Good Mood Diet Blog

A very important part of healthy living is attending live performances. When you watch TV your eyes go into “ocular lock” which means your eyes go into a staring mode and your brain shuts down. However, when watching a live performance your brain is fully functional with all synapses firing!

Live performance is a complete body–brain experience. Emotions are highly engaged, social skills are activated through this communal experience with other audience members, imaginations are piqued, cognitive skills are developed as you think about the meaning of the performance, and even the kinesthetic intelligence gets strengthened as you relate “physically” through mirror neurons to the performers’ movements on stage.

I founded Kaleidoscope Dance Company 27 years ago so that people of all ages and backgrounds would have the experience of seeing appropriate and engaging LIVE dance performance. The Gift of Dance Concert, December 9 at 3:00 at Shorewood High School in Seattle is particularly engaging because the dancers are young people ages 7-16 who have been collaborating together to choreograph dances inspired by works of visual art from the last two centuries. The pieces include a wide variety of styles, content, costuming, and music!

The Gift of Dance Concert is appropriate for all ages - from toddlers through elders. It is truly an intergenerational, brain-compatible, and very moving experience!

Please join us in celebration of the season.

Anne Green Gilbert
Founder and Artistic Director
Creative Dance Center and Kaleidoscope and Mosaic Dance Companies

• What do my cholesterol numbers mean?
• What is my goal cholesterol level?
• How often should I have my levels checked?
• How does exercise affect my cholesterol levels?
• What type of foods should I eat?
• Will I need cholesterol-lowering medicine?
• How long will it take to reach my cholesterol goals?

Another good resource is called Questions to ask you doctor (for women). Select from a list of over 100 conditions and treatments for a specific list of questions.

I wish I had a nickel for every time that someone at a party or in my exercise class, or someplace during my day, has told me that they've "fallen off their diet wagon and can't get back up". While I appreciate how devastated they are, I see this just as another fact of life.

Life happens to everyone. Just as we've got all our plans made and our lives organized, and we feel that we're on cruise, something hits the fan: a child gets sick, the toilet overflows, we back into a pole with the car, something happens to throw our routine out of whack. And once the routine is gone, often our diet and exercise plans hit the skids. But that doesn't mean that the program is over for good.

As I said, I see these happenings as just part of life. If you take it in stride and take care of what needs to be taken care of, you will ultimately go back to the nutrition and exercise plan that made you feel so good to begin with. You might fall off the wagon, but if the program you were on really made you feel great, then you'll ultimately return to it when you no longer can stand how rotten you feel. You will find or make the time again, believe me. Sometimes even while you're still in the middle of dealing with whatever has hit the fan.

Ideally you won't drop everything that's sacred to you. You will always cope better with stress if you have feel-great foods in your diet and you have some regular activity. Try to keep breakfast in your day, your flaxseed meal, your smoothie, some fish in your diet, and your hot cocoa at night. Pull out your pedometer and start counting your steps again. You'll be surprised at how much better you'll feel once you get back to keeping track of something that you know is good for you.

Every life has bumps in the road. If you've been following The Good Mood Diet, you know how great you feel. When the wagon hits a rut and you fall off, at least you'll know what steps to take to get yourself back up on the wagon. It will work for you again, and again, and again.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

There is no question that having the support of a buddy while you're trying to change lifestyle behavior is a very successful strategy. They support you, encourage you, and sometimes even hold your feet to the fire. There's nothing like having to be accountable to someone who has your best interest at heart.

Buddies can be your walking or exercise partner, your confidant about stress in your life, or the person who you spend your evenings with who says "are you sure you want to eat that?". A recent study has shown that even a computer can be a supportive buddy.

In the CHAT study (Community Health Advice by Telephone), subjects were divided into three groups: one that received no phone calls, one that received calls from trained health educators, and one that received interactive calls from a computer. The groups who received calls were encouraged to continue their exercise regimen, and to increase their exercise time. The goal was to get them out walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes most days, or engage in some other medium-intense activity, for a total of about 150 minutes a week.

While the subjects expected that they'd need human support, both groups who received calls succeeded at topping 150 minutes per week. The group receiving a human call averaged 178 minutes per week and the group that received a computerized call reached 157 minutes per week. The group that didn't receive a call reached only 118 minutes per week.

So don't discount the impact of reminders and supportive interaction. I spend many hours a day sitting at my computer working. I program it to give me reminders every 45 minutes to get up and walk around, stretch, do a few jumping jacks, and clear my head. I feel better and I'm much more productive. I am certain that I gain more in productivity than I lose in time with these breaks. But I'm not sure that I'd take them if not for my computerized buddy reminders.

