Thu, 01/05/2023 - 11:11

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Think of fad diets – just because a diet is popular doesn’t mean it’s effective or healthy for you.

Thu, 12/15/2022 - 11:11

We all know that controlling portions is important to our health but how do you put portion control into practice? Here are some tips to recognize the amount of food you’re eating.

Sugary candy isn’t the only way to taste the rainbow. Here are ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables of every color into your diet. 

Red 

For red foods, try brightening up a salad by adding sliced strawberries. Red bell peppers can be diced and added to pizza or roasted, blended and added to pasta sauce. 

Orange 

Sliced oranges make a delicious, refreshing snack on their own, but they can also be diced and added to fruit salad. Sweet potatoes can be mashed instead of regular potatoes for a nutrient-packed twist on a classic, or they can be roasted and served with chicken for a warm meal. 

Yellow

A mashed banana is versatile—it can be used as the basis of a healthy ice cream substitute or a smoothie, or it can be made into pancakes, among many other recipes. Corn kernels can be added to Mexican food, chili or cornbread. 

Green 

For a pear-ing you’ll love (see what we did there?), try pears and feta in a salad, and add walnuts for an additional crunch. Blend spinach into a smoothie for an antioxidant boost that you’ll barely taste, added to pesto or baked into a creamy pasta dish.  

Blue 

Blueberries can be added to oatmeal or yogurt for additional flavor in your breakfast. Your blueberry pancakes or muffins can be healthier by making them with whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. 

Purple 

Grapes are the perfect addition to your snack of cheese and crackers, and frozen grapes make a fun summer treat. Shredded purple cabbage is wonderful in Thai food or a pulled pork sandwich for a crunch in every bite. 

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As a general rule, most fruits are delicious in smoothies, and most vegetables taste great when cooked into an omelet. For picky eaters, cut vegetables into small pieces and add them to meatloaf or meatballs. For variety in textures, tastes and nutrients, be sure to eat fruits and vegetables in every color of the rainbow. 

Tue, 12/13/2022 - 11:11

Sugary candy isn’t the only way to taste the rainbow. Here are ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables of every color into your diet.

Fri, 10/28/2022 - 17:55

Discover the healthiest milk alternative.

What you don’t know about your food can hurt you 

A food allergy is an abnormal reaction by the immune system to specific proteins in certain foods. Most food allergies are triggered by:  

• Peanuts 
• Tree Nuts 
• Soy 
• Shellfish 
• Fish 
• Milk 
• Eggs 
• Wheat 

Common symptoms include: 

• Itching or tingling in the mouth 
• Difficulty breathing or swallowing 
• Hives 
• Eczema 
• Swelling of the lips, tongue, throat or face 
• Diarrhea or vomiting 
• Dizziness or fainting 

Mon, 10/17/2022 - 16:30

What you don’t know about your food can hurt you. Learn about food allergies, what triggers them, common symptoms, and risk factors.

Our liver and why we need liver 

The liver is a vital organ in the human body, and it must be cared for through our diet and exercise.  

An animal’s liver, as a table food, is crazy loaded with nutrients and is one of the least popular menu items. Something has got to give.  

Humans’ liver functions 

Weighing in at about 3.1 pounds in adults, the liver is one of the largest organs in the body. The liver plays a central role in total body function. It converts the nutrients in our diets into substances that the body can use, stores these substances and supplies cells with them when needed. It also takes toxic substances and converts them into harmless substances or makes sure they are released from the body. The liver has many vital functions, including helping to digest food and process and distribute nutrients. A healthy liver is necessary for survival. Help your liver by limiting fatty foods, maintaining a healthy weight and if you drink alcohol, do it in moderation. 

Animals’ (or fowls’) liver for consumption  

Skip to the next paragraph if you order liver and onions or foie gras. If you do not, and would not, order animal liver of any kind, reconsider. Liver contains vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron. These nutrients provide the body with tools to get rid of toxins to aid the function of your liver.  

If the thought of eating liver in the same way you would eat a steak is too unpalatable, try disguising it. According to the website Back to the Book Nutrition, when sneaking liver into recipes, the keys are:  

• Puree the liver first. Freeze the pureed meat in small portions for easy defrosting. 

• Add it to recipes that have lots of flavor on their own, like chili, lasagna or a dish that includes bacon, to help hide the texture and taste of liver.  

When served on its own, liver commonly comes with onions. Let’s agree that onions can mask the taste of anything. 

Thu, 10/13/2022 - 09:27

The liver is a vital organ in the human body, and it must be cared for through our diet and exercise.  

Choosy, fussy and picky are labels for the eating norm of toddlers as they are developing food preferences. It's also when we see their fickle side. Yesterday's favorite food might hit the floor today, or snubbed food might suddenly become the best loved. They may eat one or two preferred foods for weeks – and nothing else. 

Try not to get frustrated by this typical toddler behavior. With time, your child's appetite and eating behaviors will level out. Here are some tips to help you through the picky eater stage while introducing healthy food habits. 

1. Family style. Share a meal as a family as often as you can. Mealtime means no distractions like TV or cell phones. Serve one meal for the whole family and resist the urge to make another meal if your child refuses what you've served.  

