Posted by Julie Kinney on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 @ 08:24 AM
It's very interesting the way our children think. The question out of my 5 year old's mouth at every meal I serve is, "Mom, what is that good for?" He always wants to know what color fruit or vegetable is good for what body part or what it does in our bodies.
I can't blame him for being inquisitive and actually it puts a smile on my face to know that it matters that much to him. He recently got glasses this week, and the question that came was, "Why do I need glasses if I eat so many carrots?" This came from a day when I told him that orange vegetables were good for your eyes. We eat a variety of colors for this reason and my kids make sure that when we have one color for lunch, we have another color for dinner.
Here are some tips for you to help you teach your children about variety and help engage them in colors along with variety when it comes to your fruit and vegetable servings.
- Bring them to the grocery store with and have them pick a fruit or vegetable in every color from the rainbow.
- Have your child pick the colors you eat for each meal.
- Create fruit salads with variety of colors: fruit salads and vegetable salads.
I found this website that everyone with children should know about. It is Fruits and Veggies More Matters. It is great for tips on how to add variety with color to your diet, as well as information on what nutrients are in what colors. If you are struggling with variety, check out the color list and start eating from each category!
You will be surprised how that helps with your nutrition and aids in your weight loss!
Have a great weekend!
Julie
Posted by Alicia Leeds on Mon, Jul 13, 2009 @ 01:00 PM
One thing I have heard consistantly through my years as a health educator and coach is that it's hard to find a healthy substitute for snack food cravings - particularly the Salty/Crunchies.
HMR shakes and puddings fill the bill when you crave the sweet stuff - especially chocolate... and HMR entrees can be made into just about any comfort food you want. (Our HMR Recipes and Tips page is full of great ideas.)
But when it comes to the dreaded Salty/Crunchies - Healthy Solutions are hard to come by.
The old stand by is, of course, baked potato fries... just slice your favorite spuds, spread on a cookie sheet, spray with PAM and cook at about 450 until crispy. I like to broil them for the last couple of minutes to get them super crispy. Sprinkle salt, rosemary, chili powder, or Mrs Dash for flavor. Sweet potatoes are especially yummy this way - although they don't get as crispy as your average Yukon or Idaho.
Use red potatoes whole or quartered for a lighter treat - or splurge on baby gourmet potatoes - white, red or blue. Those can just be washed and cooked whole using the same methods. I especially like these because the skin gets nice and crispy.
If you are feeling adventurous - try the same recipe with Butternut Squash. Peel and cut the squash into fry size slices and bake/broil as above.
Try any of these recipes as a snack, or with HMR Turkey Chili, HMR Veggie Stew or a lean protein of your choice. Use any leftovers in a salad - or bag them up for a great grab and go snack you can eat on the run!
Happy Healthy Crunching!
Posted by Alicia Leeds on Sun, Apr 19, 2009 @ 11:56 AM
Mark Bittman is a food columnist for the New York Times. Here's how Mark found his way to fitness even while eating for a living...
A couple of years ago, I had the typical experience of every normal, middle-aged American guy. My doctor told me I had to lose weight and lower my cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In other words, take drugs or stop eating.
But since I eat and cook for a living, and because I wanted to avoid the drug thing, I needed a different route. As it happens, the fix is pretty straight-forward, and not only does it work - when the recession arrived, I was already eating on the cheap. It's just about making the right food choices.
But before you call me a nutritionist, think about this. The nuts-and-berries stories of our ancestors - the eating-turnips-and-cabbage-all-winter stories of our great grandparents - these aren't myths. Until recently, most people struggled to get enough calories to thrive. Meat was a feast food; sugar, a luxury; fat, a treasure. As we got smarter, we converted plant energy into high-calorie food that kept well. Things like cooking oil, meat, cheese and alcohol. And by the 20th century, we were doing that so efficiently that we started to eat in a way that makes us fat and unhealthy.
