Diet and Nutrition

How to Cook Healthy Thai Food at Home

While the Pad Thai from your favorite Thai take-out joint has an average of 500 calories per cup, the food you would eat if you traveled to Thailand is quite different – and better for you.

According to food blogger and author Joy Buasi from Joy’s Thai Food, Thai cuisine is well known for its fresh ingredients, robust spiciness and complex flavors and aromas. While chili powder, fresh citrus juices and fish stock are common Thai food flavorings, the cuisine is also peppered with peanuts, coconut milk and oil.

If you want to reap the healthy benefits of Thai cuisine, make your own at home so that you can limit the high-calorie ingredients and take advantage of the ingredients full of nutrients.

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Posted on August 26, 2024 by Maris

How to Cook Healthy Indian Food at Home

If you love Indian food but hate feeling weighed down by the grease left behind in most takeout containers, cook Indian food at home with fresh, healthy ingredients that won’t derail your diet.

While Indian cuisine in America is characterized by dense, fried food and oil-rich curries, traditional Indian cuisine incorporates a lot of fresh vegetables, legumes and some of the world’s healthiest spices. Indian cuisine is highly influenced by Hindu beliefs and culture, including the popular practice of vegetarianism in Indian society.

“Vegetables are the life and soul of Indian cuisine,” said Indian chef Suvir Saran in an article on CookingLight.com. “Indian food is best known for heady spices, bold seasonings, and hot dishes, yet ingredients work together to offer contrasts.”

As with any cuisine, you can prepare lighter dishes at home than you would receive in a restaurant because you have complete control over how much salt, butter, cream or oil you add to your dish.

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Posted on August 26, 2024 by Maris

How to Cook Healthy Italian Food at Home

When most people think of Italian food they think of heaping piles of pizza, pasta and chicken Parmigiana drenched in tomato sauce and greasy cheese. While it’s true that this is a picture of the food served at many Italian restaurants in America, authentic Italian cuisine is entirely different. Even though Italy is known for its spaghetti Bolognese and eggplant Parmigiana, there are 20 regions in Italy, each with its own unique cuisine. When you’re dining out at an Italian restaurant, you can start your meal with a fresh salad, keep your portions small and opt for red sauces over heavy cream-based options. When you’re cooking at home, it’s important to dismiss the traditional notion of Italian food to keep your meal delicious and satisfying without taking a break from your healthy diet. (more…)

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Maris

13 Ways to Eat Healthier on a Budget

By Michelle Schoffro Cook for Care2.com

A whopping 20 percent of Canadians can’t afford their homes according to a study released this week and I’m sure this statistic is comparable in the U.S. and other developed countries right now. The report went on to state that these people frequently chose unhealthy food options because they believed them to be cheaper and felt they couldn’t afford to eat healthy. So in my effort to help everyone who is watching their money (isn’t that just about everyone these days?) I have compiled some of my favorite ways to eat healthier on a budget.

1. Double or triple your normal recipes and freeze the leftovers. You’ll dramatically cut down the cost of buying prepared and packaged foods. And, you’ll eat healthier when you’re tired or in a pinch for time.

2. Use seasonal produce as much as possible. When food is in season it is cheaper. Plus, you’ll be doing your part for the environment by eating more locally grown food.

3. Watch for sales. Plan your meals around some of the cheaper sale items you find.

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Posted on August 26, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Celebrate National Panini Month with Five Healthy Sandwich Tips

August is National Panini Month and with temperatures too hot for the oven in most parts of the country, there is no better time to whip up a healthy version of your favorite pressed sandwich.

Though there are a number of ways to make a healthy panini, Chef Tiffany Collins offers some tips about how to take ordinary ingredients, combine them in inventive ways and easily grill them on a panini press for a delicious, crunchy sandwich that won’t derail your diet.

Pick whole-grain breads to make your panini healthy and satisfying. When you’re choosing bread for your sandwich, opt for bread that is rich in fiber. Some wheat breads are not actually made with whole grains, so read labels carefully before you purchase. If the first words on the ingredient list are not “whole grain” or “whole wheat,” it is not really a whole grain.

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Posted on August 25, 2024 by Maris

South Beach Diet vs. Atkins Diet

The Atkins Diet, introduced nearly forty years ago, has been credited for beginning the now popular low-carb revolution. Though buzz about low-carb diets had quieted over the past several years,  the Atkins Diet remains a popular way for people to lose weight by eating fewer high carbohydrate foods and more high fiber vegetables.

Newer to the scene is the South Beach Diet, which is less prohibitive than the Atkins Diet and restricts saturated fats, which have been associated with health problems such as heart disease and high cholesterol.

