I often hear, "I don't have time to eat healthy".  Planning.  If healthy eating is a priority, then set aside time on the weekend to plan for your week of healthy eating. 

-Make a list of staples for your pantry and freezer.
-Whole grains (pastas, rice, crackers), lean proteins, vegetables, fruits (fresh and frozen), low fat dairy.
-Buy veggies and fruits in season.   And frozen ones to have on hand.
-Set aside a day on the weekend to cook and prep.  Plan for a couple meals.
-Roast a chicken, beef, pork loin or turkey.  You will have enough for a meal and leftovers for
stir fry, soups, fajitas, tacos, sandwiches and more. 
-Chop up fruits and vegetables to have on hand for snacks and to throw into your soup, or meal.
-Make up some breakfast burritos and freeze them.
-Make an extra batch of whole grain berry or banana pancakes or waffles or muffins and freeze them.
-Boil some eggs to have during the week.
- Have low-fat dairy single serve portions ready for grab and go.

If you plan for healthy eating it makes it easier than not being prepared and stopping off at the fast food drive thru.

 

The holidays can be a bit stressful for many.  Stress is not good for the body as you know...so if you are feeling stressed, take 5 minutes or more (if that is all you can spare), and do some deep breathing, inhale and exhale for double the inhale time.  Focus on something that makes you smile.  Think about right now and not about all of the things on your list to do.
One moment at a time.  Deep breath....happy holidays.

Being physically active is one of the best things you can do for your body aside from eating healthy.
It is good for your heart, your stress level, your brain, your bones, muscles, your immune system, your
quality of sleep and your mood.

You don't have to spend hours to see the benefits.  Every little bit helps.  20 minutes here.  10 minutes there.
Do things you like to do, dancing, jogging, gardening (lots of leaves to rake right now), brisk walking,
skating, join a intramural sport team, or walking or running club.

Sometimes it is hard to keep motivated.  When you do activities with friends you are more likely to stick with it.

Don't do the same workout routine every day.  Your body gets used to it.  And you won't be apt to get bored
and not want to do it.  Challenge your body and your mind.

Who hasn't eaten green bean casserole at Thanksgiving once in their life?...well here is one that is a healthier version without the canned soup and sodium!  Eating Well magazine has a delicious recipe I have cooked many many times and not just around the holidays.  My family and friends love it.  Try it!  Tell me what you think!  I have noted a few minor changes I made in ( ) in the recipe.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE – from Eating Well Magazine
A healthier version that skips the canned soup and all the fat and sodium that traditional recipes call for.  It is delicious!

6 servings, about 3/4 cup each
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 medium sweet onion, (half diced, half thinly sliced), divided
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped  (I use about 12 ounces of mushrooms)
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme  (I used fresh thyme 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup low-fat milk
3 tablespoons dry sherry, (see Ingredient Note)
1 pound frozen French-cut green beans, (about 4 cups)
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3 tablespoons buttermilk powder, (see Ingredient Note)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 2 1/2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and slightly translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt, thyme and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the mushroom juices are almost evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour over the vegetables; stir to coat. Add milk and sherry and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Stir in green beans and return to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in sour cream and buttermilk powder. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
3. Whisk the remaining 1/3 cup flour, paprika, garlic powder and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Add sliced onion; toss to coat. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion along with any remaining flour mixture and cook, turning once or twice, until golden and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Spread the onion topping over the casserole.
4. Bake the casserole until bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Notes
Ingredient notes:
-Don't use the high-sodium “cooking sherry” sold in many supermarkets. Instead, purchase dry sherry sold with other fortified wines.  
-Look for buttermilk powder, such as Saco Buttermilk Blend, in the baking section or with the powdered milk in most supermarkets.

Nutrition - Per serving: 212 calories; 10 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 10 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 3 g fiber; 533 mg sodium; 259 mg potassium.

Slow down you eat too fast, let's make the moment last....We are always on the go go go....sometimes even when it comes to eating.

I read an interesting article from Tufts Health and Nutrition newsletter this past week reminded me that we do need to slow down and enjoy every bite.  Enjoy your food, savor every bite.  Take time to eat and focus.  This will help you be conscious of how much you actually eat as well.

"Slowing down your eating not only gives you a chance to actually taste your food, it may give your body time to signal, "Enough!" Greek researchers report that gobbling food appears to short-circuit the release of appetite-regulating hormones, promoting overeating. They conducted a crossover study with 17 healthy men, comparing hormones in blood samples taken after eating 675 calories' worth of ice cream in 5 minutes versus a more leisurely 30-minute consumption. After savoring the ice cream for 30 minutes, participants had higher levels of two peptides that signal satiety, though there was no difference in ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger. Researchers concluded, "The warning we were given as children that 'wolfing down your food will make you fat' may, in fact, have a physiological explanation." - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

Do you eat fast or slow??  I'm guilty of fast eating.

When it comes to battling some excess pounds it is hard not to get fixated on the numbers on the scale.
Focus on how you feel and how your clothes are fitting as you are trying to cut down and move more.  It is okay to weigh yourself for a starting point.  But it might become an anxiety provoking event for some especially those with obsessive personalities.  So put that scale away and focus on you and not the numbers.

If you are trying to add whole grains into your diet but don't like the taste, do it baby steps.  If you are used to eating white rice and could not imagine switching over to brown rice complely, mix 1/4 of brown rice with 3/4 white rice.  And see how that goes, slowly increasing the amount of brown and decreasing the white.  Every little bit helps.

The same with whole wheat pasta...try 1/4 whole wheat mixed in with the remaining white pasta...until eventually you swtich over completely.  Whole wheat pasta has come a long way in taste in my opinion.  Small changes over time add up.  Here's to your good health.

When it comes to health...it is not all about the number on the scale, the charts, what the "average" body fat is......it is how your clothes fit, and how you feel.  Eat and enjoy it.  Keep the balance.

Here are the basic principles of Health At Every Size (HAES): 

1. Accepting and respecting the diversity of body shapes and  sizes.
    

2. Recognizing that health and well-being are multi-dimensional and that they include physical, social, spiritual, occupational, emotional, and intellectual aspects.
    

3. Promoting all aspects of health and well-being for people of all sizes.
    

4. Promoting eating in a manner which balances individual nutritional needs, hunger, satiety, appetite, and pleasure.
    

5. Promoting individually appropriate, enjoyable, life-enhancing physical activity, rather than exercise that is focused on a goal of weight loss.

Health At Every Size (sometimes referred to as Health At Any Size, or Health For All Sizes) is a solution to health concerns that helps people live well without encouraging or reinforcing size/weight prejudices or phobias, poor body image, or eating disorders—or the negative health consequences of dieting-related weight loss and regain.

Work on a lifestyle that you can maintain for a healthy life.