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The Holiday Season is here! That doesn’t mean you can’t eat sensibly
November 27 2013
Just because the Holiday Season has begun it should not mean that your healthy eating habits go out the window. By approaching the next month and a half with a can-do attitude, you can weather the calorie storm, enjoy the down time, and feel great. Here are a few simple tips for you.
1. Don’t arrive (too) hungry. During the holidays, you are often invited to many a tasty meal. A classic mistake is not to eat all day in order to make room for all the tasty treats awaiting you. However, this is a recipe for disaster because this leads to dramatically overeating. It’s the way our bodies have been wired by millions of years of evolution.
2. Drink lots of water. Start all meals and parties by making sure you are properly hydrated. This will help reduce your overall caloric intake (and it helps avoid hangovers too).
3. Don’t be afraid to be picky. You don’t have to try everything on the buffet or appetizer platter. Scope out what looks good and stick to a few of those…that way you won’t overfill your plate and eat WAY too much.
4. We call it the Holidays but in reality most of the time is technically not a holiday, just regular work days. Save you caloric celebrations for the few days that actually are a holiday – Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. For the rest of the time, plan your meals and try to keep the calorie count on the low end.
5. Try to stick to your healthy routines – whether it is exercise or updating your food diary, keep at it. Don’t let Thanksgiving derail you for more than a day or two. Get back to your regular groove fast, especially since you should be having more free time, not less, during vacation. It’s okay to overindulge once in a while but make sure you pace yourself; the Holiday Season lasts about 6 weeks…that’s a lot of meals.
Fight colds and flu with food
November 25 2013
As the days get shorter and the temperature begins to cool it is apparent that cold and flu season is here. Research has shown that there are many ways to help prevent getting a cold or the flu by simply eating healthy and nutritious foods. Avoiding sugary foods and processed meats have also been documented as good ways to prevent illness. Here are some of the best cold and flu fighting foods according to studies:
· Whole Grains
They’re loaded with zinc, which is vital for maintaining a healthy immune system. Try whole-grain spaghetti with tomato sauce or brown rice with veggies.
· Bananas
They contain vitamin B6, which helps your body fight infection. Eat your bananas sliced over whole-grain cereal and double your germ-busting power.
· Cayenne Pepper
The active ingredient in cayenne pepper, capsaicin, helps fight congestion by thinning the mucus in your nasal passages so you can breathe freely again. Sprinkle some in soup or on a bean burrito.
· Sweet Potatoes
They’re one of the best sources of beta-carotene (a form of vitamin A), which your body needs to make enough white blood cells to fight off infection. Eat them mashed or baked.
· Garlic
Allicin, one of the active components in freshly crushed garlic, can zap viruses by blocking the enzymes that lead to infection. Use it in a Caesar salad, pesto sauce, or guacamole.
· Spinach
Spinach is loaded with vitamin C which has been shown to reduce the severity of cold and flu symptoms.
You can save up to 600%!!!
November 22 2013
That sounds incredible doesn’t it? Well, it’s true.
If you are like many folks and regularly buy your lunch instead of brown bagging it, then you are spending an amazing 600% more than if you made it at home. SIX TIMES THE COST OF MAKING IT YOURSELF!
Let’s do the math. For lunch today you went to the local Italian place and had lasagna with a side Caesar salad and a cup of coffee.
- Lasagna: $14
- Salad: $6
- Coffee: $2
- Total: $22!!!
http://www.olivegarden.com/Menu/Lunch/
And that does not include taxes or tip.
Let’s say that on Sunday evening for dinner you made lasagna and froze whatever leftovers. Then on Tuesday for lunch you bring yourself a portion of lasagna, a side salad and something to drink (how about water, it’s cheap!)
Let’s do the math on this one.
- 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef: $4.50
- Onions, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper: about $3.00
- 1 can of diced tomatoes: $1.50
- 1 can tomato paste: $1.00
- 12 lasagna noodles (here you can buy whole wheat, which is never an option at a restaurant): $2.00
- Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and Mozzarella cheese: about $8.00
- Total: $20…almost the same except you just made 8 portions!!!!
- So that works out to $2.50 per portion.
- Add your mixed greens salad and homemade dressing: about $1.50
- Grand total of $4.00!!!
Let’s compare: $22 before tip for a restaurant lunch or $4 (feel free to tip yourself) for homemade…that’s a 550% savings!!!!
Okay, maybe you don’t go out to a sit down restaurant that often, maybe only on special occasions. Instead you head to the local sandwich shop and get a chicken salad sandwich and a soda: $7.00.
What if you made that same sandwich using yesterday’s leftover chicken and brown bagged it? It would cost about $1.50. That’s a 460% savings!
Taking the time to plan your meals ahead and to make sure you have leftovers will not only save you LOTS of money but will save you time and may very well make you healthier.
It’s not only what you eat
November 21 2013
Contrary to popular belief, simply eating healthy food does not lead to weight loss. Why, you ask? It’s a matter of portion sizes. It is simple: more often than not, the larger the portion, the more calories in it. That’s why it’s crucial to be aware of not just WHAT we eat but HOW MUCH. Here are some suggestions that can help you better portion your food.
Tip #1: Use visual aids for common food serving sizes
Examples:
- Meat, fish, or poultry = 3 ounces = deck of cards / iPod (Yes, that’s a portion, not a steak the size of your head!)
