Healthy Snacks For Kids

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As the school year begins and life becomes more hectic, chances are you will have to adjust to lots of on-the-go snacking and meals.  No matter how healthy the family meals are, kids will still want to eat snacks between those meals.  That isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as your provide healthy snacks for your children.  If you stock up on healthy items that taste great you won’t have to worry about their snack cravings ruining their appetite or their health.

You can keep some snacks handy for the kids in desk drawers or on lower shelves in the pantry.

Fruit is always a great option for kid’s snacks.  It is naturally sweet so most children love it.  It can be served dozens of ways.  For an easy solution buy individual fruit cups or pop top cans of things like mandarin oranges.  Give the kids a fork and a healthy snack.  To keep the calories low opt for things with light varieties of syrup.

Dried fruit is a great option for quick snacking.  Raisins, apricots, figs, and dates might not sound like a child’s favorite snack but after tasting them a few times children love them.  A small box of raisins has 130 calories and no fat, so the snack is healthy too.

Nuts are a great snacking option for children and adults alike.  They are filling and always able to satisfy that need for a salty snack.  Certain nuts also have other nutritional benefits.  Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids that protect against heart disease. Keep the serving size small – 1 ounce has 160 calories and is plenty to satisfy.

Animal Cookies are a delicious and low calorie snacking option.  Sixteen cookies contain only 120 calories and plenty of fun biting the heads off of lions and hippos.

Granola and cereal bars can be a healthy and delicious snack if you choose the right ones.  Whole grain granola bars that are low in fat and sugars will keep kids happy and satisfied.

Popcorn
is a snack that anyone can love and kids adore it.  Use low-fat or single serving popcorn in a bag or microwave popcorn.  You can spice it up by spraying it with zero calorie vegetable spray and adding parmesan cheese, garlic powder, or other spices (not salt).   Kids will love the salty snack, especially if they get to watch a movie while eating it.

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Snack Options For College Students

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Now is the time when many students pack up their meager belonging and head off to college.  For some it is the first time living without the parents.  For many it is a return to the unhealthy lifestyle that is prevalent among college students.  College, especially the first year, is synonymous with weight gain.  The midnight pizza runs, constant beer consumption, and unhealthy snacking that is a staple of college life leads many unaccustomed freshman to gain the dreaded “Freshmen 15.”

But college doesn’t have to be a weight gain trap.  Students that are mindful of their actions can prevent any weight gain by exercising and watching what they eat.  How can they eat right in the midst of a crazy schedule and life?  Keeping healthy snacks in the dorm is key to living healthy while in school.  Read on for a list of great, easy healthy snacks for college students.

Fresh fruit. Fruit might not seem like the easiest or most obvious choice for college students who generally survive on a diet of only processed foods.  However, it is a great choice.  Fruit that doesn’t need refrigeration can be kept on hand in a bowl or fruit basket.  It can easily be grabbed when hungry instead of reaching for the pizza box.  You can easily keep bananas, apples, oranges, plums, nectarines, peaches, and grapes around in plain site in the dorm for quick, healthy snacks.

Whole grain cereal. Keeping a box of healthy cereal you can pour and eat from the box is a great idea for college students.  It’s a great late night snack.  Cereal is a great carb option as long as you eat the good stuff and avoid the sugary cereals.

Microwaveable popcorn. Mmmm.  What college student wouldn’t want a little popcorn with that movie they are watching instead of studying?   Popcorn, as long as you don’t slather it in butter, can be a healthy and satisfying treat.   Most brands even sell 100 calorie packs so you can limit the snacking.

Sugar free pudding cups. Instead of snacking on unhealthy desserts, college student can keep tasty  sugar free snacks like pudding around.  It tastes good and doesn’t pack a lot of calories.  It’s a staple of many dieters who have a sweet tooth.  It’s easily fits inside a mini fridge or can be kept at room temperature for a still delicious snack.

These are just four suggestions for healthy snacks for dorm rooms.  There are tons of other options for college students who want to stay healthy and lose weight.  They just need to look past the pizza and beer.

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Ways To Drink More Water

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No one can argue the fact that water is good for the body. The health benefits associated with drinking plenty of water each day include better digestion, clearer skin, increased metabolism, and increased weight loss, among other things. With all the benefits its seems like there should be no reason to not drink 8 glasses of water a day. However many people fail to even get 2 glasses of water daily.

