An Apple A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Have you ever heard this saying?  Eating healthy can be a challenge, especially when you are a nurse.  However, it is so important to maintain a healthy diet and weight.  You have a responsibility not only to your family, but also to your patients.  Often, they need help figuring out a healthy diet and achieving weight goals too! 

According to a recent Canadian study, nurses who worked at night and those who had mixed schedules were associated with having an important elevation in body mass index (BMI).¹  In fact another nursing study that included a sample of pediatric nurses found increased BMI among nurses correlating with decreased sleep quality.²  The higher your BMI, the higher your risk for certain diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers.³  These are definitely not any afflictions I want!

One of the great things about living in this day and age is that we have so much more access to helpful resources to give us good food and nutrition tips, healthy ideas, and recipes.  I have compiled and reviewed some sites listed below that you might find helpful to investigate. At the very least you can find some healthy recipes for the family and work week!

1) http://www.katheats.com/.* A mom, dietician, bakery owner and self professed food lover and registered food blogger, there are no shortage of topics and recipes here.

2)http://www.eatingwell.com/. *Diet, nutrition health, and menus all under one roof.  The web version of the magazine. Has helpful newsletters, videos, and easy ways to give feedback.

3)http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Recipes/Recipes_UCM_001184_SubHomePage.jsp. * A site promoted by the American Heart Association, recipes cater to AHA guidelines, and there are detailed nutrition facts for each recipe.

References

1. Smith P., Fritschi, L., Reid, A., & Mustard, C. (2013). The relationship  between shift work and body mass index among canadian nurses. Applied Nursing Research, 26(1), 24-31. Retrieved from http://www.appliednursingresearch.org/article/S0897-1897(12)000730/fulltext 

2. Huth, J., Eliades, A., Handwork, C., Englehart, J.L., & Messenger, J. (2013). Shift worked, quality of sleep, and body mass index in pediatric nurses. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2013.02.032.  [Epub ahead of print]

3. National Institutes of Health. (2013). Assessing your weight and health risk. Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm

*I am not affiliated with any of the listed recipe sites.