- Pasta, rice, potatoes = one cup = baseball
- potato, yam = one unit = computer mouse
- Nuts = 1/4 cup = golf ball
- Salad dressing or olive oil = 2 Tbsp = shot glass
- Peanut butter = 2 Tbsp = shot glass
- Ice cream = half cup = half baseball
- Cheese = 2 ounces = 2 fingers
Tip #2: Read the serving size information on the Nutrition Facts Panel
All processed foods have a nutrition facts label and the first thing it shows is the serving size. All the calorie and nutrient information that follows is calculated per serving. But sometimes the serving size is tiny compared to what people really eat. For example, many cereals list the serving as half a cup (one ounce). Even 7 year olds eat more than that. So make sure you accurately account for the true portion size you consumed.
Tip #3: Understand how many servings are in a package
It’s important to know how many servings are in a package. A small bag of chips that you can finish off in 5 minutes or less may actually contain 2.5 servings! That means two and a half times the calories you were expecting. Beverage bottles are notorious portion expanders. Often, the small bottle of juice you just got from the vending machine or convenience store actually has TWO servings of liquid. A serving of juice (or soda, or water) is 1 cup (8 fluid ounces), but these bottles usually provide you with double that amount, 16 ounces. Share with a friend, or better yet, drink water!
Tip #4: When eating out, ask for the small or kids sized portions or share
Restaurant and fast food meals have ballooned in size in the last 30 years. A 280 calorie Caesar salad in 1985 is now over 700 calories! It’s an arms race between competing chains for dollar value, but your weight and health are the collateral damage. Ask for the junior portions or share a large portion with a friend.
Tip #5: Never eat out of the bag or box
If you bought a family size bag of pretzels, or a gallon tub of ice cream, the worst possible thing to do is eat straight out of the package. Especially in front of the TV. It will cause mindless eating and multiple serving syndrome…
Tip #6: Plate in the kitchen, eat in the dining room
The easiest way to overeat is having the serving dishes on the dining table within arm’s reach. Plate your food in the kitchen then serve it at the table. The only exception should be a large pitcher of water on the table.
Tip #7: Fresh fruits and veggies get a free pass
Fresh produce is usually high in nutrients and low in calories. So adding more into your diet or a meal is a good idea, even if you go over on your portion size. The fiber in produce will help you feel full and less hungry.
355 000 000
November 13 2013
That’s the number of results you get if you search for “weight loss” on your computer. That’s more than one result for every person in America! The “solutions” for weight loss run from eliminating wheat and proteins from your diet to eating nothing but wheat and protein.
So, which one is right for you?
It doesn’t have to be complicated. At MealEasy we believe in mindful eating. That means thinking about what you are eating and how much of it you should eat. It’s about portion control; it’s about homemade versus store bought; it’s about healthy food options and not diet supplements.
Eating a healthy balanced diet, getting regular exercise and staying away from junk foods are the keys to attaining and maintaining a healthy weight.
All Natural?
November 12 2013
You may have noticed this while shopping for groceries. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the use of the term “All Natural” when describing a prepared food has been dwindling. Why? That’s because lawsuits have been piling up against the food industry giants due to false advertizing.
Food companies want to convince us that their food is healthy. But there are strict regulations as to when the word healthy can be used. However, the word “Natural” has not been defined by the FDA, and so it may be used more loosely. And that’s why many food companies will tell us that their products are “natural”.
But in the last few years, class action lawsuits against companies with not so natural ingredients (GMO, high fructose corn syrup) have led to millions of dollars of fines.
This is yet another example of big food corporations pulling the wool over our eyes. If you want to make sure what you’re eating is “all natural” start by relying less on convenience and processed foods and start by cooking at home using fresh fruits and vegetables.
The 5% cut solution
November 08 2013
The question is not what the government can do for you but what we can do to help ourselves:
• The 5% food stamp cut will affect 23 million households and will be substantial for those in need.
• Obamacare is a divisive issue in the news today and will cost us millions.
But maybe less reliance on government and more reliance on personal food choices are what are called for.
By choosing to prepare home cooked meals made from real ingredients, you can not only save yourself hundreds of dollars a month but save yourself from needing healthcare in the first place. Be proactive with your healthcare and eat healthy nutritious foods and lose the reliance on drugs to make you “feel” better.
The best defense against most disease is a healthy nutritious diet.
Healthcare costs continue to mount as do our grocery bills. Planning your meals ahead of time will save you money, will save you time and will save you stress.
The savings are in the hundreds of dollars a month. Yes, hundreds. And multiply that by twelve and you’ve saved yourself thousands of dollars over a period of one year.
Great news in the world of fats!
November 07 2013
The FDA is moving towards eliminating artificial trans fats, the artery clogging substance that is a major contributor to heart disease in the United States, from the food supply.
The move concluded three decades of battles by public health advocates against artificial trans fats, which occur when liquid oil is treated with hydrogen gas and made solid. The long-lasting fats became popular in frying and baking and in household items like margarine, and were cheaper than animal fat, like butter. But trans fats have been shown over the years to raise the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL) and actually decrease the amount of good cholesterol (HDL).
Used primarily today in fast food restaurants as cheap deep fryer oil and in some mass produced baked goods, artificial trans fats will be outlawed. This is something which we at MealEasy have done since the beginning. None of our meals exceed 0.5g of trans fats, be it artificial or naturally occurring. This goes to show that the only way to truly eat healthy is to make your meals at home using fresh, unprocessed ingredients.