Nutrition Tip of the week #33

Don't be afraid to eat dessert!

When you are trying to be healthy, you don't have to completely restrict yourself from sweets. The trick is to eat them in moderation and exercise portion control. For example, I only eat desserts on special occasions, and when I do, I only grab a couple of tablespoons; it's just enough to satisfy me.

Another idea is to make your dessert using healthy options, such as whole wheat flour, incorporating fruit and nuts, or using a low-fat butter.

Nutrition Tip of the week #33

Want some easy to follow, top 10 eat right tips for Thanksgiving, from the Nutrition professionals themselves (Registered Dietitians)? Visit this link:

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/eat-right-around-chicago/2009/11/top-10-tips-to-eat-right-on-thanksgiving.html

Nutrition Tip of the week #32

Eat Locally!

Eating locally is healthy for your body and the enviroment.

Locally grown foods are fresher than what you would find at your typical grocery store. Fresher foods often will be more nutrient dense. Fresher food also tastes better and is at its ripening peak! Typically, fruits and vegetables at your grocery store travel hundreds to thousands of miles to get there and are picked before they are ripe and are ripened artificially by gas.

What you can do: Shop at your local farmer's market or look for food grown in Texas at your grocery store.

Get more information at: www.gotexan.com

Nutrition Tip of the week #31

Get educated about what your eating! A great way to start is to watch or read Food, Inc. - the movie or the book.

Here is a brief summary: Food, Inc. exposes America's industrialized food system and its effect on our environment, health, economy and workers' rights.

Longer summary: In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Nutrition Tip of the week #30

Giving yourself some wiggle room is okay. I like to tell people that I have never been on a diet, and I haven't. I eat healthy every day and I eat what I want everyday. 95% of the time, I have an oober healthy lifestyle, eating plenty of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy and rarely any meat. I also excersize on a regular basis; so please do not judge me if you see me at Marble slab eating full fat ice-cream. It is okay to indulge once in a while and in moderation.

Nutrition Tip of the week #30