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by APOGEE’s Nutrition Staff

Have you ever said, “I’m going eat well, starting today!” Of course that’s an admirable goal: Your health, energy and weight will benefit from a diet of whole, natural, unprocessed foods. But such a sweeping, all-or-nothing plan is hard to achieve.

Don’t get us wrong: It’s important to have a target to motivate you and provide a focus. But goals without practical steps may set you up for failure. At APOGEE, we make sure clients’ goals are are SMART –that is, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. And once you’ve reached your goal (and I promise you will), you can build on it.  Here’s how to make sure your plan is SMART.

Specific
Your goal is specific if you can ask yourself: what will happen, where and when. For example,  “I will eat a healthful breakfast of fruit and yogurt at home four days this week,” and  “I will bring a salad to work for lunch two days this week” are specific. A non-specific goal is, “I will start eating better lunches.”  The what is the food, the where is at home or at work and the when is four times this week.

Measureable
Your goal is measurable if you can ask yourself: How will I know I’ve reached this goal? The simplest way to quantify your goal is to include a number: Three lunch salads a week or four breakfasts. Then, choose a timeframe: “I will eat a healthful breakfast of fruit and yogurt at home four days this week.” If you achieve the goal, extend the timeframe—for two weeks or until the end of the month, for example.

Attainable
Make your goals small-scale and you’ll achieve success. For example, it’s tough to go from never eating breakfast at home to always eating breakfast at home. Instead, try the new behavior two days a week. Succeed at that, and within a month you’ll be more likely to be practicing the new behavior most days of the week.

Timely
A goal should have a time frame—so there is sense of urgency to complete it—and a beginning and an end. “This week, I’m going to eat a salad at lunch on Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” is timely and specific. Plus, success will come quickly when you have an end date in the not-too-distant future.

Realistic
Be certain that you are willing and able to make the changes you need to in order to achieve your goal. It’s not realistic to say you will never eat cake or chips again! Instead, look at your life: If you’re eating cake every night now, perhaps you can cut back to cake once a week and fruit on other nights. If you’re snacking on corn chips every day, perhaps you can switch to crunchy vegetables on weeknights and corn chips on the weekend. Being realistic sets you up for success.

Good luck being SMART! Let us know how this style of goal-setting works for you by posting a comment here or on our Facebook page.

Rye resident Patti Whalen is successful in many ways: She’s raised two kids, works at a job she loves, is active in the community, and has a happy marriage. But until recently, she’d forgotten one thing: Fitness. “I had not done any exercise since the birth of my daughter, who is now 19,” Patti says.

Patti had made some attempts to deal with the 30 pounds she’d put on over 20 years. “I tried Jenny Craig and lost weight but gained it all back,” she says. She went on Weight Watchers, joined the Y and started walking. “Nothing worked,” she says. Weight became more of a struggle when Patti was diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer 10 years ago: She retained a lot of fluid due to the chemo.

Then in late 2009, Patti’s cousin, Dr. Howard Sichel, made a comment. “He told me, ‘Movement heals,’” she says, “and that rang the bell.” The statement made sense for Patti: It was motivating without being punitive, and it was about the process, not a pie-in-the-sky end result. Howard told her about APOGEE and suggested she start private Pilates sessions with Dorothy Polanowska.

In January, Patti walked into her first class. “I told myself, ‘I don’t know where I’ve been for 20 years, but now it’s time to take care of me,’” she recalls. She began Intro to Mat classes with Dorothy, then added Intro to Tower with Lisa Klasner and Beginner Mat with Deborah Slade. When Patti balked at trying a cardio class, Dorothy walked her to the Cardio Circuit class and rode on the bike next to her. Patti tried her first Pilates group class during the Open House in March. “It was helpful because I broke out of my safety zone and did a group class on the Tower and the Reformer. I had only done those privately. I now know that I am capable,” she says. “It was a whole new level for me!” Now Patti is taking three or four Pilates classes a week and fitting in at least one cardio session.