In order to get in all eight of the recommended glasses of water per day follow these tips for drinking more water:

Make it available. If you keep water conveniently placed near you it will be easier to drink without thinking about it. You will be able to reach for the water each time the thought crosses your mind. If you work in an office you can keep a bottle of water at your desk and drink from it regularly throughout the day. While you are doing your normal tasks at home try to keep a glass or bottle within reaching distance.

Carry water with you everywhere. A lot of people fail to drink enough water because they are busy and on the go. This is no excuse. Get a water bottle you can easily transport while you are out and about. Get a cool water bottle that will make drinking water more fun and more of a talking point among friends.

Add a little flavor. Another reason many people don’t drink enough water is the lack of flavor. If you can’t stand the taste of plain water, or just want something different, try adding lemons or limes to your water. Adding only a splash adds a new flavor to the water and keeps it fresh. You can also freeze little bits of peeled lemons, limes, and oranges to use as ice cubes. Crystal Light is another great alternative, just add a pinch of it to add flavor to water.

Sneak the H2O in. Did you know that getting plenty of water doesn’t mean you have to swig glass after glass? You don’t actually have to drink to get water in your system. You can eat water rich food as another option. For instance, instead of drinking that last glass of water you can eat a good size portion of watermelon. You can also eat tomatoes or other high water content foods. This option is great, but don’t over abuse it. You do need to drink the majority of your water daily.

There are lots of ways to make drinking water easier and more fun. These are just a few of the options to make sure you get 8 glasses of water in each day.

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Healthy Pasta Recipes

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Whether you are losing weight thanks to exercise, pills, or surgery, one thing you can’t get around is the need to eat right.  All of the normal weight loss methods are highly dependent on the person’s ability to eat healthy foods the majority of the time.  One place many people go wrong is when they consume calorie dense pasta meals.  You can eat pasta while losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but you have to make sure it is a healthy version.

And remember to take it easy on the portion sizes for pasta!  Those huge meals you get at restaurants are not the appropriate size for meals!  Remember that the proper portion size should be about the size of your fist, no bigger.

Easy Pasta Salad

  • Cooking time (duration): 20
  • Chilling time: 4 hours
  • Diet (other): Low calorie, Reduced fat
  • Meal type: dinner or lunch

Ingredients:

  • 1 box tri-colored rotini
  • 1/2 bottle fat free Italian dressing (I like Wish Bone)
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 bunch broccoli, chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped or 1 can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
  • 2 carrots, diced or shredded
Instructions:

  1. Prepare pasta according to directions on package
  2. When done, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, drain again
  3. Put in serving bowl, and add vegetables.
  4. Pour dressing over top of pasta and vegetables.
  5. Toss well and chill for at least 4 hours.

And if pasta salad isn’t your thing, try this delicious lasagne guaranteed to get more healthy vegetables into your system.

Vegetarian Lasagne

  • Preparation time (duration): 30 minutes
  • Cooking time: 45 minutes
  • Diet (other): Reduced fat, High protein
  • Meal type: dinner

Ingredients:

Sauce Layer

  • 1 package Morningstar Crumbles (pretend ground beef)
  • 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 12 oz. can tomato paste
  • 2 T Italian seasoning
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 t. each salt and pepper

Pasta layer:

  • 6 lasagne noodles

Filling layer:

  • 24 oz. fat free cottage cheese
  • 2 eggs (or egg substitute), lightly beaten
  • 2 T parsley
  • 3 T freshly grated parmsean cheese

Mozzarella cheese layer:

  • 8 oz. reduced fat mozzarella cheese, grated
  • 4 oz. regular mozzarella cheese, grated

Instructions:

  1. For sauce: Combine crumbles, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, garlic, bay leaves and salt and pepper in large skillet.
  2. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. For pasta: Cook according to package directions, omitting any oil, drain and set aside
  4. For Filling: combine cottage cheese, slightly beaten eggs, parsley, parmsean cheese. Mix until just combined.

Layer as follows in 9 x 13 casserole dish.

  1. Place 3 lasagne noodles in bottom of casserole dish
  2. Top noodles with 1/2 of cheese filling
  3. Top cheese filling with 1/2 red sauce
  4. Top red sauce with half of mozzarella cheese
  5. Repeat layers, starting with 3 more noodles and ending with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted completely.

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3 Exercise Tips

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Find your exercise. Not all exercise was created equally. You might like running while your best friend hates it. You might be able to swim but not enjoy biking. If you like jogging then jog. If you like taking aerobics classes then take aerobics classes. Find whatever exercise that works best for you – something that doesn’t feel like a chore when you do it – and then do it regularly throughout the week. Don’t pick an exercise or routine you hate because you won’t stick with it for long. Also, don’t overdo it trying to live up to the “no pain, no gain” motto. If you hurt yourself you will lose your ability to exercise for a while as well as your desire to return to the activity that injured you. It is perfectly fine to lose weight without pain.

