THE END....Let's RECAP

As sad as it may be, this is the LAST blog post in nutrition.

Over the course of this blog, we have talked about all different kinds of topics that relate to nutrition.

The topics covered in this blog (in order) were:

- Smoothies
- Coffee
- What is YOUR favorite healthy food
-How to prepare a week's worth of healthy meals in one day
- Vegetables
-Fruits
- Weight gain
- Nuts
- How to combat bloating
- How to be your own nutritionist
-How to be healthy as a family
- Exercise
- A reflection
- Grocery shopping tips
- How to order the healthiest items at fast food chains
-Vitamins
- Sugar-free foods
- To eat or not to eat meat
- How to keep your kids eating healthy
- Calorie-labeling
- Sweet treats
- How to order healthy at restaurants
- Bread
-Recipes

and now it is time to say GOOD-BYE and I really hope you learned something worthwhile in my blog!

RECIPES, RECIPES, and more RECIPES

This blog is going to be full of AT LEAST one recipe from each food group. Isn't that fun??

Just in case you don't know, the food groups are as follows: Vegetables, Fruit, Grain, Meat, and Dairy

So let's start with GRAINS.
Here's 31 Easy Quick Bread Recipes that include Triple chocolate quick bread, sweet potato spice bread, Italian holiday bread, and so much more! 
AND 20-minute pasta recipes for those who are busy, busy, busy.

VEGETABLES.
50 Root Vegetable Side Dishes to go with your main course!
Top 10 Grilled Vegetable Recipes

FRUITS:
Fruit recipes for kids !
52 Quick and Easy Fruity Desserts.... YUM

PROTEIN (MEAT):
40 Ground Beef Recipes
3 Healthy Fish Recipes

DAIRY:
5 Healthy Breakfast Smoothies
Homemade HOT CHOCOLATE

 I hope you enjoyed this blog post and may you find many tasty recipes :)

BREAD

I am sure you've heard of a low-carb diet, and may have even tried it once or twice. But the fact is, bread is good for you and shouldn't be kept out of your diet. Bread provides you with dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Grain is healthy for your body.

If you want to try a healthier bread, go with whole-grain bread over white bread, because the whole-grain flour used in whole-grain bread is better for you.

BUT...there are many different kinds of bread besides white bread and whole-grain bread. There is "stone-ground flour," "sprouted wheat," "gluten free," "fermented" and "yeast" breads, and more. What exactly are those breads and are they good for you? Read this article by greatist.com to find out!

In an article on whyeatbread.com, it gives you a complete breakdown of bread. You can click on whatever you want to know about bread. You can find out how much bread to eat, fun facts about bread, fiber, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, white bread and buns, and gluten-free and celiac disease.

I am a person who LOVES fresh bread. I could eat bread all the time. However, if you eat too much you can gain weight. Bread is a carbohydrate, and it is easy to overeat it. So you should eat in moderation, and try not to eat any bread with another grain, such as rice or pasta.

FUN FACT! Bread is known as a universal sign of peace because it is the one food that is eaten by people of every race, culture and religion.

How to Order Healthy at Restaurants (fancy ones)

Chances are, if you are trying to eat healthy, you eat out at a nice restaurant every once in a while to give yourself a break from healthy eating. But I still feel the need to give you a few tips on how to order healthy at fancy restaurants.

We already discussed how to order healthy at fast food restaurants, but now we will address the fancy restaurants.

If you haven't noticed, most upscale restaurants specifically have healthy or low calorie options to choose from. But what do you do if you don't want the low calorie meals but still want to be mindful of your calories?

First of all, remember you can always ask the waiter/waitress. They should know about the different dishes served at the restaurant and be able to tell you the healthier choice. Second, you can always add vegetables as a side instead of french fries. This will surely cut calories. Third, you can AVOID all-you-can-eat buffets or steakhouses that serve big portions.
For more tips, read this article from Reader's Digest.

More tips include always making sure you know where you are going to eat so you are never without a healthy option on the menu and DON'T eat too much healthy food. Here is a guide to make your life easier!

Sweet Treats...YUM

If you are like me, you are obsessed with all things sweet. I am a chocoholic (guilty.)

