News
*Remember to check out the Motivation Monday and Food Friday posts here on Facebook, as well as the Youtube videos.
*If you are in CLE, I will be doing a live class at Polaris Career Center on May 19, Path Away From Protein. Come learn what animal food, which all contain protein, can do to your body. Register on the Polaris website under Adult Education.
Welcome to the first Food on Friday!! Each Friday I will post something related to food here and on Facebook.
Today it's all about asparagus! It is a sign of Spring. This morning I even saw a farm advertising fresh asparagus. Buy it locally if possible. It comes in 3 varieties- green, purple, and white. Remove the tough ends before eating/cooking. You can use them to make stock. It can be eaten raw, grilled, roasted or steamed. Asparagus goes well with chives, fava beans, garlic, leeks, lemon, mushrooms and quinoa.
Try some this week and comment on how you prepared it!
“You are what you eat, so don’t be fast, cheap, easy, or fake.” -Unknown
Welcome to the first Motivation Monday! Each week I will post here and on Facebook quotes, stories, or other types of inspiration to get your week off to a healthy start. This week I am sharing two quotes for you to think and act on.
“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” Mahatma Gandhi
“Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments.” Bethenny Frankel
Each Wednesday I will be creating a post on Facebook called “What’s Up Wednesday.” It will contain information on current course offerings and other events related to health. Check it out to know how you can be involved with Empowering True Health and be in control of your health.
The Power of Protein: Find out how eating can make you sick and what you can do about it. Reduce your risk of catching covid by improving your immune system and decreasing your chance of developing comorbidities.
Virtual: Saturday, April 17, 2021; 9:00- 11:00am ET; register under the Purchase tab on this website; once registration is received you will get a Zoom invite by email
*Registration is closed for this class!!!
Food Over Medicine Introduction: What is Food Over Medicine all about? How can the information help improve my health? Find out during this free Zoom session.
Virtual: Wednesday, April 14, 2021; 7:30- 8:30 pm ET; send an email to Karen@empoweringtruehealth.com to receive your Zoom link
Food Over Medicine Part 1: What is the ideal diet for humans? How do we know this? What happens when we don’t supply our body with its optimal fuel? Join us for a discussion that can change your life.
Virtual: Wednesday, April 21, 2021; 7:00- 9:00 pm ET; register under the “purchase” tab on this website; once registration is received you will be sent a Zoom invitation
Food Over Medicine Part 2: This continues the discussion as to what is the best fuel for our bodies and what the research shows happens as a result of eating or not eating it. If you missed Part 1, you can still join us for Part 2.
Virtual: Wednesday, April 28, 2021; 7:00- 9:00 pm ET; register under the “purchase” tab on this website; once registration is received you will be sent a Zoom invitation
YouTube Channel: Short videos are being posted on the Empowering True Health channel. Check them out and subscribe to the page!
*Registration for this class is closed.
Are you ready to lose the covid 20? Do you want your “new normal” to be long term health and weight loss? Then register now for the upcoming virtual class. Go to the “purchase” tab on this website to sign up. Receive three free support sessions, to ask questions, share ideas, etc. after the class when you register by March 17.
Class- Pathway to True Health and Weight Loss (virtual on Zoom)
When- Tuesday, March 23, 2021; 7:00-9:00 pm ET
Support sessions (virtual on Zoom)- March 30, April 6, April 13, 2021; 7:30- 8:30pm ET
Read what a past participant has to say-
What can I say besides you really know your stuff… After attending Karen’s latest program “Pathway to True Health and Weight Loss”, I feel very confident that I know what I eat and what I need to do to stay healthy. Really, you learn a lot from this fantastic Health Educator. Thanks again, Karen!
Empowering True Health now has its own YouTube channel! There you will find short videos focusing on the why and how of a whole food plant-based diet. Videos will be added on topics such as heart health, skin/acne, bone health, diabetes, your immune system, forming new habits and setting yourself up for success, as well as how to use foods you encounter in the grocery store. Subscribe today!
*Please note that registration is closed for this class
Another resolution to lose weight? Another failed attempt? Time to take the extra pounds, including the covid 20, off for good! Learn what has kept you from long term success, why your focus should be on health not weight, and habits to lead you down the path of true health and weight loss.
After completing the two- night class, attend the support sessions to ask questions, share ideas, and cheer each other on.
Virtual class: Tuesday Feb. 16 and Wednesday Feb. 17, 2021; 7:30-8:30pmET
Virtual support sessions: Wednesday, Feb. 24, March 3 and 17; 7:30 pm ET
Register under the Purchase tab on this website.
After registration is received, you will get your Zoom invitation by email.
See what a previous attendee has said…….
What can I say besides you really know your stuff… After attending Karen’s latest program “Pathway to True Health and Weight Loss”, I feel very confident that I know what I eat and what I need to do to stay healthy. Really, you learn a lot from this fantastic Health Educator. Thanks again, Karen!
Do you know what has become an epidemic that no one is openly talking about? Obesity. Yes, obesity has been considered an epidemic since 1999. If you have a BMI of 30 or greater you are classified as obese. This is the reason it seems so many people set out to lose weight each New Year and why we are inundated with weight loss commercials through January. America’s Health Rankings[i], using data from the CDC, states that in 2019, 32.1% of U.S. adult females and 30.6 % of adult males were obese. A graph from 1990 to the present shows a steady increase in the number of people in the United States in the obese category. For those of us living in Ohio (if you live in another state it is easy to go online and find your state’s rate), in 2018, the rate for adults was 33.8%. In 2019 Ohio’s youth rate, ages 10-17, was 17.1%. Add to this the fact that 2/3 of Americans are overweight. Do you realize then that most of the general population is overweight? When you look around it appears to be “normal” because everyone’s outward appearance is the same. Those that are maintaining an optimal body weight are the ones who appear “abnormal” since they are in the minority.
Most people know that they should lose weight because it will make them healthier, but what really are the side effects of too much weight? Here is what you will not find on the back of the potato chip bag or the McDonald’s carton.
Side Effects of Obesity:
*Greater cognitive decline as you age compared to people of optimal weight[i]
*Heart disease
*Kidney disease
*Diabetes
*Autoimmune diseases
*Immune system damage
*Fewer white blood cells (resulting in a weaker immune system)
*Decrease effectiveness of flu vaccine
*Increase risk of severe flu
*Covid 19[ii]
*Lack of stamina/energy
*Poor self- esteem; depression
With covid 19 on the minds of many this year, it is important to note that several of these side effects are associated with an increased risk of severe illness. Excess weight, without any other health issues, may also be a factor in contracting and developing a more severe case of covid 19. Also be aware that even if you have a “clean bill of health” it is still important to address your weight sooner than later because one or more of the side effects may be in development and not yet detected.
The real question becomes how you respond to this information. The typical way many people do is to begin the new year by planning to limit daily calories or choosing a popular/commercial diet to begin. The goal is to lose weight and no matter how you limit calories you will initially lose that weight. However, the diet is hard to maintain, you hit a plateau, etc. and you give up and the weight returns. Through all of this you may still be putting your health in harm’s way because of the food choices you are making even though the pounds are coming off. The new way I advocate to respond to this information is to focus on health instead of weight loss. By doing this you will get a 2 for 1 investment- permanent weight loss and true health. This new focus is based upon research and experience of using a whole food plant- based diet that includes positive lifestyle changes. By eating the right fuel for your body, the excess fat cells will disappear, and you have a greater chance of clearing or avoiding disease.
This is just the beginning of the “conversation” of health and not weight loss. The next step is to get in touch with me or enroll in my upcoming Weight Loss class and come away with motivation to develop habits for sustainable weight loss and true health.
Now is the time…… to live every day!
[i] Singh-Manouz A, Elbaz A, et al. “Obesity phenotypes in midlife and cognition in early old age: The Whitehall II cohort study.” Neurology. 2012; 79: 755-762.
[ii] Sudre C, Murray B, et al. “Attributes and predictors of Long-COVID: analysis of COVID cases and their symptoms collected by the Covid Symptoms Study App.” MedRXIV. December 19, 2020.
[i] www.americashealthrankings.org
