Today, we are talking about how you and your dog can be healthier and happier together.

Let’s start with nutrition. There are two key points to take away:

Ingredients – as people we look for healthy nutrients to improve our overall health so we want to be sure we’re doing the same for our dog. In general, for people fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber according to Carol Shimberg, RD, Registered Dietitian in Asheville. Aim for a goal of at least 5 servings per day of fruits and vegetables. She recommends for you to consider incorporating some of these foods several times a week.
- Bananas – great source of potassium, fiber and low in sodium. The versatile banana makes a great snack or smoothie. Try adding mashed bananas to your favorite bread or muffin recipe, cold or hot cereals or add to salads.
- Spinach – a signifigant source for fiber, vitamin K, iron, vitamin C and vitamin A. Try adding a healthy spinach salad next time you are out to eat, Pizza with spinach, pesto and goat cheese, or use spinach on your favorite sandwich rather than lettuce.
- Nuts – a powerhouse snack. They provide protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Nuts help to improve cardiovascular health, due to high amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids, high levels of vitamin E. Scientific evidence supports the role of almonds in heart health due to cholesterol lowering properties. Another nut to consider as a snack is walnuts. They contain more omega-3 fatty acids than any other nut. Eating walnuts has been proven to lower total LDL blood cholesterol levels, and reduce the risk of heart disease. Most health experts now recommend a serving or nuts per day for overall good health. One serving is approximately 10-12 nuts.
Check out www.activateashevillearea.org, under resources link at the top of the homepage for more healthy snack and food choices on different websites. Remember, before starting a new nutrition or exercise program, talk to your doctor. Nutrition resource, Carol Shimberg, RD, Registered Dietitian. Carol can be reached a cshimberg@aol.com.

Portions:
There is a difference between portion and serving size. When preparing meals at home, it is recommended to follow the serving recommendation for the foods you are preparing. Just like it is important for people to be cognizant of portion sizes, it is very important to realize that everything that enters your dog’s mouth should be counted as calories too. According to Dr. Craig Hill at Animal Hospital South on Hendersonville Road, dogs are naturally active so the main reason obesity occurs is over feeding. If losing weight becomes difficult by decreasing portions, contact your veterinarian because they can formulate the amount of calories needed for a healthy weight. Also, there are special diets that can be fed to help with weight loss. The most important thing to remember to being healthy is a nice balance of exercise and portion control. This will help improve your best friend’s quality of life.

Physical activity is great for your overall health. The general recommendation is 150 minutes per week of moderate-vigorous activity. I often get the question, what does moderate to vigorous activity mean? Well, this means that you’re working hard enough that your heart rate has increased enough that you begin to break a sweat. A great indicator of knowing if you are in a moderate to vigorous activity zone is to use a simple talk test: if you are able to speak a simple sentence that is good but you should not be able to shout your favorite song at the top of your lungs. A great starting point for exercising with your dog (if you or your dog is new to exercise) is to make a goal of a brisk walk three times a week for 15 minutes. Your pet makes a great exercise buddy and is often an inspiration and motivation to stick with your program because you want to get your dog out and active. As a bi-product of your exercise program with your dog, some benefits include lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and less stress.

Social benefits – Be sure to balance your dogs exercise program with your own. If you workout inside a few times a week remember that your dog still needs to get out and active. Research your local area dog parks. This is a great way to meet people that have similar interest as you and at the same time socializing your dog with other dogs. Social Benefits: Also, contact your local shelters and rescue organizations to help exercise the dogs that can use the company. It will make them excited for their walks and make your heart warm knowing you helped out a friend.

If you tuned into Victoria Dunkle’s My 40 last Friday and saw Brewster, a dog from Brother Wolf Animal Rescue and you are interested in fostering or adopting him, please visit, http://www.bwar.org/ for more information.

First of all, we want to let you know how excited we are to share our food and nutrition expertise as registered dietitians to help you make healthier choices for you and your family! We want to start off our blog with celebrating with February as Heart Month because it is a great reminder for all of us to focus on a some ideas to make our hearts become stronger and healthier. Did you realize that according to the American Heart Association, heart disease leads to at least 1 out of 2.9 deaths in the United States each year?

Here are a just a few simple things that we can do to improve our heart health:

1. Eating at least 5-9 fruits and vegetables a day is one of the best things that we can do to protect our heart. Each are rich in vitamins and minerals, plant stanols, antioxidants and other beneficial plant chemicals called phtyochemicals needed for a healthy heart. Eating as many colors of the rainbow as possible each day is a great goal because each one has something beneficial to offer. Some of the choices that we have been eating this winter include a variety of greens such as kale, spinach, chard and arugula, orange squash and beets. We also have been making some hearty soups that often include canned tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, onions, green beans and cabbage. We have also found some great Florida citrus at the store to eat as snacks.  A one ounce piece of dark chocolate is also rich in antioxidants and has been shown to promote heart health!

2. Whole grains are a great source of fiber and B vitamins needed to keep our heart healthy. Try brown rice, a warm bowl of oatmeal with blue berries and maple syrup, or whole grain crackers with some vegetarian chili. We also enjoy eating some of the less well-known grains such as quinoa, millet and buckwheat. These can be great used in place of rice in recipes.

3. It is important to include heart healthy fats in our diet such as monounsaturated that includes pecans, olive oil, avocados and peanuts and also rich sources of polyunsaturated fat called omega 3 fats from fatty fish such as fresh mountain trout, Alaskan salmon, walnuts and flax. In the American diet we tend to consume an excessive amount of saturated fats found in meats, cheese and other whole milk dairy products and tropical oils. Processed hydrogenated/trans fats which are found in margarine, some baked goods and many fried fast foods and should be avoided as much as possible.

5. Exercise is an essential part of the heart health because the heart is a muscle. Most of us need at least 30 minutes a day to keep our heart healthy. If you currently do not include physical activity in your routine, talk with your doctor to see what is appropriate with your health history. Consider scheduling a visit with the Western North Carolina YMCA to create a program that is safe and beneficial for you.

6. Move your weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipids to a appropriate range to lower your risks for heart disease. This may include eating smaller portions of foods that are high in calories, sugar and sodium.

Here is a great link from the American Heart Association for additional information on healthy cooking, smart shopping, healthy eating for kids and tips on dining out:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200010

Remember, just focusing on just a few healthy changes can make a difference in our heart health!

Your Partners in Good Health,

Carol and Denise