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We’re beginning a new series with our blog posts to occasionally include more in-depth spotlights about our Vtrim Certified Facilitators. And kicking off the series is a spotlight on Laura Biron, MBA, RD.

Laura has a Masters Degree and an MBA in Health Care from Boston University. She earned her undergraduate degree in Nutrition at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. She has a Certificate of Training in Adult Weight Management from the American Dietetic Association and professional training in Mindfulness Based Eating and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Laura has been working in nutrition and health care for 26 years!

This week we talked more with Laura so you can all get to know her better:

Favorite form of exercise: Yoga, hiking/walking often with Nordic walking poles, snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing

Favorite meal or snack: It changes with the seasons.  Right now I love butternut squash risotto, canelloni or lasagne with a side of Swiss Chard or arugula.  For a snack: sunflower seed butter on apple slices with or without mini chocolate chips.

If you had to create a list of 5 top foods, what would you put on it and why:

• Sunflower seed butter – a tasty alternative to peanut butter that is high in protein, magnesium and Vitamin D.  Because it is calorie dense I use it sparingly and eat it slowly.

• Buckwheat groats or Kasha – an aromatic grain that I love eating for breakfast. It is a good source of dietary fiber and Magnesium, and a very good source of Manganese. Best of all it reminds me of my Ukrainian roots.

• Kale – Baked as crunchy chips, sauteed with carrots, cooked as a taco filling or added to soup.  I love the earthy texture and it is so packed with nutrients it’s silly.

• Flax seed – My husband and I grind it fresh every morning and sprinkle it on cereal, yogurt or salads.  Often I use it to replace an egg in baked goods.  Fiber, Lignans, Alph linolenic acid (an omega 3 fatty acid) does make this seed eXcellent for your health.  Mixing flax seed with sunflower nut butter and brown rice crispy cereal makes for a yummy energy bar.

• Eggs from free range chickens – they are a tasty, easy to prepare protein for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks.  If you have elevated cholesterol, speak with your physician or a registered dietitian about a healthy amount to consume.

If you could plan an ideal day to do whatever you wanted, how would you spend it? Living in Vermont, that changes with the seasons!  Right now it is foliage season.  I would wake early to look out my window and see the fall colors enveloped in clouds.  After yoga and sitting meditation I head to the kitchen for coffee and breakfast, enjoying every bite because I am eating mindfully.  Next, my patient Portuguese Water Dog, Minnow and I would take a hike to enjoy the foiliage now that the fog has lifted.  A huge salad for lunch from The Green Godess Cafe in Stowe and I am good to go for an hour or so of gardening.  Sitting on my stone porch, planted with thyme, while looking through my favorite cookbooks (currently The Splendid Table from the Public Radio show of the same name) for something delicious for dinner comes next.  A shower before the grocery store and home to cook while listening to Garrison Keilor’s Prarie Home Companion.  Of course my family is super appreciative of the candle light dinner and they are happy to clean up while I put an uplifting comedy in the DVD player for all of us to watch and laugh together before bed.

What is one of the most common hurdles you see people face in changing  behaviors and what are 1-2 things you find helpful for overcoming that  hurdle? The most common hurdle is the discomfort that comes from changing habits…even when you know the changes are good for you.  What I find to be most helpful is being patient and kind to yourself while going through changes.  Taking small steps and working on 1-2 things at a time rather than overhauling everything at once is important.  That is why I love the 24 week VTrim program; breaks weight managment behaviors down into baby steps.

Will you share with us a favorite anecdote or story about behavior change? Last year I got on the scale and weighed 10 pounds less than usual.  I felt svelt!  But then I was amazed at how I felt about my body the moment I discovered that the scale was broken; I hadn’t lost a pound.  I am now more convinced than ever that the number on the scale is only one indicator of health.  How I feel physically, my comfort level with what and how I eat and my overall health as assessed during my annual physical are important.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 5:02 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.