We talked a little bit about sugar and artificial sweeteners in a past blog, but now I want to direct the attention to all things sweet.

If you want to continue to eat sweets, but want to make those sweets healthier, this is how you do it.

First, you can use different kinds of flour. You can use wheat flour or almond flour in place of regular flour. I have tried this before and in my opinion it is difficult using a different kind of flour, because some flours make the consistency a little bit different than regular flour. It takes practice for sure. BUT it is healthier for you!

Second, you can use dark chocolate instead of regular milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is healthier for you. If you don't particularly like dark chocolate, I say still use a darker chocolate, just don't put quite as much in your recipe.

Another trick you can try to make your sweets healthier is using coconut oil instead of butter. This will help eliminate some of the sodium in your sweets that comes in butter.

If you want to read about more tips for making your sweets healthier, read this. 

I found an article by fitness magazine that goes into depth and specifics on how to create desserts that taste the same but have less calories. They talk about how to make healthy brownies, low calorie cream cheese icing, healthy pies, and so much more. Check it out! 

Of course this post could not be complete without a whole bunch of healthy dessert recipes for you! 50 healthy dessert recipes to be exact. Go dessert crazy!

Here's a kid friendly healthy dessert as an added bonus!

Calorie Labeling

I'm sure you've seen more and more fast-food and restaurants put the number of calories under each of the items on their menus.

Do you like the fact that they do this, or not?

Do you know why they started to do this?
Some places voluntarily started doing this because they felt like people wanted to know how many calories they were consuming. 

Well according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, they have now administered regulations requiring calorie information on restaurant menus and menu boards and on vending machines.
If you want to read more information about this, click on this article.

I also saw an article that talked about the benefits of calorie labeling in restaurants. Besides allowing people to choose healthier meals, other benefits include prompting the restaurants to make changes to their menus, and raising awareness about foods that are healthier and less calories than others. For example, once McDonald's had to put the calorie intakes on their menu, they were prompted to put more healthy food on their menu. That is when they decided to put more salads on their menu.

Here is a video on restaurants offering healthier choices because of nutrition labeling rules.

How to Keep Your Kids Eating Healthy

I met a woman yesterday that has a one year old. We were talking about parenting and our childrens' eating habits. She gave me a personal piece of advice. She said that the secret to making sure your kid or kids eat healthy is to introduce healthy foods to them as early as you can, and try not to thrive off of feeding them things such as fries and chicken nuggets.

Even though fries and chicken nuggets are easy meals that you can just throw in the oven, it is not healthy for your children (or even you) to eat meals like that all of the time.

If you cannot afford to go to the grocery store and buy a bunch of healthy food (like me) try to incorporate healthy foods into the easy oven or microwave meals. For example, instead of feeding your child fries and chicken nuggets, try vegetables and chicken nuggets. You can get packs of frozen vegetables that you just stick in the microwave that are cheap and last a long time.

This was a really good piece of advice, because it makes sense that if your children grow up eating fast food or unhealthy food, this is all they will want to eat when they get older.

There are many other tips to keep your child eating healthy meals.

Here are some articles from other moms or sources that give you information or tips.

http://www.parents.com/kids/nutrition/healthy-eating/get-your-kids-to-eat-better/
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-food-for-kids.htm
http://www.pbs.org/parents/food-and-fitness/eat-smart/encourage-kids-to-eat-healthy-food/

To Eat or Not to Eat Meat

There is always debate about whether or not meat, or certain types of meat, are safe to eat. Many people also wonder what types of meat are healthy and which are not. 

Readers Digest recommends you choose lean cuts when you eat meat, as opposed to meats that contain a lot of salt and fat (processed meats) such as bacon, sausage, bologna, or anything preserved with salt, curing, or chemicals. A study shows that "Americans who eat lean beef get more protein, zinc, potassium, and B vitamins then people who don't." Lean beef accounts for 15 percent of the nation's protein but only 4 percent of fat. Read the full article here.

 Meat is safer to eat today than ever. We have companies like Food and Drug Administration and United States Department of Agriculture that help regulate and watch the food that is being distributed to the public to make sure that everything is safe to eat. Many experts believe that meat is actually safer today than it ever has been. There are many interviews that have been done where experts have talked statistics and the way meat is produced and how safe it is. If you would like to read those interviews, read this article.

