Workshop #5: Weight Management through Good Nutrition

With only two days left until our 12th Annual Education Conference, today's post highlights the fifth of six afternoon workshops. We are pleased to welcome back the always inspiring and informative Meridith Paterson of Paterson Nutrition Consulting as our workshop presenter.

Workshop #5: Weight Management through Good Nutrition

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight can best be accomplished through proper nutrition. This workshop is designed to provide participants with practical tips on how to improve diet to promote weight loss and weight management. Discussion will focus on portion control, meal planning and developing healthy eating and exercise habits--practical ideas that can be applied immediately to make a healthy impact for a lifetime. The presenter will also share the latest information on intuitive eating and its possible role in weight loss. Intuitive eating is an approach that teaches people to respond to their inner body cues to create a healthy relationship with food, mind and body.

Presenter: Meridith M. Paterson, MS, RD, LDN, has more than 11 years of experience practicing, educating and counseling in the field of dietetics. She is an instructor at Penn State University-Greater Allegheny Campus and registered dietitian for Community LIFE.

A Healthy Start to 2011: Nutrition Tips from Helpguide

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It's the start of a brand new year! Many will make resolutions to incorporate healthier habits into their lives to impact their overall well-being, and changing diet and nutrition routines are common New Year's resolutions.

Are you interested in beginning 2011 with healthier eating habits? Visit Helpguide's Diet and Nutrition page for articles on sensible dietary changes that can increase your energy, boost your mood and help you get 2011 off to a great start.

For more information about mental health and wellness,  be sure to visit NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania online and keep up with our blog with a subscription to our RSS feed!


Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

Beets for Brains!

Some rights reserved by Darwin Bell

New research from Wake Forest University indicates that a daily serving of beet juice boosts blood flow to your brain, which can keep your mind sharp and can help protect against dementia and poor cognition as you age.  

Summarizing the research findings, an article on Medical News today discusses how nitrate-rich beets work to boost blood flow in areas of the brain that need it.  As nitrate is processed by the body, it is turned into nitrite, and this opens up blood vessels and thus improves blood flow.  Previous research has looked at how eating beets can lower blood pressure and improve exercise performance, but this is the first study that has examined how this super-food impacts the brain.

For more information about mental health and wellness,  be sure to visit NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania online and keep up with our blog with a subscription to our RSS feed!


Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary