Eating For Health

Are you a Costco shopper?   So many choices and so much good food.   What foods does a nutritionist put in her cart at Costco?   Candace Nelson wrote an interesting article for Insider about the things she buys at Costco.   What are some healthy food choices a nutritionist puts in her cart? Eggs – not just any eggs but Free-Range eggs with Omega-3’s. Why Omega-3?   Because it is a fat we actually need and one good for our heart.   Eggs are actually low in calories and are an excellent source of protein.   Fish is a great source of omega-3 fats, but some people aren’t fish lovers.   So, eggs with omega-3 are another way to add this healthy fat to your diet. Mandarin Oranges – Who doesn’t like a fresh, juice orange?   What a great way to add some vitamin C to your day.   And kids often like mandarins because they are small, easy to peel and taste great.   Candace Nelson notes they also “last for several weeks in the fridge”. ...

Seems like everyone is going on vacation this summer.   But how can you enjoy your vacation and not return 5 or more pounds heavier?   We all want to have fun on vacation by eating out in new restaurants, trying new foods, and not worrying about gaining weight.   For those who want to return from vacation at the same weight they left, what are some things you can do?   WebMD has some good advice in their article, Avoid Vacation Weight Gain: 5 Simple Rules   .   Tip 1:     Plan Ahead to Include Some Physical Fitness Every vacation my husband and I go on, includes hiking on trails, renting bikes to enjoy some bike trails, or walking a lot.   Yes, we still enjoy site seeing, eating at restaurants, but we also enjoy being active on our vacations.   On a recent trip to Yellowstone, we hiked a lot, walked a lot and also rented bikes and enjoyed biking by a number of geysers.   The WebMD article notes , “Keep in mind that physical acti...

Americans love to snack.   Who doesn’t enjoy some snacks?   Most afternoons I enjoy some popcorn as a snack.   Not a bad choice since popcorn is whole grain and actually good for you.   We can fit snacks into our diet, even some not-so-healthy snacks.   But, some of us have no idea how much is too much.   We start to eat a seemingly small portion of a snack and before we know it, we’ve eaten most of the bag or box.   Eat This, Not That! Has some good recommendations on what the correct portion size is for snacks.   Why watch the portion size?   Many snacks that we enjoy fall into the junk food or empty-calorie food category, meaning the snack food is loaded with calories but not loaded with nutrients.   What are some of those snack foods we tend to eat an over-size amount of? Potato Chips – one of my relatives who loved Pringles said they had to give them up cold turkey.   Why?   Because they would always eat the entire ...

The USA is well known for its safe food supply.   But there are foods and ingredients in the USA that are banned in other countries.   Each country and the European Union have their own food standards so what can be sold in one country may be banned for sale in another country.    Go on a trip to another country and you will see American food everywhere.   In France, you can easily stop at a McDonald’s for their coffee or food.   Our fast food restaurants seem to populate the globe.   But some foods you can easily buy in the USA are not sold in some other countries.   Or, there are some ingredients you can find on food labels in the USA but not in some countries.   What are some of these ingredients and what countries ban them?      1.     Artificial Food Dyes :     Many candies and other foods are colorful because of artificial food dyes.   M&M’s – one of my favorite snacks, esp...