Pilates makes Patti feel “taller, stronger, thinner and more toned,” she says. “I’m more grounded on my feet; I feel more symmetrical.” In March, Patti slipped on some ice but didn’t fall—with her strong core, she was able to regain her balance quickly. “When I walk outside I feel lighter, I don’t have that exhausting feeling,” she says. Emotionally, she’s healthier, too. “I feel more relaxed,” she says. “Maybe it’s because I’m doing something for myself.”

By early May, Patti had lost 11 pounds—“without dieting!” she says. “I’m just making better choices.” Upon joining APOGEE, Patti met with APOGEE nutritionist Jennifer Vagios, who gave her a handout detailing high-energy snacks such as nuts and yogurt. Patti has also learned a lot from the APOGEE Café: she now drinks lemon water and green tea at home. “I take my cues from APOGEE,” she says. “It’s such a peaceful place, it even smells good. It’s like a spa!”

Patti feels as if she’s reclaimed her body and her life. She’s introduced her daughter to Pilates and they’re both “addicted,” she says. She hopes to be a model for others who have gotten in a rut. “I felt sad,” she says. “I hope I can inspire someone who felt sad like I did.” Her own inspirational phrase might just work: “No matter what you do, keep moving!”

by Jennifer Vagios, R.D.
APOGEE’s Dietitian

It’s rare that I can recommend one food that can be so many things: a tasty side dish, a high-fiber breakfast, a gluten-free option for those with celiac disease, a high-protein addition to salads, a balanced amino-acid staple for vegetarians and vegans. And this versatile food cooks in 15 to 20 minutes. Superfood? I think so!

Quinoa (keen-wah) is native to South America. Each little grain has a tail that unfurls when it’s cooked so it’s fluffy; the grains are also slightly crunchy. Like rice or other grains, quinoa has a mild flavor. The pale beige or translucent variety is the most common; the red and black varieties have a slightly nuttier flavor. Use quinoa as you would rice or couscous: as a side dish or base for a salad or in burritos or casseroles, in soups and stews, or added to muffins, as you would oatmeal.  You can also grind quinoa into flour and use it in baked goods. I love it as a breakfast grain, with chopped almonds, fruit and cinnamon. You may have seen quinoa in the APOGEE Café in salads, or even muffins.

The most nutritious grain: As versatile as it is, the real benefits of quinoa come from its nutritional profile. It contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein—the best amino acid profile of any grain, nearly as complete as an egg. A quarter cup of red quinoa has 6 grams of protein, 170 calories and 5 grams of fiber, making it a good source of fiber.

But there’s more: Quinoa is also a good source of potassium, which helps control blood pressure; magnesium, which helps to relax blood vessels, possibly reducing the frequency of migraines as well as protecting cardiovascular health; and Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin, a vitamin necessary for proper energy production within cells, also shown to possibly reduce the frequency of attacks in migraine sufferer; the amino acid lysine, essential for tissue growth and repair.

Quick to cook: You can buy quinoa in a bag or in bulk. Store it in an airtight container, as you would any grain. Before you cook it, rinse to remove a dusty residue known as saponin—just run cold water over the seeds in a fine mesh strainer. (The saponin is natural coating that actually protects the grain and helps it fend off pests). Look for quinoa from such brands as Bob’s Red Mill, Eden, Indian Harvest and 365 (the Whole Foods house brand). Ancient Harvest markets quinoa flakes as a breakfast cereal.

To prepare, add one part of the grain to two parts liquid in a sauce pan.  Allow the mixture to come to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. You can also dry-roast the seeds before cooking for an even nuttier, toasty taste. Add your favorite dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, toasted sesame oil, and ginger will all complement the grain.

Let me know how you like quinoa—or, if you’re already a fan, how you use it. You can post a comment on my Facebook page or share your comments with APOGEE’s growing online community.

by Jennifer Vagios, R.D.
APOGEE’s Dietitian

When you think of fresh food, you probably picture green veggies and colorful fruits. But there’s another food that’s so fresh that it’s alive in your fridge: cultured yogurt and kefir. These foods are made using bacteria cultures known as probiotics. The bacteria are beneficial: Not only are they digesting the lactose in the dairy, but once in your gut these probiotics will boost your health in many ways.

