By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN

The Endocrine, digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, reproductive, integumentary, muscular & skeletal are the systems of your body. *Do you know whether or not the habits you are engaging in on a daily basis are supporting long-term health or disease to those systems? *Do you know those systems are dependent on your lifestyle choices & habits for survival & prevention of disease & quality of life? *Do you make choices to prevent disease, maintain & promote health? *Do you know how your choices affect each one of those body systems? *Did you know that an unstable blood sugar, elevated stress levels, lack of physical activity, lack of sleep, poor nutrition & dehydration contribute to disease? It is SO important that the person helping you with whatever your health goals are, losing weight, gaining weight, maintaining, lowering your A1C, hormone balance & improving the quality of your body systems, is fluent in how the body functions? Food, water, medications, disease & health conditions all effect each system & you can change outcomes without drastic measures, extreme dieting, unrealistic expectations. Someone with an understanding of health psychology and behavior change that can help you develop into the lifestyle you need for desired success. Change occurs 1% at a time, the decision to change is 100% yours...make the choice & let's CHANGE YOUR LIFE! Transformation begins with nutrition! #RNutrition

“Transformation Begins With Nutrition”- Jennifer Long, RN,NCN.
 
Contact  RNutrition Health & Wellness to receive Nutrition & Health Consulting  from Jennifer Long, RN, NCN. 
 
Phone: (508) 360-2032
Email: RNutrition2013@gmail.com 
Website:   www.rnutritionhealwell.com

By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN

A wedding invite has just come in the mail! How exciting, a CAPE COD wedding in 
JULY….…oh wait, that means you need to get a dress…and its summer so that means less is 
covered up! You put your hands over you belly and start dreading the fitting room. Feeling 
bloated, and a bit uncomfortable in anything form-fitted you panic! What do you do? !
! You have seen them advertised in magazines, offered by big name supplement 
companies and even commercials on TV. There are so many detoxes, cleanses and “miracle” 
diets promising to get rid of the bloat, the weight you don’t want and improve your health. The 
problem is, they are not all they are cracked up to be. Cleanses and detoxes are meant to aid in 
improving digestion, removing toxins and kick start your weight loss, but when they are not 
based on the physiology of the body, they can actually cause damage to your digestive tract, 
cause rebound weight gain and decrease muscle tissue (which is what burns the fat). Many 
cleanses recommend avoiding certain foods or food all together while being utilized. Anything 
that suggests NOT eating is a RED FLAG! We are meant to eat frequent small meals, a balance 
of protein, fat and carbohydrates in order to stabilize our blood sugar, maintain homeostasis and 
protect muscle and organ tissue. So what happens with these abrasive, often expensive and 
“miracle” cleanses and detoxes? Most often you stop eating or drastically reduce your caloric 
and food intake. This immediately causes a drop in your blood sugar. At this point you are no 
longer using fat for energy, you are burning muscle in order to make up for the defect. This is 
when cravings, mood swings and other RED FLAG warnings from your own body are 
screaming, but the goal is to see a drop in numbers on the scale so you keep going. You see 
the drop and get excited but feel miserable! You are losing muscle!!!! The aggressive detox 
formulas probably have you rushing to the bathroom every 5 minutes too…and moms, who has 
time for that…really? Then you have to make sure when you pack extra clothes for the day, you 
throw an extra pair of panties hidden under the wipes. Come on, NOT CUTE! How many days 
did they say to do this, 14 days? You realize its only day 3 and your children's snacks aren’t 
safe from your carb frenzy and everyone is getting on your last nerve! Yup, thats a low blood 
sugar kicking in. Oh and no one mentioned the awesomeness of the rebound weight that comes 
on after you complete the cleanse and go right back to your normal routine! So what happened? !
Well, what did you learn? NOTHING!!

So, is there a way to actually CLEANSE? GREAT NEWS………..YESSSSSSS!!
First, you must realize that you must be ready for a lifestyle change, after a cleanse you have to 
continue to make changes and it must fit your life. Second, make sure what you are doing is 
gentle and acts like your body does naturally. You really need to cleanse your colon, liver and 
kidneys. Third, KEEP YOUR BLOOD SUGAR STABLE by eating in 3’s!!!!!! You CAN detox and 
cleanse while eating super clean proteins, fats and carbs…cut the foods that bloat and flush 
with good old h2o! A cleanse should only be about 7 days, unless you are a heavy drinker, 
smoker or have over 50 pounds to lose. If you want to learn how to detox safely and get 
LASTING results and learn to change your lifestyle, I am accepting new clients. Always check 
with your health care provider before taking ANY supplements. 