Livestrong.com wrote an article that clearly explains and breaks down of the nutritional value of meats. They tell you the vitamin content of meats, protein content of meats, mineral content, unsaturated fat content, and saturated fat content.

Sugar- free foods....good or bad?

When you see something that has a "sugar-free" on it, do you think healthy?

Normally, that's what I think....

WRONG.

In the beginning, I wrote a blog on sugar. We talked about natural sugar, which is found in things such as fruit and milk. Natural sugars are not bad for you, although too much sugar is bad for you no matter what kind. It is best for your body to consume those kinds of sugars. But what about items that are considered "sugar-free?"

First of all, it is important for people to realize that just because something says sugar-free, doesn't mean it is. An example of this is Sugar-free Oreos. In this article by "Eat This, Not That!" it says although most of the sweetness of the sugar-free Oreos comes from alternate sources of sugars like artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes, they also contain sources of sugar such as milk. Therefore, the sugar-free Oreos still technically contain sugar.

When it comes to artificial sweeteners, be careful. They are tricky. Your body responds differently to artificial sweeteners and they also alter the taste of food. If you are someone who eats foods with artificial sweeteners often, then this might cause you to want to avoid more sweet foods, such as fruits, and absolutely hate unsweet foods, such as vegetables. As a result, you may loose out on the nutrients in those foods because you won't want to eat them. If you need more explanation, click on this article.

There are certain artificial sweeteners that companies are okay to use from the FDA, and some that are not. You can find a list here.

Vitamins....why do we need them?

I've always been told that I need to take vitamins, but I've never been told why. So I decided to find out.

The best and simplest answer I found was this:
"Our bodies cannot produce all of the nutrients we need to function properly, so we have to eat them."


There are many reasons to take a multivitamin, including these:
- support healthy aging. As we grow older, our body needs the vitamins more and more
- boost energy levels
- improve your skin
- improve sexual function

Even though it is ideal for everyone to take vitamins, there are certain foods that can help give your body the vitamins that it needs.
Spinach, blueberries, oats, sweet potatoes, are just a few that will help you get the nutrients you need without taking vitamins.

You can always talk to your doctor about the type of vitamin your body may need the most. For example, I am anemic. My body may need a different type of vitamin to get the nutrients that I need.

How to order the healthiest items possible at fast food chains

The reason that fast-food places are so successful is because they are convenient and cheap. You can grab food on-the-go without breaking the bank. But if you are trying to eat healthy, or you are on a budget, and you don't have time to cook, how do you eat fast food?

Now, of course you can't really eat healthy at fast-food places, but there are items you can order that are "healthier" than other items.

I found a great article that tells you the healthiest food at every major fast-food restaurant.

You can read the article here, but these are some examples:
- Sonic: Grilled Chicken Wrap and Small Fries
- Taco Bell: Two fresco soft tacos with steak and black beans and rice
- Culvers: Garden Fresco with grilled chicken salad and raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Here are some tips for eating healthier at fast-food places:
- Be Cautious about Condiments- some will cost you more calories than others!
- Watch What You Drink- opt for milk, juice, un-sweet tea, or water instead of soda or sweet tea!
- Watch Out for Side Dishes- opt for side salad or fruit cups instead of fries or onion rings!

More tips available here.

If you are a youtube-er, here is a video that includes menu hacks and calorie-saving tips for fast food places.

So ENJOY your fast-food without feeling so guilty about it!

Something I think everyone will need...GROCERY SHOPPING TIPS

I always tell my husband that if he did the grocery shopping, we would save a lot of money on food. This is because I go in the store with a list prepared, and come out with the list fulfilled PLUS a hundred-and-one more items then I need.

I get distracted by all of the deliciousness in the store and just start grabbing things that look good.

Come on....I KNOW I can't be the only one!

So today I am going to talk about grocery shopping tips. (Say HALLELUJAH!)

I found an article with 50 tips for grocery shopping and I find it to be very useful.
This article includes tips such as "keeping a list on your fridge" and "cut back on meat by eating vegetarian meals a couple times a week" and "try the store brands" and "go when the kids are in school" and many other very helpful tips.

