Tag Archives: healthy eating

How to Cook with Parsnips and 5 Deliciously Simple Parsnip Recipes

Root vegetables aren’t the most exciting food in the bunch, but despite their funny name and appearance they can be surprisingly delicious and high in vitamins and key nutrients. Such is the case with parsnips, a lesser-known root vegetable that’s been inching its way into the hands and hearts of foodies and getting more notoriety for its versatility, pleasant taste, and abundant health benefits.

What are parsnips? Parsnips are typically grown in colder weather, allowing their starches to convert into sugar and develop their sweet flavor. They harvest in late fall and like potatoes and carrots, are available throughout winter and spring. Their appearance is similar to an off-white or pale-yellow carrot. And they have a bulbous top that tapers down to a skinny root.

When looking for a quality parsnip, choose one that is small and firm and not limp or shriveled. Once you get it home, store in the produce drawer of your fridge and they should keep for about two to three weeks. (more…)

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Dana

The AHA Aims to Create a ‘Culture of Health’ in Hospitals

Giving a sick child a cup of vanilla ice cream. That, I get. But greasy hamburger and french fry joints lining the walls of hospital cafeterias? That’s where they lost me. And apparently, others are beginning to see the irony in this set up, too. Including the American Hospital Association (AHA) itself.

In 2024, John Bluford – CEO of Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri – and fellow members of the AHA, announced a call to action that was a bold push for hospital to be leaders in ‘creating a culture of health’ among its communities. And one of those ‘pushes’ included ousting fast food restaurants from their cafeterias, including McDonald’s and Pizza Hut.

According to the full report, one of the top motivators for hospitals to improve their image, as well as their health and wellness program is to be an example of health to their community. Because after all, if anyone should be promoting health, shouldn’t it be them?

The AHA views hospitals and their employees as key players in their communities because of their leadership and mission, saying, “It is paramount for hospital and health system employees to lead the way and serve as role models for healthy living and fitness for their communities.” (more…)

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Dana

How to Cook with Vanilla

When I think of vanilla, I think vanilla sugar cookies, vanilla cake with lots of icing, and melty vanilla ice cream in the summer time. Obviously I have a sugar problem, but that’s beside the point. The fact is, while vanilla – both the bean and the extract – is a common household ingredient, it packs some pretty serious health benefits that the common person doesn’t know about.

What is Vanilla? For starters, it’s one of the oldest and most expensive spices around. Vanilla beans are the pods or fruits from a tropical orchid, and are native to the tropical rain forest of Central America. The vanilla plant requires a supporting tree or pole to grow tall. And the plant’s fragile flowers only open for one day to be pollinated by bees or humming birds. However, commercially-grown vanilla is hand pollinated, and most commonly grown in Madagascar, India, Indonesia and the West Indies.  (more…)

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Dana

Top 7 Healthy Foods to Keep in Your Tornado Survival Pack

Now that it’s spring, mother nature is reminding us just how much power she can bring by hitting several states with tornados. Officials say this is only the beginning of what looks to be a very busy tornado season.

If you live in an area where tornado activity is possible and if you haven’t already, you must get a tornado survival pack prepared. It doesn’t take a lot of time and most items are around your house already. If you ever do find yourself in a severe storm with the potential of tornados, you’re going to be very thankful you prepared ahead of time.

Your list should include obvious things like a flashlight, radio, batteries and medical supplies. But you should also include nonperishable snacks and food. You may think tossing in some twinkies is good enough, but if you do find yourself dealing with a disaster your body is going to need good nutrition to maintain your immune system and health. So what are some healthy items to keep in your survival pack? I thought you would never ask. I have come up with seven healthy items you must include. (more…)

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Kristina

What to Eat Before Sleep, Sex and Sweat

Trying to eat the right things throughout the day can be challenging enough. Can we say office donut party? Yeah, I’m a sucker for the chocolate-sprinkled variety. But it can be even more difficult to remember when we should stop to eat. Because there’s more to healthy eating than just food; time matters as well.

A recent story on The Today Show featuring nutritionist Joy Bauer gave us the dish on all the things we should and shouldn’t be eating and drinking and at what points throughout the day, in order to increase our performance for various activities like exercise, sleep and sex.

First up, exercise. If you’re like me you’re up and at the gym early leaving little time for a snack. But according to Joy that’s OK. If you’re moderately exercising for about an hour or less, she says you don’t need to ‘fuel up,’ especially if you’re trying to lose weight. However, if you are hungry and need a boost before hitting the gym, Joy suggests grabbing a banana for several reasons: 1) it’s portable; 2) it contains potassium, which we lose when we sweat; and 3) it’s fairly low in calories.

If you aren’t a pre-gym eater, a beverage with caffeine might be a better option like coffee or tea. Drinking caffeine 30 minutes or so before a workout has been shown to give your body a boost to help you move longer and perform better. (more…)

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Dana

Recipe Search Engine Yummly Changes the Way We Search for Food

Picture this: A picky eater at a restaurant, perusing the menu for something specific (obviously not a man). Something salty but not too salty. It should have some serious kick. And a side of something sweet sounds good, too. But she sees no options in sight.

Then, out of nowhere, a helpful waitress sits down beside her and listens to her requests. She scribbles something down on her notepad, disappears to the back, and returns moments later with the guest’s plate. And? It’s exactly what she wanted.

This obviously doesn’t happen in real life. (Trust me, I used to be a waitress. Mind reading was not one of my services). But what if it happened online when you were looking for recipes? Well in a sense, that’s exactly what Yummly does.

