by kelsey | Sep 5, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Wellness/Health
As school gets into full swing now after the Labor Day weekend, you may be in need of some lunch ideas for those that help pack lunch for your kids. Check out these ideas below!
- Conventional sandwiches—deli turkey, chicken or roast beef, peanut butter (if it’s a peanut safe school) and jelly, cheese, bagel and cream cheese, bagel and peanut butter, vegetarian pita pocket, tuna fish, chicken salad
- Unconventional sandwiches—hummus and pita bread, cheese and crackers, cream cheese and jelly, cream cheese and olives, sunflower butter, soy-nut butter, wrap filled with vegetables and cheese or deli meats, quesadilla, calzone, stromboli, Canadian bacon with lettuce and tomato
- Conventional alternatives to sandwiches—dinner leftovers (meat/chicken/fish/pork, grains, pasta or potatoes, vegetables), cheese and crackers, leftover pizza, soup, stew, takeout leftovers
- Unconventional alternatives to sandwiches—single-serving cereal or cereal from home in storage container (just add milk), scrambled eggs or hard-boiled eggs, yogurt with granola, chili, pancakes or waffles, nuts (if school allows), homemade smoothies, bean salad, homemade muffin, string cheese.
- Fruits—apple, pear, banana, grapes, berries, orange, grapefruit sections, canned fruit in juice, fruit cocktail, grapefruit sections, cherries, pineapple chunks, melon, pomegranate, guava, papaya, tangerines, clementine, fruit salad
- Vegetables to eat raw, steamed, or with dip—cucumber slices, celery, carrots, green beans, snow peas, blanched broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, beets, corn, salad, guacamole, bean salad
- Snacks—fruit snacks, sunflower seeds, baked potato chips, pretzels, multigrain crackers, high-fiber granola bar, graham crackers, applesauce, multigrain chips or tortilla, dried fruit, tube yogurt (try freezing), cereal bars, dry cereal, banana chips, dried peas, breadsticks
Always be sure to give them some money to buy their milk to go with their meal as well! Adequate calcium intake in childhood is essential for bone strength later in life!
-Kelsey
(Adapted from http://www.consultant360.com/n411/content/lunch-box-suggestions-children)
by kelsey | Aug 10, 2017 | Diet, Family, Food, Wellness/Health
Many of us enjoy one or more cups of coffee each morning and although the caffeine and wake-up call it provides may be the motivating factor, perhaps some of the drink’s other benefits can play a role in your continued enjoyment of it!
Coffee has been shown to help with brain function, perhaps prevent some diseases, and increase calcium intake when milk is added. Coffee also contains antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties as well. Important vitamins and minerals such as potassium, niacin, vitamin E and magnesium are also present in coffee.
One thing to keep in mind about your morning pick-me-up may be to choose wisely. Some of the fancy coffee drinks found at popular coffee shops can also contain loads of sugar and fat, which may contribute empty calories to your daily intake. When choosing a coffee drink, choose low or non-fat drinks or plain coffee, or plain coffee with milk to ensure the most benefit from your coffee.
During the hot summer months, enjoy cold-brew coffee or iced coffee as a seasonal way to reap these benefits!
Written by Mariah Hodne, SDSU Dietetics Student
Reference: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/wellness/preventing-illness/benefits-of-java
by kelsey | Aug 9, 2017 | Diet, Exercise, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Some fall sports are starting practices now and with practices running multiple times a day and running from sport to sport it is important to keep your athletes energized and properly hydrated. Healthy snacks are important for athletes to have the energy necessary for practice. A snack higher in protein and sufficient carbohydrates is recommended before a long practice. Some snacks before practice could include: a cheese stick, crackers and cheese or a little meat, almonds, hard boiled egg, or a small sandwich. It is important that athletes stay hydrated. Water is the preferred and recommended beverage for proper hydration during exercise. Vigorous practices that are over a hour may require a sports drink to replenish electrolytes but water should be the go-to drink before sports drinks. Remember to keep your athlete properly hydrated and energized!
-Written by Elizabeth Honner, SDSU Dietetics Student
by Dan | Aug 6, 2017 | Diet, Exercise, Family, Food, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
My patients will hear from me continuously to keep working on their diet and increasing activity, and “I will tell you that until you are not here anymore!”. But, you also have to take in some compromising points as well: We still need to be happy, but there are ways you can still indulge at times, and still be healthy. You have to learn to pick and choose, and decide which times you may have some of these more “unhealthy” things, and how much each time. So here I am after just finishing a 15 mile run, and we were celebrating Steve’s “runaversary” date…he started running 7 years ago. His wife brought us cupcakes to help celebrate. The only problem was, I still had a mile to go to get home yet, and I had to either run or walk. I decided to run another mile, so then I could eat my cupcake faster! I had to run by Cattail Crossings golf course to get home, and boy, did I get the looks running holding a cupcake. They were just all jealous!
Tom and I were all pumped up when we heard there would be cupcakes when we got back! It is ok to indulge…sometimes. Like I said, you need to pick and choose, and you make up some of the difference by what you do with your activity. You just have to remember to have fun, and do what we did when we were kids: Play! We had fun playing. There was no pressure coming from having to get other obligations done, work or family, and really no other responsibilities, especially during the Summers! So we need to get back to those days…play, have fun, but be healthy in the process.
