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Food and Nutrition Information
Cooking healthy is not difficult, it's all about getting started. This page will provide you with information and links to other website to help you become a healthier cook and more informed about the food choices you make. In addition to the following links, don't forget to check out the Austin Public Library. They have many wonderful cookbooks and other materials available for you.
Most experts suggest eating 4 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables daily. Our requirement is 5 servings made up of a combination of fruits and vegetables. You will earn 10 points each day you eat a combination of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. Below are several links to help you achieve that goal and better understand what a "serving" is.
Great website with lots of nutritional information. Take a recipe and have the nutritional values computed for you. Click here.
20 Ways to Enjoy More Fruits, Vegetables and Grains. Click here
Organic Foods? Are they safer? More nutritous? Click here to read more.
A Month Of Lunch Ideas. Click here.
Lunch Ideas, Snack Ideas. Click here.
10 Ways with Rotisserie Chicken. Click here.
Get Fit Fruit & Vegetable Serving Guide: A great resource from our local U of M Extension Office. Click here.
Fruits and Vegetables, Getting Enough? Tips and Serving Suggestions. Click here.
Easy Ways to Get Your 5 Fruits and Vegetables A Day. Click here.
Get Fit Healthy Snack Alternatives and Serving Suggestions. Click here.
From KAAL Morning Show..10 Breakfast Ideas 400 Calories under 4 Minutes. Click here.
Hy-Vee February Enews. Click here.
Deskercise. Get some exercise right at your desk. Click here.
Tips for a Healthy Weekend Click here.
Eating Healthy in the Drive Thru Click here.
http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t-109-/knowledge.asp Recipe Tips offers free recipes as well as extensive tools & guides for cooking at home, as well as step-by-step directions for learning how to cook from fresh ingredients! Take a minute to check it out!
www.hy-vee.com Our local grocery store is home to a wonderful website. Not only will you find countless recipes, there is also tips on shopping, pantry stocking, menu planning and more. Plus Hy-Vee has an on staff dietician ready to help you make healthy grocery purchases. They recently updated their website: More recipes, More coupons, More ideas. Check it out today.
www.cookinglight.com This website offers great recipes, cooking tips, and healthy living advice. At United Way it is one of our favorite magazines. You can seriously make some good low fat, low calorie brownies from their recipes.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/NU99999 Many of us have dietary restrictions. Our world renown medical facility just to the east is a great resource for those who may be faced with the challenge of Diabetes, Celiac's Disease, No Salt diets and other dietary restrictions. It's just a good overall resource.
www.drweil.com Dr. Weil for years has been a proponent of eating food in it's purest forms. There are many benefits of organic, free range and all natural foods. This website provides recipes, healthy living advice, supplement information and more.
Kid Friendly Websites
Looking for a way to engage your children, grandchildren or favorite little person in healthy cooking? Check out the links below and start cooking.
www.healthyfridge.org
www.kidshealth.org
www.healhty-kid-recipes.com
How To Count Your Calories
Click on the any of the links below for more information on how to count calories, track your foods, etc.
www.mypyramidtracker.gov
www.fitday.com
www.calorieking.com
Menu Planning with Hy-Vee
A little organization now will result in big pay offs later. Be prepared and avoid the pitfall of grabbing fast food or unhealthy food at home with some advanced menu planning. On Hy-Vee's website there are not only great recipes but a fabulous page to help you plan an entire weeks work of meals. Includes shopping and pantry list, nutritional information and more. www.hy-vee.com
How To Start A Lunch Club
One of the biggest challenges we face when starting a new fitness program or diet is how to eat healthy at work. We have very busy lives and don't always have time to make a lunch. Consider starting a Lunch Club at work. It is easy and beneficial to everyone. All you need is a few willing co-workers and a little organization. Click here to find out how to start your Lunch Club today.
I Read All Kinds of Things About What To Do and What Not To Do? Seriously, What Do I Do?
Losing weight can be difficult. Keeping it off is even harder! As you know, weight loss gimmicks come and go and some are even recycled. But we do know that successful weight loss and maintenance is due to eating fewer calories and burning more. The best advice is to take it slow, making permanent changes in diet and activity. Each pound of weight lost requires that you either consume 3500 fewer calories or burn them off with exercise, or preferably both.
Here are a dozen tried and true tips recommended by weight loss specialists:
1. Figure out what 1,500 calories looks like. If you're trying to lose weight on a 1,500 calorie meal plan, you need to maintain a healthy mix of those calories - at least five servings of fruits and vegetables; six of whole grain breads, rice, crackers and other grains; two of protein foods; and three of nonfat dairy products. Learn about serving sizes: 3 ounces of lean meat, fish or poultry (the size of a deck of cards) is one serving. One slice of bread is one serving, while a large bagel may equal almost five!
2. Keep a food journal. Studies show that the act of writing down what and how much you eat helps you identify problem areas and times when calories sneak in. It also helps uncover unconscious eating and helps you spot and prevent overeating patterns.
3. Don’t deny yourself. Cutting favorite foods out of your diet will only set you up for bingeing later on. You can still enjoy your favorites if you limit portion sizes.
4. Move your body! The only way to keep weight off is with regular physical exercise. Start out slowly, and then gradually build up your time, intensity and frequency from there. We typically underestimate how much activity is needed. Most people need to exercise 4-5 times per week for about 45 minutes. That can be broken up into 2 or 3 segments. The ideal fitness program alternates aerobic activity such as brisk walking, running or bicycling, with strength training using hand weights or gym equipment. Even with your sedentary job you can find ways to get up and walk around, take the stairs, park in the far end of the parking lot, etc.
5. Eat slowly. It takes about 15-20 minutes for the stomach to signal the brain that it's full. Allow that amount of time for each meal.
6. Eat at regular intervals at least three times a day. Never skip breakfast or lunch. Skipping or under-eating meals often triggers you to overeat later in the day and can cause a drop in your metabolism.
7. Eat enough food. Studies show that the key to losing weight and keeping it off is eating foods with lots of volume yet few calories. This means plenty of things like whole-wheat pasta, beans, vegetables, fruit, and only low-fat dairy, chicken or meat. A cup of broth-based soup as an appetizer could cut the edge of your appetite without many calories. Choose 1-2/3 cups grapes over 1/4 cup raisins. Both provide 100 calories, but the grapes are more satisfying.
8. Cut back on sugar, alcohol and fat. Calories from these items appear more likely to end up as body fat than are similar amounts of carbohydrate or protein.
9. Cook more, eat out less. When you are the chef, you control the cooking methods and portion sizes. Restaurant portion sizes have skyrocketed, giving patrons double, triple or even quadruple the amount of food that most people need.
10. Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you're comfortable, but not full or stuffed.
11. Watch beverage calories. Smoothies, sweetened coffee drinks, wine, beer, soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavored teas and waters, sports drinks and fruit juice all contain calories. Studies show that when we drink extra calories we don't compensate by eating less. Drink plenty of naturally calorie free water, tea and seltzer to stay hydrated and help fill you up.
12. Don't be a slave to the scale. Weigh yourself just once a week, preferably first thing in the morning. Remember that weight is the least reliable indicator of weight changes. Use certain articles of clothing as a judge, i.e. a favorite pair of jeans.
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