By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN 

Obesity is an eating disorder and it is affecting our childhood population at an alarming rate. It shows no prejudice in any part of our country. There are two needs for why we eat; one is a physiological need to sustain energy and nutritional requirements, and a psychological force that drives our eating behaviors. The question is, what motivates children to consume healthy foods and can early behavior change improve the present and future health outcomes for today’s children?

According to the Theory of planned Behavior and the Health Action Process Approach, behavior follows directly from a conscious decision to act. This summarizes beliefs around the favorability and controllability of action (Gardner, 2011). There are theories that suggest that behavior can occur through different routes that can compete with each other. One is a deliberative route, which involves previous thought and cognitive effort. The other is the automatic route, which is defined by environmentally cued responses that require no effort and are completely involuntary. Habits are considered learned behaviors that occur with repetition and over time become automatic responses. If habits are a result of learned behavior, children who have developed poor eating habits learn such behavior from influences in their environment. Many factors can influence health behaviors of young children. According to the Social Cognitive Theory, cognitive and personal variables such as self-efficacy/ motivation, social/ environmental variables such as, poverty and limited access to health care, are all important determinants of health behavior. The Health Self-Empowerment Theory acknowledges the influence of social/ environmental variables as well as cognitive/ personal variables, on health-promoting behaviors. It also states that engaging in health-promoting behaviors and avoidance of health-risk behaviors are influenced by five empirically based, modifiable, self-empowerment-oriented variables; health motivation, health self-efficacy, self-praise of health-promoting behaviors, health knowledge and responsibility and active coping strategies and skills for managing stress and depression (Tucker, 2012).  While eating and exercise are direct influences on weight, other psychological factors must be considered as indirect. “Depression might indirectly influence weight loss by increasing emotional eating behavior or by reducing dietary adherence (Stotland, 2005).” According to Tucker, out of those five theory variables, health motivation may be the most important in determining the potential for engaging in health-promoting behaviors. 

If parents are unable to provide support as healthy examples, schools must step up and provide the education and facilitate a healthy environment to promote change. The goal is to provide early opportunities to promote healthy habits that continue into adulthood and decrease the prevalence of obesity and obesity related health issues, such as diabetes and heart disease. “Adolescent obesity has increased dramatically over the past several decades, with 34% of adolescents and young adults, ages 12 to 19 currently overweight or obese (Pbert, 2012).” School nurses are readily accessible and offer the skills and credibility to provide ongoing support to children at no extra cost. They are positioned to be an active role in the treatment and prevention of obesity. Healthy diet, exercise counseling and behavioral management training are all shown to decrease BMI in youth. In trying to identify other factors causing the rise in obesity, it is shown in the literature that loss of control (LC) is prevalent among overweight children and adolescents (Goossens, 2009). Recent studies have shown the relationship between negative emotions and loss of control, it is significantly related to symptoms of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents seeking treatment (Goossens, 2009). “The Affect Regulation Model proposes that individuals who lose control over their eating and start to binge believe that eating provides distraction and comfort from painful negative emotions (Goossens, 2009).” This model is what introduced what is now known as emotional eating and looks at this as a coping mechanism to regulate and decrease negative emotions. In children who suffer from anxiety, emotional eating may be a way of dealing with the hyper arousal they experience, where as depressed individuals, emotional eating may provide more positive emotions. “Early detection of LC and its emotional precedents can be of importance for the prevention and treatment of overweight and eating pathology (Goossens, 2009).” It is important to screen those seeking treatment for the presence of negative emotions and loss of control to ensure an adaptive and effective treatment plan. 

I believe that parents are on the frontlines when it comes to setting a example of health-promoting behaviors. If there is lack of education equipping these parents with tools to help their children, it is community leaders and specialists left to provide the resources and availability to promote health and wellness. 


“Transformation Begins With Nutrition”- Jennifer Long, RN,NCN.
 
Contact  RNutrition Health & Wellness to receive Nutrition & Health Consulting  from Jennifer Long, RN, NCN. 
 
