- General Page Tier 3BlogMindful eating is an approach that examines our eating behaviors, focusing on how our eating patterns make us feel. Focusing on the experience of eating and becoming in touch with our hunger, fullness and satisfaction signals are all mindful eating strategies. This approach helps us enjoy food for the pleasure it provides. You can do this by eating slowly, savoring the flavor and not simultaneously watching a screen, walking around the kitchen or driving a car. Mindful eating apps can be a helpful resource in our quest for healthier eating habits, without putting all of the focus on calories consumed and burned. Let’s take a look at two that are currently available. Ate: This app is visual, easy to use and fast. You can set your own specific eating goals, such as “eat healthier,” and the app will select specific steps to take toward your goal from a variety of behavior-based recommendations. The basic plan is free and this app is ideal for those who prefer accountability that comes with keeping a food record or counting calories. Am I Hungry?: This app puts you in charge of your eating decisions without having to rely on restrictions and rules. It includes a hunger-fullness rating scale that lists strategies to help you understand why you might reach for foods without feeling hungry. With this knowledge, you can determine how to address the feeling, if necessary, with something other than food. For instance, perhaps you are thinking of eating food because you feel stressed. Here are some additional tips to help you become a mindful eater: It all begins with your grocery list. Plan meals and then make a list. Do not stray from the list and do not go to the store hungry. Chew slowly and pay attention to the food, portion, flavor and smell of what you are eating. Put utensils down between bites and engage in conversation, if possible. Eat at a designated place, preferably the kitchen table with no distractions. Do not eat on the run, in the car, standing or while simultaneously doing another activity. Pay attention to your fullness and hunger cues. Sometimes we think we are hungry when we are thirsty, or perhaps you want a break from your workspace, so eating is an excuse to pause. However, ask yourself if you are actually hungry. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you are full, so resist pushing away from the table full. Keep a food journal and note what you eat, how much and your level of hunger on a scale of one to 10. It is also important to not allow yourself to get famished, which can lead to accelerated eating and over consumption. Mindful eating takes a little bit of practice, but it’s not impossible. Over time, the more you do it, the easier it’ll become and the more health benefits you will gain. It’s a way of helping you appreciate food rather that restricting it. So go ahead, reduce the distractions in your surroundings and go savor each flavorful bite. Happy mindful eating! Authors Ann Caldwell and Maureen Shackelford are nutritionists and registered dietitians at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center. To reach them, call 443-481-5555.0
- GivingGeneral Page Tier 3BlogCoffee with Clinicians, hosted by the AAMC Foundation, spotlights the work that is happening throughout Anne Arundel Medical Center. This unique opportunity invites community members to talk directly with AAMC medical providers and leaders about the state of healthcare and about AAMC’s future. These moderated discussions give people a chance to ask questions and interact one-on-one with the providers. Discussions take place in the intimate setting of the Doordan Institute on AAMC’s medical park campus. Coffee with Clinicians, held on Oct. 4, 2016, featured pediatrics and pediatric mental health, which is an immediate crisis in Anne Arundel County. Michael Clemmens, MD, AAMC medical director of pediatrics; Melissa Wellner, MD, AAMC child and adolescent psychiatrist; and Susan Emerson, pediatric CRNP, presented on how AAMC is responding to the crisis. In the last year, we have seen a 13 percent increase in youth under 18 seeking help for mental health issues and illnesses. Community members asked the panel of medical providers about how they could help respond to this crisis. The team answered with this advice: “Work with us to remove the stigma of mental health,” Dr. Clemmens said. “The more we can do that, the better for everyone. Join a committee, support the programs and beat the drum.” For more information about Coffee with Clinicians and how to support these care programs, please contact Gabby Pasternak at 443-481-4735.0
- Stroke CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAAMC’s Power of 2 Peer Mentorship Program matches recent stroke survivors with mentors who have also survived a stroke. After completing a training program, mentors work with recent stroke survivors. Mentors give survivors an opportunity to ask questions, discuss challenges and confront emotions. They offer encouragement, hope and understanding. To learn more, call 443-481-4585.0