We now produce a billion animals like they were widgets; animals that produce 18 percent of all greenhouse gases. And we've ended up paying more for food that's bad for us than we do for what actually sustains us.
I'm not exactly a back-to-the-earth type, but it's clear that the key to avoiding the lifestyle diseases that plague many of us - even me! - is the same key to saving money on food: go to the source. Eat more plants, fewer animals, less processed foods. Easy to say, but tempted by delicious burgers, fries and hazelnut gelato at every turn, how to do?
For me the answer turned out to be simple: I began to eat plants and only plants. Vegetables and fruits, mostly. But beans and whole grains too, all day. At night, I reverted to the indulgent omnivore, and let myself eat the food I love most, but with a little restraint. I lost 30 pounds. My cholesterol and blood sugar went back to normal and my doctors love me. I go to the supermarket and spend half as much money for twice as much food. I have a smug smile on my face, because by an infinitesimal amount, I'm reducing the pace of global warming. And all by doing what my mother told me: I eat my vegetables.
Follow this link to hear Mark tell his story on NPR Weekend Edition, Sunday April 19, 2009:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103257424
Posted by Alicia Leeds on Sun, Apr 12, 2009 @ 08:33 AM
It was a cold and cloudy day in Boston yesterday, more like November than April. I had planned to try a quiet day, having always been intrigued by what it would be like to be on a silent retreat. I got my grocery shoppng done and told friends and family that I wouldn't be answering the phone.
I also got a book called The Writer's Diet by Julie Cameron, best known for The Artist's Way. My quiet day was the perfect time for me to check it out.
The book didn't start well for me because her premise is a cliche that really bugs me, "It's not what you're eating - it's what's eating you". The truth is - if you are struggling with your weight, chances are really good it is what you're eating that's the problem...
Nevertheless, I decided to give the rest of the book a chance. Though it's still too soon for a final verdict, I think she's got some valid things to say.
Her first suggestion is to write three pages of anything when you first wake up. Morning Pages. I love this idea for personal growth -but not as a weight management strategy. It's like sweeping the streets of your mind. (It brings back my memory of shopkeepers sweeping their sidewalks every morning in Madrid.) Starting the day with a clear path lets you get to know yourself better, and keeping in touch with your thoughts is good thing.
Second, she suggests keeping a food journal. Write it all down. And next, a daily walk. Right On! Both of these things are essential weight management strategies. Now we're on the same page.
She goes on to suggest questions to ask yourself before you eat and states of being to avoid (like angry, lonely, and tired). Here she loses me by making things too complicated - asking questions and concentrating on feelings are non quantifiable behaviors, immeasurable to do's.
At the end of the day, it matters more that you fill your refrigerator (and your belly) with fruits and vegetables than what questions you have about pizza or how you feel about it. You can be happy when you eat the pizza or angry when you eat the pizza, fact is - eating pizza will not help you manage your weight. And studies show that people who are overweight do not have any more significant psychological difficulties than those who manage their weight more successfully. Although, here I will argue that since Physical Activity eases depression, people who move (increasing their chances of successful weight management) feel better because of the exercise alone.
That's about as far as I got before I got hungry and came up with my new favorite Rich and Creamy, Orange You Glad You Can Eat The Whole Pot, Butternut Squash Soup. One thing I can tell you about food and the quiet day; without noise in the background, eating took on a whole new dimension. Everything tasted amazing. And, I really felt more satisfied and more nourished by focusing on eating without reading, answering email or watching TV.
A day of silence, like concentrating on questions and feelings, is not a weight management strategy any of us can expect to achieve consistently - but it did allow me to access my physical hunger and also my physical satiety - sensations which often elude me. Being quiet did make an impact on my experience with food.
OK - so after not speaking for 24 hours, here's what I have to say:
MAKE The Soup. - It's Good for Your Body!
Write! - Your Food and PA Records (anything else is a bonus).
Walk! - Anywhere and Everywhere, Everyday!
And Be Quiet every once in a while, even for a moment, there's a lot to hear when you stop talking.