National Eat Your Vegetables Day

In celebration of National Eat Your Vegetables Day the Village Clubs staff want to share their favorite veggies and why they love them. What are your favorite super foods?

People come to the café continually and ask about food and nutrition. They often ask me about weight maintenance and protein consumption. I’m not a nutritionist, but it is surprising how many people overlook both the commonsense answers, and the basic science of how our bodies use food.

On August 28th Paul Apana from the Village Tavern taught a group of Gainey Village members how to make a fresh fruit salsa with agave nectar and cinnamon pita chips. Then for a fun appetizer or entree, he made sauteed beef sliders with brie cheese, sauteed onions and balsamic reduction. YUM! Here are the recipes if you are brave enough to make these delicious dishes!

Heat exhaustion is a condition causing heavy sweating and a rapid pulse, a result of your body’s core temperature overheating. It's one of three heat-related syndromes, with heat cramps being the mildest and heatstroke being the most severe.

Causes of heat exhaustion include exposure to high temperatures with high humidity usually during strenuous physical activity. Without prompt treatment, heat exhaustion can lead to heatstroke. Fortunately, heat exhaustion is preventable.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 1 in every 400 children and adolescents have diabetes, with 25.6 million people aged 20 or over living with diabetes! In the age group of 65 and older 10.9 million people are affected by diabetes. Yes, it’s true, diabetes has become a national epidemic. Surprisingly, there are an estimated 7 million people that have diabetes and don’t know it, and an astonishing 79 million people have prediabetes – meaning if they continue living the way they do, they will most likely be living with the disease in the future, due to blood glucose levels that are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

What can we do to stop this in America? The first step to prevention and elimination is education, to learn exactly what the signs and symptoms are, and knowing what to do if you are experiencing the warning signs. Remember, you don’t have to be elderly to be a candidate for diabetes.

The holidays can be a time for a nutritional break for many people, indulging in heavy dishes, alcohol and desserts that they other times may not enjoy as frequently. But now, you might be seeing the result of consuming those calories—extra pounds on your body.

We consulted Brittney Utke, Registered Dietician at Camelback Village Health Club, for recommendations on how to do a 10 or 21 day cleanse to refresh your body.

This infographic from Nordictrack.com shows the large and growing problem of obesity in America. But did you know making time for only 30 minutes of moderate exercise can help curb the problem?

Losing weight comes down to one thing: eat less calories. Now, I know that isn't exactly breaking news, but I see individuals all the time who don't know where to start changing their diet. It seems too big, and that leads to the "I'll start on Monday" mentality. To combat this, I've laid out a few simple ways to cut 100 calories out of your favorite snacks and meals -- and, trust me, you won't even miss the old dishes.

Do you love downing sports drinks by the gallon? Well, you may want to re-think that habit.