by Vicki Steine, LCSW

I recently had a friend ask me what vitamins or supplements he should take. He had gone to the local nutrition store and gotten overwhelmed and confused. He left without making a purchase! Then he emailed me looking for a book on the A to Z’s of vitamins.

I don’t have such a book but the conversation started me thinking. (Always a scary thing)!

There is a lot of information “out there” about vitamins, supplements, and what food choices we should make. It’s very confusing and can be overwhelming.

I thought if my friend was interested in what vitamins to take and what they do, other people would be too. So, I’m starting a series on the A-Z of vitamins and supplements. If you have any specific questions, please email me so I can do the research and share the information with everyone.

Today, I just want to cover the difference between a micro-nutrient and a macro-nutrient.

Macro-nutrients are proteins, fats, carbohydrates. These are the food categories that are body uses in large amounts.

Micro-nutrients are vitamins and minerals. Very important but needed in smaller doses.

Please email me with questions at vicki@yourhealthystructure.com.

Recipe for the week: Jodi is my sister and a terrific cook.…

You Have Two Brains

I bet you didn’t know you had two brains! One is in your skull and the other is your digestive system. That’s right, your gut or Enteric Nervous System is also known fondly as your second brain because if the vagus nerve that connects your brain and digestive system is cut, your digestive system operates just fine on its own.

Your gut is a very busy and important place. It:

• *Houses your immune system and keeps you well (70% of your immune system to be exact)
• *Runs your metabolism
• *Makes vitamins
• *Communicates with every cell in your body
• *Brings nutrients to each cell of your body

Fact: Did you know that, according to the CDC, colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in men and women in the United States?

There are many steps you can take to protect your gut and overall health.

The types of food you eat have a huge impact on your digestive health. At this time of year, we tend to indulge a little more with food. We eat more sweets, more rich meals and drink more alcohol. We often find ourselves feeling tired, overwhelmed, and too full.

Treat yourself well by taking a few simple steps to insure good colon health.…

Removing this one thing from your diet can help you lose weight

Did you know that sugar is everywhere in your diet? It’s not just in candy anymore. If you check out your labels, you’ll see that it’s in salad dressing, pizza, soup and even in your bread!

What the heck is going on? Basically, the perfect storm that has created a health crisis.

Many years ago, a researcher named Ancel Keyes looked at heart disease in many different countries. His study was called the 22 Country Study. The end result was that he concluded that fat was the reason that people were getting heart disease. This one study spawned 30 years of medicine preaching no/low fat diets.

The problem is he may have been wrong.

What manufacturers discovered was that low fat food tastes terrible. So they learned that if they added sugar, it was tasty enough that people would buy it. Unfortunately, what we are now learning is that sugar gets converted to fat, so those high doses of sugar we’re eating is what is making us fat.

We all know being overweight is the precursor to diabetes, heart disease and stroke. It also causes inflammation which is the precursor for all other disease including arthritis, cancer, and other dreaded illness.…

Charlotte Janis, M.Ed., NCC, Career Counselor/Job Lead Developer, and Career Services Director at Parkaire Consultants has accepted a contract to teach “Career Transitioning” to Seniors in the “Human Services Delivery and Administration Program” at Gainesville State College, Oakwood campus. She will teach students transitioning from college to the work of work every other Friday from September 2012 – April 2013. Charlotte will meet with students as a group and individually to cover topics related to assessing strengths and transferable skills, interests, abilities, accomplishments; to resume development, cover letters, reference sheets, job search methods, networking and interviewing strategies, investigating career options, developing a career plan and creating a professional persona.

Charlotte has been on staff at Parkaire for over three years, providing career counseling and job lead development to young adults, adolescents, and adults with various neurological disorders including ADD/ADHD, Learning differences, individual on the Autism Spectrum including Asperger’s, Tourette’s, OCD, anxiety/depression, mood disorders. Charlotte also works with individuals with physical disabilities and older adults.…

The Pace-It Notebook System is an easy and complete set of steps to be successful in school. The Pace-It Notebook Organizer System allow the student to easily file and retrieve all school papers and materials. Students will be able to instantly access all worksheets, handouts, project descriptions, assignments or packets. It is a filing and retrieval system that works and is student friendly!