Fermenting or culturing foods with probiotics is an ancient art that’s getting a lot of attention. The Food Agricultural Organization of the World Health Organization defines probiotics as “live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host.” Research has proven that probiotics improve the body’s ability to resist intestinal infection and improve digestion. They’re being investigated as a way to boost immune function, ease colitis and irritable bowel syndrome and even contribute to a healthier heart.

You are most likely to be familiar with one fermented probiotic food: yogurt. There are yogurts with bacteria that do specific tasks, such as improve regularity or boost immune function. But kefir is just as active—perhaps even more so. While most yogurts contain five or six species of probiotic bacteria, kefir has as many as ten. And now kefir comes in non-dairy versions: So Delicious is marketing a coconut kefir, which is cultured coconut milk, so even vegans can get the benefits of active probiotic cultures.

Kefir is thick and creamy—even the 2 percent or non- fat versions. Unlike most yogurts, you can pour kefir, making it the perfect base for smoothies. Just add fruit and perhaps a handful of flaxseed meal and flax oil. Or mix it with granola or nuts and fruit in the morning instead of milk. You can use kefir in any recipe that calls for buttermilk or yogurt. Just keep in mind that the living bacteria are fragile: Cooking will kill the good guys!

Like milk, kefir delivers calcium; if it’s fortified, kefir also contains Vitamin D. But the real benefit of kefir comes from the billions of bacteria that are busy breaking down the lactose sugars, making kefir easier to digest than milk.  Once in your gut, these living cells crowd out any disease-causing bacteria and ease digestion. Because your intestines are a key part of your immune system, a healthier gut helps you fight off—and recover from—viruses and even traveler’s diarrhea. (If you have digestive health problems or a diagnosis, you should talk to your doctor before changing your diet. )

The truly ambitious natural foods enthusiast might want to make their own You’ll need kefir grains, which are little nodules of live bacteria. Added to good quality milk, they’ll begin digesting it immediately and with a day or two, will have turned milk into kefir. Now that’s fresh!

By Jennifer Vagios, R.D.
APOGEE’s Dietitian

When clients tell me they want a more healthful diet, but aren’t sure how to go about it, I always ask, “Are you eating your greens?”

By greens, I mean leafy vegetables such as kale and Swiss chard that thrive in cooler temperatures. These tasty veggies add nutrition to any meal—try to include them in your diet three to five times a week. My favorites are kale and Swiss chard; collard and mustard greens are also nutritious and easy to prepare.  I shred greens and add them to soups, stews, salads, pasta sauces and omelets.

Rich Sources
The deep green color of kale and Swiss chard is one clue that their thick leaves are packed with nutrients: These vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese; both also contain vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, iron, vitamin E and dietary fiber, with Swiss chard delivering more of these nutrients. In fact, there’s so much vitamin K in Swiss chard that people using blood thinners such as Coumadin should check with their doctor before making it part of their regular diet. Swiss chard also contains the phytonutrient anthocyan, which has given this vegetable bragging rights to possibly protect against digestive tract cancers. All winter greens are a very good source of calcium.

Shop for Fresh
At the store, choose greens that have a deep, dark color, without wilting and discoloration. Store them with a damp paper towel in a plastic bag in the fridge and wash in cold water before using; I use a salad spinner.

Chop
You’ll be able to use the celery-like stem of Swiss Chard—just chop or shred it along with the leaves. If your kale has a thick center rib, you may want to remove it with two swipes of a knife before slicing the leaves into ribbons or shredding them by hand.

Sauté or Steam
As well as tossing them raw into soups, stews, sauces and omelets, you can sauté greens to use them as a side dish. Start with eight cups of chopped or shredded greens, 1/2 cup of water and minced garlic to your taste. Saute the garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil to soften it, then add the greens and water. Stir, cover and cook until wilted. Or steam your greens, then top them with garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Make enough for two meals and use the leftovers in an omelet, sauce or even a burrito!