Nutrition Tip of the week #22

Realizing that small changes make a big difference is vital to a healthy lifestyle.

You can start with one small change a year to make difference, or one small change a month. Changing has to come from within, no one can make you change, except for yourself.

Some examples of small changes:

• Switching to whole wheat bread products
• Drinking one less soda a day or a week
• Switching to low fat pretzels instead of chips
• Incorporating fresh fruit on a daily basis
• Switching to 2% milk

I make small changes on a daily basis to make sure that I am living a healthy lifestyle. For example, last night I was cooking Macaroni and Cheese (from the box). I am sure you might be thinking: "How can eating Mac and Cheese (from the box) be a part of a healthy lifestyle?" I will tell you, it's all about small changes.

First, I grabbed the "Made with 50% whole wheat Mac and Cheese" box, to gain additional fiber. Then, I added almost a Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in place of the 3 Tablespoons of butter, to reduce the amount of saturated fat and to increase the amount of unsaturated fat. Also, I added about a cup or so of frozen spinach to add vegetables. Finally, I used soy milk instead of whole milk to deacrease the amount of saturated fat. And viola! You have just turned a not so healthy side dish into a fantastic one that tastes good too!

Nutrition Tip of the Week #21

To snack or not to snack...

By nature, I am a snacker; I am eating every couple of hours. How I make this a healthy habit and not an unhealthy habit, is that I snack right. I snack on fresh fruits, apple sauce, low-fat yogurt, fruit packaged in its own juice, rice cakes, nuts, and hundred calorie snack packs.

If your not a snacker, that's okay too; just as long as your making healthy choices when you do eat.

I like to have a stash of these healthy snacks at work and when I am on trips so that I am not tempted to visit the local snack machine or convenience store and make unwise choices.

Nutrition Tip of the week #20

Want to look slimmer and feel better within a matter of days? Cut back on your sodium! Sodium is in almost all processed foods that we eat, and in the American diet, can quickly add up to way more than we actually need in a day (average adults typically only need about 1,500 mg of sodium a day). Sodium causes your body to retain water, which leads to bloating (and who wants that?).

How to reduce your sodium intake:

• Look at food labels to determine how much sodium you are getting a day
• Eat less processed foods
• Eat more unprocessed foods like fresh fruits and vegetables
• Look for low-sodium products
• Reduce (or cut) the amount of salt that you add at the table and when you cook

Furthermore, a diet that is low in sodium has been proven to lower blood pressure which decreases your risk of having a stroke!

Nutrition Tip of the week #19

Yummy, easy, Watermelon salad recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 large Watermelon, deseeded, cut into 2 inch cubes
Freshly sqeezed Lime juice from about 10 key limes or 3 large limes
Chopped mint to taste

Directions:
Gently toss to combine all ingredinets in a large bowl, serve chilled.

If you have some left over Watermelon, make this refreshing, healthy salad and it will be gone in no time!

Join us for Project La Cena’s First Orientation and kick-off Dinner!

Join us for Project La Cena’s First Orientation and kick-off Dinner!

Who: Project La Cena students, mentors, stakeholders, and students who want to learn more about the program
What: Orientation and dinner
Where: Northeast Lakeview College, Wellness Center, Food Lab
Why: To introduce Alamo College Nutrition students and mentors, congratulate scholarship recipients, socialize, and review Project La Cena’s activities for the semester
When: August 31st, 6:15pm

RSVP by: August 20th at slozano62@alamo.edu

A dinner of spinach enchiladas, black beans, and brown Spanish rice will be served.

Nutrition Tip of the week #18

Confused about high-fructose corn syrup? Don't be.

Although current research shows that high-fructose is just about as dangerous as sugar, that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch out for it.
Since high-fructose syrup (HFCS) is a cheap alternative to sugar, the food it is usually used in is not high quality and is usually highly processed. So straying away from foods containing high-fructose corn syrup, most likely means you are straying away from low-quality, sugary, high processed foods.

So if you can aviod HFCS, by all means do.