LiveWell Vermont

How often do you find yourself saying something like, "I need to stop eating so much sugar!" You might be successful for a day or a week, or you might experience even worse sweet cravings! A lot of the time, when we tell ourselves we can't have something or can't  do something, we start to crave it more. When we are trying to avoid eating or doing something, it can take over our brainspace to be all that we think about! Putting something - chocolate or alcohol or cigarettes or even social media - into that category of "forbidden" makes it very shiny and appealing, and we start to want it even more.  Instead, try to make peace with having treats once in a while .  If we allow that treat to take a healthy place in our routine, we might start to think about it less and actually end up eating it less.  If we are successful in removing the sparkle from the treat by normalizing it in our routine, it can start to lose its power over us. This can be very hard to do,...

Type 1 diabetes is an often misunderstood disease. This National Diabetes month, c heck out some facts about this condition that affects  around  1.6 million Americans, including about 200,000 kids less than 20 years old. True or False? Type 1 diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes because it only affects children. False! Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age, and there is no cure, so it persists into adulthood. True or False? Type 1 diabetes is caused by lifestyle factors, like poor diet and not exercising.  False!  Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that controls blood-sugar levels. T1D develops when the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells are mistakenly destroyed by the body’s immune system. The cause of this attack is still being researched, however scientists believe the cause may have genetic and environmental components. True or False? Having type 1 diabetes means...

We at LiveWell are grateful for our amazing team of Wellness Ambassadors, our wellness program participants, our BCBSVT partners, cube neighbors vs WFH pets -- and, yes, even we are grateful for a few days off to spend with family.  See what our Wellness Ambassador team is grateful for! 

Fall baking season is still here!  Every Tuesday in November, we'll go over a few ideas to make your homemade baked goods HEALTHIER than store bought!  Making your own treats at home gives you so much control over them and increases how satisfying they are. It is so much more enjoyable when you know you have put in the love that results in a delicious treat! This week, we are looking at portion sizes. Have you ever gone to a bakery or deli and seen cookies bigger than your face? That is certainly not a single serving, yet most people will eat the whole cookie themselves in one sitting! Thankfully, if you are making them yourself you can decide exactly how big the portion size is- for any treat!  Portioning out your treats into single servings can help regulate how much you eat at one time.  If baking in smaller portions, adjust the time down accordingly, and you may have to decrease your oven temperature as well for certain items .  Begin checking for donen...

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month  This year's focus is on prediabetes and preventing diabetes. What is Prediabetes? Prediabetes is when your blood sugar levels are elevated above normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes.  Your doctor can do a blood test called hemoglobin A1c, which is a measure of how much sugar sticks to your hemoglobin cells in your blood. This can give a rough estimate of what your blood sugar has averaged for the past 3 months.  If your HgA1c number comes back between 5.7 and 6.4%, you may have prediabetes.  If it is over 6.4%, your doctor might decide to run more tests to see if you have diabetes. Take this  quiz  to determine your risk for type 2 diabetes! LiveWell Vermont's top three actions to reduce risk of diabetes especially if you have been told you have prediabetes: 1. Move more!   Cardio exercise (like walking, biking, or dancing) utilizes the glucose that is digested from our ...

  Mark Twain put it well when he said "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it hundreds of time." Join the Great American Smokeout and make your plan to quit. Every year on the third Thursday in November, the American Cancer Society encourages people to seek out resources to quit smoking.  Check out these resources for quitting NOW: Vermont Resources  -802 Quits is your place for support, free nicotine replacement, free fun habit replacements, tips for cravings, and how to make YOUR quit plan. Reasons to quit  and how to quit   from the American Cancer Society  How much money will you save from quitting smoking?  A BIG perk!!! LiveWell Vermont Wellness Coaching  The LiveWell Vermont Wellness Coaches can help with providing accountability and helping you make your quit plan, as well as support other healthy habits around nutrition, physical activity, and mental wellness. Email us at dhr.LiveWellVermont@vermont.gov for more information about Wel...

We love fall baking season! Every Tuesday in November, we'll go over a few ideas to make your homemade baked goods HEALTHIER than store bought!  Baked goods should be eaten in moderation because of their high calorie content and low nutrient density. This means that they provide a lot of calories without providing much protein, fiber, or vitamins.  A 500 calorie salad with chicken, beans, cheese, and tons of veggies can keep you full for hours, but a 500 calorie muffin may not fill you up at all, and you'll likely be hungry again relatively quickly. In this example, the salad has high nutrient density and the muffin has low nutrient density for the same amount of calories.  Many of the calories in baked goods come from sugar (which is 4 calories per gram) and fat (which is 9 calories per gram).  Reducing the fat in any food can significantly bring down the calorie content. But fat has many functions in our food and in our bodies! 1. Flavor and satiety Fat carries fla...