If there is one mistake I personally make on the regular, it's going to the grocery store when I am hungry. But I mean I LOVE FOOD.

I would recommend downloading your grocery store's app if they have one. I don't know how many stores do this, but where I am from we have Kroger. Kroger has an app that let's you load coupons right to your Kroger card. It is very convenient because then I don't have to carry around a bunch of paper coupons. They automatically ring up when you checkout.

Here is another helpful article...My Top 10 Tips for Creating a Grocery Budget.

If you have a Sam's Club or Costco or whatever else you might have where you live, consider buying in bulk. If not, it's totally fine! There are so many resources out there for us when it comes to grocery shopping. Have fun with it!

Let's REFLECT

Okay, so as I'm writing these I can't keep up with what I have and have not written about. I also would love to get feedback from you guys on how I can improve my blog.

As I've said before, this is my first time ever writing a blog. If there are any ways that I can improve, topics I need to discuss, ect.,  PLEASE feel free to let me know. I am open to criticism and ideas.

So far, we have covered these topic:

- What is nutrition?
-SODIUM (blah)
- SUGAR (sweeet)
- SALADS ( mmm...leaves)
-Yummy..SMOOTHIES
- COFFEEEEEEEEE!
- YOUR Favorite Healthy Food (never got feedback btw)
- How to Prepare a WEEK's worth of healthy meals
-VEGGIE-TABLES
- FRUIT
- everyone dreads....Weight Gain
-NUTS, NUTS, NUTS
- How to combat Bloating (eek)
-Be your very own nutritionist! (If you can't afford or don't want your own)
-How to keep your WHOLE Family healthy
- EXERCISE (ewww for some, awesome for others)

aaaaaaaaand that brings us to where we are now!

If there is a topic you would like to be covered, or you have an idea on how I can improve my blog to make it more interesting, worth reading, ect., just let me know! :)

P.S. Here is a picture of Maslows Hierarchy of needs just in case you needed it lol 
The bottom two needs (physiological needs and safety and security) are the basic human needs, the next two (love and belonging and self-esteem) are the physiological needs of humans, and the top one (self-actualization) is the self-fulfillment need. The idea is that each layer, starting from the bottom, motivates our behavior more and more. Once each level is fulfilled, we move up a layer. So for example, if you do not have access to food and water, shelter, ect., you will not feel safe so the next level will not be accomplished.

Just a little knowledge in case you needed something new to learn today. I just learned this in one of my college classes. Thought it was neat.

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

If you are an exercise fanatic, I salute you. I was an athlete from the age of 3 to the age of 18. Then I got so tired of it. Since I entered college, I barely exercise at all aside from walking around campus. It is worse now that I have baby weight from giving birth to my son a few months ago. I am also way too busy to maintain a steady exercise routine.

My question was "how can I fit a simple exercise routine into my schedule?"

So when you want to get exercise tips, you don't listen to people like me who don't exercise much or don't know much about exercise. You consult professionals. So I have 17 Tips from Fit Moms on Finding Time for Exercise. It includes tips such as including your kids in your exercise routine and picking your exercise outfit the night before so you don't spend time worrying about what to wear.

If you don't really know much about exercise and don't even know where to start to create your own routine or plan, this article is for you. It will help you create an exercise plan that works for you and fits in with a busy schedule.

If you are exhausted all the time like me, because I have an infant and I am a college student, this article is perfect. It is a Quick and Easy Fitness routine specifically for tired mommies and could also be used for daddies as well!

Despite these articles, you can always do simple things such as take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away from the entrance of stores so you can walk more, take your pets for a walk, go to the park with your kids and walk the track while they play, and of course do what you can to cut back on food calories. Whatever works for you is what is right for you!

How to Be Healthy as a Family

Today I am thinking about family. If you have a spouse and/or children like I do, life can get pretty busy. How do you make sure your family eats healthy meals during the week and have healthy relationships with one another?

Healthy meals are not only difficult to make, but expensive. I even see that schools are starting to demand that parents send their children to school with healthy lunches. In my opinion, the most difficult thing about making healthy meals is trying to find new and different meals to eat. Who wants to eat the same meals every single week?

