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M o v e t o D o m i n i c a n O a k s a n d e x p e r i e n c e l i f e w i t h o u t c o n c e r n f o r l i f e ' s d a i l y c h o r e s . W e p r o v i d e y o u 3 h o m e c o o k e d m e a l s a d a y , w e e k l y h o u s e k e e p i n g , a c c e s s t o a c t i v i t i e s a n d e x e r c i s e c l a s s e s a n d l o c a l t r a n s p o r t a t i o n . S p e n d y o u r t i m e d o i n g w h a t y o u w a n t t o d o a n d n o t w h a t y o u h a v e t o . Lic# 440708773 A part of Dignity Health and Dominican Hospital C A L L U S A T 8 3 1 . 4 6 2 . 6 2 5 7 F O R A S A F E G U I D E D T O U R June 2021 edition Special Advertising Supplement to the Santa Cruz Sentinel The Healthy Way: A Great Local Resource By Tara Fatemi Walker Eating well is an important part of maintaining good health. As you get older, it's even more vital. Lo- cally owned The Healthy Way is a fabulous resource for personalized weight loss and lifestyle manage- ment tools plus convenient healthy food available from their onsite market. Cheri Bianchini, RN, PHN, founded The Healthy Way in 1986. Her inspi- ration for starting the business? When she was 21 years old, she became an RN and worked for several years in the surgical ICU at Stanford Medical Center. "I saw so much chronic illness there and vowed to help patients with prevention. That's how The Healthy Way was born." At that time, she was 29. Having recently turned 65, Cheri has direct experi- ence regarding how our bodies—and our needs— change as we age. During its 36-year history, The Healthy Way has served 10,000 people. About half of clients are 55 and older. There are individualized programs for people of different ages and for those with dietary needs including vegetarian, gluten-free, food allergies and sugar addiction. "We specialize in blood sugar stabilization, metabolism balancing and inflam- mation control," Cheri explains. "Our clients have dramatic results improv- ing diabetic, hypertension and cholesterol issues." The Healthy Way offers one-one individualized support, motivation and education using three meth- ods: in person, by phone, or virtually. Cheri offers Sentinel read- ers a few senior-specific tips that any age can benefit from: 1. Be sure to eat break- fast. "By doing so, ideally within one hour of rising, the metabolism starts burning and blood sugar levels normalize, helping to balance the system at the onset of the day. No other meal has as profound an ef- fect, because typically at no other time during the day is one's body responding to the awakening state. I see most seniors do best with protein in the a.m. When a carbohydrate meal is eaten first thing, sugar cravings often occur later. Have eggs or cottage cheese, some chicken from the night before, tofu, or a pro- tein smoothie. These will give you staying power. If you just want toast, top it with a slice of turkey and a tomato." 2. Watch your sodium intake. "Remember, a quar- ter-teaspoon of salt will retain up to a half-pound of water. Watch labels and do not consume an item if it has more than 300mg/ sodium per serving." 3. Improve your joint health. "If you are over- weight, even a 10-pound loss will make a big difference, especially with joint health. Your risk for injury diminishes and your joints will suffer less wear and tear. Every pound of body weight translates to about four pounds of force on your ankles, knees and hips when you're walking, so 10 extra pounds on your frame means 40 more pounds of pressure on your joints." 4. Decrease your sugar consumption. "Sugar is the real culprit in the American diet. It's frightening when we realize that almost everything packaged contains this! Diabetes is a difficult disease, especially as one gets older. How we break down glucose can become more challenging as we age, so the goal is to eat less. There are many wonderful, low-glycemic sweeteners. A few exam- ples: Stevia, Monk Fruit, Coconut crystals, Xylitol and Erythritol, Palm sugar and Fruit Sweet. All are available at The Healthy Way market (you can also order online from their website). Also, dates and banan- as can be used in many recipes to add sweetness. We never recommend artificial sweeteners like Splenda and Sucralose; we We seek a community where people age at home with dignity and good health. We seek a community where all people receive supportive health and social services in the least restrictive environment possible Health Projects Center supports people as they age to live safely at home by delivering high quality services and programs in the Monterey Bay Region. TO HELP PEOPLE AGE AT HOME, WE WORK ON 3 LEVELS. Dignity and Health for an Aging Population Serving the Monterey Bay Region Since 1980 1-800-624-8304 www.hpcn.org | www.delmarcaregiver.org Central Coast Area Health Education Center We strengthen and support the health care workforce to more effectively address geriatrics and chronic care management. Del Mar Caregiver Resource Center We support family caregivers to provide and sustain quality care to their loved ones, and to take better care of their own physical and mental health. Multipurpose Senior Services Program We manage health care and supportive services for medically frail low-income elders so that they can stay safely at home. Young at Heart Young at Heart In Santa Cruz County Continue on page 2 (Contributed photo)

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