  November is National #DiabetesMonth! Prediabetes is a serious health condition affecting more than 1 in 3 U.S. adults. Follow these tips from the @National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) about how to manage and even reverse your prediabetes: ·          Start with small changes to your lifestyle. · Move more. · Consume healthier foods and drinks. · Lose weight and keep it off. · Seek health support from your doctor. · Stay up to date on vaccinations. See more here! People who have prediabetes have a 50% chance of developing diabetes over the next 5 to 10 years. This National #DiabetesMonth, learn how to prevent diabetes by managing or even reversing your prediabetes from the @National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).  Food for thought: What is the role of the community in preventing diabetes?

  You're Sweet Enough! Every Tuesday in November, we'll go over a few ideas to make your homemade baked goods also HEALTHIER than store bought!        Remember that our bodies adapt to what we give them. After reducing your intake of sweets for a time, some foods will taste sweeter - your taste buds adjust! Cut down just a little      In most recipes, you can reduce the sugar by up to 1/3 without compromising taste or texture! If the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, try reducing to 2/3 cup, or anywhere in between 2/3 and 1 cup. Experiment with your favorite recipes to see what you like (or where you can even tell the difference). Fruit      Add sweetness using fruit. Mashed ripe bananas adds sweetness and a nice dense texture, mixing in dried fruit gives a pop of sweetness and flavor, and cooking fruit-based treats (like apple crisp!) are always a hit. You can use fruit juice as some of the liquid in certain recipes as wel...

  Do you have a loved one with Alzheimer's disease? Do you know anyone caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease?  Support  is available.  Download a PDF copy of this infographic and see other tools and resources to raise awareness this month here .

Baking season is arguably the best part of these cool weather days. Filling your home with warmth, spicy smells, and celebration is such a nice comfort. The alchemy of turning a pile of ingredients into something delicious can give you lots of pride - knowing that you created something that will bring joy and nourishment to you and your loved ones!  Even if your baked goods don't turn out perfectly, they're still miles better than anything store-bought! Warm and fresh win every time.  Every Tuesday in November, we'll go over a few ideas to make your homemade baked goods also HEALTHIER than store bought! Week One: Pump up the fiber Fiber is great for digestion and can help regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol, reduce risk of certain types of cancers, and increase satiety to help you stay full between meals.  1. Add fruits and vegetables Choose recipes for produce -packed baked treats.  Banana bread, zucchini bread, and pumpkin bread all fit this bill!    ...

 Feeling overwhelmed? It's easy to get lost in a task or stressed about a meeting or phone call.  When that happens, try this quick mindfulness exercise to reset, ground yourself, and bring yourself back into the present moment. Mindfulness is defined by Merriam-Webster as:  the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis You can this exercise: sitting or standing silently or aloud alone or with a partner/ group quickly or slowly  eyes open or closed  Take 5 Mindfulness Exercise      Take a deep breath. As you breathe out slowly, think of  5 things you can see      Take a deep breath. As you breathe out slowly, think of  4 things you can hear      Take a deep breath. As you breathe out slowly, think of  3 things you can feel      Take a deep breath. As you breathe out slowly, thin...

It's hard to say "see you later" to the beloved green of our Green Mountains. The firey explosion of fall colors is short lived, and the period between foliage season and the first snow can be rather drab.  Nature has mood-boosting benefits and some of that comes from filling up our eyes with pretty green leaves, grass, and trees. When the green is replaced by browns and whites, it can take a toll on our mental health. Enter- HOUSE (or office) PLANTS! Bring nature inside to YOU! Bringing some GREEN into your living and working space is a great way to boost your mood, focus, and productivity.  Bonus: houseplants help to clean the air in your home, some more than others. Check out this list of favorites! Pick any of the following to boost your mood during this shoulder season: Take this as an invitation to treat yo'self to a new plant friend for your desk. Trim a clipping, propagate a succulent, or transplant a baby (plant, of course) and give it to a friend or coworker...

 Ahh, yogurt, fruit, and granola... a satisfying snack or a balanced breakfast!  But it's always fun to try a new spin on a classic favorite.  Many of our snacks and breakfasts these days lean sweet, which can be tiring for our palate. Eating too many sweet snacks can make us less sensitive to sweet tasting treats, which makes us crave more sugar.  Instead, try swapping out your typical yogurt routine with savory flavors! This Mediterranean-inspired snack can shake up your routine-your taste buds might throw a party. Base: Plain Greek yogurt (non fat, low fat, or full fat) be careful to not use vanilla yogurt! Toppings: fresh cut veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, radishes, carrots Flavor: try garlic and onion powder , or experiment with spice blends such as Zaatar, ras-el-hanout, baharat, or even taco seasoning  Crunch: nuts or seeds (sesame seeds, walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, etc), or  roasted crispy chickpeas Dress it up: add a drizzle of ext...

