Thursday, December 7, 2017

17 Health Tips for 2017

Why wait for 2018 to arrive to start your New Years Resolutions?  This is the toughest time of the year, when we are busy trying to do a million things before the end of the year.  Year after year, we have a tendency to gain weight from all the Holiday festivities and foods.  If it is not those delicious baked goods that are being brought into work or the rich foods we eat from Thanksgiving till New Years.  Here is a very helpful handout that might help jump start you into a healthier 2018! 

http://www.eatrightpro.org/~/media/eatright%20files/nationalnutritionmonth/handoutsandtipsheets/nutritiontipsheets/17%20health%20tips%20for%202017_final.ashx

Thursday, November 30, 2017

FREE Diabetes Support Group in Greenfield

Here is an updated brochure regarding our FREE Diabetes Support Group in Greenfield.  You will find we updated it with all the dates for 2018.  Many of you who attend already know how well attended it is and we hope more of you will consider coming.  It is now being held at the Greenfield YMCA at 451 Main Street in Greenfield.  We look forward to seeing you the 2nd Wednesday of every month from 5:30-7:00 pm.


GROUP Diabetes Education in Greenfield

We are pleased to announce that we offering GROUP Diabetes Education/Winter 2018 Class Series in our Greenfield Health Center.  The brochure is available for you to preview.  Please call to sign up if you are interested or please call with any questions.

GROUP Diabetes Education in Amherst

UPDATE: The Winter 2018 Diabetes Education Class Series in Amherst has been canceled.  Stay tuned for Spring Series dates coming soon!


We are pleased to announce that we are offering GROUP Diabetes Education/Winter 2018 Class Series in Amherst.  Here is the brochure.  Please contact us if you are interested in attending or if you have any questions.  The contact information is listed below.                                                             

             

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

National Diabetes Month!



Greetings!  November is National Diabetes Month.  Along with that, the Holidays have arrived with Halloween and now we have Thanksgiving to look forward to.  Even though this time of year is often a time of celebrating, it can also be a very stressful time of year, with family gatherings, an increase in our spending, figuring out what gifts to buy for those loved ones on our list, and the extra cooking we have to do before the end of the year!  It is hard to take time for ourselves but it's even harder to eat healthy, exercise with the drop in temperatures and decrease in daylight and manage our diabetes.  Therefore, we want you to take time to recognize how far you have come this year before you start to feel overwhelmed.  Take a moment to recognize all that you have done for your health and diabetes this year.  Stay positive and think of all the positive things you have done to stay healthy, move more and eat healthier.  Be proud of yourself.

 

Unfortunately, the average person gains more than a pound this time of year.  A typical holiday meal contains more than 3,000 calories and many of us have more than just one of these meals between Thanksgiving and New Years.  When you are eating healthy, you recognize how much better you feel!  So don't let the this time of the year change that or derail all the good you have done so far. 

Please check out the link below that gives us pointers on how to stay on track and still eat healthy during this Holiday Season:
https://blogs.webmd.com/diabetes/2015/12/5-holiday-eating-tips-that-are-actually-doable.html


Here is another link below for healthy/diabetes friendly recipes for the Holidays:
http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/recipes/holiday.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

We wish you all the best this Holiday Season and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact your Diabetes Educator, Nutritionist/Dietitian or Endocrinologist.  We are always here to help you get through this stressful time of the year.



Thursday, October 26, 2017

Meet Diane, our new dietitian/nutritionist.


We would like to take the time to introduce our new Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Diane Alpern, RD.  Sadly, our dietitian for the last 5 years, Catherine Lukas has left us to relocate to the Eastern side of the state.  We miss her, and wish her all the best. Diane has been working with Valley Medical Group since June and she comes to us after serving our community for 5 years at The Food Bank of Western MA.  While there, she developed an expertise in assisting individuals on a limited income to afford, shop for and prepare nutritious meals for themselves and their family.  She has been gradually becoming credentialed for most insurance companies at VMG.  The current list of  credentialed insurers include:

HNE (including Medicare and Medicaid replacement plans)
Tufts Health Public Plans
MassHealth (if Primary Care is VMG provider and not seeing them the same day as nutritionist)
BMC Healthnet
Medicare – If you have diagnosis of diabetes or kidney failure
Unicare-GIC
Fallon Health Plan
Blue Cross (any state approved – it is submitted through BCBS-MA for billing)
Fallon Health Plan (but not Fallon Medicare plan)
Harvard Pilgram
CIGNA

She speaks Spanish and is able to provide consultation in Spanish, which we consider to be a huge asset!  She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to inexpensive recipes and resources for people on limited income to eat healthier.  She has personal experience and familiarity with Weight Watchers.

Here at VMG she does individual appointments and she is is also involved in the Diabetes SMA in Northampton and Easthampton and the Weight Loss SMA in Easthmapton (SMA stands for: Shared Medical Appointment).  For fun, Diane loves to sing and is a member of Rock Voices in Northampton & Hadley.

She is in Northampton on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Easthampton on Mondays and Thursdays.  If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, please call our Northampton office at: 413-586-8400 and our Easthampton office at: 413-529-9300.  

Diane looks forward to meeting you all!

Thursday, February 23, 2017

March is National Nutrition Month!

Get ready for National Nutrition Month! March's theme this year is "put your best fork forward" - emphasizing that "Making just small shifts in our food choices, can add up over time".




I want to emphasize the message that eating right doesn't have to be complicated. Changing your routine in small ways that you can enjoy and sustain is the best way to improve your eating habits for life. 


Key Messages:

  1. Create an eating style that includes a variety of your favorite, healthful foods.
  2. Practice cooking more at home and experiment with healthier ingredients.
  3. How much we eat is as important as what we eat. Eat and drink the right amount for you, as MyPlate encourages us to do.
  4. Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week.
  5. Manage your weight or lower your health risks by consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist. RDNs can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized nutrition advice to meet your lifestyle, preferences and health-related needs.


For more information, check out www.eatright.org, and watch the blog for updates and tips throughout the month of March!