My blog on making meals on a budget had some tips about making kids lunches and family-sized meals, but didn't really explain how to be healthy as a family. Being healthy as a family is more then just making nutritious meals to eat.

There are six simple steps your family can take to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The full article is on heart.org but I am going to tell you the six steps.

Step 1: Identify free times for activity.
Step 2: Make time to plan a weekly menu, go shopping and prep your meals.
Step 3: Simplify your family's schedule.
Step 4: Take baby steps, not giant leaps.
Step 5: Ask everyone in the family to do their part.
Step 6: Live by example.

I just so happened to find another article that gives examples of these steps. There is a lot of good information in this article that I will start using in my family. This article even gives you a chart so you can determine how active you are.  I would definitely take a look if I were you!

There are certain regular habits you can maintain on a regular basis to be a healthy family. For both the children and guardians, you can make sure everyone gets at least 20 minutes of exercise per day. For just the children, you can tell them bedtime stories before bed. For just the parents, you can aim to have sex at least twice a week. Having healthy relationships is just as important as eating healthy.

Be a healthy family!

How to Be Your Own Nutritionist

If you are like me, there is no way you can afford your own nutritionist. You may not even live in an area that offers nutritionists. I thought about it, and I realized, "why can't I be my own nutritionist?"

There are ways you can help yourself loose weight or become healthy. You can read blogs (like this one), you can try to force yourself to exercise or go outside, you can look for things to do around your neighborhood, town, or city, or you can do research and learn how to become your own nutritionist.

This is a process, so you need to be dedicated to it in order to make it work. Maybe you should charge a close friend or loved one with the task of making sure you stick to your plan.

Step 1: Give yourself a personal assessment. You can check your body mass index here. 

Step 2: Ask Yourself Why.

Step 3: Be realistic. Set yourself goals you can easily attain no matter how busy your life is.

Step 4: Check out your medical history. Do you struggle with things like high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and more? Sometimes there are ways to help or combat issues like these.

Step 5: Keep up with how many calories you consume. At least try to keep a rough estimate, because I know sometimes it's hard to keep up.

Step 6: Re-visit the past. Try to think back to what made you gain weight, and what made you loose weight. (If you've tried to be healthy before.)

Step 7: ALCOHOL. If you are an alcohol drinker, be mindful of how much you consume, as alcohol can pack on the pounds.

Step 8: I know you love the taste of fast food and restaurant food, but STAY AWAY. You can eat foods such as these in moderation, especially fast food. Just not all the time. (Admit it, you're guilty.)

There are about 10 more steps to this process, and to see them all, visit the article "How to Be Your Own Nutritionist". It will tell you ALL you need to know. It's fabulous.

I know it sounds like a lot of steps, but just breathe and think about it. Most of the steps are so simple and you can do them with little to no effort. It is essentially being mindful of the way you live and in some cases, changing the way you live (health wise).

Pictured below is a possible book you could read to help you on your journey. I haven't personally read the book myself, but hey it would be worth trying. 

Ever Feel Bloated? Here's How to Combat the Uncomfortable Feeling

As I am writing this, I feel bloated. And it is the most uncomfortable feeling. Bloated is excess gas that has not been released from your system.
Feeling or looking bloated can not only be uncomfortable, but cause you to gain weight that you haven't really gained, if that makes any sense. It can also cause you to feel bad about yourself. For example, I am going to a wedding this weekend and if I am bloated, I won't be able to fit into my dress! That would be just awful, wouldn't it?
So I started doing some research about how to flatten my tummy. Here's what I found.

First of all, DRINK WATER. I know that drinking water is what everyone tells you when you are searching for nutrition advice, but when you don't drink water, your body doesn't flush all that yucky stuff out and doesn't balance out your salt and water content. In return, you get bloated. Speaking of salt....

Limit your salt intake. Too much of it can cause bloating. Other foods you should avoid are processed deli meats, carbonated drinks, canned soup, and more. Read more here.

 Foods you SHOULD eat are:
yogurt, cucumbers, ginger, lemon water, shrimp, grainy bread, and much more. Here are 31 Foods that Banish Bloat Once and for All.