So enlist a human buddy, call a friend, or program your computer to help you make the changes that you'd like to make in your life, and accomplish your goals.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

Your body needs water to work well. Here are the facts that might help you understand:

75% of your body is water
80% of your brain is water
75% of muscle tissue is water
92% of blood is water

Without enough water none of these organs work well and here are the reasons why:

Your blood, mostly water, carries nutrients and oxygen to all the cells in your body. If you have too little water, your blood is too thick and the nutrients and oxygen can’t make it to the far-off cells.

Water helps convert food into energy. If you want to have enough energy, you need to drink enough water.

Water helps to regulate your body temperature.

You only have to be 1% dehydrated to notice and be thirsty.

There is a 10% decrease in your mental performance by the time you feel thirsty.

Being 2% dehydrated reduces your ability to work.

Being 4% dehydrated results in lethargy, apathy and mental symptoms.

If you are dehydrated, you are more likely to have trouble concentrating, be more irritable and have more headaches.

Long-term effects of being dehydrated include kidney and urinary tract infections, constipation, continence problems, and kidney stones.

It might be hard to believe that drinking more water helps reduce obesity and bed-wetting in children.

If you are well hydrated, exercise feels more enjoyable.

For school age children:

• Five-year olds should have at least 50 ounces per day.
• Ten-year olds should drink at least 60 ounces.

For adults or children over 100 pounds, the minimum fluid intake recommended is your weight divided by 2, converted to ounces of water. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds, half of your weight is 90 lbs, so you need 90 ounces of water a day. That’s over 11 cups of water.

If you drink caffeine or alcoholic beverages, remember that they drive more water out of your body than they provide. Compensate for this fluid loss by drinking a small cup of water between each festive drink.

Drink enough water so that your urine at every trip to the toilet is nearly clear. Your urine should look more like lemonade and not so much like apple juice. So drink up!

Happy Hydrating for the Holiday Season!

Alice Lockridge,
MS Phys Ed
Pro-Fit

As we enter the season where even kitchen-phobics try their hand at cooking and baking, I thought I'd blog on this important Good Mood culinary tidbit.

You know I'm a fan of healthy fats for both their brain and body benefits as well as their scrumptious tastes. However, cooking with these fats is a far cry from the old Crisco out of a can. If you are going to pan fry, extra virgin olive may not be a good choice. Extra virgin olive oil smokes at 240 degrees F, not far from butter. Smoking oil not only stinks up your house and tastes bad, the chemical changes that occur above the smoke point in the oil may be unhealthy for you. So make sure to choose the right fat when you want to cook at higher temperatures. Here's a list of healthy oil choices and their smoke points.

Oil Smoke Points
240 degrees F extra virgin olive oil
250 degrees F butter
350 degrees F olive oil
440 degrees F peanut oil
450 degrees F grapeseed oil
550 degrees F avocado oil

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

I am a very regular exerciser. I keep my exercise time sacred. It's what keeps me on an even keel emotionally and physically, and it feels really good. Just like many of you out there, I wear lots of hats in my life: I'm a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a niece, and the president of my business. I always exercise on Sunday mornings. There are several great group exercise classes offered at my gym, and I enjoy both the camaraderie of the friends that join me in exercise, as well as the Pilates and aerobic step classes. I know that keeping that time sacred plays a large role in managing and relieving the stresses in my life.

BUT, this morning while I was doing a few business tasks on my computer before I ran out the door to exercise, half my data was magically erased! I mean disappeared from anywhere. Talk about stress. The computer store is open on Sunday morning with technical support available. I made the executive decision to trade my sacred exercise time for immediate technical support.

Sometimes taking care of the source of stress in your life is a better choice than exercising to try to deal with the consequences of the stress. This isn't an excuse, it's true stress management. No guilt allowed. It's the right choice to eliminate the source of stress.

What happened to my data? Nobody seems to know. But I've learned from previous computer problems that I need to back up my data on an external hard drive. That has been one of my greatest stress relievers when it comes to computers.

And tomorrow, I'll wake up and exercise. Then deal with whatever really caused the problem with a clear head, and restored files.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

On average, every American generates about 4.4 pounds of waste every day—that's nearly one ton per year! But during the holidays we all have way more trash and reusable items that don’t need to be trashed.

Recycling has never been more in style and I want to give you one of my favorite tips: reuse your holiday greeting cards. There are several ways to do it:

• The simplest thing to do is to cut the decorative front off of the card and turn it into a postcard for next year. Draw a vertical line down the center of the blank side and write your message on the left and put the address on the right side – don’t forget a postage stamp on the top right corner and you’re all set.
• Another idea is to turn your cards into gift tags. Cut out the prettiest pictures from the card (maybe even use fancy-edged scissors), punch a hole in the top, string a ribbon through the hole, and it’s ready for your next holiday package.
• You can also make unique gift bags using shopping bags from stores or even brown paper bags. Cut a nice graphic from your greeting cards and stick on the bag with a ribbon or bow (from last year’s gifts). This great look will make your gifts even more special!