Now that the days of fresh summer vegetables are sliding into the rearview mirror, it can be hard to get in your recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies!  Root vegetables are generally harvested near the end of the growing season, and store well during the cool months! Root veggies are high in fiber, potassium, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and vitamin C.  (Pictured: candy cane beets before cooking.) Comment below: How many of these root veggies have you tried? How many do you still have to learn to like? -Sweet potatoes -White potatoes -Onions -Garlic -Ginger -Turnips -Rutabaga -Beets -Radishes  -Carrots -Parsnips -Celeriac  Tips for Trying:  Pair new or unfamiliar flavors with foods you already know and like. For example, if you know you love carrots, sweet potatoes, and onions, but aren't sure if you like turnips, roast together mostly the veggies you like and add a little bit of just one new one. The flavors will balance and play off each other and yo...

When was the last time you washed your hands? While we at Wellness have always been big fans of handwashing, the simple habit has gotten worldwide attention over the past year and a half. We couldn't be more thrilled that one of our favorite healthy habits has been promoted to the spotlight! As we arrive into cold, flu, and virus season, handwashing becomes more important every day. Wash yours hands before and after: eating and drinking or preparing food  touching your face coming into contact with high-touch surfaces changing diapers and after using the restroom touching trash touching animals Regular handwashing keeps germs at bay and helps keep us from picking up sicknesses.  Now that deserves... a hand.  Try out following the WHO guidelines to get your hands extra clean!  Check out this infographic  about worldwide statistics and efforts to increase handwashing.  For more, visit  Global Handwashing Day | The Global Public-Private Partnership for Ha...

  Welcome, Fall!   It’s a new season  and the leaves are changing. With the temperatures dropping, that means it’s time to get ready for cooler temps, especially  making sure we are safe in our homes when it’s time to turn on  our heaters. Get cozy,  and stay alert for carbon monoxide poisoning.   Make sure you have carbon monoxide alarms installed  in the hallway outside of every sleeping room. T est they are working properly   and change the batteries  twice per year. If the alarm sounds, leave the house and call the fire department.    Have your heating system serviced yearly. If you haven’t done so yet, now is a good time to get that  upkeep  scheduled!     K now the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning:   Dull headache   Weakness   Dizziness   Nausea or vomiting   Shortness of breath   Confusion   Blurred vision   Loss of consciousness   If left untreated, carb...

  Happy fall, y’all! PSL season (that’s Pumpkin Spice Latte for all the Team Summer folks out there) is upon us! If you are a die-hard PSL drinker who waits all year for the coffee shops to announce the unofficial start of fall, we’ve made it! This is the signal that it’s time for peeping colorful leaves, enjoying cooler temps, and … possibly drinking a lot of sugar in liquid form. It's very easy to consume way more sugar from drinking than when eating, as you may not notice how sweet something is when you’re sipping. Sugar is also absorbed much more rapidly in liquid form, which could lead to blood sugar spikes and then dips. In a 16 oz Starbucks PSL, there are 50 g sugar. In a medium DD PSL, there are 55 g sugar. That is roughly about the same amount of sugar as a regular Coke. It’s about equal to 13 teaspoons of table sugar, or about 20 Hershey’s kisses. Annoyingly, there is more sugar than pumpkin in the typical pumpkin spice latte. Treating yourself to a pumpkin...

  Most of us have been affected by breast cancer in someone we know. Each October, we take time to promote awareness of the importance of regular screenings and raise funds for research and treatment. Leave a comment on this post to honor or memorialize a loved one affected by breast cancer.  You can get wellness points for logging your mammogram under preventative health screenings in your portal! For more on national efforts, visit  Breast Cancer Awareness Month - National Breast Cancer Foundation Closer to home, check out VDH's screening program for eligible participants:  You First | Vermont Department of Health (healthvermont.gov)

Feeling a little anxious or scattered with the transition to Fall? You are NOT ALONE!! Luckily, yoga has been known to help ease stress, reduce feelings of nervousness, and enhance mindfulness. For these reasons, yoga can be a great tool during this time where many things are changing at once and feelings of anxiety can be extreme.  When you’re anxious, your mind can get carried away with worrying about things that might happen, and that actually makes you feel worse and can cause other symptoms, like insomnia. Meditation teaches people certain skills that can help counteract that tendency, like staying in the moment, recognizing worried thoughts when they’re happening, and preventing them from getting worse. If you are not interested in meditation, perhaps practicing a few simple grounding poses can help! 1st Chakra - Muladhara “Mula” (root) “Adhara” (support) Aka the root/base chakra. It is associated with primordial instincts such as our sense of smell and need for stability in ...