2. Food fights. If your toddler refuses a meal, avoid fussing over it. It's good for children to learn to listen to their bodies and use hunger as a guide. It's a parent's responsibility to provide food and the child's decision to eat it. Pressuring kids to eat, or punishing them if they don't, can make them dislike foods they may otherwise like. 

3. Break from bribes. Tempting as it may be, try not to bribe your children with treats for eating other foods.  

4. Try, try again. Just because a child refuses a food once, don't give up. It can take 10 or more times trying a food before a toddler's taste buds accept it. Limit snacks and have a set mealtime - it helps if your child is hungry when introducing a new food. 

5. Make food fun. Toddlers are especially open to trying foods prepared in creative ways. Make foods look irresistible by arranging them in fun, colorful and recognizable shapes. Toddlers usually enjoy any food involving a dip and finger foods.  

 

"Cut solid foods into bite-size pieces they can easily eat themselves, making sure the pieces are small enough to avoid the risk of choking," said Kevin Frank, M.D., Family Medicine, Genesis Primary Care - Somerset. "Avoid introducing processed foods, instead prepare protein sources and serve fruits and vegetables, so you know your child is getting all the necessary nutrients to grow and develop."  

 

 

Tue, 09/13/2022 - 16:22

Try not to get frustrated by this typical toddler behavior. With time, your child's appetite and eating behaviors will level out.

While sea captains might be accustomed to inhaling salt daily, most of us could stand to limit our salt intake. Just like the sea water surrounding the captain’s ship, salt comes at us from every point on the compass. 

 

In the early days of exploration, food used to be packed in salt so it wouldn’t spoil during travel, but now we have huge freezers and salt’s still everywhere, especially frozen foods. Blimey! More than 70% of the sodium we eat comes from processed and prepackaged grub. There’s also an ocean of salt in breads and rolls, pizza, sandwiches, cold cuts and cured meats and soup.  

 

Salt and sodium are different. Sodium occurs naturally in foods or is added during manufacturing. Table salt is a 40 to 60% mix of sodium and chloride. One teaspoon of salt has 2,300 milligrams of sodium, which each crewmate is supposed to have each day. Most of that is in what the chief cook prepares. Many people add about 1,100 milligrams extra per day. Shiver me timbers!  

 

We all need a teaspoon of sodium a day for health but diets any higher in sodium are associated with high blood pressure (hypertension), which burdens your heart. Increased blood flow can harm your heart, brain, kidneys and eyes. It raises the risk of heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, kidney disease and blindness. Not exactly ship-shape! 

 

Sure, there are sodium substitutes. Many contain a lot of potassium, which is bad for those with kidney disease. Check with your family doctor before trying salt substitutes. And sea salt? There’s very little sodium difference between sea, table or kosher salt.  

 

Salt’s boring, anyway! Sea captains have sailed every ocean blue and found many great alternatives like cider vinegar for vegetables — salads and sauces. Allspice really gives lean meats and stews a kick in the britches. Try cayenne pepper on eggs and nutmeg on fruits, potatoes, chicken and fish. 

 

The list goes on but remember the American Heart Association and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans support a long list of good foods. Take it from the old salt, there are no saltshakers in the mess hall, and no-one’s jumped ship yet! 

 

 

Wed, 08/24/2022 - 11:18

Salt and sodium are different. Sodium occurs naturally in foods or is added during manufacturing. Table salt is a 40 to 60% mix of sodium and chloride. One teaspoon of salt has 2,300 milligrams of sodium.

If you’ve watched more weight loss workouts than you’d like to admit or eaten grapefruit for breakfast lunch or dinner, then read on to learn tips for successful weight loss.  

 

Do you: 

• Eat too many refined grains (white bread or rice)? 

• Eat big portions? 

• Skip meals? 

• Eat a lot of meals away from home? 

• Graze all day on high-calorie snacks? 

• Frequently drink high-calorie coffee drinks, juice drinks or regular soda? 

• Consume too much alcohol? 

• Eat for emotional reasons? 

• Eat in front of the screen like your phone or computer? 

 

Changes are coming 

• OK, let’s get real. Pick at least one habit from above and work on changing this habit. For example, try limiting sweets and treats to only 200 calories a day, cutting out fried foods or only eating out once per week. 

• Replace the old habit with a new lower calorie habit, such as trying new fruits or vegetables or a new type of exercise class. 

 

On track 

• Self-monitor. You can do it. Studies show that people who self-monitor their meals lose more weight and keep it off.  

• Weigh yourself. The most successful “losers” tend to weigh themselves about once a week.  

 

 

Thu, 08/18/2022 - 09:42

If you’ve watched more weight loss workouts than you’d like to admit or eaten grapefruit for breakfast lunch or dinner, then read on to learn tips for successful weight loss.

Have you seen or tried the flavored powders and drops you can add to water? According to some of the claims, they not only taste good, some have the power to turn regular H2O into a kind of magic health elixir.  

But is it true—or are they all wet? Take the quiz below to find out how they stack up and if they’re safe to use.  

Thu, 08/04/2022 - 08:36

Have you seen or tried the flavored powders and drops you can add to water? According to some of the claims, they not only taste good, some have the power to turn regular H2O into a kind of magic health elixir.