Some more tips!

• Buy and use decorations that can be used more than once. Bags are more reusable than wrapping paper
• Make a gift bag by sewing together scraps of fabric, decorating an old pillowcase, or drawing a design on a paper bag.
• Avoid paper plates. Use washable plates, utensils, napkins and tablecloths for holiday parties.
• Don't waste food! Divide up holiday leftovers in reusable containers between guests so that the leftovers are eaten and not wasted.
• Use decorations that don't require electricity.
• Turn off holiday lights when no one is awake to enjoy them. Use a timer, if that helps.
• Purchase LED (light emitting diodes) Christmas lights. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and use very little energy.
• Do all of your shopping with reusable cloth bags, or return to a store with previously used paper and plastic bags.
• Look for gifts or treats with little or no packaging.
• Buy gifts that will last and can be used over and over again. Avoid disposable items.
• Look for rechargeable batteries for holiday gifts requiring battery power.
• Buy items made with recycled materials.
• Look for presents that are locally produced. In general, local products reduce energy costs because they don't need to be shipped long distances.
• As you head out to shop, carpool with family and friends.
• Buy a "live" holiday tree that can be planted in the yard in the spring.
• If you have a cut tree, place your "used" tree in the yard to provide cover for rabbits and birds during heavy snowfall, then cover it with strands of popcorn and cranberries, and place pine cone feeders on it to feed the birds.
• Turn your tree into mulch to help make the garden nicer this summer. (You must keep the tree clean and free of tinsel or decoration hooks.)
• Watch for tree collection days in your city or town and get your tree out in time for pick-up. Don't forget to remove all your ornaments and don't put the tree in a plastic bag.
• Put your old, unwanted dress clothes, shoes, and jewelry in a box and give it to a child as a "dress up" kit or for a costume. Or, donate gently used clothes to a charity organization for someone else to wear.
• You can avoid giving your friends a sugar overload by giving fun crayons, pencils, unique shaped erasers, sidewalk chalk, or other creative art supplies instead of candy.
• Give gifts like tickets to the movies, concerts, or your favorite sporting event. A gift certificate to a favorite store, or ice cream shop is a fun gift and produces less waste.
• Make a tasty treat and/or ornament with decorated cookies or candies.
• Give an environmental gift like a refillable pencil and lead, cloth bag for shopping or for carrying school books, a lunch box with reusable food containers, a rechargeable battery charger, or a can crusher and fun recycling bin.
• Buy living gifts. Try a house plant, seeds for spring gardening, potting soil, or even a coupon for your help with summer gardening.
• Wrap gifts in Sunday comics, old maps, or your own artwork drawn on the back of scrap paper.
• Make your own cards or wrapping paper by making paper from used paper.
• Make origami ornaments from used wrapping paper.
• Save your bows, ribbons, gift boxes and gift bags to use for wrapping future holiday gifts.
• Recycle your unwanted wrapping paper (most are recyclable except for the foil type).
• Wash and reuse party tableware.

Give a gift to the world! Reuse and recycle – this and every holiday season.

Alice Lockridge,
MS Phys Ed
Pro-Fit

It's Christmas Eve. Even if you don't celebrate the holiday, it's a nice time of year. We take vacations, spend time with friends and family, and if all goes as planned, we nurture those we love with food and time spent together. It's a time to celebrate the abundance of life, and share and take care of those in need. Whether you're giving or receiving, feel good for your good fortune.

Alas, this can also be a time of year when we focus on what we haven't accomplished during the year, what we haven't done right, and what we don't have or can't give others. We negate the joy of the celebration of abundance by feeling guilty about what we eat, or the exercise we haven't done. Which leads, of course, to more eating. and more guilt.

At this time of year there really aren't any feel bad foods. But there can be too much of the foods that celebrate abundance and make us feel good when eaten in small amounts. On these very special occasions, my advise is to eat what you truly enjoy, and then make sure to take some of your time to take care of or share with others. This makes you feel incredibly good, and gets you out of thinking about feeding yourself, and focused on making sure that others who might not have food to eat can also share in the joy of the season.

Take food to a food bank, drop in at a soup kitchen, find out how you can help pack brown bags for those who don't have anywhere to sleep. Call the social services department of your city to see where help is needed. Then carry this activity out throughout the year.

I find that doing for others clears my head and reminds me how incredibly fortunate I am. It also drives me to take care of myself, so that I am fully present to take care of those around me.

So don't be bogged down with guilt this season. Enjoy eating and celebrating. And share your joy with those who might not have it without you. You will find that these truly are days to feel great.

