10 steps to Intentional Eating countdown, we discuss fiber, where to get it, and how it can help towards the goal of weight loss, heart health, and digestive balance.

Focus your diet on finding foods that keep you fuller, longer: high-fiber foods

All fiber is indigestible bulk to humans digestive systems, but fiber can be further broken down into two types: soluble and insoluble. These powerhouses play different, but both important, roles. 

Starting near the beginning of the digestive system, soluble fiber does a great job at absorbing bile acids in the small intestine. When the soluble fiber absorbs the bile acids, it forces your body to synthesize more bile acids. 

One important precursor to bile acids is cholesterol; therefore, your body needs to transport more cholesterol from arteries into the liver for processing. This chain reaction explains why soluble fiber is associated with heart health.

Moving onto the large intestine, we encounter our gut bacteria. Soluble fiber is carbohydrate that our gut is unable to break down, but serves as excellent fuel for our pet-germs. Feeding our resident microbiome gives us great rewards - increased immune function, anti-inflammatory kick-backs, and a protective anti-harmful-bacterial effect. When gut bacteria eat soluble fiber, they produce short-chain fatty acids, which are thought to be helpful in gut health and decreasing cholesterol (source).

Insoluble fiber (like the outer kernel of corn, or the husk of a flaxseed) adds necessary bulk to the stool. Without insoluble fiber, uncomfortable constipation results and the consequences are strain on the heart and potentially diverticular disease.

Both types of fiber have three huge advantages: anti-colorectal cancer properties (source), moderation of blood sugar through delayed stomach emptying, and maintaining a lasting feeling of fullness.

Finally, one of fiber's biggest advantages lies in the fact that it doesn't contribute empty calories. It's a diligent worker in the gut, and deserves its accolades. How can we best appreciate it? 

1. Reach for fruits, vegetables, and less processed carbohydrate sources (wild rice, whole-grain breads and pastas, homemade popcorn). 
2. Remember chia pets? Those chia seeds are a wonderful blend of soluble and insoluble fiber. 
3. Don't like how strictly wild rice tastes? Try blending your standard rice with wild rice as a transition.
4. Keep forgetting your vegetables at home, because who wants to bring a giant carrot with them to work? Process veggie snacks at home, and pre-portion into to-go containers so healthy choices are easy.
5. Sneak vegetables into broth-based soups, or bake apples with cinnamon for a healthy, filling, and nutritionally-dense dessert.
6. Make overnight oatmeal by mixing plain greek yogurt with steel-cut oats, chia seeds, and cut up fruit of your choice. Place in the fridge overnight to let the oats soak in the yogurt - talk about a prebiotic, probiotic powerhouse breakfast!

How do you like your fiber? Have any tips for a fiber-focused snack? Remember to aim for at least 20-25 grams of fiber per day!

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 3, 2015

Intentional Eating #10 - The 20 Minute Meal

Intentional eating - the concept that we are aware of the food that we eat, and we appreciate all of it. We don't eat more than we need, and we allow ourselves to enjoy the food we eat. 

This eliminates mindless eating, empty calories, and the excessive unhealthy fats, salt, and refined carbohydrates that can undo even the most productive of days.

The following blog posts in this 10 part countdown series are meant as a pick-what-works guide. Trying to maintain all 10 tips at the same time will be overwhelming - choose 2-3 to implement for a 2-3 week time-span. This will be long enough to make them a part of your lifestyle - the best way to help new habits stick.

First, we'll start with taking your time eating - at least 20 minutes per meal. 

It takes 20 minutes for the full signals to travel from your stomach to your brain.

When you make the time in your schedule to eat food over a longer period of time, you may also become more aware of nuances in your food: the texture of a roasted root vegetable, the sweetness of a blueberry, or the natural saltiness of salmon.

In addition to benefitting your waistline, this practice benefits your relationship with food. Instead of fearing food due to calories, saturated fat, or sodium, you may find that you appreciate each bite for what it provides you. Find the silver lining in each bite of wild rice, snack of walnuts, or slice of bell pepper.

Think about the benefits that come with the foods you eat - how the carbohydrates will nourish your muscles, or how the protein is supplying essential amino acids, or how the lipids are making brain-building blocks. 

Before I leave you on this post, I'd like to differentiate between eating slowly and distracted eating. Now, more than ever, we have plenty of opportunities to distract ourselves while eating. Using smart phones, watching tv, or checking the internet can all seem like ways to extend the length of your meal - however, I caution against these, as they tend to cloud the mind from being able to register the satiated signal that it's receiving.

Take your mealtimes as a chance to slow down and relax. We get at least three times per day to concentrate on eating and enjoying our food. Make the most of each opportunity.

Kate Fossman, RDN, LD

September 1, 2015