Phone: (508) 360-2032
Email: RNutrition2013@gmail.com 
Website:   www.rnutritionhealwell.com

By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN 

1 cup FAGE Greek yogurt
1 tbsp pb2 (powder peanut butter. It has the oils removed so there's very little fat)
1/2 tbsp All natural pb 
1/2 banana 
Drizzle of honey (about 1/2 tsp) 
About 10 choc chips 

Blend all ingredients together & set in freezer for 10 mins (if you can wait, lol)

By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN 

In the Kitchen With RNutrition: Kale Soup
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground turkey 
2 cans diced tomato ( I used Natures Promise)
2 cans kidney beans (I used dark)
1 small bag baby carrots 
1/2 bag of fresh Kale
1 large diced onion
rosemary, garlic, salt & pepper
3 cans of chicken, veg or turkey stock 
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Brown turkey & onion, garlic and spices in a large skillet with trader joes coconut oil spray. In a large pot add liquid ingredients, olive oil, kale, beans, tomatoes and carrots and set on med-high heat, add ground turkey mixture and simmer 30 mins -1 hour....ENJOY!!!!

By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN

Prom season is hitting the Cape once again! Boys will be fitted for tuxedos to make their mom wonder how they grew up so fast and girls will be after the perfect dress to capture the eyes of everyone in the room.

Before fitting rooms, credit card swipes and cameras flash, there is a potentially dangerous concern that plagues the minds of thousands of teenage girls every prom season. In order to get into the dress of their dreams and look like a celebrity, thousands of girls will look for ways to lose weight. Without the proper guidance and education, they are likely to resort to unhealthy measures and the latest fad diets or cleanses in the market. It’s our job to protect these young people and show them a better way. It begins at home, but like many parents out there, finding the answer is as confusing as helping our kids with algebra! This article will help parents, teachers and teenagers learn healthy alternatives to dropping those extra few pounds, tighten and tone, as well as getting rid of those awful cravings without compromising their health.

In order to succeed at anything, goals should be set. The first step is, understanding what healthy and attainable goals are, how much time should be expected to reach desired goals and how to reach them. Healthy attainable immediate goals are, stabilized blood sugar, increased energy, establish an exercise plan and increase metabolism. There are three types of goals, immediate (few days to a few weeks), short-term (a few weeks to a few months) and long-term (months to years). An example of a short-term goal could be to establish an exercise plan. A long-term goal could be to run a 5k. Whatever your goals are, it is important to determine your “WHY” and be sure to understand your level of health and ability. Steering these young ladies in the right direction and guiding them in reaching their goals at an appropriate pace can provide tools for success not just in their health but in life as well.            

Feeling confident in your prom dress is a great short-term goal that will take a combination of immediate goals to get there. Learning how to stabilize your blood sugar and establishing an exercise plan based on your physical ability, are a prom couple dressed to impress! A stable blood sugar is achieved by eating in 3’s. Eating a balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates every 3 hours, will fuel your body to run as a fat burning machine. Pair that with an individual exercise plan and achieve body confidence to last longer than your limo rental. This should not be a time of shame or desperation to lead to drastic attempts to find temporary fixes, prom is an event for teenagers to celebrate friendships, their hard work and to feel like no matter who was crowned, they are all royalty!

As someone who has battled obesity, body image issues and depression throughout my life, I know all the emotions that can lead to desperate attempts of yoyo dieting and extreme exercise. With my own personal journey, I have learned the principles to successful and healthy weight management and my own body confidence. As an RN, nutritionist and psychology major, I now understand the health risks associated with the combination of low self esteem, distorted body image which can lead to calorie restriction, deprivation, and extreme exercise. These experiences have led me to successfully assisting many people of all ages and medical conditions to reach their own health and weight goals. My goals continue every day, I am now focusing my attention on teaching healthy eating, exercise and positive thinking to our young people and their families. Our children are struggling. Obesity affects 1 out of 3 children today. All too often it can go into the opposite of extremes, causing an obsession of weight loss in adolescents and teenagers, without the proper nutrition education and guidance to health sustaining goals, our children will be looking to the media, celebrities and fashion models as their examples of what is acceptable. It's time to take back the roles Hollywood has tried to replace. Together we can save our kids and give them the tools for a successful, happy and healthy life. 