Have a Healthy and Festive Season!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

Check out this interesting and educational web page. It’s made for kids, but I liked it too!

Kaiser Permanente has partnered with Scholastic (the children’s publishing company) to provide a tool to involve and remind children, in a up-to-date way, to eat healthier foods, increase physical activity and decrease their computer and television time.

The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective is a free, online interactive video game. The player becomes a Jr. Detective and gets to pick which case to follow. This gives them the facts about the routines of eight culturally diverse children whose activities or conditions would benefit from exercise and healthy foods. The game is targeted to children aged 9-10 years and is available in English and Spanish. One of the clever parts of the program is, as a reward for solving one of the Amazing Food Detective cases, the Jr. Detective is encouraged to do one of the suggested activities that are labeled “Away from the computer” and helps the JD be more physically activity.

To pass this clever concept even further, Scholastic also has plans to deliver CDs of the game, along with supplementary materials including a teaching guide, wall poster and family resources, to over 5,000 public schools nationwide.

Check it out at: http://members.kaiserpermanente.org/redirects/landingpages/afd/

An old Nancy Drew fan intrigued with the technically advanced adventures,

Alice Lockridge

MS Phys Ed

Pro-fit

This year has seen an explosion of new and exotic fruits on the market in the produce aisle and in prepared foods and drinks. Here's a list of some you may already see in your market, and some that may show up sometime during the new year.

Acai: grown in the Amazon rain forest, this unusual berry-like fruit is rich in antioxidants, as well as healthy fats, protein and dietary fiber. It is most commonly found in stores as a beverage ingredient.

Camu camu: a red-purple cherry-like fruit that also comes from the Amazon. It is rich in vitamin C, but has a very acidic taste that requires addition of sugar and often milk to enhance acceptability. It can add a very attractive color to foods and beverages.

Capuacu: also grown in the Amazon rain forest, this fruit comes from a tree in the cocoa family (Theobroma grandiflorum) and has a very high antioxidant content. The fruits are brown and fuzzy - an appearance that has earned them the nickname 'hardy kiwi fruit' . They are about the size of melons. I have not tried this fruit, but according to an article in foodnavigator.com, "the pulp is white and creamy, and can be used as a substitute to cocoa in chocolate food products. "

Goji berry: also known as the wolfberry, this fruit has been available as an ingredient for awhile in the U.S., but because of the recent interest in antioxidants it is finding new found fame. It is not found as a raw fruit. The berry is rich in carbohydrates, healthy fats, protein and fiber, and is an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals.

Guavasteen: as mentioned in gcimagazine.com, "Guavasteen, which is also known as Feijoa, is a fruit that has been promoted for its high antioxidant properties. Native to New Zealand, it could likely be the type of new sensation consumers are looking for."

Lulo: an extremely popular fruit and beverage in Colombia, it is just beginning to sell here in the U.S. According to foodnavigator.com, "It looks like an orange-coloured tomato, apparently, but has light-green jelly-like flesh that tastes similar to pineapple or lemon." Due to easy spoilage, it is typically used as an ingredient in products rather than sold as a fresh fruit in retail markets.

Pomegranate: certainly not new, but the fresh fruit is available much more widely and for a longer season than ever before. Products range from bottled juice, drinks and teas to ice creams. Prized for it's high antioxidant content, the fruit can be enjoyed raw. In some countries the juice is a very popular beverage.

Be adventurous. Buy one fresh and try it. If you find the fruit dried or as a juice, see how it tastes. They are all very different than the fruits we are used to here in North America. It's always fun to experience new tastes and create new recipes to add a little zest to your standard menus. We'll try to see what we can come up with in the Good Mood Diet test kitchen throughout the year, too.

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner

It's hard for me to believe that one year ago I was preparing for the official publication of The Good Mood Diet, and psyching myself up for a multi-city book tour. It has been a very exciting year.

The book tour brought me face to face with all of you who wanted to really understand how your mind and body work, what to eat to nourish yourself, and how to feel your best. The website has continued our conversation through our blogs, emails and recipes. You have shared your stories with me of how The Good Mood Diet has changed your lives. You have been and continue to be an inspiration.

Food is very powerful. When feel-great food is combined with exercise, I call it the "magic bullet" that we are all looking for. The magic is in our dedication, and then the natural drive that comes once we are in the groove of doing all the things that make us feel so good.

During this season of resolutions, resolve to take care of yourself. To use how you feel; how you really feel, as your barometer of how well you are doing. Check in with yourself every morning, mid-day and evening. How do you feel? Remind yourself that there are foods that really can make you feel better, even great. Even during these dark days of winter, you'll feel the sun shining from within.

Here's wishing all of you a HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner