We prove that eating healthy can be full of flavor without being full of fat, calories, or carbs!

Recently I have seen a slew of advertisements/announcements regarding new menu items for a variety of establishments.  I’m sure that many are familiar with radio/television ads hyping the latest and greatest burger, sandwich, etc.  One would think that in this day and age eateries would be wanting to project their images with more of a nutritionally sound approach since the obesity crisis is running rampant. 

Now and again I’ll catch a blurb about some chain offering a whole grain pasta dish or a grilled shrimp and chicken kabob for those “watching their waistlines;” personally, I think these types of offerings are insulting!  Corporate chefs need to start getting more creative in the kitchen and offer the public something more exciting and different.  For example, instead of seeing items like KFC’s Double Down Chicken Sandwich, (replaces the bun with two fried chicken breasts and in the middle you’ve got  two slices of bacon, cheese and assorted toppings), or Friendly’s Grilled Cheeseburger Melt, (a cheeseburger between two grilled cheese sandwiches), why not offer a crispy oven baked chicken breast with a three pepper slaw in a poppyseed vinaigrette:  flavor and freshness without the fat and calories…yum!  How about taking a traditional lasagna and instead of simply substituting some whole wheat lasagna sheets to add a  few grams of fiber and whole grains, replace the pasta with alternating fresh, thinly sliced zucchini, summer squash and eggplant for a carb friendly meal with some garden veggies.

Writing e-mails or sending letters to higher ups of chain restaurants may just help move their menu ideas in a healthier and more innovative direction.  Whether it be Ruby Tuesday’s, Olive Garden or something of the like, appeal to the people in power; they want  people eating in their establishments and what better way to make sure we are repeat customers than by letting them know exactly what will keep us coming back for more!

After a long day, whether it’s spent at work or at home with the kids, sometimes preparing dinner for the family can seem like an elaborate task that you don’t feel up to undertaking.  Pulling open those cabinets and praying for a miracle, you are relieved to see a box of Hamburger Helper so you begin to follow the directions on the back of the box to get dinner on the table in a snap.  Unfortunately, there are a few things that have been overlooked:  calories, fat, carbohydrates and sodium to name a few.

Pre-packaged meal starters can contain a lot of things we wouldn’t want to feed our family if we examined the nutrition label and ingredients closely.  Take for example, from the line of Hamburger Helper, the Cheeseburger Macaroni meal.  They have a recipe for “Cheeseburger Mexicana,” which per serving has a whopping 780 calories, 38 grams of fat, 82 grams of carbohydrates and 1700 mg of sodium!  The Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that we should eat under 2,300 mg of sodium per day so this meal definitely packs an unsatisfactory nutrition punch. 

A great alternative is a taco salad…you are getting in veggies and using a lot of fresh ingredients, which will also dramatically reduce the high amounts of nutrients noted above, plus they’re super easy to put together.  Pick up some ground turkey/chicken breast/chicken tenderloins and cook through in a pan over medium heat.  Instead of purchasing taco seasoning envelopes, try this recipe for making your own, (much more flavor and much less salt):

mix together well and store in a tightly sealed container

Toss together fresh greens, diced tomatoes, chopped onions, low-fat shredded cheddar cheese and whatever other fresh veggies you like and top with seasoned meat and crushed baked tortilla chips.  Fresh, healthy and tasty without the preservatives, fat and salt!

Be creative and you can figure out how to make over many recipes so that they are healthier for you and your family…ENJOY!!!

Whether you’re trying to tide yourself over until lunch or overcome that 3 p.m. hump at work and be productive, grabbing something to nosh on between meals is the norm for many people.  Some have a daily rendezvous with the vending machine, while others may have a personal stash in their desk drawer.  There is nothing bad to be said about having a little something between meals, however having a planned snack versus an arbitary one will help ensure that your choices are healthy.  Also, remember to only snack on something when you are feeling physically hungry, not just because your mind is wandering.

When choosing a snack, the goal is to take the edge off your hunger so that you can make it to the next meal without feeling ravenous and wanting to eat everything under the sun.  Thus, it is best to pair a lean protein with a whole grain carbohydrate so that you can reap the benefits of attaining a feeling of satiation due to the time it takes for protein to be broken down and used as energy, in conjunction with  fullness from a fiber rich food.

Start leaving the spare change at home and ditch the bags o’ snacks in your workspace so that you can start fueling your body with the proper food choices that will leave you energized instead of “under”gized.

Here are some snack ideas that contain 200 calories or less from the American Dietetic Association:

*One tablespoon peanut butter spread on slices of a medium apple

*Small baked potato topped with salsa and 1 ounce low-fat cheese

*Whole-wheat waffle topped with ½ cup blueberries and 2 tablespoons low-fat yogurt

*Six whole-wheat crackers and one slice low-fat Colby cheese

*Fruit smoothie: Blend 1 cup fat-free milk, ½ cup frozen strawberries and ½ banana

*One 6-inch whole-wheat flour tortilla with ¼ cup black beans and 2 tablespoons fresh salsa

*Quick-to-fix salad: 2 cups mixed greens with ½ cup mandarin oranges, 1 tablespoon sliced almonds, 1 sliced hard-boiled egg and 2 tablespoons reduced-fat dressing

*Mini-sandwich: Whole-grain dinner roll with 1 slice deli turkey, 1 slice low-fat cheese and mustard

*Banana Split: Slice one banana in half length-wise and top with 1/2 cup low-fat frozen yogurt and 1 tablespoon of chopped nuts

*4 ounces of sugar-free, ready-to-eat pudding with 1/2 cup fresh fruit and 5 vanilla wafers

*Veggie pizzas:Split a whole-wheat English muffin and top with a 1/4 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup diced veggies

I have always been a sucker for dried fruit.  Before I embarked on a career path in Nutrition, portion control was not a term in my vocabulary when someone plunked down a bowl of dried fruit in front of me.  Handful after handful  and I was still not satisfied, continuing to munch away.  Then one day I happened to take a peek at the nutrition label of dried cranberries I was chowing down on and I couldn’t believe how much sugar was in a serving:  1/3 cup dried cranberries has 36 grams of total carbohydrates, 30 grams of that being sugar!  Of course part of that 30 grams accounts for the natural sugar that is found in cranberries, however since cranberries are a relatively tart fruit, the amount of natural sugar is minimal.  Additionally, sulfur dioxide is often found on the nutrition label of dried fruits, acting as a preservative. 

I’m sure most agree that whenever a feasible opportunity arises to help avoid consumption of excess sugar and preservatives, it is time to step up to the plate.  Thus, it is time to invest in a food dehydrator!!  Food dehydrators are under-utilized kitchen staples that are quite versatile once you understand all they can do.  Kids love their fruit snacks and being able to make your own at home is a great way to make an all-natural alternative, get the family involved and have fun coming up with different flavor combinations. **Note you can substitute a lemon juice/water solution, 1 cup lemon juice to 1 quart of water, in recipes that call for the addition of  sulfite to fruit to prevent browning.** 

Other uses for a food dehydrator include, but are not limited to:  making homemade beef or turkey jerky, (a great source of lean protein to travel with and it won’t have as much sodium as the types available in stores), drying vegetables to be re-hydrated at a later date for soups/stews and dehydrating your own pumpkin or sunflower seeds.  Avid campers/backpackers can pack dehydrated foods with ease, not having to deal with extra bulk from food packaging.  It really is fun to experiment and try different concoctions so pick up one today and dehydrate away!!

Typically when people hear the blanket term “yogurt,” they automatically think “health food.”  Unfortunately, this is not always the case and it takes some nutrition label investigating to make sure you purchase a healthy product. 

Yogurt selections at the supermarket are more expansive than ever; there are so many brands, flavors and types it can become quite overwhelming.  It seems that every flavor/variety under the sun is available, i.e. chocolate cream pie, mini M & Ms as a “mix in” for fruited yogurt, red velvet cake, pomegrante and the list goes on and on.  Additionally, low-fat, fat-free and/or artificially sweetened yogurts can also be found and are manufactured by a number of different companies.  So much to choose from when all we’re looking for is a healthy treat to perhaps satisfy a sweet tooth, take in some extra calcium or have a little something between mealsl.

Well, search high and low no longer because the Holy Grail of yogurt has arrived!  Drum roll please…..GREEK YOGURT!  The consistency is by far substantially thicker than traditional yogurts, however per serving it contains 2.5 to 3 times the amount of protein.  This is great since protein takes quite a while to break down in the body to be utilized as energy, making it an ideal snack to help hold you over until your next meal.

Greek yogurt can be found in the same section that all other yogurt is located in.  Similar to other brands of yogurts, Greek yogurt comes in a variey of flavors and types, (i.e. honey, vanilla, strawberry; O%, 1%, 2% fat etc.).  The lower in fat the yogurt is, the more healthy it is for you so your best bet is to choose the 0% fat one.  My personal favorite is the Chobani brand; usually I purchase the 6 oz. containers of plain, 0% fat and add my own fresh berries to save myself from consuming extra sugar in the fruited flavors and a spoonful or two of Cheerios for a satisfying crunch…yum!  What’s also great is that the plain yogurt alone is a great substitution for sour cream and/or makes a great creamy salad dressing base.  It really is quite a versatile product so check our Chobani in the dairy section!!