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Healthy Eating for Kids

Have you decided to take control of your weight loss journey with the help of a LAP-BAND, gastric bypass, ORBERA gastric balloon, or sleeve gastrectomy? If so, chances are good you’ve struggled with excess weight for many years. By learning about healthy eating for kids, you can help reduce the chances that your children will also be overweight. You’ll also be able to share some tasty, family-friendly meals with everyone in your household!

Here are some tips on how to help promote healthy eating habits among the little ones in your life:

Make Exploring Healthy Foods an Adventure

Tired of serving the same old fruits and vegetables to your family? Why not explore some new and exciting options with your kids?

You can switch up your menu by encouraging your kids to choose a different item from the produce department each week, and helping them learn how to prepare it. There’s lots of online how-to guides to show you simple ways to make fruits and veggies fun and tasty.

This can be a good way to encourage kids to try new things without overwhelming them with major dietary changes all at once. You might even discover a few new food items that you like as well!

Stick to a Schedule

By now you’ve already learned why eating on a schedule helps prevent major spikes and drops in your blood sugar, and the same holds true for your kids. Healthy eating for kids means eating meals and snack at the same time – every single day.

Children like structure, and eating on a schedule helps to make your household run smoother. An eating schedule can also minimize sugar cravings, temper tantrums, and other behavioral issues related to hunger and blood sugar variations in your children.

Make Meals That Everyone Enjoys

It can be tempting to prepare special, separate meals for each of your children, but this makes a lot of work for you. Remember, your kitchen isn’t a restaurant!

Aim to make family-friendly, healthy meals that everybody can enjoy – that way, your kids won’t see plates filled with high-quality lean protein and veggies as ‘diet food’, they’ll accept healthy eating as ‘normal’.

Make Kids a Part Of Meal Prep

Cooking is an important life skill that every child should learn. Kids usually jump at the chance to participate in meal planning and preparation, so try to make cooking a family affair.

Encouraging your children to help out in the kitchen helps boost their confidence and increases their interest in what everyone is eating. Search online for simple kid-friendly recipes, or check your local library for children’s cookbooks.

Involving kids in the kitchen also makes it more likely that your kids will be open to eating healthy foods they might otherwise turn their noses up – things like unfamiliar vegetables, or chicken fingers that are baked instead of fried.

For More Information

To learn more about promoting healthy eating for kids in your home, and for support with your post-surgical diet plan, contact us here at Destination Weight Loss.

Benefits of Low Impact Exercises

Low Impact ExerciseFollowing weight loss surgery, being physically active is key to achieving, and maintaining your goal weight. For many who have been overweight or obese for a long time, the idea of running, jumping, or doing intense workouts can be overwhelming. Don’t let fear stop you! Low impact exercises can help you recover from your weight loss surgery, improve your bowel functioning, and even make it easier to deal with day-to-day stress.

Continue reading Benefits of Low Impact Exercises

Nutrient Dense Foods For Weight Loss

salmon dinnerHave you ever noticed some foods leave you feeling tired and unsatisfied, while other foods seem to make you feel more energized and alert? That’s because some foods contain far more nutrition than other foods. We call these ‘nutrient dense foods’.

Nutrient dense foods are high in vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber, and low in calories. They fuel your body and fill you up, providing the energy you need to look and feel your best.

On the other hand, processed foods that are packed with refined sugars, sodium, and preservatives are often full of ’empty calories’ from sugar and saturated fats. Things like pastries, candies, and soda might give you a short-term energy boost, but in the long run these low-quality foods can actually make it harder to lose weight and enjoy good health.

Whether you’re just beginning your weight loss journey, getting ready to have laparoscopic bariatric surgery, or you’d simply like to improve your diet, it is important to eat nutrient dense foods. By focusing on nutrient dense foods you’ll spend less time counting calories and more time actually enjoying the foods you eat.

Nutrient Dense Foods Explained

In a nutshell, nutrient dense foods are natural, unprocessed foods with high levels of the minerals and vitamins you’d expect to find in a high-quality multivitamin – things like calcium, magnesium, Vitamin C, B, and E, as well as healthy fats. These healthy foods are relatively low in calories, which means that you can enjoy snacks and meals filled with nutrient dense foods without fear that they’ll make you gain unwanted weight.

Nutrient Dense Food List

While almost every fresh, unprocessed fruit and vegetable can be considered a ‘nutrient dense food’, some stand out for having exceptionally high nutrient values, making them a must-have for anyone who wants to improve their diet.

