Tag Archives: lunch

What Do Americans Eat? Kale, Gluten-Free, and Organics Top 2024 Food Trends

food statistics

Food trends come and food trends go. One year we’re all raving about Sriracha, the next we’re falling for the cronut. For the last 30 years, Parade has surveyed those trends and other American eating habits.

This year, foods like snack bars and frozen sandwiches have risen in popularity. As more people eat on the go, convenience foods are going to see a natural rise. According to Parade‘s survey:

  • 27 percent of main dishes made at home are frozen or ready-to-eat meals.
  • 80 percent of our meals are prepared at home, and over half of them are made from scratch or fresh ingredients.

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Posted on October 22, 2024 by Elizabeth

WIN an Applegate Half Time Prize Pack — Enjoy the Best Lunch Kit Ever

half-time-turkey

We love the new Applegate Half Time lunch kits so much that we want to share the awesome lunchtime joy with everyone! Seriously, you’ve gotta try these! And two of our DietsInReview readers are going to do just that — on us!

Lunch has never been easier, tastier, or smarter. Take it from me, these bad boys have effortlessly gotten both me and my four-year-old through our mid-day meals since this summer.

How to Win!

Comment on this Facebook Post! Tell us how Half Time is just the break you need from junky, boring lunches!

What You Win!

  • All three varieties of HALF TIME: Turkey & Cheese, Ham & Cheese, and Bologna & Cheese
  • A draw-your-own lunch bag
  • A set of permanent markers
  • Coupons
  • Activity book
  • DietsInReview T-Shirt

The total value of the kit is $50. (more…)

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Natalie K

Your Grades are What You Eat! 10 Smart Back to School Foods to Boost Kids’ Grades

As the school year kicks off, it’s safe to say that good grades are at the top of many people’s school wishlists. While you can’t deny that paying attention in class and doing the assigned work makes up a major part of the grade, there are other, usually overlooked, ways to earn fridge-worthy grade cards.

We spoke with with our resident nutrition expert, Mary Hartley, RD, and nutritionist and author Dr. Keith Kantor about which healthy habits may boost grades and improve performance in school.

judah rainbow smoothie

Nutrition

Eat Healthy Foods

Mary shared that getting the right nutrients can boost the speed at which the brain works. “So many nutrients have a role in cognition, including cholesterol from egg yolks and dairy products, essential fatty acids from fatty fish, nuts and olive oil, and carotenoids and flavonoids found in colorful fruits and vegetables.”

Back to School Food: Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Donut Sandwiches

Get Your Vitamins and Minerals

“A host of micronutrients also play key roles in processes that run the brain, including iron, zinc, choline, selenium, iodine, magnesium, B vitamins, and vitamins A and C,” Mary added.

Back to School Food: Rainbow Smoothie

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Posted on August 26, 2024 by Elizabeth

5 Snacks Disguised as Meals: Stay Full on the Go for Less than 500 Calories

By Janis Jibrin, M.S., RD, Best Life lead nutritionist

What to eat when you’re stuck in a junk-food-infested office park, stretch of highway, or other nutrition wasteland? Try one of these five meals, all of which contain foods you can keep in your purse, desk drawer, or office fridge, or can be found at a coffee shop. They range from 370 to 480 calories.

trail mix recipe

Oatmeal topped with dried fruit and/or nuts and a 12-ounce nonfat or 1 percent latte

Approximate calories:  370

Nutrition highlights: This dish is rich in calcium and cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber (from the oats), plus it offers phytonutrients from the coffee, dried nuts and fruits. It’s my go-to at Starbucks and other coffee shops.

Trail mix (2/3 cup)

Approximate calories: 450

Nutrition highlights: Nuts, seeds and dried fruit offer vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients and healthy fats. Make your own to control the ingredients and avoid a sugar rush. Try our Sweet & Nutty Trail Mix. (more…)

Posted on December 4, 2023 by BestLifeDiet

Fall 2024 Tasty Movie Sneak Preview

I’m giddy. It’s time. The fall movie season is officially in full swing. In addition to caramel apples, pumpkin anything and apple cider mixed with Butterscotch Schnapps, movie-going is my favorite part of the season. To get you excited for all those new fall flicks, I’ve gathered up a few that I’m looking forward to and then paired them with healthy “themed” recipes you can eat afterward while you discuss the plot and shake off your buttery popcorn/candy hangover. Remember, no texting, talking or putting your feet on the seats in front of you. You ready? Raise the curtain. Let’s do this!

Fall 2024 Tasty Movie Sneak Preview

Hunger Games

Hunger Games – Catching Fire

In the second installment of the series, based on the books by Suzanne Collins, Katniss and Peeta find themselves in trouble with the Capitol again when the districts of Panem begin to rebel. Before they go back to the arena for another battle, TO THE DEATH, they can’t resist the decadent and often outlandish food prepared by eclectic Capitol chefs.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

The “colorful” citizens of District One sure do love their Goat Cheese Tarts but the odds are definitely in your favor that these are better for you. A simple savory dish that can be served for brunch, lunch or dinner.

 

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Posted on October 21, 2024 by Dani Stone

WIN the Ultimate Stuff Your Lunch Box Giveaway Just in Time for Back to School!

Back To School Giveaway

School is back in session and parents, you know what that means. It’s time to drag out the superhero and princess lunch boxes and pose the question you’ll be asking hundreds of times this year, “What do you want for lunch?” At DietsInReview, we want to help you branch out beyond PB&J and fill those boxes with healthy delicious food your kids will be bragging about in the cafeteria.

