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Becoming a #Foodie can help you meet your #HealthyWeight goals. We are getting smarter and about our food choices and there are many great resources for health-minded families. However, it can be hard to make healthy meals when we are busy. Spending a couple of hours at the beginning of the week to plan, buy, clean, prepare and portion out meals can not only reduce the temptation to mindlessly snack, but it can also help you save money since you won’t have to buy food on the go.

Earlier this summer, Lovelace Health Systems and UNM Medical Group celebrated the opening of the new Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital with a ribbon cutting ceremony. This facility offers cutting-edge technologies and brings more comprehensive rehabilitation services to patients. ““I think with the academic mission of the university along with the great care that we do here at the rehab hospital, we’ll be able to make our programs more efficient and more cost effective,” said Derrick Jones, CEO of the Lovelace-UNM Rehab Hospital.

The key is to consume the right amount of calories from the right kinds of foods to support your activity level. Activity levels determine how many calories a day you can eat without gaining weight. If you are not moving much or expending much energy, you will want to decrease your calories to prevent those pounds from creeping up.

Some tips for healthy food choices include:

·       Focus on adding healthy foods, rather than just taking away unhealthy foods.

After cancer patients go through their treatment, what happens next for them? This is the time when survivorship care is important. “Survivorship care deals with any consequences of the after effects of surgery, radiation and general chemotherapy,” shares Lovelace Breast Care Center provider, Dr. Katherine Lee.

As your baby and belly grow you will notice some changes in your skin as well. Here are some tips to protect your skin as your body adjusts to pregnancy:

·       Limit your weight gain to only what your OB provider or midwife recommends. This will limit the amount of stretching your skin will experience during pregnancy.

·       Cocoa butter can help diminish the appearance of stretch marks and help fade skin imperfections.

Since beginning her career in health care and joining Lovelace Health System in 2010, Melanie Trujeque knew she worked for an organization dedicated to doing what is best for patients. Melanie witnessed that commitment to the mission among leaders, providers, nurses and staff as she grew in her career from a customer service coordinator to serving as the executive assistant for Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital CEO Derrick Jones.

Lovelace Women’s Hospital has been an active partner in the community of Albuquerque supporting health and wellness through a number of community outreach activities and two annual events growing in popularity – Girls’ Night Out and Day of Dance. The message behind the outreach is to encourage the community to take an active role in educating themselves on how to improve their health and how to access resources available to support a healthy lifestyle.

According to I’m Safe, motor vehicle crashes take the lives of more than 12 children every week in the US. In 1985, New Mexico held the highest fatality rate in the United States. After many safety initiatives and policies, New Mexico now ranks 13^th in traffic fatalities.

When the unexpected happens and a new parent is living with depression, the situation can be frustrating. Pregnancy, mood and anxiety disorders can affect the whole family. There is no magic wand to cure depression and recovery may feel slow, but with a plan and dedication to health care, support and communication, it does get better over time. No matter how hard you try, or how much you love your partner, recovery takes longer than you want. You have to wait this out with each other.

As you support your partner, it is important that you also take care of yourself:

Many people think that cannabinoids, like marijuana, are harmless during pregnancy, but research suggests otherwise.

·       “Cannabinoid” is a term to describe a group of 66 ingredients found in the flowering cannabis plant.

·       Each of these 66 chemicals affects brain receptors differently.

·       A main ingredient in marijuana is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).