Tag Archives: fruit

Americans Have Overly Optimistic View of Their Nutritional Wellbeing HealthiNation Study Reveals

To coincide with the American Dietetic Association’s National Nutrition Month, HealthiNation commissioned a study by ORC International: CARAVAN revealing that Americans have an overly optimistic view of their own nutritional wellbeing.  The findings of the national phone survey of 1,000 U.S. adults suggest that when it comes to nutrition, Americans’ perceptions do not match reality.

A majority of adults (52%) think that they are doing all they can do to achieve a balanced nutritional diet and almost two-thirds of adults (63%) believe they have a solid understanding of the basics of nutrition.  Yet, 76% of adults are not getting the minimum daily serving of fruits and vegetables as recommended by the USDA. On average, adults eat fewer than three servings (defined as ½ cup portions) of fruits and vegetables a day combined. Why the discrepancy and how can we educate without information overload?

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Posted on March 15, 2024 by Maris

Bake a Very Cherry Mixed Fruit Crisp for Family Fun Month

Busy families everywhere know how hard it is to get some quality time in nowadays—that’s why it’s important (and tasty!) to celebrate Bake for Family Fun Month. If February is dragging and you’re searching for family-friendly dreary day activities, add some sunshine to your kitchen with a refreshing (and healthy) baking project.

Time-savvy moms can bake brownies from the box or cookies from a tube, but what about a healthier option like fruit crisp? Keep it cheap, healthy and delicious — and you can even let your kids pitch in to help.

DID YOU KNOW?:

  • Peaches are a good source of vitamins A, B, and C.  That’s good for your eyes, energy, and skin!
  • Pears cause the fewest allergic reactions of all fruits
  • Very Cherry is the most popular flavor of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

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Posted on February 23, 2024 by Maris

How to Have a Healthier Super Bowl Party

The Super Bowl is scheduled to be played this year on Feb 6 and this culmination of the football season will be played out by the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Getting together with a group of friends to watch the game is a tradition, but if you are trying to lose weight, it can be a rough evening.  Why not host a healthy Super Bowl party? Sounds like an impossible task, but take heart, as it is not as difficult as it sounds.  With just a few key switch ups, your party guests will never realize that you’ve made changes to the menu that won’t leave them in need of a “day after” exercise binge.

  • Chili is a main stay of every football party, and for good reason. It’s a rich, hearty dish that is filling and delicious. Instead of using ground beef in your preparations, switch it up and use ground turkey, chicken or soy crumbles. Meatless chili or black bean versions are also very popular.

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Posted on January 31, 2024 by Carmen

Blueberries Offer Nutrition and Flavor All Year Long

If you’ve been longing for the fresh fruit from your local farmer’s market, there might be a viable substitute right in your local supermarket. While most regions of the United States are currently suffering frigid temperatures, areas of South America, including Chile, are in their prime for the production of fruit and vegetables.

Particularly, Chilean blueberries are at a peak and unless you’re a die-hard locavore, will let you add fresh flavor to your table no matter what the weather looks like outside. Fresh blueberries need no pitting, peeling or chopping- just a quick rinse and they’re ready to toss with your favorite yogurt, oatmeal or even eaten plain.

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Posted on January 24, 2024 by Maris

3 Unique Benefits of Going Meat-Free a Few Days a Week

Over the past month I’ve tried something new: vegetarianism. I’ve read much about a vegetarian diet, including how it can reduce your saturated fat intake (if you choose the right foods), help reduce your footprint on the Earth and help you increase how many fruits and vegetables you eat. Plus, I just wanted to see if I could do it- and how, or if, it would affect my desire to eat meat. Well, I’m 20 days and counting as being meat-free in my diet, and while I haven’t craved any meat yet, I have noticed a few benefits I didn’t expect.

3 Unique Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

1. More energy. Within just a few days of going meatless in my meals I noticed that I had more energy. This could be to my increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans, but I found that even though I was eating the same amount of physical food at meals and snacks, that the food felt lighter in my stomach and I didn’t have that heavy after-lunch or after-dinner feeling that you can get. Instead I had the energy to go for a walk or even squeeze in an extra 10 minutes of exercise!

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Posted on January 21, 2024 by Jennipher

If You Only Keep One of Your Resolutions, Make it More Fruit

Research shows that more than 50 percent of New Year’s resolutions, most of which have to do with diet or nutrition, don’t last beyond January.  Two leading nutritionists aim to reverse that trend by encouraging people to focus on one realistic and attainable resolution: eat more fruit.

