Adding Colorful Nutrition to an Oldie but a Goodie

Written by Danielle Lewis
Part of National Nutrition Month 2013

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but I enjoy breakfast food for any meal. Eggs and toast for dinner are one of my favorites; something I almost always have on hand and super easy to prepare. Unfortunately, that yummy image is simply yellow and brown. I find my meals much more satisfying when I incorporate colorful, nutrition-packed fruits and veggies. It is extremely rewarding and easy to eat a healthy, nourishing and natural home-cooked meal. Let me show you how!

My twist to scrambled eggs and toast; a satisfying, healthy breakfast-for-any-meal option containing lean protein, low fat-dairy, 3.5 cups of fruits and veggies and whole grains!

Ingredients:

Picture by Danielle Lewis

1 large egg, scrambled

2 egg whites

2.5 cups fresh spinach (No, I’m not crazy, spinach cooks down more than you may think!)

¼ cup chopped orange and yellow peppers

¼ cup halved grape tomatoes

½ medium avocado, diced (Make sure it’s ripe. It will look very deep green or black and feel kind of squishy.)

¼ cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

1-2 slices whole-wheat bread

Directions:

Spray a frying pan with Pam or any zero-calorie cooking spray and set on medium heat. Fill pan with spinach and stir occasionally until spinach cooks down (it will look shriveled, like frozen or canned spinach.) Add peppers, tomatoes, and most of the avocado, and cook for one more minute. Add the eggs right in and cook, stirring with a spoon, until the eggs reach your desired scrambled consistency (I like mine on the softer side.) Add cheese and remove pan from burner to melt it to perfection. Toast bread and top with remaining avocado.

Take a moment to look at the beautiful, healthy and delicious dish you created! Now take a big bite and enjoy your breakfast, any time of the day.

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Eating Tips for the Person on the Go!

Written by Julie Patterson
Part of National Nutrition Month 2013

Have you ever been so busy that you find you don’t have the time to eat? Or maybe you even forget to eat? If you’re like me, then the answer is YES!

Our lives today can be so hectic with work, school, children or other priorities that we sacrifice our own nutritional needs. When we skip meals, this may lead us to become so hungry that we’ll eat whatever food is available, which may not always be the healthiest choice. 

As a person on the go, here are some eating tips I’ve found very useful:

• Plan ahead! Each night, I plan and pack my meals and snacks for the next day. I have a long commute to school, and I stay on campus most of the day so I pack lunch and 2-3 nutrient dense snacks (more on this in the next tip) to help keep me satisfied and nourished.

• Choose nutrient dense foods. A nutrient dense food has a lot of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber) with a relatively small amount of calories. I eat breakfast before I leave for school, but I know I’ll get hungry before lunch so I need to pack a snack. 

• Should I pack an apple or a doughnut? Right! An apple. The apple has about 80 calories and is high in vitamins and fiber. Fiber will help me feel full longer. The doughnut has about 200 calories, very little vitamins, minerals and fiber and high amounts of sugar. This would not likely not satisfy my hunger and leave me wanting another snack. 

Still don’t have time? Turn off the television, and quit surfing the internet long enough to make the time. I am certain your body will thank you for it!

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Eat Right, Not Tight: Eating Healthy Isn't about Restricting Yourself

Written by Anna Nooe
Part of National Nutrition Month 2013

Picture by Anna Nooe

Often times, trying to eat healthier can turn into limiting yourself to only certain foods.  There is a misconception that eating healthier means taking so called “not allowed” foods out of your diet.  This, however, is not true!  A healthy diet has no restrictions and is full of variety.  The key is to find a variety of healthy foods that you enjoy and that suit your food preferences.  Here are some tips for working towards a healthy, unrestricted diet:

• Eat the rainbow! According to MyPlate, ½ of your plate should be fruits and vegetables.  Never skimp out on fruits and vegetables.  Try out all different types, be creative, and add them to each meal.
•  Love eating sandwiches? Use whole wheat bread, add on green leafy vegetables, and try low sodium cheeses such as Swiss, Monterey Jack, or Cheddar.
• Have a sweet tooth? Try to satisfy it with fruit.  Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and mango all taste great when mixed with low fat yogurt and granola.
• On-the-go? Choice simple snacks such as apples and celery with peanut butter, carrots with hummus, or almonds with dried fruit to satisfy your hunger when there is no time to prepare a meal.
• Love creamy soups and pasta?  Substitute cream with Greek yogurt.  You will still get the same creamy taste with less fat and more nutrients!
• Know correct portion sizes!  Often the problem is how much we are eating rather than what we are eating. 

These are just a few tips for adding variety and nutritious foods to your diet without restricting foods and food preferences.  Remember, no foods are “bad” foods and food should be enjoyable.  Explore new recipes and varieties and have fun with food. 

References

O’Malley, R., & MacMunn, A. (2013).  Academy of nutrition and dietetics shares tips to eat right for your lifestyle during national nutrition month and beyond.  Retrieved from http://www.eatright.org/Media/content.aspx?id=6442474618

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Breakfast: Fuel for Your Day

Written by Baylee Mabe
Part of National Nutrition Month 2013

We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day…but why? A study done by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey focused on the effect breakfast has on calorie intake during the day and the participants’ body fat percentage. This study showed that people who skip breakfast actually have higher body fat and weigh more than those who eat breakfast regularly¹. Subjects who skipped breakfast consumed more calories at lunch and dinner than those who did eat breakfast in the morning.

