Rutherford Weekly

New babies born during the month of December at Rutherford Regional Medical Center received a handmade gift designed just for them. Vickey Gendron, a volunteer at the hospital, recently crocheted Santa hats for the newborns. The idea for the project came when Birth Place Director Deana Greene received a sample of a newborn hat in the mail. "The hat we got in the mail was similar to what we've always used on newborns, and I mentioned to the staff how nice it would be if we could find someone who could make Santa hats for the babies," Greene said. A staff member saw Gendron crocheting as she volunteered at the reception desk and asked if she might be willing to create a sample hat. "I've crocheted hats before, but not for a newborn," Gendron said. "My granddaughter had an American Girl doll, so I made one and tried it on it first." The sample hat was a hit, and Gendron got to work making hats for the month - using red, green and white yarns. "I looked online for patterns and then came up with one of my own," Gendron said. "I've been crocheting for 50 years, but always from patterns. Now that I'm retired, I'm experimenting. It's worked out well so far." "Did you make this hat?" asked new mother Rachel Suttle, whose daughter Maisy wore a red hat. "Thank you so much - it's so pretty." Seeing a newborn with a hat on makes Gendron smile, she said. Each hat took around two hours to make, and in all she made 55 Santa hats. And she's not stopping with Santa hats. She and Greene have discussed making hats around various holidays. "I've found one with bunny ears," Gendron said. Gendron has been a volunteer with Rutherford Regional's Auxiliary since 2013. The holiday season has past, and next comes the season many of us have dreaded: It's the season of getting back on track with healthy eating and exercise. "Healthy eating is really nothing more than common sense," said Rutherford Regional Health System's Clinical Dietitian Sandra Mouton. "Portion sizes are really our biggest enemy - it's something that people don't really understand." If you take a nine-inch plate and divide it up, half your plate should be filled with fruits and veggies; one-fourth with a starch; and one- fourth with a protein. If you want to start off the new year right, start by eating a healthier breakfast. "Most people end up either not eating breakfast or not eating the correct foods at breakfast," Mouton said. "Most of our breakfast foods are high carbohydrate foods - so what dietitians hear a lot of us 'Well, I'm hungry again in three hours when I eat breakfast.' And you probably are - that's your metabolism working, and that's a good thing." Rather than eating just carbs, you should balance them with a small piece of fruit and lean protein - like dairy products or eggs, nuts and seeds. "The Southern breakfasts we love, although they have protein, aren't really protein - meats like bacon, ham and sausage are categorized as fats," she explained. "Those are the foods www should eat in moderation - picking one day a week to eat it instead of an everyday occurrence. "If you still want a Southern breakfast, then go for cheese grits because you have a protein and a carbohydrate - it's really not a bad combo." If you really want to keep your metabolism up, then eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day is one of the best ways to do it. "Food is energy in our bodies, and if we give it the right food at the right intervals, we tend to avoid those afternoon crashes and see our metabolism work better." Another way to improve your health after the holidays is to increase your water consumption because "people never drink enough water," Mouton said. "The amount of water you need varies from person to person, but 8 cups a day is the general rule," she said. "And your morning coffee doesn't count - if it has caffeine in it, it doesn't count as water. For every cup of caffeine you should have something that is water based." If getting over the holiday hump seems difficult, it doesn't have to be, Mouton said. "Don't beat yourself up over the fact that you gained weight over the holidays. Don't starve yourself because nobody likes deprivation," she said. "Baby steps are the easiest thing. Start with one or two changes and start building on that." Diet is a bad word, she said. "Something that will hurt your health is not worth the visual image of yourself," she said. "It seems hokey to say it's not a diet but a lifestyle change, but that is what it has to be in order to be sustainable." Before making any diet and exercise changes, Mouton said first talk with your doctor. OUR 25 th YEAR • ISSUE NO. 1 • JANUARY 5, 2017 RutherfordWeekly.com 828-248-1408 FREE FREE Mon-Sat 11am-6pm 719 S. Broadway, Forest City Right off Exit 182 from US74 828-229-3123 ©Community First Media Community First Media Made in America glass Local artwork, glass & more Vaping Supplies Vaping Supplies Skateboards Skateboards ©Community First Media We Finance! Auto Sales Auto Sales M i k e s M i k e s M i k e s M i k e s INC. INC. M i k e s M i k e s Auto Sales Auto Sales Auto Sales Auto Sales Monday-Friday 9am-5pm • 828-245-2238 Robbie Pruett 828-429-5858 Frankie Mullinax 828-429-5202 417 South Broadway • Forest City • NC $ 3,495 3,495 6 cyl., auto., air, CD player. 2001 Ford 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Explorer Sport Cash Discounts Any Price! $ 4,495 4,495 4 cyl., auto., air, 4 door. 2005 Ford 2005 Ford Focus ZX4 Focus ZX4 $ 6,995 6,995 4 cyl., 5 speed, air, very good truck. 2006 Nissan 2006 Nissan Frontier Ext. Cab Frontier Ext. Cab $ 6,995 6,995 6 cyl., auto., air, very clean, nice. 2005 Cadillac 2005 Cadillac SRX SRX $ 11,995 11,995 4x4, auto., air, 4 dr., leather, very clean. 2008 Chevrolet 2008 Chevrolet 1500 Silverado Z-71 1500 Silverado Z-71 No payments over $ 75 per week YOUR POSITIVE MEDIA SOURCE! YOUR POSITIVE MEDIA SOURCE! Volunteer Vickey Gendron, left, made Santa hats for newborns for the month of December. The idea was brought to Gendron by Birth Place Director Deana Greene, right,. The two are planning to do special hats throug the year. Pictured holding her newborn daughter Paisley is Hannah Orrin. Woman uses talent to create gifts for newborns Articles By: Allison Flynn, Rutherford Weekly Articles By: Allison Flynn, Rutherford Weekly A new year is a time for better eating habits LOCAL LOCAL BUY Photos contributed by Rutherford Regional Photos contributed by Rutherford Regional Gendron crocheted more than 50 hats for babies born in December, and has plans to make hats with bunny ears for the spring. Rachel Suttle's daughter, Maisy, was due after Christmas but arrived a few days early - just in time to wear a Santa hat. My Plate Planner A Healthy Meal Tastes Great 9-inch plate 1/4 protein. 1/4 starch. 1/2 vegetable. The Plate Method is a simple way to plan meals for you and your family. You don't have to count anything or read long lists of foods. All you need is a 9-inch plate. 1 / 2 v e ge t ab l e 1 / 4 p r o t e i n 1 / 4 st a rc h Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner Health HPD1X25611 - 3.08

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