Pizza is not a Veggie

Despite congress deciding that pizza sauce counts a vegetable..... PIZZA IS NOT A VEGETABLE.
Even veggie tales don't think so.

Healthy Lunch: Salad in a Jar

What a great idea.

Im going to make this for lunch on Friday!

Ways to make dinner healthy

Making homemade meal is often way healthier than store-bought, frozen, or restaurant meals.
But sometimes figuring out how to make those meals and having the motivation to make them especially on a busy week night can be hard.
Here are some Ways to make your dinners healthier.

1. Plan a week's worth of dinners - plan ahead and post the menu up on the fridge then you wont resort to frozen dinners and take out pizza

2. Invest in a slow cooker - throw a bunch of health ingredients in the night before, turn it on in the morning and come home to tasty, healthy, homemade dinner

3. Eat an Omelet - omelet's are packed with protein, and if you load them up with vegetables they can make a healthy, quick, filling dinner

4. Turn off the TV - one study has found that if the TV is on during dinner, fruit and vegetable consumption goes down

5. Keep your kitchen clean -  nothing is going to stand in your way to a healthy home cooked meal more than a cluttered messy kitchen. Keep the kitchen for cooking at eating only.


These are just some of the great tips in an article from Besthealthmag.com
Check out the rest HERE

want a healthy glow?

Its bathing suit season....

and if you are anything like me your pasty winter skin practically reflects sunlight like a mirror.

Instead of running off to the tanning booth to expose yourself to dangerous, skin damaging, wrinkle causing, skin cancer growing UV rays...

eat your veggies!!

Tip of the day

Salad first.

For one week, try eating a big salad before your regular meal. The fiber will help to cleanse your system and fill you up faster so that you eat less calorie rich foods.

- Cory Brusseau, co-founder of Dynamics of Motion

Skip the rich dressing and dried fruit though

Go for a light home made oil and balsamic vinegrette

and add fresh fruit instead.

Food Cravings

What is the best way to combate food cravings or late night snacking?
Distract yourself.  Even better - distract yourself by doing something active

The average food craving lasts about 4-12 minutes.  So the next time you feel yourself reaching for those salty crackers, or hidden stash of cookies try these things first

1. Drink a glass or water. A lot of the time thirst is mistake for hunger - so try this first, you may be dehydrated.

2. Go for a walk. Go for a brisk 15-20 minute walk, in the park, with your special someone, or take the dog out. By the time you get back - the craving should be gone.

3. Stretch - stretch out your hamstrings, your back, your neck. -click here for a 4 minute yoga routine

4. Do a 20 minute at home workout - try the one here

5. Brush your teeth - you are less likely to snack with minty fresh just brushed teeth


-if you try these tips and you still feel like you want to eat - keep healthy snacks easily accesible. cut up peppers, carrots, apples and leave them in single serving bags/tupperwear in the fridge. Or keep bags or quarter cup bags of unsalted almonds in the cupboard That way nutrient dense snacks ready when you are!

MSG vs HVP

If you read your nutrition labels you may have noticed a mystery ingredient Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP).  It is especially common in soups. What is it? Well its basically MSG in another form.
Wheat, corn or soy is boiled in hydrochloric acid and then neutralized by sodium hydroxide.  (yummm right??)
Is it dangerous? Not necessarily - if you aren't already sensitive to MSG then HVP wont likely make you sick. However, there is not any information about what additives like this can do in the long run.

To read more about this check out the Glamour blog Vitamin G - link below
http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2010/09/ingredient-label-sleuth-ive-he.html

Fight Fatige continued...

Make a sandwich or salad with these 5 ingredients and you will be getting all of the 7 nutrients mentioned in the previous post

Spinach ( potassium, magnesium, iron, complex carbs)
Avocados (potassium, complex carbs)
Carrots (beta-carotene, complex carbs)
Red Pepper (vitamin C, complex carbs)
Chicken/Cheese/Beans/Egg (protein)

Add a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing

Fight Fatigue

Here are 7 Nutrients that Fight Fatigue
1. Protein:  eat protein at breakfast to maintain energy throughout the day.  People who skip protein at breakfast are more likely to be depressed, stressed and less physically fit.

2. Iron:  deficiency is a common cause of anemia which leads to a decreased volume of red blood cells causing you to feel tired. Iron is most easily absorbed from meat sources, but you can boost how much is absorbed from your dark leafy greens by combining it with vitamin C

3. Complex carbs (vs. simple sugars):  They are found in fruit and vegetables and break down much slower than simple sugars (ie white sugar, white bread, ect) They break down slower leading to a steadier source of energy that is released into your blood stream over a longer period of time.  Sources of complex carbs are also a good source of fibre and B vitamins which help with energy.

4. Vitamin C: Helps with adrenal health. The adrenal glands release cortisol (stress hormone). So if you increase your vitamin C intake, you can decrease fatigue caused by physical and emotional stress

5. Magnesium:  essential for the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - the molecule that is used in the body for energy. Magnesium also relaxes muscles and aid in sleep.

6. Beta Carotene: Vitamin A precursor. This helps boost depressed immune system and with chronic fatigue. It also helps promote healthy cell membrane, protecting against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and allergies. Its necessary for healthy red blood cells.

7. Potasssium. Deficiency causes muscle weakness and exhaustion. Helps transport nutrients to the muscles, regulates muscle contractions and maintains a healthy nervous system and heart rate.

Quick Tip

Think onions hurt your eyes?  Eatting them might actually be good for your eyes.

Red Onions contain more quercetin than yellow onions. This anti-oxidant is thought to prevent cataracts.

Health Tip

Steam your broccoli!

Steaming broccoli can increase the concentration of glucosinolates by up to 30% Glucosinolates are a category of phytochemicals (anti-oxidants) found in broccoli and other vegetables such as kale, brussel sprouts, and garlic.

These specific chemicals are knows for lowering risk of cancer by blocking carcinogins and preventing the initiation of tumors in some organs such as liver, mammary glands,  and pancrease.

-boiling your vegetables can cause phytochemicals and nutrients to leach out of vegetables into the water - and then down the drain.  so next time, steam your broccoli!

tip found on MSN BC - 12 quick tips for a longer, healthier life

Check out the 11 others here

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23727899/