Yummly is a new recipe search engine utilizing some of the web’s best food blogs and recipe sites to bring exactly what you’re looking for right to your food-hungry fingertips, almost effortlessly. (more…)

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Dana

Food Deserts Still a Problem Despite Let’s Move Initiative

You’ve heard of deserts. You’ve heard of food (obviously). But have you heard of food deserts?

It’s a recent phenomenon brought to the nation’s attention by First Lady Michelle Obama, and it’s essentially areas throughout the country lacking quality food distributors. Cities without Whole Foods? (Gasp!) Yes, they do exist.

As part of her Let’s Move initiative, Mrs. Obama has worked to bring more healthful food to neighborhoods lacking supermarkets. And in order to make this happen, she reached out to major retailers, foundations, and small businesses alike. But whether or not progress has been made depends on how you measure success.

According to a recent article from NPR, various studies are showing that even though more grocery stores are popping up, they still aren’t the best quality. And furthermore, even consumers who aren’t used to high-end food markets with wide selections of food still have reasonably high standards for the produce they buy, as they should. So, it doesn’t matter if a woman who has a quality market two blocks from her home, or a woman who has limited access to a supermarket walks past a selection of bruised, mealy apples. The fact is, they’re still bruised mealy apples and neither woman is going to pick one up no matter what their previous exposure to quality produce was. (more…)

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Dana

Foursquare Names its Healthiest Cities

by Dani Stone

March is National Nutrition Month and the folks at Foursquare have conducted a semi-scientific poll to determine the healthiest cities in America. Foursquare, the free digital social media app that allows its 15 million users to “check in” to restaurants, movie theatres, museums, grocery stores, etc., observed cities with the highest number of check-ins (500,000 or more) to find the healthiest diners.

Not all restaurants were used in the study, of course. Foursquare researchers narrowed down the target market to restaurants considered to be in the nutritious category, as well as salad bars, juice bars, farmers markets and fish markets. Cities that had the highest percentage of check-ins at these locations were considered for the study.

Though California didn’t make the #1 spot, it does get an honorable mention for having the most cities with San Jose, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco making the list. Washington, DC ranks in 9th place. It must be the influence of our fit first lady. So who got top honors? Say aloha to Foursquare’s healthiest city, Honolulu, Hawaii. It’s got to be all that fresh fish.

Oops! On the flipside, the least healthy cities in the U.S. were Winston-Salem, NC, Little Rock, AR and Lexington, KY.
(more…)

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Health Buzz

Snacks, Not Soda, Responsible for Most of the Added Sugars in Kids’ Diets

Soda gets most the blame for all the added sugar pumping through our children’s veins, but new data shows the blame should lie elsewhere.

Children consume an average of 322 calories a day from added sugars. That’s a mind blowing 16% of their daily calories from extra sugars lurking in their diets, but according to the National Center for Health Statistics, 59% of that added sugar comes from food, not soda. But don’t keep you eye off the bubbly stuff just yet; soft drinks are still the largest single source of added sugars in our kid’s diets.

Added sugars come in the form of table sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, molasses and other caloric sweeteners in prepared and processed foods like cakes, candy, cookies, muffins, sodas, jams, jellys and ice cream. This study did not include natural sugars like those in fruit and 100% fruit juice.

A diet high in added sugars has been linked to obesity, high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association advises that most females consume no more than 100 calories, or about 6 teaspoons, a day from added sugars, and for males, no more than 150 calories, or about 9 teaspoons, per day.

(more…)

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Kelly

The Secret to Great Abs is Not What You Think

Personal trainer at the exclusive Reebok Sports Club in NYC, Melissa Paris has your secret to great abs by swimsuit season, but if you are picturing endless amounts of crunches, think again.

Great abs are the hallmark of a well rounded athlete: low body fat, a muscular core and a clean, healthy diet. “It’s a combination of exercise and diet that ultimately fights fat,” says Paris, “so stock up on those fruits, veggies and protein packed snacks.”

“Nutrition is 85% [of results], so if you’re not fueling yourself with lean meats, lots of fruits and veggies, and healthy fats you will not get the abs you desire no matter how many exercises you do,” says Paris.

While great abs are a sign of a clean eater, they are also a sign of an athlete that knows good form- no matter what workout they are doing. While crunches are good for hitting your superficial ab muscles, the exercises that are going to get you great results aren’t traditional ab exercises at all.

(more…)

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Kelly

A Heart to Heart on Healthy Foods

Prepared by Director of Nutrition of CalorieCount.com Rachel Berman RD

While you are thinking about what to buy that special someone for Valentine’s Day this February, also consider giving yourself the gift of heart health. Whether you have dropped off on your New Year’s Resolution or just need a renewed sense of motivation, the American Heart Association’s designated Heart Health Month has come at a perfect time. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in America and by making swaps in your diet you can take steps towards prevention.

Love it: Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are unsaturated fats found in oily fish, enriched products such as eggs, and supplements. They can reduce your risk for heart disease by lowering blood pressure, increasing ‘good’ HDL cholesterol, and reducing inflammation in your body that can damage blood vessels. A study published this month in Circulation, also found that older adults with higher levels of omega-3 in their blood were 30% less likely to suffer from an irregular heartbeat. If you aren’t a fan of fish like salmon or tuna, you can also get a dose of omega-3 in with flaxseed and walnuts.

Leave it: Saturated & trans fatty acids

Foods high in saturated fat raise blood cholesterol which can damage your arteries and lead to a heart attack or stroke. Saturated fat is found in full fat dairy, meats and even some vegetable products like coconut and palm kernel oil. Read labels to avoid products with trans fat. It is a man-made product that increases ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, and suppresses protective, ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.

(more…)

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Calorie_Count