And don’t worry what somebody else may think. If you get strange looks, they just don’t understand. That does not mean you can’t help them to understand. Just like me going by the golf course, running, holding a cupcake. I earned that cupcake, but I had to get home first. So when I finished my last mile, and was coming up the driveway, needless to say I did not make into the house before the cupcake was devoured. That was my reward. I earned it! Don’t worry what other people may think either, especially if the things you are doing are helping you to achieve the goals you have set for yourself.
Sarah and I did some biking when we were out in the Black Hills a few weeks ago. It was a great time. It was like being a kid again, and just going out on your bike, and not really worrying about anything else. Now I do have to admit thought, with some of those hills out there, I did some worrying about how we were going to get up those hills. But the scenery was something to take in…and being on the Mickelson trail, we were able to see things up closer, and with a different perspective than we would have if we had stayed in the car and just drove. In the process, you continue to make great memories…memories for a lifetime.
Memories, and having fun doing it! What more can you ask for. Things that we try when we work on our health doesn’t always work. We may try different diets, or different types of activities, and they may not all be enjoyable. But, you learn from those times, from those mistakes, and then you stick with what you do like. That what life is about…trial and error. The important point is to learn from those mistakes, and don’t keep making the same ones over and over again. Progress is when we make mistakes, learn from them, and then make other attempts to improve. Failure is when we make mistakes, and then keep repeating them thinking we are going to have a different outcome.
Have fun in the process. Remember to get back to “play time”…stay young at heart. You are only too old to do something that you would enjoy once you are no longer here. Enjoy life along the way, take some breaks, continue to keep working on improving our health by working on our diet, trying to stay active, and remembering it is ok once in awhile to indulge and enjoy some of the things we really like in life…once in awhile!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3599
by kelsey | Aug 1, 2017 | Diet, Family, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
If you’re a parent with school age children, you have probably witnessed this scenario many times: your child comes home from school or an activity and they are starving! They rummage through the cupboards and try to find something “good” to snack on until supper is ready. Snacks in between meals help provide the body with energy and aid in metabolism and blood sugar control, but the key is making a healthy snack as junk foods will only provide empty calories, leaving you hungry and looking for more later on.
Below are some healthy snacks for kids. This is just a glimpse of what we discuss in our STRIVE Kids program. We invite you to contact us today to learn more!
Healthy Snacks for Kids
Inside-Out Sandwich: Spread mustard on a slice of deli turkey. Wrap around a sesame breadstick.
Rocky Road: Break a graham cracker into bite-size pieces. Add to low-fat chocolate pudding along with a few miniature marshmallows.
Mini Pizza: Toast a whole-wheat English muffin, drizzle with pizza sauce and sprinkle with low-fat mozzarella cheese.
Spread mustard on a flour tortilla. Top with a slice of turkey or ham, low-fat cheese and lettuce. Then roll it up.
Sandwich Cut-Outs: Make a sandwich on whole grain bread. Cut out your favorite shape using a big cookie cutter. Eat the fun shape and the edges, too!
Banana Split: Top a banana with low-fat vanilla and strawberry frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with your favorite whole-grain cereal.
Apple Pie Oatmeal: Make one packet of microwave oatmeal with low-fat milk. Mix in 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. Sprinkle with apple pie spice or cinnamon.
Mix together peanut butter and cornflakes in a bowl. Shape into balls and roll in crushed graham crackers.
Microwave a cup of tomato or vegetable soup and enjoy with whole-grain crackers.
Fill a waffle cone with cut-up fruit and top with low-fat vanilla yogurt.
Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on hot popcorn.
Peel a banana and dip it in yogurt. Roll in crushed cereal and freeze.
Spread celery sticks with peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese. Top with raisins.
Stuff a whole-grain pita pocket with ricotta cheese and Granny Smith apple slices. Add a dash of cinnamon.
Mix together ready-to-eat cereal, dried fruit and nuts in a sandwich bag for an on-the-go snack.
Smear a scoop of frozen yogurt on two graham crackers and add sliced banana to make a yummy sandwich.
Microwave a small baked potato. Top with reduced-fat cheddar cheese and salsa.
Make snack kabobs. Put cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks.
Toast a whole-grain waffle and top with low-fat yogurt and peaches.
Mix together low-fat cream cheese, mixed dried fruit bits and shelled sunflower seeds. Spread on a toasted English muffin.
Blend low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana for thirty seconds for a delicious smoothie.
Make a mini-sandwich with tuna or egg salad on a whole-grain dinner roll.
Sprinkle grated Monterey Jack cheese over a corn tortilla; fold in half and microwave for twenty seconds. Top with salsa.
Spread peanut butter on apple slices.
Reference: Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Jul 19, 2017 | Food
Summer is the perfect time to grill! Everyone loves to grill but there are some important food safety issues to be aware of when grilling. First off it is crucial that you keep raw meats/poultry and cooked meats/poultry separate. Have an extra clean plate (not the one that had the raw meats) next to the grill to place the cooked meats on. Make sure to keep hot food hot and cold foods cold, and transport any food in the car and not in the trunk especially in these hot months. Have a meat thermometer next to you and make sure your meats reach the appropriate temperature. Keep meats and fruits/vegetables separate on your grill, so raw meats do not contaminate the fruits/vegetables. Have a safe grilling season and remember your food safety! Refer to the infographic below for more grilling food safety tips plus the temperature all your meats should get to.
-Written by Elizabeth Honner, SDSU Dietetic Student
References: eatright.org- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
