Hi and welcome to my blog! My name is Isabel Smith. I have my MS and am working toward my Registered Dietitian license. My passions include food, being active, cooking, dancing, trying new things, playing with my doggie, and most importantly- helping people to be healthier, happier, and more BALANCED!

My love for health and wellness begins with my own personal experience. I am blessed to have numerous allergies- dairy, wheat, corn, soy, eggs… so some of the content on here will relate to that;  you’ll also find new and exciting food and nutrition news, recipes, sports and nutrition information, new and fun workout ideas, how to be more balanced (it’s a work in progress for me too), and most importantly you’ll learn about Healthy Dog!

Please send suggestions and questions, or things you’d like to see on Healthy-gal.com to healthygal14@gmail.com- I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Enjoy!

-Healthy Gal

Have a happy, healthy and active mothers day!

- Healthy Dog

1. There are no words… except– do you really want to look like this? (picture source) 

2. Skin Cancer; Basal Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma

Basal Cell Carcinoma:  (picture source)

- The most common form of non-melanoma skin cancer- 75% of all skin cancers.

- According to the NIH high exposure to x-ray rays or radiation (as found in tanning salons puts you at a greater risk).

- Your doctor will take a biopsy for diagnosis; this kind is most likely not going to spread to other parts of your body. But still, you want to avoid this ugly foe.

Melanoma (picture source)

- The most dangerous type of skin cancer.

- According to the NIH Is the leading cause of death from skin cancer that can be found on any region of the body– including the iris (colored part) of the eye.

- Melanoma is caused by changes in pigment cells called melanocytes that produce melanin– that are responsible for skin and hair color.

- Unlike basal cell carcinoma, melanoma is more likely to spread, and can involve other tissues, lymph nodes etc. It is important to have your skin checked for moles each year.

The dangers of indoor tanning

- According to a recent study at Yale School of Public Health in collaboration with Yale Cancer Center, researchers found that “young people who had tanned indoors had a 69% increased risk for early onset basal cell carcinoma. ” The study also found that 43% of those cases (that were in women) could have been prevented if indoor tanning was avoided.

- Another study, conducted at the University of Minnesota found that regardless of age or device used, people who use “any type” of  indoor tanning beds were 74% more likely to get the deadliest form of skin cancer– Melanoma. 

Getting a safer bronze

Ok, so now that I have sufficiently scared you both from the image of our leathery foe (recently referred to as Wile E. Coyote by Jimmy Kimmel), and through the frightening  statistics about skin cancer and tanning, let me give you a few better bronzing options.

1. Tanning towels - Though these may turn your hands orange, and they do have chemicals in them– they are generally safer than being over-exposed to the known carcinogen of radiation from the tanning beds.

picture source 

2. Spray tanning - This is also a safer way to get a golden glow.

picture source

But what about the vitamin D?

While I am sure that most of you who go to indoor tanning beds go for other reasons than to get your daily dose of vitamin D (something that is hard or impossible to get north of the Mason Dixon line in the fall and winter months), one of the only perks to tanning is that it does boost your vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D has been touted for: 

- Boosting calcium absorption and improving general bone health

- Reducing inflammation

- Promoting cell growth

- Boosting immune function

- May have some anti- cancer properties (still under exploration)

You get the point - adequate vitamin D is important for health.

Great news! You can get vitamin D from a few food sources and from supplements. The FDA recommends 600 IU/ daily for people 1-70 years of age, and 800 IU/ daily for people 70 and older. Most multivitamins have vitamin D– but you can also buy over the counter vitamin D supplements.

If you’d rather get your D from food here are a few good sources:

1. Salmon (picture source)

2. Vitamin D fortified milk (picture source) 

I think by this point you should get the picture. It is important to avoid the tanning bed at  all costs for your health now and in the future. And if for no other reason… you don’t want to look like like our leathery foe seen uptop!

Safe bronzing,

- Healthy Gal

See what Healthy Gal and Healthy Dog have been doing lately!

Hello readers! Meet one of my new favorite snacks, Biena foods (www.bienafoods.com) roasted chickpeas.
These little guys have a whopping 7 grams of fiber per 1/4 cup serving, 110-120 calories, 5-6 grams of protein, and 5 or fewer ingredients… Truly a snacking powerhouse!
All you Bostonians can find them at whole foods among other stores- check them out!

-Healthy Gal

picture source 

Statements such as “Fat pressed from the exotic fruit could be a potent weapon against conditions such as heart disease and cancer, it is claimed.”

(Still thinking… Oh BOY!)

… And so I read a little further and STOPPED dead in my tracks when I saw this important phrase:

“Experiments on yeast showed that avocado oil was effective against mitochondrial free radicals. Yeast cells treated with the oil were able to survive high exposure to iron…”

“Ok so what is the issue, they had great findings?!”

…Dear readers here is the isssue. Though these findings seem to be exciting and have a fairly happy ending for these little yeast guys… not only have these studies not been completed on living breathing humans, but they haven’t even been tested and confirmed in rodents. So, that means we cannot correlate any findings in yeast to anything that may or may not happen in humans, until theses results are tested on us living breathing folk.

So, though this article says a lot and finds some exciting things, the take home is nothing. Until these similar findings can be replicated in humans or even rodents, we need to keep looking for the next cure-all.

However, though this study did not find relevant findings about avocados, I would like to say, avocados are a GREAT fruit (did you know that? It’s because they are grown in trees) to have in your diet; and avocado oil is a yummy alternative to other heart-healthy oils such as olive and canola.

picture source

Why everyone should be eating avocados:

- Anti-inflammatory

- Loaded with: potassium, fiber, vitamin E, and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats

- They are a fun addition to a salad, a sandwich, pasta, or made into a yummy dip.

