You’ve been invited to join the first-ever SmartPractice Healthier Practices Wellness Initiative, where all year you can better focus on wellness for your practice, team and patients and clients.
Each quarter, you will focus on a different wellness topic. The second topic is Nutrition Wellness.
Eating a healthy diet is not about strict limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, improving your health, and boosting your mood.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to be overly complicated. If you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition and diet advice out there, you’re not alone. It seems that for every expert who tells you a certain food is good for you, you’ll find another saying exactly the opposite.
The truth is that while some specific foods or nutrients have been shown to have a beneficial effect on mood, it’s your overall dietary pattern that is most important.
The cornerstone of a healthy diet should be to replace processed food with real food whenever possible. Eating food that is as close as possible to the way nature made it can make a huge difference to the way you think, look, and feel.
While exploring nutrition wellness, you can participate in a challenge, learn tips and educate your team, patients and clients along the way!
Eat the Rainbow Challenge
This challenge is designed to encourage you to broaden your diet and include fruits and vegetables from the colors of the rainbow.
Fruits and vegetables fall into 5 color categories: Red, purple/blue, green, white/brown and yellow/orange.
Practice eating the rainbow by filling your plate with fruits and vegetables from each color category. Snap a picture and share it with us, your team and patients/clients!
Encourage your team/staff to join in for the week and even create a friendly office competition! Also, share on your practice’s social media pages inviting your patients and clients to join in the challenge too.
*Reminder to consult your doctor when making changes to your diet/nutrition.*
Tips to start eating healthy
Here are some tips to get started eating a healthy, balanced diet.
- Monitor your overall salt intake: 1500mg/day
- Limit your added sugar intake (naturally occurring sugar, such as in fruit, is okay)
- Cut back on soda
- Try to eat more whole grains and less processed white flour
- Avoid boxed/bagged meals when possible
- Meal prep
*Reminder to consult your doctor when making changes to your diet/nutrition.*
Healthy Recipe to Try
Are you sometimes out of ideas for healthy lunches and dinners? Or need an easy recipe to meal prep for the week?
We have you covered with this yummy Grilled Chicken Power Bowl recipe! Quick, easy & healthy! This is a yummy meal that everyone will love. Make it for lunch to bring into your practice or dinner for the family. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be overly complicated!
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup rice (white, brown or rice alternative)
- Cherry tomatoes halved
- Spinach
- Avocado
- Pumpkin seeds
- Feta cheese
- Light dressing of choice
Instructions:
- Cook chicken and rice.
- Assemble all ingredients together in bowls and drizzle dressing on top.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge for later.
*Reminder to consult your doctor when making changes to your diet/nutrition.*
Resources
There are many great resources available to learn more about nutrition wellness. Below are a few we love:
Share these resources, and any you find on your own, with your team and patients/clients. Include them in your practice newsletter, send an email blast or share on your social media. Also, encourage your practice to research on their own about the importance of nutrition wellness.
Educate Your Practice
As part of the Healthier Practices Wellness Initiative, you’re invited to take the information shared and use it to educate your practice. Include your staff and learn together. Share with your patients/clients so they can learn with you.
Utilize social media, email, newsletters, etc. to share information, resources and tips with your team and patients/clients. Create challenges and encourage participation in activities to make it fun for everyone!
More ideas:
- Hold a lunch and learn for your team
- Develop wellness campaigns for your team and patients/clients
- Market local wellness initiatives and events
- Provide wellness content in your practice newsletter and on your social media pages
- Organize a team recipe swap
- Remind your team and patients/clients about the importance of wellness checkups and preventative health measures
