The Burrito: Nutrition bundled up in an edible blanket.

Just recently, I declared the burrito my favorite meal.  I love it because it includes almost all of the food groups:

• Grains (whole wheat tortilla, whole grain rice, corn)
• Vegetables (red & green peppers, spinach)
• Fruit (tomato slices, salsa)
• Milk/Fat (sour cream)
• Meat & Beans (black beans)

It is really easy to put together a burrito whether you are cooking at home or you are at the dining hall.  Follow my dining hall friendly recipe for a hearty, healthy, and scrumptious meal:

1 whole wheat wrap (found at the sandwich station)

1/4 cup of whole grain rice (found at the stir-fry station)

1/4 cup of black beans (found at the sandwich station)

3 tomato slices (found at the sandwich station)

2 tablespoons sour cream (found at the condiments by the grill station)

2 tablespoons salsa (found at the condiments by the grill station)

A sprinkle of corn (found at the salad bar)

Onions, red and green peppers (found at the salad bar)

Fold in the ends & roll it up! ENJOY =)

*Optional* Place in microwave for 30-45 seconds.

Creative Eating & Chronic Disease

The health of your heart is in your hands =)

The top 3 reasons for death are:

1. Heart Disease
2. Cancer
3. Stroke

I find it really interesting that the prevention of each one of these chronic diseases is in our hands, yet they still remain the top causes of death.  By promotion of health information, we may be able to take a step forward in preventing theses chronic conditions from developing as often.  For now, we should focus on having healthy diets, getting proper amounts of exercise, and avoiding known carcinogens.  Eating creatively can help immensely in the diet aspect, as you are getting a variety of nutrient-dense foods that will benefit your body in both the short and long term.

To read more about chronic conditions, check out what the World Health Organization has to say: http://www.who.int/chp/en/

Should a wellness coach walk the walk?

Would you want a wellness coach that is overweight?  Or would you want a wellness coach that meets a physically fit ideal?  It seems as though most people would listen to someone’s advice on diet, exercise, and stress management who appears to be thin, in shape, and relatively stress-free.  It seems that this would display that their knowledge about wellness is effective and that they are not hypocritical.  However, maybe having a wellness coach who is overweight (and possibly going through the same struggles as their clients) is a better advantage.  Not only will the coach feel sympathy, but they will feel empathy for their clients — which may help them to give more realistic advice than a coach who has no problem staying thin, fit, and healthy.  What do you think?