Cold weather and holiday cheer remind us of the heart-warming comfort that indulgent food can bring. However, increased stress and tasty seasonal temptations can entice us to eat more than we usually would.

Following these simple situational mindful eating tips can bring a new comfort… the satisfaction of sticking to your holiday weight goals. Bon appétit!

At home…

• Give your favorite holiday comfort foods a healthy twist. Add fresh fruit to desserts and pair rich dishes with fresh vegetables.

• Avoid the lure of overindulging in holiday leftovers by cooking only enough food for one meal, or re-package leftovers into single-serving portions.

• Serve your holiday dinner in the kitchen and enjoy it at the dining table. You’ll eat less if the food bowls are not in front of you.

• Be conscious of in-between meal nibbling.

At the office…

• Move the holiday candy dish at least six feet away from your desk. This creates a pause point to consider whether you’re really hungry before diving in.

• Bring your own healthy lunch and snacks. You’ll be less tempted to graze on high-calorie holiday treats in the lunchroom.

• When everyone else is indulging in holiday treats, pause and ask yourself, “Am I really hungry? Or am I just eating because everyone else is?”

• If the break room is full of tempting treats, avoid it altogether. Instead, make plans with a co worker to take a 15 minute power walk.

• Chewing gum while working at your desk may help to reduce stress-related eating.

In the car, and out and about…

• Order entrée salads or hearty soups at fast food stops along your holiday car trip.

• If you don’t have time to stop for meals while traveling, stock the car with healthy proteinrich snacks to curb hunger and avoid ravenous stops for fast food.

• Order coffee drinks with fat-free milk and skip the whipped cream; or order the small size peppermint mocha instead of the large! Beverage calories from holiday shopping outings can add up!

Eating out…

• At holiday potlucks and buffets, allow only a few items on your plate at a time. Research shows that buffet-style parties encourage overeating, so be aware of the tendency to nibble your way to weight gain.

• At parties, fill up on healthy foods first, such as broccoli and carrots, and see if you have room left for the rest.

• At restaurants, ask the waiter to pre-wrap half of your entrée before beginning to eat. You’ll avoid overeating and can enjoy the rest at home.

Recipes

It can be hard to find ways to be healthy around the holiday season. Everywhere you turn there are cookies, drinks, and rich treats. The team at PVHS LiveWell has put together a few recipes based on some traditional high calorie holiday treats.

Enjoy! Let us know if you used the recipes and if you liked them!

Pear Nog

Dietitian’s tip: Traditional eggnog is high in calories, fat, and added sugar. Luckily we have a great Holiday gift for you… A healthier version of this Holiday favorite with a modern twist that is just as delicious and decadent.

• 1 pear, peeled, cored, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup egg substitute, or 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 large pinch cinnamon (about 1/4 tsp)
• 2 ice cubes, cracked
• Nutmeg (to taste)

Directions

1. Peel, core, and cut pear. Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend at high for 15 seconds.

2. Serve, and garnish with nutmeg.

Nutrition Information: Calories 200, Total Fat 2.5 g, Saturated fat 0 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Sodium 160 mg, Protein 12 g, Carbohydrate 36 g, Fiber 6 g

Makes 1 serving

Nutrition Bonus: An excellent source of fiber, vitamin B2, calcium, phosphorous and selenium; and a good source of vitamins A, B1, B12, C, D, and K, iodine, iron, manganese, potassium and zinc.

Recipe adapted from www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 2 tbsp extra for hi-altitude)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
2/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped
Cooking spray or light oil for pan

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°.

• Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and next 5 ingredients (though cloves); stir well with a whisk.

• Combine granulated sugar and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until combined. Fold in cranberries.

• Spoon batter into 9×5 loaf pan. Bake at 375° for ~40 minutes or until it springs back when touched lightly in center.

Yield: 1 loaf (serving size: 1 slice – 1/12 of a loaf)

Calories: 199 (14% from fat); Fat 3.2g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.9g); Carbohydrate 41g; Sodium195mg; Protein: 3 g; Fiber: 2 g

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

The plans for the Foundation-funded survivorship center will remain intact and will make the center the hub of the survivorship experience for local cancer patients.

The Foundation needs about $2.2 million to complete the campaign for the survivorship center.  

Our local need for more radiation oncology services made that a fast-track project for completion as soon as possible,” said Kevin Unger, Poudre Valley Hospital president and CEO. “Once we started that response, the logical next step was to look at that location for our cancer center as a whole.”

Unger said the repurpose plan costs less than estimates to build a free-standing cancer center on the Harmony campus. The new plan for the cancer center will add approximately 24,000 square feet of new construction to the existing 20,000 square feet presently dedicated to cancer services on the Harmony campus. In all, the new PVHS cancer center will be 43,450 square feet.

Design planning for the new cancer center will start in the next two weeks and is expected to be completed in March. Construction is slated begin in April, with the project completed by April 2013.

The following treatment, support and survivorship services will be provided in the new cancer center:
Café
Child/teen support area
Clinical research
Complementary therapies such as massage and healing touch
Conference room
Counseling/oncology social work
Demonstration kitchen
Healing garden
Infusion center
Lymphedema therapy
Meditation room/chapel
Medical oncology
Nutrition services
Patient and family education area
Patient navigation
Physical rehabilitation
Radiation oncology
Support groups

Read the full press release or go to ENGAGE in life.org to find out more about what you can do to help make this project a reality.

