Rotary Club – Denise Graves

The Rotary Club met Wednesday afternoon with speaker Denise Graves presenting. Graves is Howard Memorial Hospital’s registered dietitian nutritionist. As we find ourselves in the middle of the holiday season possibly preparing for a Christmas and New Years meal Graves says most people find themselves with an extra pound around the waistline this time of year.

Mrs. Graves said “helping people make healthier decisions” is what she does and for those looking to avoid that extra pound this season she encourages 30 minutes of being active per day. 150 minutes a week is what it takes to avoid loosening the belt another notch. An to find yourself synching it up a little tighter it comes down to what goes in. Being a mindful eater rather than mindlessly eating is a key component. Graves attributes a large portion of her job to the change of behavior centered around eating and how most of us grew up with a “clean the plate” mentality.

That certainly shows as today Arkansas is determined to be one of the most at risk states concerning diabetes with 13.2% of the population diagnosed. Graves said she often recommends that for people to be a more mindful eater they should try to make mealtime a social event. As hard as that may be in today’s society, being able to sit down and share a meal with family or friends and even taking time to put the fork down to talk can go a long way in creating healthy eating habits.