For the purposes of this comparison I am using Dr. Atkin’s New Diet Revolution, the last book actually written by Dr. Robert Atkins before his death and The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health For Life.

Cost

Both of these books are available online and in stores for less than $20.00. Both the Atkins Diet and South Beach Diet have websites that offer free tools to help dieters count carbohydrates, set goals and encourage other members of the diet community. Both diets offer various packaged foods you can buy at the grocery store that help users stay on track which can increase the cost of the diet for individuals.

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Posted on August 25, 2024 by Maris

How to Cook Healthy Japanese Food at Home

When someone says “Japanese food” does your mind automatically revert to a heaping platter of sushi? While there are plenty of healthy (and unhealthy) sushi options for anyone watching their diet, there is far more to the Japanese cuisine than sushi, which you can easily make from scratch at home.

Unlike the American diet, notorious for its “super-size” portions,  the Japanese diet is modest, with smaller portions. “Many Japanese people are taught to eat until they are just 80% full,” said Namiko Chen, author of the Japanese home cooking blog Just One Cookbook.

As with any cuisine, you can prepare lighter dishes at home than you would receive in a restaurant because you have complete control over how much salt, butter, cream or oil you add to your dish.

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Posted on August 25, 2024 by Maris

USDA Rejects Bloomberg’s Food Stamp Soda Ban

pile of tabs from soda or beer cansLast October, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture prevent New York residents from using food stamps to purchase soda and other sugary drinks. On Friday, the USDA rejected the proposal, partly citing the difficulty of sorting out which beverages would and wouldn’t be allowed under the policy.

Dr. Thomas A. Farley, New York City’s health commissioner, said he was “very upset” by the proposal’s rejection, adding that it “really calls into question how serious the USDA is about addressing the nation’s most serious nutritional problem,” reports the New York Times.

The choice was obviously a victory for the soda industry, which lobbied against the proposal. Some advocates for the poor were also against the bill, arguing that forcing food-stamp users to shop differently is a stigmatizing experience. “The whole attempt was misguided and unworkable,” Mr. Berg said. “This proposal was based on the false assumption that poor people were somehow ignorant or culturally deficient.”

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Posted on August 24, 2024 by Health Buzz

Bill Clinton is a Vegan, Drops 20 Pounds

While he was certainly not our heaviest president, that distinction goes to William Taft who tipped the scales past the 300 mark, Bill Clinton did struggle a little with a few extra pounds. Sure, he may be more known for his ravenous sexual appetite, but Clinton also had a reputation for his love of McDonald’s.

Even though President Clinton was seen jogging with secret service by his side, he was also known for devouring donuts. It’s no wonder that he continued to have weight problems. Early in Bill Clinton’s first term, Hillary asked renowned cardiologist Dr. Dean Ornish to work with White House chefs to devise a menu for the President. Even with these changes, Clinton continued to have issues with his weight through both terms.

In 1999, the White House physician noted at Clinton’s annual physical that he put on 18 pounds since a checkup from two years earlier. The president was asked to focus on exercise and a low-calorie diet. (more…)

Posted on August 24, 2024 by Jason

CSA vs Farmers Market: Which is Right for You?

Years ago, people went to one market or general store to pick up all of the groceries and household items on their shopping list. Today, we have a variety of choices when it comes to purchasing food and beverages, from super stores and warehouse clubs to farmers markets and joining a CSA in your community.

CSAs and farmers markets are similar in that both offer local, homegrown produce to customers at prices that are often much cheaper than at the grocery store, however they can differ in price, convenience and quality depending on where your food was grown. Regardless of whether you shop at a market or join a CSA, you are receiving fresher, higher-quality produce because it hasn’t been treated with the chemicals or preservatives necessary to mass-distribute and ship it around the world.

What is a CSA?

CSA, or community-supported agriculture, is a program that lets you purchase “shares” from a farm in exchange for a weekly delivery of fruits, vegetables and other farm products like milk, eggs and dairy.

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Posted on August 24, 2024 by Maris

5 Tips to Eat Healthy at 100 Montaditos

Have you heard? There’s a new fast-food chain in town: 100 Montaditos. OK, so as of now there’s only one location in the United States (Miami), but the Spanish sandwich chain has the ambitious goal of opening 4,000 restaurants in the next five years. This means that there will be almost as many 100 Montaditos out there as there are Sonic Drive-Ins.

To make sure you’re armed with nutrition knowledge and prepared to eat healthy when you try this new chain, we’ve rounded up the top five tips to eat healthy at 100 Montaditos. Unfortunately, 100 Montaditos doesn’t have its nutritional facts posted online and a quick call in to its Miami location confirmed that nutritional facts are not yet available. In the meantime, here are some guidelines to follow!

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Posted on August 24, 2024 by Jennipher