If you refer back to my blog about fruits, you will find a bunch of detox water recipes. Detox water is a great way to get rid of bloating. Drink a cup in the morning and viola!

Oh, NUTS!

I don't know about you, but I always hear how nuts (peanuts, almonds, cashews, ect.) are good for you. But I've never really known the health benefits. I normally shy away from them because they aren't very filling (even though they are supposed to). My feelings are about to change. Today, I am going to tell you the health benefits of nuts and how you can make them apart of meals or turn them into a filling snack.

Tree nuts such as pecans, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and any others you can think of are packed with protein and are good for your heart.  But all of these nuts have different health benefits individually. If you want to find out what those health benefits are, read this article by everyday health. Remember, nuts that are covered in salt or other ingredients are better for you.

When I tried to research healthy nut recipes, it mostly came up with recipes that are nut-free because a lot of people have nut allergies. But I managed to find a wonderful little article that gives you healthy recipes that contain nuts. Check it out here. It contains recipes for foods like caramel-spiced apples drizzled with pecans, toasted pumpkin seeds, homemade chex mix, and cocoa hazelnut banana bread. YUM! Since fall is approaching, I think I might have to try some of these!

Since nuts tend to contain a lot of calories despite being healthy for you, I found a list of the 6 best nuts for weight loss. Brazil nuts take the top spot at number one, and cashew butter comes in at number six. Read more from 'Eat this, Not That!' If you are trying to gain weight, however, Beauty Health Tips wants to tell you the best nuts for that. It also adds a little something extra as well: dried fruits!

Weight Gain

When you think of nutrition, you probably think of eating healthy as a means of weight loss, but what about weight gain? There are people in the world who struggle with gaining weight, and although I have never personally struggled with it, I've known people who have.

I know less about weight gain then I do weight loss, but I imagine that most people who struggle with gaining weight go to the doctor to learn how to do it safely and healthy.

Reasons that someone might be trying to gain weight include prolonged illness or hospitalization, you may be naturally skinny and want to feel better, an athlete who wants to bulk up for sports, or you are growing older and loosing weight as a result. There is such thing as being underweight just like there is overweight.

So today I am going to give you tips on how to gain weight the healthy way and the foods you need to do it.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics gives some tips on gaining muscle or bone mass. They say to steer clear of supplements and focus on quality over quantity. If you don't eat very much at each meal, start by eating smaller meals more often, about 5-6 times a day. In meals or cooking, use milk instead of water because milk contains more calories but is still healthy. Avoid "lite" or "low-calorie" foods and go for the full calories. Make your foods more interesting by adding things to them, such as celery and peanut butter or cheese on your chili. If you want to read the whole article, click here.

What comes after Vegetables? FRUITS

Fruits are delicious and colorful items. As stated in my last blog post, the difference between a fruit and a vegetable is simple: "a fruit is a seed-bearing structure that develops from the ovary of a flowering plant, whereas vegetables are all other plant parts, such as roots, leaves and stems."

Fruits have a different way of being healthy for you then vegetables do. While vegetables are low in fat,contain vitamins and minerals, protect your body from diseases and boost your immunity, fruits only contain 3 percent of calories and raise fiber intake, and decrease the risk of over 21 different health problems. Fruit is also good for people with acne, fertility issues, mood, weight management, and sexual problems. For the entire list, click here.

There is almost no limit for what you can do with fruits. You can mix them in a bowl of yogurt and granola for a delicious parfait snack or breakfast. You can grind them up with milk, water, or yogurt for a delicious fruit smoothie. You can make yummy detox water that is great for your body and weight loss. You can coat them in chocolate for an extra kick or party appetizer. You can dip them in peanut butter for a creative and protein-filled kids snack. The list goes on and on. Which is why I LOVE fruits!

Here is a video and article filled with detox water recipes (some of which I will be trying at home.)
http://tiphero.com/fruit-infused-water/
Detox water is known for flushing out toxins from your system. It also naturally helps your body release fat cells for water weight loss. It is a good idea to drink some detox water before eating a large meal, because it fills you up so you don't eat as much. If you want to improve your immunity, you should drink small amounts throughout the day. Detox water also helps you stay hydrated!