Author Archives: Kinsey

Best Heart Healthy Foods

The true secret to heart health is eating a variety of nutrient dense foods. woman holding appleFresh produce should lay the foundation for this heart healthy diet, due to their protective benefit of seeking out and neutralizing free radicals that are detrimental to your health and to your heart. Whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts, fatty fish, and teas are just as important, offering all sorts of complex heart-protective phytonutrients.

Our society is obsessed with finding the one magic food to cure all, when the truth is you need to eat a variety of foods and look for multiple ways to get all the different nutrients you need, plus exercise! Here are the best heart healthy foods to add to your diet: (more…)

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Kinsey

4 Things to Remember When Packing a Lunch

sack lunchWhether its for you, your significant other, or your child/children it is important to pack a healthy lunch. Buying groceries and packing your lunch is a great way to cut down on additional food cost and help you control exactly what you are putting into your body (calorie, fat, sodium, etc.). Below are some key points to remember when packing your lunch.

  1. Remember your fruits and veggies! It’s recommended to consume 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day. So take advantage of your lunch to really rack in some servings.

    2. – A salad is an easy way to score big on veggies, with fresh greens, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, or any vegetable you want. You can also add some dried or fresh fruit and you will be feeling good. You’ll be scoring big for your health without having consumed a lot of calories (remember veggies and fruit are very nutrient dense, meaning you get a lot of nutrients and small amount of calories and fat). However, keep in mind to pick an oil-based salad dressing and to remember to lightly pour it on… you don’t want to drown your salad in dressing. (more…)

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Kinsey

The Sweet Taste of Truvia is All-Natural

Truvia is the newest, zero-calories, natural sweetener to hit the market. Truvia was developed by Cargill and Coca-Cola. “Sweetness born from a leaf, not in a lab,” they say about the product. Truvia is made from the stevia plant, which is a native plant of South America. The stevia plant is not new and has been used as a sweetener in South America and Japan for centuries. However, in the US, thus far stevia has only been sold as a dietary supplement due to FDA concerns. The ingredient list of Truvia includes: Rebiana, Erythritol, and natural flavors.

  • Ribana portion comes from the sweet leaf of the stevia plant. These leaves are picked, dried, then submerged into water, which unlocks the sweetness portion and is then purified.
  • Erythritol is a naturally occurring fermented sugar alcohol (found in grapes and pears). (more…)
Posted on February 10, 2026 by Kinsey

Healthy Dinner for your Honey this Valentine’s day

Instead of fighting the crowds at an over-priced restaurant this Valentine’s day, opt to cook the one you love a healthy, romantic dinner. By cooking at home you will cut back on money, calories and find personal time together.

We’ve got hundreds of heart-healthy recipes you can choose from to make a romantic meal at home. Or, try the Warm Winter Salad, Roasted Pecan Salmon, and Sauteed Pear Sundaes recipes posted here.

Lover’s Warm Winter Salad

  • 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pear, sliced
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar (more…)
Posted on February 9, 2026 by Kinsey

Think Outside the Candy Box this Valentine’s Day

Instead of the usual dinner out this Valentine’s day, try some more physical and healthy ways to show your lover how much you care. Here are some ideas:

  • In place of chocolate, try those newer fruit basket assortments. Or some delicious assorted nut boxes (avoid the chocolate and/or candy covered ones).
  • Plan a picnic (weather permitting) where you can enjoy a romantic sunset while taking a stroll and burning a few calories. (more…)
Posted on February 5, 2026 by Kinsey

Protein-Rich Meat Alternatives

soy milkThey are plenty of ways to meet your protein needs, without having to eat meat. The food industry has made leaps and bounds in terms of offering nutritious and delicious vegetarian options for helping you get the protein you need. However, these products are not just for the vegetarian, even you meat lovers can sample these foods and incorporate them into your diet to switch it up and add some spice to your meals!

Soy (soy nuts, edamame, tofu)

  • May help reduce calories, saturated fat and cholesterol when substituted for meat.
  • Provides your body with isoflavones that have been proven to work wonders on your body and health

Try these:

  • Soy milk, but check that it’s fortified with calcium and B vitamins (more…)
Posted on February 2, 2026 by Kinsey

Super Bowl Sunday Survival Tips

Did you know that Super Bowl Sunday is known as the second biggest single day of food consumption (right behind Thanksgiving Day)? Football, friends, and food are some of the main descriptors of Super Bowl; and food on this day plays a prominent role. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep two things in mind: 1) food safety and 2) nutrition.

Food Safety

  • Because Super Bowl parties can last for several hours, it’s imperative to keep track of the food you have out for your guests.
  • Certain foods (containing mayo, sour cream, meats, etc.) should not be out at room temperature for longer than two hours because you don’t want to enter the “Danger Zone.” (more…)
Posted on January 30, 2026 by Kinsey

Pregnancy Healthy Eating and Weight Gain Guide

Basics of a healthy pregnancy diet:

  • Try to eat a variety of foods (especially if you’re having morning sickness, intense cravings, or not feeling hungry). This will help ensure you’re getting the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you need.
  • You’ll need to increase calorie consumption during pregnancy (more detail below). These calories are to help with the growth and development of your baby and for the numerous changes in your own body needed to promote a healthy pregnancy.
  • During pregnancy, expecting mothers having higher RDAs for most nutrients. Food labels show the Recommended Daily Allowance of nutrients you need every day. (more…)
Posted on January 29, 2026 by Kinsey

Fighting Midlife Weight Gain

overweight woman on scaleYou can see the signs of gaining weight – shopping for clothes isn’t as fun as it once was, you go to button your favorite pair of pants and notice the “extra” spilling over your pants, and finally you jump on the scale to confirm the bad news, you’ve gained weight. Midlife weight gain is common, in fact many Americans gain a pound or so every year as they make their way through young adulthood, often ending up flabby and chubby at 40-years-old.

Why do so many people gain weight in midlife?

– Hormones, although will only contribute for about 2-5 extra pounds.

– Poor lifestyle choices, overeating, reduced amount of exercise, and stress are the remaining factors that contribute the most to that weight gain. (more…)

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Kinsey

Eat the Rainbow for Your Health

An easy and fun way to remember to eat your fruits and vegetables is by thinking of eating the different colors of the rainbow. When eating fruits and veggies think of the different colors of the rainbow, this will help to introduce a variety of different nutrients and add spice to your diet by trying out new and more exotic fruits and veggies. These colorful foods deliver a healthful dose of vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting phytochemicals.

 

*FYI the darker and more rich the color, usually indicates the more nutrients it contains.

 

Here are a few examples of what you’ll gain by tasting the rainbow:

Yellow and Orange– sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, oranges, and carrots  (more…)

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Kinsey

New Study Shows Saying “No” to Food Harder for Women

french friesNew research suggests that a woman’s brain may unconsciously have a tougher time resisting favorite foods compared to men. This study was conducted to examine why some people don’t stop eating after internal cues tell them that they are full. This is a problem for today’s society because chronic overeating leads to obesity, which is sweeping across our nation to an alarming high.

One of the researchers, Dr. Gene Jack Wang – senior scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory and professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, believes this helps place another piece to the puzzle in understanding behaviors and diet. Dr. Wang speculates that “women may have more trouble saying no to food because they sometimes have to eat for two.” He continues by saying that maybe evolution contributes to women having difficulty saying no because “of their important mission to have a baby.”  (more…)

Posted on January 23, 2026 by Kinsey