RNutrition will also be having a new adolescent and teens nutrition group starting Tuesday February 25, 2014 at the HYCC 4-530.  This will run every Tuesday and the cost will be $10 per child per week.  If you would like one on one personal coaching please contact me directly!

By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey 
4-5 carrots
1 large parsnip 
4-5 purple top turnips 
Worcestershire sauce 
Salt & pepper 
Extra Virgin Olive oil 

Directions:
Brown turkey in a pan with Worcestershire sauce. (About 1/4 cup) 
Peel & cut turnips & boil until soft, mash until smooth (like mashed potatoes) add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, mix & set aside 
Peel & cut carrots & parsnips steam until soft 
Place ground turkey into casserole dish, layer carrots & parsnips on top of turkey. 
Then layer mashed turnips on top of carrots then smooth over top. Add pepper (if desired) 
Place into preheated oven at 350 for 20 mins. 
Enjoy!

By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN 

Was hitting the gym one of your New Year’s health goals? If it was I have great news, SWEAT IS SEXY! Yes, regular exercise will do many things for your health and body, and revving up your sex life is one of them! The benefits of exercise are well-noted; increased strength, endurance, improved muscle development, cardiovascular and respiratory function, increased metabolism, better sleep and yes, BETTER SEX! It is obvious that working out can make your body stronger, now isn’t it awesome to know you can show it in the bedroom?

It is no mystery that nutrition and fitness go hand in hand in creating better health. General health practices are important to keep your body strong, the more you do to take care of yourself with nutrition, exercise, hydration, sleep and stress management, the better your body responds and improves in many ways. This also directly affects your sexual function!

Think about this…when physicians and nurses encourage physical activity to their patients, one goal is to increase circulation and blood flow, vital in sexual function. In a February 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, scientists found that sexual dysfunction is more likely among those with poor physical and emotional health, and plays a major role with negative experiences in sexual relationships and with overall well-being.

 Men have been studied and shown to have an increase in testosterone and improved sexual function with regular exercise. There is also evidence to show men to decrease their chances in developing Erectile Dysfunction (ED) and/or impotence. Women are not excluded from this great news! Studies have also shown that with increased physical activity, an increase in blood flow and circulation to the vagina and clitoris, promoting a more satisfying sexual experience.

So, would it make sense with exercise being such a huge factor in your love life, more would be better? The answer is NO! In fact, the same studies determined with heavy exercise, men showed a decrease in testosterone, leading to a less robust sex life. A quality workout can be anywhere from 30-90 minutes.

  With all this great news, are you excited about getting started on a new workout routine? This is a positive response and one I am pleased to encourage. How to get started and STAY started is where you need guidance! First of all, my first recommendation is to consult with your primary care physician to determine what type of physical activity your body is healthy enough for. Assuming you are cleared for any form of activity and have zero limitations, you can begin your search for what interests you.

  There are different forms of exercise. If you do not already have an interest and aren’t sure where or how to start, I suggest finding a fitness coach or personal trainer to guide you.

  There are other factors that can affect your circulation as well. Obesity, smoking and heavy alcohol use all contribute. Exercise is however, the most effective in increasing circulation.

  Make 2014 your year! For nutrition, health and fitness consulting, contact RNutrition Health & Wellness TODAY!

By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN 

Have you already started thinking about your New Year resolution? Chances are you’re not alone. On December 13, 2012, The University of Scranton’s Journal of Clinical Psychology published statistics on New Years resolutions made by Americans. In 2012 45 % of Americans made a resolution, 38% of those were weight related. Losing weight ranked #1 out of the top 10 list. When I asked some of my current clients and friends what came to mind when thinking about making a New Years resolution, the responses were very similar. Laurie Crowley of Hyannis says, “I always think of myself making a commitment to doing something that I never commit to…” Athena Viera, also of Hyannis tells me, “I've learned to make small goals instead of one large one and naming it my new years resolution”. The fear for these two ladies and many others is failure. The reality is overwhelming with 8% actually having success in their resolutions. So, why is it so hard for us to succeed in these goals? It’s not a lack of determination, or desire to improve. It is the mere fact of setting our selves up to fail with unrealistic goals that are so extreme and require such drastic changes. When a client comes to me and I ask them what their goals are, there is another question I ask. What are you willing to do to make that happen, and WHY is it important to you? Many times they believe they are going to completely give up something they have spent a long time or even their entire life doing. Sadly, this is the root of failure. It takes 30 days to create a new habit and 90 days to make it a lifestyle change. This requires practice, some failure, support and small attainable goals along the way like Athena said earlier. Lets say you are coming to me with a goal to lose fat and gain muscle, notice I didn’t say lose weight. Weight is too general and getting obsessed with the scale is one of the main reasons people will give up. If the scale doesn’t move they assume they’ve failed. I teach people to focus on inches and body fat % lost and their whole attitude changes. When the scale doesn’t show much change but the measuring tape does, they are thrilled and tell me about the pants they couldn’t wear before, but now fit. That’s success! 

