Entry bubble Vegetarian Awareness Month

By: Jess | October 22, 2009 | Category: Health

Fruits and vegetablesI know to many Americans the thought of living without meat seems practically impossible. But there's an entire group of people in the country who do it and love it. Vegetarianism has many forms, from the super flexible flexitarian, who eats meat on occasion, to the extremely strict vegan, who doesn't buy any product that was tested on animals or contains any animal products.

The North American Vegetarian Society dubbed October as Vegetarian Awareness Month to teach people some of the benefits of not eating meat. Don't worry, the group isn't trying to convert you. It just wants to show you that it's possible to go a day, a week or even a month without eating meat and still have plenty of yummy and healthy options.

Personally, I consider myself a flexitarian. I only eat meat if it's served to me or if I'm at a restaurant and the vegetarian options aren't that great. Or on that rare occasion when I just want a turkey sandwich. For me it wasn't a big moment when I realized eating meat was wrong, or anything like that. Touching raw meat in the kitchen just kind of grosses me out.

So in honor of Vegetarian Awareness Month, I present you with a challenge. Check out some of the great vegetarian resources from USA.gov and explore some vegetarian recipes and lifecycle information available. Pick a recipe and try it. You might be surprised to find that a diet based in fruits, vegetables and healthy grains tastes better than you expected.

Do you consider yourself a vegetarian? 

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Entry bubble Diet Pill Warning

By: Joanne | December 30, 2008 | Category: Health

a bottle of pillsHow timely. Just when half the country is looking for an easy way lose weight in 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has come out with a warning about tainted, unsafe weight loss pills. This is not just one product, but actually more than 25 different products that contain dangerous chemicals.

So far, there’s no recall and these products are still available to consumers, so if you’ve got a bottle of “natural” or “herbal” weight loss pills in the house, check to be sure that yours isn’t on the list of tainted products.

Come on, we all know that these kinds of products aren’t the answer anyway. We think it would be wonderful if we could just pop a pill once a day and have the figure of a supermodel. Sure, weight loss pills and slimming diets can help us lose a few pounds, but once you’re off the diet, the pounds always creep back.

To risk sounding old and wise, I have to tell you that it’s all about your every day food choices and exercise. Really. You know I like to ride my bike, and I have to confess that I’m riding my stationary bike while I'm writing this. That’s right, I can pedal and type at the same time. I get some exercise and changed my diet and I’m here telling you it works and it’s not so terrible. I needed a nutritionist to help me figure out what I need to do, but if you don’t want to spend the money then head to nutrition.gov and read up. Make a little effort, and you’ll get the lasting weight control you’re looking for and you won’t need the silly pills after all.

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Entry bubble I’m Going Gluten Free

By: Joanne | September 02, 2008 | Category: Health

Close up detail of dried wheat.Last week I visited a dietitian for nutrition counseling to help me with some health problems. I was shocked when she told me that she thinks that I’m experiencing an allergic reaction to gluten and set me on a path to a gluten-free diet. I was encouraged when she told me that I’ll experience a dramatic increase in energy after the first week, and that we’ll really know if it’s working after just 3 months. I figure I have a lot to gain and very little to lose so I’m going to give it a try.

I’m lucky because my symptoms are mild—there are people who suffer terribly from gluten intolerance like celiac disease. Luckily, there are things that we can do to change our eating habits and restore our health.

My first trip to the grocery store took forever! I had to read labels carefully to be sure that gluten isn’t an ingredient in the food I was buying. I tried to keep the gluten-free guidelines in mind and looked for gluten-free foods. This will be quite a change for me because I always have loved all sorts of healthy grains and I never expected to hear that some of my favorite things like bread and beer are causing me problems. Sigh.

I know that I’m in the company of millions of Americans who have some form of gluten intolerance, so any tips you can offer will be appreciated. I’m especially looking for a great gluten-free pancake recipe.

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Entry bubble National Nutrition Month

By: Colleen | March 05, 2008 | Category: Health

March has it going on:

  • NCAA basketball tourney, aka "March Madness". By far, my FAVORITE time of the year. P-I-T-T- let's go Pitt! (Had to plug for my Panthers)
  • St. Patty's day - a pretty big deal for a gal whose moniker means "Irish girl." In addition, Shamrock Shakes are available all month long at McDonald's. Amazing.
  • "In like a lion, out like a lamb." Bring on Spring!

Besides all this great stuff, March is also National Nutrition Month! I confess to being a raging chocoholic, but I am aware of the importance of a healthy diet.

There is an overwhelming amount of information out there concerning healthy eating habits. The newly re-designed food pyramid suggests a diet heavy in whole grains, veggies, fruit, lean protein, and low-fat dairy.

Some tricks for sneaking some extra nutrition into your daily eating habits:

  • Replace soda with fruit juice or water. H2O  too bland? Squeeze a slice of lemon for added flavor.
  • Use ground turkey in favor of ground beef for cooking. Much less fat and calories and tastes just the same (I swear)!
  • Substitute whole-grain breads for white bread in sandwiches.
  • Try salsa in place of ketchup. The salsa has much less sugar and more lycopene than ketchup.
  • Remove the yolks from your eggs for omelets - spare yourself the cholesterol and fat.

Healthy eating doesn't have to be a chore. And you can always have your favorite treats in moderation. I for one, will be enjoying a Shamrock Shake.

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Entry bubble Health and Losing Weight: The New Grapefruit Diet?

By: Nancy | January 03, 2008 | Category: Health

christine eating grapefruit at her computer

Christine had me worried.

The homeschooling mom with six guys in the house (her husband, four sons and Otis the dog) and a freelance writing career is one of the busiest people I know. So I'm really glad she has time for our morning check-ins on instant messenger. Lately though, conversations always find their way to back to her new obsession:

nancy: What are you doing?
christine: Eating a grapefruit.
nancy: This is your second one this morning.
christine: Yup.
nancy: Ewwww.
christine: That's ok. MORE FOR ME.

When this all got started, I wondered whether she was gearing up for the new year by losing weight following the old, fad "Grapefruit Diet." But no, Christine says she just really likes grapefruit. And the side effect of weight loss (helped by her faithful trips to the gym) is just an added benefit.

I know that Christine isn't eating just grapefruit, but I was still curious whether she could be getting too much of a good thing. So I did some investigating and found Nutrition.gov. For somebody who insists that banana bread counts as a serving of fruit and mint chocolate chip ice cream counts as a serving of vegetables because it's green, I have to admit, I really liked this site. From buying and preparing food to managing your weight to finding out nutrient values, the site has lots of great information.

It seems as if there's a "dot gov" for nearly every topic now. And FruitsAndVeggiesMatter.gov may be one of the most creative ".gov" urls I've heard of. One of my favorite finds on the site was the diagram showing what counts as a serving (1/2 or whole cup) of a fruit or vegetable. I saw a banana on the chart but not banana bread. So I may have to admit defeat on that one. Oh well. I did find the site's Fruit and Vegetable of the Month past feature on grapefruit, including serving and storage suggestions and a history of the fruit.

Christine and a grapefruitIt also mentions that grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interact with some medications used for controlling cholesterol, depression, anxiety, HIV/AIDS, allergies and high blood pressure--making them ineffective or causing side effects. Here's a chart you may want to take a look at if you're taking medication for any of those conditions and you like grapefruit. And if you have diabetes, a good side effect of eating grapefruit or drinking the juice is that it can help lower blood glucose levels.

If you're like Christine though, grapefruit has a final, lesser-publicized side effect: it makes your hands, desk and computer keyboard sticky. But it can make you very, very happy.

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