According to Stephanie Clarke and Willow Jarosh, licensed nutritionists, registered dietitians, and co-founders of C&J Nutrition, fruit is an essential part of a healthy diet because it contains large amounts of naturally occurring key nutrients like vitamins A and C, potassium, fiber, and phytonutrients – all key players in disease prevention.  “Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that’s important for growth and repair of all body tissues. Potassium can help maintain healthy muscle and nerve function and lower blood pressure, and fiber is woefully amiss in most American diets,” said Jarosh.

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Posted on January 19, 2024 by Maris

50 Things You Can do Today to Improve Your Health

Most health and fitness advice is full of don’ts: Don’t eat after 7, don’t eat fast food, don’t enjoy anything you eat, ever again. That negative connotation is why people view fitness and weight loss as a punishment, or something to be white-knuckled through.

Lasting change is made when you build a habit- and habits are made by systematically DOING something repeatedly until it becomes ingrained. Depriving yourself will not build habits, being proactive will.

So instead of pummeling you with more “don’ts” to make you feel like a failure, here are 50 things you can DO, today, that will improve your health. Pick one a day to try out, or choose one and repeat it everyday until it becomes a habit, but either way, these little “dos” will boost your health the second you do them.

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Posted on January 6, 2024 by Kelly

Mediterranean Diet Key to Growing Old Gracefully

Following the Mediterranean diet is not only tasty, but has a great benefit on your brain health. Recent research conducted at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago tracked nearly 4,000 adults over the age of 65. Their results confirmed what we’ve heard many times: the so-called Mediterranean Diet, a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and olive oil, helps your brain to age gracefully.

Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this research proved that those who followed the diet were less likely to struggle with everyday tasks as they grew older. The study also revealed that those on a steady diet of healthy foods performed much better than those who ate lots of red meat, white bread and processed foods, often known as the “American” diet. Researchers found that the best performers consumed lots of fruit, vegetables, fish, olive oil, beans, nuts and moderate amounts of alcohol. The foods have a positive affect on the brain, protecting it by reducing damage caused by oxidative stress.

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Posted on January 3, 2024 by Carmen

Top 10 Diet Tips for Weight Loss

Diet season is here and why not start it off with a bang? Below are the top ten diet tips that will help you be successful in 2024. Good luck and enjoy the new you!

Keep hydrated: Drinking plenty of water is not only vital for normal body functioning, but it helps keep cravings to a minimum.

Add to diet, don’t take away: Try adding the recommended servings of each food group to your diet instead of cutting calories. The ability to maintain a diet is crucial for the long-term weight loss process.

Limit night-time snacks: Make good choices about late night snacking. Obviously, cookies and a large glass of milk is not the way to go. If you do have a late-night craving, snack on a low fat, low calorie food like a piece of fruit.

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Posted on December 29, 2023 by Matt

Healthier Cookies to Leave for Santa Claus This Year

While most of the United States is painfully aware that 25% of Americans are obese, the one person who might not be privy is jolly old Saint Nick.

That’s right: on Christmas Eve, as those who celebrate the holiday tuck their families into bed,  most leave cookies out for Santa Claus without thinking about the calories, fat and sugar that Santa has to consume in one night.

So, we’re here for Mr. Claus. We’ve pulled together our favorite recipes to get you through the last days of cookie season.

Chocolate Cookies: Every chocolate lover will agree that there is nothing better than a warm cookie right out of the oven. Whether it’s chocolate chips dotting your favorite biscotti or hints of chocolate in a traditional gingerbread cookie, there are plenty of ways to incorporate chocolate into holiday cookies.

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Posted on December 24, 2023 by Maris

Eat in-Season Produce Year-Round for Optimal Health

My ultimate favorite time of year to eat produce is in the summer. There are all of those fresh berries, watermelon, corn — it’s delicious! Not to mention that I have the best memories of being a kid picking fresh tomatoes straight from the garden and eating them with just a sprinkle of salt. For a number of years I believed that — at least where I live in the Midwest — you could only eat fresh fruits and veggies during the warmer months, but boy was I wrong. Over the last few years I’ve really gotten into gardening and learning more about where our foods come from and the benefits of eating fresh, local produce. And what I’ve learned is amazing! You can truly eat in-season all year round if you know what to buy — and be healthier because of it. Here’s why!

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Posted on December 21, 2023 by Jennipher