Making healthy food choices
Choosing the right foods for your family
If you’re a busy mom with limited time to research individual foods, then making use of online tools is a no-brainer. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) supports a comprehensive and credible website on nutrition and health (for everyone), including topics on label reading, healthy snack ideas and more at
Stability ball (Swiss ball):
While a stability ball is best known for engages multiple muscle groups during abdominal training, that is only the beginning. It offers the same benefits for upper and lower body toning. Adding controlled instability to your workout promotes muscular endurance and challenges your body’s ability to balance itself.
Resistance tubes:
A lightweight total body shaping aid ideal for the space challenged and/or for those new to exercise. Unlike Therabands, resistance tubes resemble jump ropes and feature triangle-shaped handles on each end for grip comfort and stability. Recommended by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), they vary in length, thickness and color. Usually, thicker, shorter, darker-colored tubes provide more tension.
Dumbbells:
Equipment that adds includes external resistance in the form of weights, such as dumbbells, is essential for muscle growth or hypertrophy. Ideally, you need several sets of dumbbells as certain exercises require heavier weights while others require a lighter set. Consider opting for adjustable dumbbells as they offer multiple resistance levels while saving space.
Other options for strength training at home include medicine balls, Bosu trainers and kettlebells. Even household items can double as fitness accessories. Remember, your own body weight, working against gravity, provides resistance for many challenging exercises, such as the military-style push-up.
One important step towards eating healthier and watching your calories is to eat one meatless meal per week. What to do? It’s easy. I enjoy eating meatless meals because it keeps my diet varied versus boring and stale. Here one tip I use myself that will get you started!
Try tofu and soy crumbles.
While tofu can be an acquired taste for some, it comes in many varieties and flavors, and can be grilled, sautéed, scrambled…even fried or stir-fried. Tofu comes in firm and soft textures (soft is a great protein addition to smoothies) and is often used as an ingredient. I bought an all-tofu decadent chocolate cake from a gourmet bakery. It was completely all natural and vegan. Guess what? My non-vegetarian, hates health food brother in law didn’t know the difference! They used silken tofu in the cake, and yes, it can be that good.
A meat-lover wouldn’t even know the difference, with soy crumbles that is. They used to be packaged as a grain-like product that needed to be re-hydrated to take form.
“Now, frozen, bagged, re-hydrated soy crumbles (textured vegetable protein) can be found in the frozen food section and poured into your favorite spaghetti sauce or chili recipe.”
A calorie or kilocalorie, is a unit used to measure energy. A calorie, by definition, is the amount of energy needed to raise 1 kg of water 1 degree celsius. Calories in our diet come from macronutrients or energy-yielding nutrients, which include fat, protein and carbohydrate. Carbohydrate and protein each offer 4 calories per gram while fat is much more energy-dense, providing 9 calories for every gram. Alcohol is not a nutrient but it does contain calories, specifically 7 calories per gram.
The body uses energy, in the form of calories, to perform all of its functions. If you consume more calories than your body needs, the excess may be stored as fat – leading to excessive weight. On the other hand, if/when a food shortage exists, your body can break down stored fat for energy. Losing excess body fat successfully is achieved by creating a (calorie) energy defecit. You can do this by consuming fewer calories than you need daily to maintain your weight or burning off more calories than you take in daily. Eating less through portion control, behavior modification and eating low-caloire, filling foods while increasing your level of physical activity is the best strategy for losing weight.
February is all about your heart. Not only does Valentine’s Day fall on the 14th but it is American Heart Month. While chocolates, candies, flowers and jewelry are the traditional picks for Valentine’s Day, your sweetheart deserves the best. For your favorite cook or foodie, opt for something different. Say ‘I love you’ and promote your sweetheart’s healthy lifestyle by considering one of these gift ideas for healthier cooking. You can always keep a small box of chocolates on hand just in case!
Splurge:
Loves cooking appliances/gadgets/short on time: Pressure Cooker – Fagor 6-quart stovetop pressure cooker ($139)
Pressure cookers have come a long way. Like convection ovens, pressure cookers speed up cooking time but, unlike convection ovens, they are excellent for sealing in moisture. Roasts will remain juicy because the steam cannot escape. Newer models, such as the Fagor six-quart pressure cooker, allow you to slow cook and steam, has interchangable quart-sized pots and steamer basket which doubles as a food grater/trivet.
Budget pick:
Loves magazines/checking out new recipes and learning about cooking techniques: Subscription Cooking and Food Magazines ($15 to 30)
There are some fantastic specialty magazines for those who love to develop and prepare healthy, gourmet meals. Bonus: every month brings new ideas, recipes and product suggestions – not to mention beautiful food photos. Examples: Cook’s Country, Food and Wine, Fine Cooking and Eating Well.
Other:
Loves cooking authentic cuisine/herbs and spices: Spice CollectionsDean & Deluca Spice Collections