It's easy to think that skipping meals can decrease the amount of calories you consume during the day, but the opposite is true. Eating breakfast is a great way to kick-start your metabolism for the day and leaves you satisfied for longer. If you don’t eat a good meal in the morning, you may be starving by lunch and overeat throughout the day.  Eating breakfast is a simple and easy way help manage your weight.

Some choices that will help you build a better breakfast: 

Picture by Baylee Mabe

Lean protein: Lean Canadian bacon, eggs, Greek yogurt
Whole Grains: Oatmeal, whole-grain toast or pancakes, whole grain cereal
Fruits: fresh apples, kiwi, bananas, grapefruits, etc. Canned fruits are a healthy option also!
Beverages: Coffee, low fat milk, 100% fruit juice







Adding some of these options into your diet will help you feel fuller longer, give you energy, and may even help you make healthier decisions throughout the day! Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day.

References

Cho, S., Dietrich, M., Brown, C.J., Clark, C.A., Block G. (2003). The effect of breakfast type on total daily energy intake and body mass index: Results from the third national health and nutrition examination survey. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 22, 296-306.

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Healthy on the Go Options

Written by Brianna Callaghan
Part of National Nutrition Month 2013

We all have those busy days where we don’t get around to cooking and our healthy eating streak goes right out the window. A good way to handle this type of situation is to choose the most health conscious option available to you and not to view it as a set back.

Out of convenience and price fast food is sometimes the most readily available option. But instead of automatically choosing the salad at your favorite fast food chain, you may want to consider how many calories that is actually saving you. Try picking a protein option such as a grilled chicken sandwich and asking for a wheat bun or no bun at all. Asking them to hold the condiments will also save you some calories from fat.

Wendy's Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

 For example, Wendy’s Apple Pecan Chicken Salad contains a whopping 570 calories, 27 grams of fat, and 1340 mg of sodium. When selecting this item the name sounds appetizing and healthy so the actual nutrition content is startling. On the other hand the name of Wendy’s Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich doesn’t exactly imply that it is one of the healthier items on the menu. In reality, it contains 400 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 800 mg of sodium including the bun and mustard.  

               

The iPhone has several apps that can be purchased for free in the App Store that make looking up nutrition facts like these quick and easy. My personal favorite is MyFitnessPal, but there are others like Lose It! and the LIVESTRONG app, it is all about your personal preference. 

References

Wendy’s. (2011). Nutrition facts.  Retrieved from http://www.wendys.com/food/Nutrition.jsp.  

Wendy’s.  (2011).  Wendy’s apple pecan chicken salad [Photograph].  Retrieved from http://www.wendys.com/images/product_thumbs/399.png

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Making Time for Healthy Eating

Written by Mallory Foster
Part of National Nutrition Month 2013

There always seems to be one thing that we never have enough of: time. We all live such busy lives and it can be difficult to find the time to prepare and eat healthy meals. However, the key lies in planning ahead!

Picture by Mallory Foster

Take one or two hours each weekend to plan what you will eat for the entire week; include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for each day. This set aside time allows you to think through exactly what you will be eating the following week, and will help you avoid having to make unhealthy food choices on the go. Also, if you’re having difficulty deciding what to prepare and eat, this will give you a good opportunity to look-up new recipes and meal ideas.

When planning your meals for the week, think about preparation time. Choose recipes that will be quick and easy to prepare. Also, consider making items such as casseroles and soups that can easily be refrigerated and reheated later in the week.

Picture by Mallory Foster

Pack your lunch! Lunch time is always one of the busiest times of the day, and a lot of people find themselves buying their lunch at a fast-food restaurant or grab-n-go line. Plan each day’s lunch at the beginning of the week, and then consider packing your lunch the night before. This way the quality of your meal won’t be compromised by the morning rush, and you will be sure to have a healthy, well-balanced lunch.

After planning your meals for the week, go to the grocery store! Have fun, be creative, and make healthy choices!

References

United States Department of Agriculture. (2011). Eating on a budget: The 3P’s. Retrieved from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-on-budget.html 

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Blogging National Nutrition Month 2013!

We're over halfway through March, also known as National Nutrition Month to many of you!  In order to celebrate, eatright.org hosts a blogging festival, among other activities, to help focus attention on making informed food choices and developing healthy physical activity habits.  As we have done for the past two years, we (me and my fabulous blog contributors) will be publishing posts related to this year's theme:  Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day!

 It's official--check out the widget in the upper right hand corner of this blog.

Throughout the month of March, posts from students in HNFE 3224:  Communicating with Food will be published to this blog.  All posts will be tagged with National Nutrition Month and Eat Right Your Way Every Day, along with two other tags that the students suggested based on the content of their post.  Additionally, eatright.org will put this blog on their NNM blogroll!

Finally, be sure to follow the relevant hashtags on Twitter to see these posts, and more, as they are discussed in the Twitterverse:

#NNM
#eatright

For more information about National Nutrition Month, visit:  http://www.eatright.org/nnm/.  And stay tuned for lots of exciting posts throughout the rest of the month of March.