Zone out when you workout.
People exercise along to their favorite music because the external stimulus takes the mind off the physical activity. If you are concentrating on what your body is doing and what it has left to do then your workout will drag by. You will be stuck counting down the minutes and not giving your workout your all. However, using music is a “secret” most people use to make the time fly by. Buy a portable music player to take with you to workouts or make sure you are situation near a radio or tv so you have something to focus on besides the time on the machine.

Use video games for workouts.
Video games have now helped thousands of people lose weight. There are multiple ways to incorporate video games into your workout. You can use a video game to distract you from the time of the workout, much like people use music. Just position yourself so you can complete the exercise safely while also focusing on the video game. You will find that the adrenaline the game inspires will pump up your workout without your knowledge. You can also use video games with the Nintendo Wii to use your body in conjunction with the video game. With games like tennis, bowling, boxing, and more, you will be up and using your body to move while being completely engaged in the game. You can also use the Wii Fit game which is made to help people get in shape exercising with the Wii.

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The Debate: Will Exercise Make You Thin?

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The benefits of exercise are well known but now one is being called into question – exercise’s ability to make you thin. If your only goal is to lose weight you might want to skip the gym visit. According to Time Magazine, in their cover story “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin,” exercise doesn’t make people thinner.

Louisiana State University diabetes and metabolism chair Eric Ravussin says bluntly that, “in general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless.” The reason?

He says, “The basic problem is that while it’s true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued.”

The article calls it the “compensation problem.” The argument basically says that people who exercise use the rational: I exercised for this amount of time so I will reward myself with a food treat. The calories they burned exercising are then eclipsed by the calories of the food they consume.

The article also quotes research that a pound of muscle burns about 6 calories a day and a pound of fat burns 2. After you’ve converted 10 lbs of fat to muscle you can only eat an extra 40 calories per fat before beginning to gain weight.

Many exercise, fitness and health experts say Time magazine got it wrong with their cover story. They look to most of the research out there that suggests both exercise and dieting are important elements for weight loss and that exercise is the most critical for weight maintenance. This research not shown in the Time magazine article shows that people who have maintained weight loss over a period of years rely on exercise to do so. Also, many have already come out to say that while some people do neutralize their calories burned by eating after a workout, most active people do not and if you want to lose weight you will have to stop treating yourself just because you walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes.

And though the article struck a nerve with its denial of exercise’s importance to weight loss, it did note the other benefits of exercise. People who regularly exercise are at a lower risk for diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses. While exercise might not exactly cure obesity, at least according to Time, it does make you healthier. Without a doubt doctors will still recommend exercise to everyone for the health benefits it provides.

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Learn How To Eat: Replace Bad Habits With Good

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Developing good eating habits can be the key to keeping weight off for the long run. No matter how you first lose the weight you will need to develop good, sustainable habits that will keep the weight from creeping back on. Learning how to eat might seem like a silly concept, but in order to properly eat healthy you will need to replace many of the bad habits with good ones.  If you are just now starting to lose weight then developing good eating habits will help the weight come off more quickly and easily.

Most people have many bad habits when it comes to eating. This is especially true of people with busy schedules who feel like they don’t have time to plan or make healthy food. But paying attention to what you are putting in your body and how you are eating can make the difference between weight loss and weight gain.

To change the way you eat you first need to analyze and find the bad eating habits. There are some things people do that are pretty common these days but are still bad eating habits. Here are some bad eating habits:

  • Eating too fast.
  • Eating too much too quickly.
  • Eating at your desk.
  • Eating in front of the tv.
  • Eating fast food while driving.
  • Eating while standing up.
  • Eating without knowing what you are eating.

Now that you’ve recognized the bad habits you now need to replace them with good ones. You aren’t looking to be perfect but you should try to replace as many of the bad habits as you can and try to aim for good habits. What are those good habits?

  • Eating with a knife and fork.
  • Eating while sitting at a table.
  • Focusing on what you are eating.
  • Eating slowly and putting the fork down between bites.
  • Eating without distractions like the television or movies.
  • Eating food you understand and know what it is.
  • Eating with a friend and focusing on conversation.

It will take time to change your bad habits into good ones. You probably will never have perfectly good habits and that is okay. There will always be a time when you have to eat fast or at your desk.  You can’t expect to never eat standing up or in your car again. As long as you make those occasions the exception instead of the rule you will be on your way to having good eating habits and a healthy weight.