- Be weary of over-consumption though, they are high in calories.

Nutrition facts of 1 whole avocado:

(From http://www.calorieking.com)

The take home: 

You should always be skeptical of big headlines in magazines and news papers. Look for “findings in yeast, rodents, cells” — generally, keep your wits about you, if it doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t; and never be afraid to look up the original study if you’re curious about the findings! And lastly, avocados can still be considered to be great for you even if they don’t cure cancer quite yet.

- Healthy Gal

Ever wonder how to get iron from places that don’t come from animals? This is for you.
Leafy greens like spinach and kale (pictured here) are rich sources of non-heme iron. Non-heme iron is not absorbed as readily as as the iron found in animal meat, called heme-iron; but, adding citrus– like lemon to your spinach, or in this case tomato sauce, helps to boost absorption.

This dish:
–Brown rice penne pasta
–Newman’s Own Marinara sauce
–3 stalks of kale
–a dash of pepper, basil, and Parmesan cheese

How Zumba started

Zumba was founded by Alberto “Beto” Perez in the mid-90′s. Beto, an aerobics instructor forgot to bring his usual music to an aerobics class one day, and instead grabbed his own latin-inspired mix tapes and played it during the class. The women (and men) in the class loved the music so much that he continued to use it… and from there began the trend and company later to be called Zumba.  Zumba is based on the motto of letting the music move you.

So why else is Zumba so good?

Besides being a fun way to spend an hour (or more), Zumba can burn a lot of calories. Each class is different, some more intense than others; but a moderate intensity Zumba class for a 140 lb woman that lasts for 60 minutes can burn up to 500 calories… however, if you go to a higher-intensity class you may burn around 700 calories. People have recorded burning as much as 1000 calories for a higher intensity, 90-minute class…wow! (It would be good to check the source of this one, but generally you get the point… shake it for an hour= burn lots of calories).

So, what does a typical Zumba class look like?

So often, while I was teaching and even now, I am frequently told by friends that they are embarrassed or afraid of dancing… well I have news for you– the first time you may get a little bit self conscious; but, you will soon realize that everyone in the studio is smiling, laughing, hooting, and having fun, which really helps to make it a relaxed environment.

To show you what a song from a class might look like… here is a video of ME dancing at a Zumba class with one of my favorite Zumba instructors, Lauren Hefez:

See me in the right front corner all black, I appear every now and then! See, looks fun right?

Lauren teaches here in Boston. She teaches Zumba, Barre Burn and a few other classes, visit her website: www.laurenhefez.com for information!  She has a lot of great stuff on there too

“There are different kinds to choose from, Gold, Fitness, Basic– how do I choose?”

I certainly hope that this post has made you a little bit more curious about Zumba dance… and has maybe even inspired you to find a class nearby. The easiest way to find a class is to go to the Zumba Fitness website.

Zumba Gold, is a slower paced class. Originally designed for an older population, it basically just has lower impact moves that are good for injuries as well.

Zumba Toning, is dance inspired but focuses on toning, so it will be more toning than dancing. Classes might include light, “maraca-like” Toning sticks that target arms, abs, thighs, glutes.

Aqua Zumba, is a newer addition to the Zumba dance class family. It is Zumba in the pool! Have never tried it but it looks fun.

picture source

Zumba Tomic, is Zumba for kids! This is a faster paced, high-energy dance class for kids ages 4-12 that have easy-to-follow dance routines, and kids love these classes. Not only is this class for kids, but families are welcome too.

picture source

…Find one that works for you!

Finding a class

Finding a class is super easy to do. Go to the Zumba Fitness website, and across the top bar you will see “Find a Class.” Enter your zip code and the classes in your area will pop up… and voila, all you have to do is go!

The take home

So often we get stuck in the same routine, and frankly that just leads to boredom and believe it or not, your body adapts to the same workout routine over time making it less effective. It is important to listen to your body and what it needs, but it is also important to shake it up (literally). Try new things to keep yourself engaged in your workout routine and most importantly to have balance!

…and for a little fun, here’s another pic of me after Lauren Hefez’s class with water donated by Hint.

…notice me front and center

Happy shaking,

-Healthy Gal

As I said, we all have different ways of fighting stress…some people do this…

picture source

Or this…

picture source

or maybe even this…

picture source

Whatever your method may be, finding the best way to fight stress is essential in finding balance and staying calm even in a world of chaos.

Why is it important?

Stress not only adds to our mental unsettled-ness, but is also linked to many chronic diseases. Stress at different levels can help contribute to making poor food and activity decisions that over time can help contribute to opportunity for chronic disease. When your body is under stress, a hormone called adrenaline is released that causes your blood pressure to rise, your heart to beat faster– and generally puts your body in a state of stress.

According to the American Heart Association, being under constant stress can also impair the function of your immune system, making it easier for you to get sick; adding to more stress!

SO, what are some healthy habits that can help to fight stress? 

They American Heart Association makes healthy habit suggestions for fighting stress, these include:

–Talking with family and friends

–Engaging in physical activity

–Accepting the things you cannot change

–Giving up bad habits- this includes things like self- criticism,

–LAUGHING

–Getting enough sleep

–and finally, slowing down– this is so important. Take a deep breath, quiet your mind, and think. Clear thinking will help you to move forward and make the best decisions.

“So Healthy Gal, what do you do to fight stress?”

Even though I am learning every day how important beating stress is, I am human and it is hard for me as well. But, here is what I often find myself doing to beat stress:

Yoga:

 picture source

Playing with Healthy Dog

and lately, reading a book:

The take-home

The purpose of this post is to make you more mindful about your time with yourself, your needs, and your stress. Take time to yourself, and take a deep breath.

Namaste,

Healthy Gal