- Wellness, Men's Health, Senior Care, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIt’s holiday time again, and the days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s can be filled with temptation. From office parties to family celebrations, the holidays are times of sharing food and entertaining. You can keep your holiday party traditions on track without sacrificing taste. Here are some tips to help enjoy the season and stay healthy. Plan ahead. Try not to arrive at the party hungry. You are less tempted to over-indulge if you eat a light snack before getting there. Eat structured meals. Skipping meals leads to overeating later or snacking on bits and pieces of high calorie foods that have more calories than the meal yet leave you hungry. Budget wisely. Don’t eat everything at the feast. Prioritize favorites and spend calories on the foods you love. Be careful with beverages. Limit alcohol since it is high in calories and can stimulate your appetite. Always consume alcohol with food, and avoid sweet wines and liqueurs. Try club soda, sparkling water or water with a slice of fruit. Make room for fruits and vegetables. Adding fruits and vegetables into your eating routine provides you essential nutrients to keep you healthy and fiber to help you feel full. Plus, these foods are low in calories. Distance yourself from the food table. You’re more likely to overeat if you are next to the food. Remember you are at the event to socialize first. Once you see all the goodies, it is difficult to resist. Make recipe adjustments. Reduce the fat in your favorite holiday recipes and offer to bring one to the holiday party. Your food will have less calories and fat, yet have the same great taste and texture. Use the lower-fat versions of sour cream or cream cheese, or substitute with yogurt or evaporated milk. Substitute whole milk with almond or coconut milk, which still have similar consistencies to whole milk. Following these tips can help you navigate the parties, but what if you end up overeating? Remember, tomorrow is a new day and get back on track without calling yourself “bad.” Food should never define us as people. Also, no one gains 20 pounds overnight. Weight gain occurs from a steady accumulation of overeating. If you eat too much today, eat a little less tomorrow. Exercise also helps relieve holiday stress and prevent weight gain. A moderate and daily increase in exercise can help partially offset increased holiday eating. Although food is an integral part of the holidays, put the focus on family and friends, laughter and cheer. If balance and moderation are your usual guides, it’s okay to indulge once in a while. Remember a holiday feast is one day, the season lasts all month. Happy holidays!0
- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogTywana Jackson, respiratory therapist at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, explains why she decided to get the COVID-19 vaccine. I’ve been stopped quite a bit the last few days. And my fellow co-workers are asking me, “Ms. Tywana, why would you get the vaccine? I’m afraid of the vaccine. What made you do that?” Here’s why. In December, I became one of the first employees to get the vaccine. What an honor it was to receive it. But to be fully transparent, I had some apprehension. I set aside my fears, thinking this small step of faith would not only protect myself, it would also protect others—and lead to the end of this terrible virus. Excitement started to build, as I thought about things kind of going back to normal. And I was glad to do it. But I had a question. Not about the safety of the vaccine, because I had put my trust in the scientific data. So I assumed that was safe. But my question really went to the very core of why I decided to be in health care. Why do we decide to be in health care? Most of us will respond with, I want to help people. I want to help people get well. Well, if that’s true, are you really willing to be a true frontline hero? We like to be recognized as such. It sounds so important. And we may like the perks that go along with it – a discount here, a discount there. What about the reality of being a frontline hero? What does it really mean to be on the frontline? Hopefully, my answer to this will help you to understand why I got the vaccine and help persuade you to do likewise. Prior to 2020, when we thought of frontline heroes, we often thought of our police officers ready to respond to any dangerous situation. We thought about firefighters who are ready at the ring of the bell to respond to blazing fires, rushing in the darkness, rescuing those who are trapped. Or even our soldiers of all ranks in our military, standing shoulder to shoulder, ready with their weapons, charging into battle to protect us. To serve and to respond to any needs of our nation. United, together, one mission, one clarion call. But now, this is a medical crisis. And we cannot call on those valiant men and women to respond to this fight. This fight is ours. In this fight, we must be the leaders. This time, it is us, the medical community, that must stand like frontline soldiers, united. One mission, one call. We must be ready to charge into this medical crisis, united as never before. Our whole health care community — our doctors, nurses, therapists like myself, technicians, housekeeping, lab, pharmacy workers — everyone must unite in an unprecedented way. And collectively stand to defeat that enemy of COVID, which has cast darkness and devastation across our whole world. We must unite with our weapons. Not batons and guns. Not hoses and axes. But stethoscopes, ventilators, medication, X-rays, lab work, oxygen. Lead the way. We cannot ask other front liners to do what we have been trying to do. We cannot influence our community if we don’t lead ourselves. It is our time to shine. Let’s shine a bright pathway toward ending the virus. It starts with the vaccine. And then our community can follow us. Join me in taking the vaccine, so that you truly will be a frontline hero. Lead the way, so that others in the face of darkness can see a light shining through us. Thank you. Stay safe.0
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