For two nights, Medical Center of the Rockies (MCR) was transformed into a design and culinary experience for the entire community.

Table Hop & Taste was the inaugural event for Medical Center of the Rockies Foundation. It showcased our community’s talent for design and healthy culinary flavors while supporting research and education at MCR.

It was a true example of our gifted, artistic, and hard working community — one word — Amazing!

Table Hop & Taste could not have been a success without its major sponsors. McWhinney, Poudre Valley Medical Group, and FLEXX Productions. Their generosity and support for this event was unbelievable.

All proceeds from Table Hop & Taste supported cutting-edge research opportunities and educational advancements at MCR. These include cardiovascular clinical research through drug and device trials, trauma and emergency education for all levels of care from ambulance to surgery and community-based research projects focused on prevention, health education, health promotion, wellness and disease management.

And the table winner is…

The winning table design goes to McWhinney! The McWhinney table was designed by FLEXX Productions. Winners were decided by attendees placing money in the respective jars on each room’s table. The second place room was the music-themed room.

 

Lew Gaiter III, Steve Johnson, Avie Strand, Kim Vecchio, and Tom Donnelly pose for a photo after the Commissioners and employees received their Foundation Community Hero poster.

Larimer County employees “PAID” it forward by saving change this summer for the Poudre Valley Cancer Center.

Pennies and nickels add up quickly and the participating county facilities raised nearly $2,900 for the Center.

County Commissioner Lew Gaiter III was the Foundation’s champion throughout the campaign and Avie Strand was instrumental in helping us coordinate everyone and everything needed to make it a huge success.

Thank you to all of the county facilities that saved their change. Your generosity is awesome and puts us one step closer to making the Cancer Center a reality.

Participating Larimer County Facilities

200 W. Oak Street

1525 Blue Spruce

Natural Resources

1501 Blue Spruce

2405 Midpoint Drive

Loveland Offices

The Hub

Landfill

224 Canyon Ave

LEAP Office

Fleet Services

Estes Park

Road & Bridge

Thank you! Generosity heals.

A heightened view: Copters for a Cause cheers on a group of golfers during their tee shots.

Copters for a Cause joined the Poudre Valley Hospital Foundation at its 2011 Foundation golf tournament.  

Copters for a Cause, based in Denver, helps raise money for non-profits and individuals with a mission to help.

“We hope to help as many different charities as possible.”   They spent the entire day at Pelican Lakes Golf Club offering helicopter rides to golfers and the community. 

Copters for a Cause topped off the evening with a charity ball drop over the women’s tee box on the first hole (of course, they used small yellow ducks instead of balls). 

100% of the proceeds benefitted the Poudre Valley Cancer Center. 

Oh, yeah… this all happened while over 200 golfers were teeing it up to make our community a healthier place to live, work, and raise a family. 

Two of those golfers had shots they will remember forever. 

 A HOLE IN ONE! or two…

Congratulations to George Hayes and Eric Wayker!  It is amazing to have one, but two in one day – way to go guys!

Thank you to everyone who played in, volunteered, and sponsored the golf tournament this year.  It’s shaping up to be our most successful tournament to date.

Our community is a healthier place because of people like you!

View a video of one of the rides.  More videos on our You Tube page

Or check out our Flickr set to see some photos of the event!

All year long!

Poudre Valley Health System, in collaboration with CanDo and PVHS Livewell, has put together a list of healthy sack lunch ideas, with recipes, so parents can make sure their child gets the nutrition he/she needs.

Eating a healthy lunch will give you and your kids more energy to get through the day. Proper nutrition plays an important role in your overall health and wellbeing. 

For more information about keeping yourself and your family healthy, go to CanDo’s Web site to get amazing resources on how to improve health by eating well and being active.

Everyone at the Poudre Valley Health System Foundation wishes you and your family a healthy and happy school year!

EAT BETTER!    MOVE MORE!

The Medical Center of the Rockies Foundation research department is working with PharmaJet, Inc. to clinically test a needle-free injection system.

Over the last week, MCR Foundation has held testing sessions with 38 volunteer nurses and 150 volunteer recipients.

The PharmaJet injector utilizes a single-use, sterile, auto-disable needle-free syringe and a spring-powered energy source that creates an optimal pressure profile which produces a needle free injection.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare how many volunteer nurses considered the current design or the new design of the PharmaJet needle-free injector easy to use.

Another goal of this study was to measure the nurse’s and recipient’s experience with the PharmaJet needle-free injection in a clinical setting.

The Medical Center of the Rockies Foundation research department has been partnering with PharmaJet for over a year as a test site for this needle-free injection device.

PharmaJet’s goal is to improve health care at home and abroad by delivering a safe and effective alternative to needle and syringe.

View slideshow from the trial

For more information go to, pharmajet.com or mcrresearch.org

Dr. Ann Yanagi, PVH Foundation Board Chair, and Yvonne Myers, MCR Foundation Board member, were honored this morning at the Northern Colorado Business Report Women of Distinction event in Loveland.

Dr. Yanagi was recognized for her work in Health Care, and Ms. Myers was recognized as an Outstanding Volunteer. We are very proud of both of them and appreciate the service they render here, at work, and in other ways in the community. Their recognition today is well deserved.