Here are some examples of foods that are high in nutrients, and relatively low in calories:

  • Asparagus – One cup of cooked asparagus contains a mere 40 calories while delivering exceptionally high levels of Vitamin C, B1 and B2, and 3 grams of dietary fiber.
  • Wild Alaskan Salmon – Unlike most types of seafood, salmon is actually high in Omega-3 fat, a type of fat that’s essential for healthy brain functioning, reduces joint pain and helps with cardiovascular functioning.
  • Pineapple – Pineapples contain many vitamins and minerals, and are packed with bromelain. Bromelain is a nutrient linked with improved immune system functioning, better digestion and even cancer prevention.
  • Sprouts – Alfalfa, chickpea, broccoli and sunflower sprouts are all exceptionally low in calories and high in Vitamins C and K, as well as iron and fiber. They make a great addition to salads, wraps, sandwiches and even smoothies!

How Nutrient Dense Foods Can Help You Achieve A Healthy Body Weight

Choosing nutrient dense foods can help you lose unwanted weight, and help you maintain a healthy body weight following LAP-BAND, gastric bypass, or gastric sleeve surgery. When you eat foods that are high in nutrients but low in calories, you’ll feel full and satisfied without overeating.

Better yet, eating high-nutrient foods like spinach, raspberries, sweet potatoes and salmon can actually boost your immune system so you’ll feel better. Many of these foods can also help regulate blood sugar levels which is a critical part of controlling cravings that can lead to overeating.

If you’d like to learn more about how nutrient dense foods can help you along your medical weight loss journey, contact us today to schedule a consultation with one of our weight loss experts.

4 Simple Ways To Make Your Next Summer BBQ Healthier

Healthy Summer BBQ tipsSummertime is synonymous with ice cream socials, sugar-y frozen drinks, and indulgent backyard barbecues filled with tempting foods that can wreak havoc on your healthy eating plans.

If you’re wondering how you transform these occasions into a healthy summer BBQ that won’t weigh you down, we’re here to help. You can still enjoy spending time with friends and family without packing on the pounds and we’ve put together these 4 simple tips you can use to transform your next summer barbecue into a fun, get-together that won’t leave you feeling stressed-out and over-stuffed!

Focus On Fun, Not Food

One of the keys to enjoying a healthy summer BBQ is to take the focus away from the food. Plan some fun, active all-ages games to enjoy like the classic Cornhole, Ladder Golf, Horseshoes, or Bocce, and if you’re short on space, set up a chalkboard on the deck and have an outdoor game of Pictionary!

Hydrate With Water

All those pretty summer drinks and frosty cool beers can be tough to turn down, especially when the thermometer is rising!

Make sure to hydrate with water, not juice, soda, or other calorie-filled beverages. Not only will drinking water help you feel better and stay full longer, but avoiding alcohol will reduce the chances that you’ll lose track of your food intake, since people tend to make poor food choices when they’re under the influence. It’s also important to realize that people who have had bariatric surgery such as gastric bypass may feel the effects of alcohol sooner than they did prior to their procedure.

Eat Before You Go

Leaving the house hungry is a recipe for diet disaster, making you much more likely to overeat once you’re faced with tables filled with sauce-covered meats, high-fat salads, and tempting desserts.

Fill up at home with a low-fat, high-protein snack like tuna-lettuce wraps, or a skinless chicken breast on top of a mixed greens salad. That way, once you arrive at the BBQ, you’ll find it easy to pass on all those calorie-filled foods!

Bring Your Own Food

If you’re worried that there won’t be any healthy summer BBQ foods available at your event, let the host know you’ll be bringing along a homemade low-fat salad or some lean meats and veggies to throw on the grill. Chances are good the host will appreciate that you’re willing to help out with the cost of the food, and you’ll know there will be healthy foods that you can enjoy.

By following these healthy summer BBQ tips, you’ll be able to enjoy spending time with your friends and family without worrying about sticking to your eating plan before, or after a weight loss surgery like LAP-BAND, gastric bypass or gastric sleeve. To learn more about eating well before and after bariatric surgery, contact My Destination Weightloss at 256-840-5547 today!

About Surgical Associates
of Marshall County

Destination Weight Loss is a comprehensive medical weight loss practice that uses the most advanced technology to help patients meet their weight loss goals through bariatric surgery and non-surgical methods. Our team of trained professionals includes licensed physicians and specially trained nurses that can provide emotional and practical support.

Together, we combine a small town, customer-friendly atmosphere with expertise in sophisticated bariatric surgery technology. We take pride in providing the personal attention you need and will walk with you every step of the journey toward your weight loss goals.

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Guntersville, AL 35976