Since it is National Mediterranean Diet Month, I decided to test out a new recipe for a quinoa pinto bean burger. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. The Mediterranean diet is based more on fruits, veggies and whole grains. This burger incorporates beans and whole grains with some Read more…
In today’s fast paced world of work schedules and kids’ schedules it is hard to find time to do home cooking. However, I challenge you to start cooking in more and eating out less. In the spirit of the National Nutrition Month® theme “Go Further with Food”, home cooking is a great way to help you and your family to go further in your journey to improved nutritional health and wellness.
When you take time to do more home cooking you enjoy healthier meals. This is due to your control over three key ingredients: salt, saturated fat and added sugars. Restaurants portion sizes are huge and often high in these ingredients. When you cook at home, you have better control over your portion sizes and your intakes of salt, saturated fats and added sugars.
Super Bowl Sunday is one of my favorite Sundays of the year! Looking for ideas on how to make your menu healthy? Follow some of my tips below so that your food spread will be one that pleases everyone and keeps your waistline happy too!
Set out big trays of fresh fruits and veggies and pair them with protein rich hummus or my Peanut Butter Honey Yogurt Dip. These trays not only add a splash of color to your table, but they are the supreme “power snacks” combining high fiber complex carbs with protein and heart healthy fats. The combo of fiber, protein and fat help you to feel more full on less calories.
For the 4th and final week of National Nutrition Month, I challenge you to savor the flavor of whole grains, nuts, and seeds. These wonderful foods are important staples in any meal plan to boost fiber intake. Not only do whole grains, nuts, and seeds provide fiber, but they are good sources for B vitamins (think spark plugs for the body), protein, and heart healthy fats. Whole grains, nuts, and seeds add flavor and pizzazz to meals while satisfying your palate. (more…)
Ah, yes, it is another Monday. Have you heard about the Meatless Monday movement? It is a challenge to make Monday’s meals meatless. So how can one go about providing wholesome complete vegetarian meals for their family? By using beans or lentils of course!
Did you know that beans and lentils average 7 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup cooked serving? That is why for this week of National Nutrition Month®, I am going to talk a bit about beans and lentils to help inspire you to break out of your comfort zone and give these wholesome high protein, high fiber staples a try. (more…)
Got veggies? How fun would it be to see a campaign promoting this question? Instead of milk mustaches, perhaps we would see kids creating funny faces using veggies. During National Nutrition Month® I find it fun to inspire people to look at food in a new light. This year, I hope to help people look at fiber in a new light. Fiber is not just some powder mixed in a drink or a brown twiggy type of breakfast cereal. Rather, fiber comes in many forms and flavors such as fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. A high fiber diet is filled with vibrant colors, satisfying flavors and a variety of textures. The possibilities are endless! (more…)
So you want to start to increase your fiber intake and that of your family’s? But where to begin?
Adding fiber is actually easy and very flavorful. A creative beginning is to start with fruit. Most whole fruits supply at least 1 to 2 grams of fiber per serving. However, there are some fruits that stand out above the rest when it comes to increasing fiber intake. Below are some of my favorite creative fruit ideas to help you boost your fiber intake. (more…)
