An Independent Monthly Newspaper Serving the Community since 1988

The Thanksgiving Day Gorge

It may be hard to believe, but the average Thanksgiving Day meal is 3,000 Calories and 229 Grams of Fat. Then again, maybe it’s not that hard to believe. After all, many people tend to condition themselves for the Thanksgiving Day “main event” and will continue on the holiday eating roadmap through the new year. It seems as if overeating during the holidays is nearly as traditional as the holidays themselves.

In addition to concerns about fitting into your favorite jeans, holiday weight gain may contribute to a state of overweight or, eventually, obesity. Both increase the risk of high cholesterol levels (especially LDL, or "bad," cholesterol levels), heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and other insulin-related conditions, not to mention other health problems. An estimated 55 percent of American residents are currently overweight. Avoiding the average six to eight pounds the average person puts on over the holidays may help stave off future problems.

The following are nine tips from Better Nutrition to help you out:

1) Eat a decent breakfast and lunch. Don't starve yourself until the big meal arrives.

2) Exercise before the meal; this will suppress your appetite and boost your metabolism.

3) Drink two or three glasses of water before the feast begins.

4) Avoid conflict or dysfunctional family dynamics that can stress you out to the point where you take solace in food.

5) Eat 3/4 of the food on your plate and don't overload it.

6) Reduce your intake by refusing seconds.

7) Remember that you can always enjoy leftovers the next day.

8) Forgive yourself if you do overeat. One large meal is not a problem; many large meals in a row are.

9) Keep a journal of what you eat. Remember that one pound is equal to 3,500 calories.

Walk it off...Thanksgiving Calorie Calculator

(Use the Thanksgiving calorie calculator to total your Thanksgiving feast calories and see how far you must walk in steps, miles and kilometers to walk it off.  Check as many Thanksgiving dinner menu items as you wish and then see the steps and distance you must walk to walk off the Thanksgiving calories!)

*** Three cups salad with diet dressing, ...that comes to 100 calories. You will need to walk 1 miles, 1.61 kilometers, or 2000 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.

Cochiti Elementary and Middle School hosts “For the Health of It”

The Cochiti Elementary and Middle School staff is pleased to announce that they will be hosting a fun run and health fair beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2009. “For the Health of It” has been organized by Cochiti Schools’ Wellness Committee and its Parent Teacher-Student Organization (PTSO) and sponsored by the Albuquerque Indian Health Board and others.

Principal Michael Weinberg said, “We will introduce parents and students to healthier foods, healthier lifestyles, various forms of exercise, and other healthy habits and practices. Information sessions, health screenings, food samplings, and a walk/run on three courses of differing abilities will be offered. The goal is to increase parent and student understanding of and commitment to health and wellness.”

For more information, contact Celeste Gchachu at 465-5551 or Michael Weinberg, Principal of Cochiti Elementary and Middle School at 867-5555.

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