PRIZES:

One GRAND PRIZE WINNER will receive 30 days each of:

  • Sneaky Pete’s all-natural oat beverages
  • Wholly Guacamole, featuring the new Wholly Guacamole minis
  • Angie’s Boomchickapop, 35-calories/per cup and non-GMO
  • Mini Babybel Mozzarella, 100% natural with 20% of daily calcium needs
  • GoPicnic, the leader in ready-to-eat, prepackaged, nutritious and flavorful on-the-go meals with GF options
  • Beanitos, corn-free bean chips that are gluten-free, non-GMO and low-glycemic.

One SECOND PLACE WINNER will receive:

  • One Case of Angie’s Boomchickapop
  • One Cooler of Whole Guacamole products
  • 30 days of of Mini Babybel Mozzarella

WINNER SELECTED AUGUST 30 – NICOLE H. GIVEAWAY IS OVER.

   TWEET THIS POST TO ENTER TO WIN!  

FACEBOOK SHARE THIS POST TO ENTER TO WIN (more…)

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Health Buzz

Your Dusk-to-Dawn Guide to Weight Loss

By Team Best Life

The simple choices we make day in and day out—such as when to exercise or what time to hit the sack—can have a huge effect on how many calories we burn, and thus, how much weight we lose. Read on to learn how to get the most out of your day.

alarm

Start your day with a healthy breakfast. Eating breakfast within an hour of waking will help jump-start your metabolism and sets the stage for a day of healthy eating. Get bonus points by pumping up the protein at your morning meal: Research from the University of Missouri showed that the more protein you consume at breakfast, the fewer cravings for processed foods you’ll have throughout the day. Even better? People who have a protein-packed breakfast (which increases levels of leptin, the hormone that triggers feelings of fullness) eat an average of 200 calories less during the day. (more…)

Posted on August 7, 2024 by BestLifeDiet

The Best Club Sandwich Ever is Made with Cleaner, Fresher Ingredients You Can Feel Good About

If I see a club sandwich on a menu, I’m ordering it. End of story. No matter how you stack it, I rarely find a sandwich that has a better combination of ingredients that meld so perfectly together. That first bite through the crisp lettuce, juicy tomato, sweet ham, and salty bacon sends the endorphin center of my brain to the realm of utter satisfaction.

best club sandwich

Eating these sandwiches at a restaurant is anyone’s gamble. It’s all pretty processed, and I know that. The salt is higher than it should be, the meat came from God knows where, and all in all it’s never quite as good as anything I make at home. So I try to take my own sandwich makings to the office to build my own for lunch. It’s always a far better option than what the corner deli is dishing up.

club sandwich cut

That better option, for me, is Applegate. I’ve been a long-time consumer and fan of their cleaner approach to meat products. How could anyone not be? They source humanely-raised animals to craft quality meat products that are organic and hormone free. The sandwich meats are tender,  juicy, and never overwhelmingly salty. For pre-cut sandwich meat, it’s truly as good as it gets. (more…)

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Natalie K

5 Ways to Think Small About Your Weight Loss

By Team Best Life

Bigger isn’t always better. In fact, when it comes to weight loss, it’s often the small changes that end up tallying up to greater rewards. No wonder the idea of small victories is one of the hallmarks of the Best Life plan. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking small.

women
Say a word—or two.

Flexing your small-talk muscle can actually aid in maintaining your overall health. Social interactions have a lot of positives, including an elevated mood and reduced stress-hormone levels, that can keep you both emotionally and physically healthy, studies say. Not to mention, chatting it up can be an effective distraction from the buffet table or bar at most parties. (more…)

Posted on May 21, 2024 by BestLifeDiet

The Weight Loss Tip that Keeps Foreigners Thin

By Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D., TheBestLife.com lead nutritionist

As a trim, chic couple passes me on the street, I hear snatches of their conversation—in French. The other night at a restaurant, I heard Italian coming from a nearby table of three generations: healthy children, parents and grandparents. Living in Washington, D.C., with all the embassies and international organizations, I wind up hearing many different languages. When I recognize one, I do a quick—and surreptitious—assessment of the speaker’s body weight. My amateur research findings, corroborated by legitimate studies, are that in most other countries, people are at healthier weights than Americans. For instance, our obesity rate is 3.5 times that of France’s.

I’ve pumped my international friends—all of whom are at a healthy body weight—for their secrets. No matter where they come from, there is one strategy they all share: They respect the concept of mealtimes. They eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, with little to no snacking in between. (more…)

Posted on January 24, 2024 by BestLifeDiet

5 Healthier Lunch Spots for Holiday Shopping Weekends

Are you still finishing your holiday shopping list? If so, you probably plan on hitting the mall and boutiques this weekend. There’s something fun about shopping, solo or with family and friends, that can really put you in the spirit. And all that rushing around can really make you work up an appetite that leaves you ready for lunch! You’ll be out and about and likely inconveniently far from your own kitchen, plus it’s just fun to grab a weekend lunch with your girls once in a while. So we’ve made lunch plans for you, or least found a few places where you won’t wreck your diet while you’re out putting dents in your wallet.

There are plenty of great healthy options at some of the largest chain restaurants, likely those placed just near the shopping centers where you’ll be this weekend. These locations are easy to find in most cities and have some great items to help you stay on track. Let us be your menu guide!

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle is easily a very healthy option. The meats are all very fresh, grilled, and most are organic and hormone free. One could get a bowl loaded with lean meat, brown rice, fresh peppers and onions, and pico for around 400 calories and be completely satisfied. A fully loaded steak burrito with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole is more than 1200 calories! Order wise and enjoy the good deed you’re doing for you body. And at 400 calories, you can probably splurge for a little cup of guacamole, too! (more…)

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Lacy