August is Family Fun month! There are so many options for families to really enjoy each other. Fortunately, there are lots of options beyond watching TV and playing video games together. Here are some great tips on having fun and staying healthy as a family.
Exercise as a Family
A family that exercises together, has a blast together! Here are some great ideas to keep moving as a family.
Commit to Fit for a Fun and Motivating Challenge
August 1st is the final day to sign up for the “Commit to Fit” challenge. Sign the whole family up and earn the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award together- a great way to track and learn new ways to get moving.
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Raw food diets are getting a lot of attention lately, both on this blog and in the wider health community. The raw diet tied for the second best diet for weight loss in U.S. News‘ assessment, and raw cleanses are a hot trend this summer.
Supporters of the raw diet believe that raw fruits, vegetables and in some cases meat and dairy are the richest sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other nutrients. While a plant-based raw diet is certainly very healthy, cooking some plants actually increases some nutrients and can also make nutrients more bio-available.
Once you start to look at the question of raw vs. cooked foods, it immediately becomes a complex matter. Nutrition science has become quite sophisticated, yet there’s still only a limited amount of research available on the subject. Some nutrients may be lost during the cooking process yet others are enriched by cooking and exposure to heat. Yet, there are still many gray areas when it comes to the importance of many vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals. Below are some of the facts that we do have about raw vs. cooked foods, organized by nutrient.
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Whether you’re a grill aficionado or you only pull out your miniature Weber for special occasions, it’s important to eat plenty of protein as part of a balanced diet. While most nutrition experts recommend eating lean meats, tofu, beans and quinoa, we often neglect those during the summertime in favor of grilled steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers.
Chicken is an easy alternative to red meat, which often has a lot of artery-clogging saturated fat. Chicken is versatile, grill-friendly and inexpensive, but when not handled or cooked properly, poultry can be a source of dangerous food borne illness.
Here are some important poultry-handling principles to follow this summer to ensure that all of your meals are safe and delicious.
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Cynthia Crowsen writes at It All Changes about living life on the roller coaster of life. She has lost over 100 pounds in a variety of ways but more importantly found her love for life. She hates changes but they keep coming so she’s jumped on to enjoy the ride.
It took me 3 years to lose 115 pounds and reach a happy weight where I felt comfortable. Then life happened. I had back surgery along with several other injuries, stomach and major allergy issues and some depression when my beloved Grandmother died. Life threw me a curve ball and suddenly maintaining this weight loss didn’t seem possible.
I won’t say I maintained my entire 100+ pound weight loss over the last 5 years but I maintained most. More importantly, I maintained the healthy habits I’d gained while losing the weight. The habits prevented gaining back all the weight I’d lost and a few extra pounds.
I used these 5 tips to minimize my weight gain while maximizing my health through difficult times. Now I’m using them to get back to my happy weight.
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Most people would like to enjoy dessert without the guilt of consuming lots of fat and sugar. That’s why chef Marisa Churchill’s new cookbook, Sweet & Skinny: 100 Recipes for Enjoying Life’s Sweeter Site Without Tipping the Scale, is sure to have wide appeal. You may know Marisa from season two of Top Chef, in which her low-fat chocolate cake was a big hit. Last week, I caught up with Marisa to talk about Sweet & Skinny, and to try some of her low-cal creations.
In addition to baking tips and calorie-cutting suggestions at the beginning of the book, Sweet & Skinny features five chapters of desserts: Desserts In A Hurry, Sweet Treats, Sinner Party Showstoppers, Holiday Favorites and American Classics. “I knew that in Sweet & Skinny I wanted to have American classics, because we all love things like chocolate chip cookies and whoopie pies,” said Marisa of choosing recipes to include. She started by picking the desserts she loves to eat. “I hate when you see these low-fat dessert books and they’re full of fruit desserts or meringues. That’s fine, but who wants to eat meringue all the time? You want to have variety.”
Read More and Find Out How to Win!
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