Register for this workshop by contacting Gayle Born at 770-578-1519 or email her at staff@parkaireconsultants.com.

For more information go to its webpage here.

The workshops will be held at Parkaire consultants, Inc. main offices at:
4939 Lower Roswell Road
Building C, Suite 201
Marietta, GA 30068

Please feel free to refer any of your clients that may have a need for this program to Judy Anderson, at judimerle1 @juno.com so that she may contact them for registration. …

The Flying Solo Workshop covers how to set up your first home and all of the issues that come from this decision. Diane Quintana and Jonda Beattie will discuss practical matters like managing your move and dealing with landlords and housemates. They will also review how to set up a budget, keep up with paperwork, and time management strategies.

The company Space Makers of America is graciously hosting this workshop at their store in Alpharetta. Space Makers of America also has ideas on maximizing storage in small areas.

Register for this workshop by contacting Diane Quintana at 404-250-0321 or email her at diane@dnqsolutions.com

For more information go to Diane’s website here.

For directions to Space Makers of America go to their website here.

Flying Solo Workshop
July 20, 2012
10:00 am – 11:00 am
SpaceMakers of America
11415 Old Roswell Road Suite 300
Alpharetta, GA 30009
Cost: $25.00 Parents, bring your son or daughter with you at no extra charge!…

“I know what to do!” I hear this often when I am talking casually to people about things like good nutrition, getting enough sleep and exercise. The conversation starts with someone asking me a question and we start talking about healthy lifestyles. Suddenly, the person says, often with some frustration, “I know what to do, I just don’t do it…” They are stuck.

My next few articles are going to be about how to get unstuck.

I think most of us simply get overwhelmed when we try to change too much at once. Does that sound like you? You set these big, lofty goals, get really excited about them and then, after a week or two they just, well, fizzle out. Sometimes the goal totally drops off your radar, as if you forgot that you set the goal in the first place and you just stop.

For example, you decide you are not going to eat chocolate chip cookies any more. You’ve been eating too many at night, so you’re just going to stop. You don’t buy any, there are none in the house. But then, your roommate, partner or spouse kindly notices that you are out of chocolate chip cookies and picks some up for you at the store!…

Patty Crawford, Ph.D. has joined the Parkaire clinical team as an Educational Consultant.  Dr. Crawford earned her doctorate from the University of Virginia in special education and has more than 20 years of teaching experience working with children and young adults with disabilities.  Her experience includes working with individuals who have Learning Disabilities (LD), Behavior Disorders (BD), Autism (AU), Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Tourette’s syndrome (TS). She will be working at Parkaire as a Behavior Specialist, Learning Coach, IEP Consultant, and Autism Specialist. Dr. Crawford specializes in designing and implementing Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP) and is available to work with parents to develop behavior plans in the home.  She will also be providing Cognitive Behavior Intervention for Tics (CBIT) for individuals with vocal and/or motor tics.

  by Vicki Steine, LCSW

Eating a whole foods diet is important for all of us, but particularly important for children and adults who are struggling with issues like ADD, Autism, Learning Disabilities and Tourette syndrome.  Supporting one’s body with good nutrition is key to helping our brains function optimally.

Does this sound like real food to you?

• Natural Oil blend (soybeans, palm fruit, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed, and canola), water, whey, salt, natural and artificial flavor, sorbitan esther of vegetable fatty acids, soy lecithin, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, B6, B12, lactic acid, beta carotene for color, potassium sorbate, TBHQ, EDTA.

This list of ingredients is off a tub of margarine found at your local grocer.

How does this sound? 

• Sweet cream; salt.

This is the label from butter.

Which would you prefer to serve to your family?

Consider the details:

Margarine

• Calories: These range from 30 calories per tablespoon to 50 calories.
• Margarine is often made up of a blend of various fats.
• Some products add flax seed to increase Omega 3’s but margarine is primarily an Omega 6 oil. We tend to eat too many Omega 6’s without the proper balance of Omega 3’s.

Sherry and Dan Pruitt will be giving a speech titled “So You Expect Them To Leave Home? Transition Pitfalls to Independence” on Sunday. Click here for more detailed information.

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