EPIC Fitness, LLC

11/15/2025

11/14/2025

Try Simple Swaps for World Vegan Month
November is World Vegan Month, a time to celebrate plant-based eating, or at least experiment with adding it into your routine.
You don’t have to go fully vegan to see some benefits.
Adding more plants to your diet can help lower cholesterol, support a healthy weight, and provide more vitamins, minerals, and fiber. For many adults over 50, it’s also a great way to improve digestion and reduce inflammation.
Here are a few easy ways to sample it:
1. Go Meatless Once a Week. Try a veggie stir-fry, lentil chili, or black bean tacos. You can get plenty of protein without relying on meat all the time.
2. Swap Your Milk. Almond, soy, or oat milk can replace dairy. Your supermarket is full of options.
3. Try Plant-Based Protein. Look for tempeh, tofu, edamame, or seitan.
4. Use Olive Oil Instead of Butter. Heart-healthy fats from olive or avocado oil support brain and joint health.
5. Load Half Your Plate with Produce. Aim for leafy greens, berries, and bright vegetables. Try to eat the rainbow.
Experiment with the idea of eating fewer animal products this month. It’s not a restriction or a punishment, but a way to see if it brings you more variety, flavor, and renewed energy.

11/13/2025

Healthy Recipe, Wild Rice Salad
The holiday season can be a tough time to stick to a healthy diet, especially if you’re vegetarian or vegan. This festive salad on the table ensures no one will feel deprived. Heart-healthy, antioxidant-rich wild rice provides an earthy, nutty-tasting base for a colorful mélange of cool-weather produce. Apples, pears, pomegranate arils, and any kind of nut could also make themselves at home here. Serves 4. – Susan Puckett
Dressing:
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salad:
• 1 cup long-grain wild rice
• 2 navel oranges, peeled, pith removed, and cut in sections between the membranes
• 1 cup green or red grapes, cut in half
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• ½ cup roughly chopped toasted pecans
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley or mint leaves or a combination (optional)
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a few grindings of black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Set aside.
Make the salad: Place the wild rice in a medium pot with 4 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, 45 to 55 minutes, or until the rice is very tender but not mushy. Drain it well, return it to the pot, cover and let it steam off the heat for 10 minutes.
While the rice is still warm, transfer it to a large salad bowl. Add the orange sections, grapes, celery, scallions, pecans, cranberries, and herbs (if using). Then add the dressing and toss well to coat.
Taste and adjust the seasonings and serve at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before serving.

11/10/2025

11/09/2025

11/07/2025

How to Keep a Healthy Holiday Balance
Let’s celebrate this holiday season rather than stress out over every meal. Yes, November and December can be tricky months, especially for people with or at risk for diabetes.
But you don’t have to miss out on the fun if you pursue a strategy of balance instead of deprivation and guilt.
The American Diabetes Association reports that nearly half of people with Type 2 diabetes say the holiday season makes it harder to manage their condition. Extra stress, travel, big meals, and sugary treats all play a role.
Try these simple habits recommended by the ADA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
• Stick to your routine. Eat around your usual times, and don’t skip meals to “save up.”
• Move after eating. Just a short walk helps your body use glucose and avoid energy crashes.
• Fill half your plate with veggies and go easy on carb-heavy sides.
• Choose your treats. Make them special, not constant.
The ADA and Diabetes Canada both emphasize that the key is consistency, not perfection. What matters most is your overall pattern of eating, not one slice of pumpkin pie.
Staying active through the holidays is a gift to yourself and your loved ones. It also keeps your blood sugar, energy, and mood where you want them.
Savor the season smartly.

11/06/2025

Healthy Recipe, Caramelized Tomato and Orzo Chicken Stew
This rustic Turkish-inspired recipe is adapted from one in Christopher Kimball’s “Milk Street Shorts: Recipes That Pack a Punch.” It is a great example of how you can add flavor to simmered chicken with a couple of spices and pantry staples. The trick is to brown the tomato paste with the olive oil and garlic first to the point that it looks like it’s beginning to burn. A simple green salad and hunk of crusty bread complete the meal. Serves 4-6. – Susan Puckett
Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
• One 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 4 or 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried mint or oregano
• 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, halved
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 cup orzo pasta
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Greek yogurt, torn mint or parsley leaves, and Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes for serving (optional)
Instructions
1. In a large saucepan, combine the oil, tomato paste, and garlic. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the tomato paste darkens several shades.
2. Add the paprika and mint or oregano then cook, stirring, just until fragrant. Add the chicken, 7 cups of water, and 1½ teaspoons of salt. Simmer, uncovered, until a skewer inserted into the chicken meets no resistance, about 15 or 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.
3. Add the orzo to the pan and cook until the rice-like pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. Add a little more water if it’s thicker than you’d like.
4. While the orzo is cooking, shred the chicken. When the orzo is done, return the shredded chicken to the mixture, along with the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of yogurt, fresh mint or parsley, and a sprinkle of Aleppo or red pepper flakes, if desired.

11/05/2025

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