So how do we make New Years resolutions we can truly commit to and be successful with? Resist the all or nothing attitude. Do not expect to give up the pleasures in your life. Being human means we will like a piece of cake, glass of wine or soda and the all American cheeseburger. The key is to find a plan that allows you to be human, that is designed to be a lifestyle. Diets wont work, they will restrict and deprive you and leave you. You will feel like you failed when in reality the DIET failed YOU! Focus on the basics. I teach my clients to get used to eating less more often, drinking more water and limit their vices. Then once that pattern has become a habit, we introduce another goal. When you can feel the excitement of even the smallest accomplishment, you learn to be human. You learn to see yourself as a success, making the “I can’t” expression extinct and
learning to say “I CAN” and to know it’s a matter of figuring out how! This is how we thrive in a negative world, seeing every one of the positive changes as a victory and strive to keep moving forward! There are two types of people in this world, the one who says “I can” and the one who says “I can’t”, they are BOTH usually right.  

By: Jennifer L. Long, RN, NCN

Do you have a love-hate relationship with your food? I hear it all the time, people’s love of food and eating become a burden. They try to restrict and deprive themselves from what they love, thus developing a hate for “healthy eating” and “dieting”. Well, I’m here to tell you can quit the dieting and go back to your love for food! It’s all about changing your relationship with food and learning how to make it work for YOU and your body! 

Lets talk about the dreaded “diet” for a minute. What is a “diet” to most people? A hated word associated with “I can’t have” or “I shouldn’t eat that” and worse, “If I eat that, I have to work out for 2 vigorous hours to work it off!” This is madness! First of all we need to get back to basics. The word DIET means the foods that make up what we eat on a daily basis, not a period of time where you go without things your body actually needs. All too often people tend to go on a “diet” around or after the holidays out of guilt for enjoying the pies, potatoes and stuffing. 

What if I told you that you no longer have to feel that way and can still have what you love from that dinner table at Thanksgiving and for the REST OF YOUR LIFE? Well, its true. It’s all about what I teach my clients, that stabilizing your blood sugar and learning how to eat will avoid spikes and crashes in your blood sugar, preventing fat storage and increase lean muscle. This in turn will ensure stored fat to be released and burned up in the muscle, increased metabolism and sustained energy throughout the day. 

So how? The key is learning not to restrict or deprive your body from the key macronutrients it needs everyday. Your body is a fuel as it goes machine, it needs to be fueled every 3-4 hours with protein, fat and carbohydrates to sustain energy and brain function. If you deprive your body and brain of a key element in maintaining homeostasis (balance), your body will go into starvation mode and begin to store fat as a result. 
 
Most “diets” require either a temporary or permanent avoidance of a particular macro and an increase most commonly in protein. Lets say your to restrict on carbohydrates (most common), you avoid these foods for a period of time, how do you feel? Usually, the first few weeks you can maintain, but shortly thereafter, your brain cannot take any more restriction of the one thing it needs most for function, glucose. The brain requires carbs for glucose to maintain focus and energy. So, you eventually think you cave and give into “temptation” and have a bagel or a cookie. So now you go back to eating how you were before, and gain everything you lost and maybe even more! Now you feel an unnecessary moment of FAILURE! Did YOU actually fail? NO! YOU did not fail the “diet”…the diet failed you! Dieting does NOT work because it is not designed to be a lifestyle change. Blood sugar stabilization WORKS because it is exactly how we were designed to eat since the moment we were born. It is something you can do for life. Ditch dieting and learn a better way! I can show you how to eat to live, how to enjoy living and make the most of your workouts, all while looking and feeling your absolute best!