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Study Says Low Carbs Don't Lead To A Healthy Weight

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There is a new health study involving healthy weight and obesity risk from the University of South Carolina that suggests the majority of people who maintain their optimum healthy body weight do not consume a low carbohydrate diet that many people use to lose weight.

The research team behind the study was led by Dr. A. T. Merchant, an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of South Carolina. They used a 2004-2005 cross-sectional survey of 4,451 Canadians aged 18 years and older for the study about healthy weights and food consumption.

After studying the results of the survey they came to conclude that normals weights are associated with people that indicated higher carbs consumption. People consuming 290 to 310 g/day carbohydrates, or 47% to 64% of their daily calories from carbs, were the least likely people to be overweight or obese. Also, those in the study that consumed less carbohydrates were more likely to be obese or overweight.

Those that consumed the most carbohydrates also had lower intakes of fat calories and higher intakes of fiber. Compared to the those with the lowest carbohydrate intake, their weight and obesity risk was lower by 37% (if consuming 234 g/day) or 42% (those consuming 269 g/day).

Dr. A. T. Merchant, the lead scientist in the study, mentioned the popularity of low carb diets with the comment that any extreme diet is difficult to adhere to over the long term. When calories are slashed to next to nothing, people lose weight quickly but later have trouble. Those extreme diets many people turn to in order to lose weight quickly, are ineffective because they are not sustainable.

Most low-carb diets are lacking in the complex carbs that are rich in fiber, which helps aid digestion and makes people feel full. Diets that lack an abundance of those complex carbohydrates often lead dieters to feel hungry and less full.

Additionally the study found that physical activity played a bigger role than amount of carb consumption. The researchers determined that those with the lowest overweight and obesity risk were the most physically active, more so than those with the lowest or highest carbohydrate intake.

Every weight loss and healthy situation is unique but the take aways from the study are: don’t be afraid of carbohydrates and make sure you are physically active. Low carb diets are often touted as the best way to lose weight, but they are unsustainable and often leave dieters with a higher risk for being overweight.

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John Daly's Health and Weight Loss

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John Daly once weight in at 277 pounds but has recently shed 72 pound. In addition to his recent weight loss Daly still hope to drop 15 more pounds.

His weight loss is all thanks to his decision to undergo lap band surgery. He is now back to playing golf professionally after the surgery and subsequent weight loss. His lifestyle now consists of tiny portions at meals instead of the former whopping portions.

“Never been to the workout trailer and never wanna go,” Daly said recently. “What I had was safe and it’s effective. I feel a lot better and, far as my golf goes, it’s easier to swing the club around me because there ain’t as much of me as there used to be. Don’t have to route the swing according to my gut. Fat is in my family genes. I was big when I was little. Now, look at me. Great, isn’t it?”

Daly had the surgery in February to tie off part of his stomach. The surgery reduced the amount of food he can eat. Daly now weighs about 200—less than he did when he won the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick in 1991 – but not everyone thinks he is healthy.

“He’s losing the weight, but he hasn’t learned to eat right yet,” Rick Smith told GolfWorld. “The doctors tell him he needs 80 or 90 grams of protein a day, and he’s getting 10. He’s edgy from all the nicotine and caffeine, and he’s making bad decisions because his brain is disconnected from his body.”

Smith continued, “He’s frustrated. The problem is, he’s lost all this weight, and it’s nice to weigh less, but he doesn’t feel very good.”

New dietary challenges are only part of the problem Daly is dealing with that have put pressure on his game. Smith continues to be optimistic about both Daly’s weight loss, health, and prospects on making a comeback in the golf world, saying, “John picks up things so quick, and with his talent he could realistically be in the press room after the first round of the PGA if he can get the nutrition part right,” he said.

Daly will have to get his nutrition under control if he is going to be successful with weight loss. If he does not change his eating habits and start eating foods that are nutritious he will end up gaining much of the weight back like many other post weight loss surgery patients.

Regardless of whether he keeps the weight off, Daly is trying his hardest to make a comeback. Since his return to the PGA Tour he is trying to make a comeback free of drama and health problems.

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Rush Limbaugh's Quick Weight Loss

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Some call Rush Limbaugh the leader of the Republican Party. Others consider him a venomous and oversized caricature from conservative talk radio. But whether you love him or hate him there is no denying the fact that Rush has slimmed down recently. In fact, these days Limbaugh is now 90 pounds lighter.

The secret to Limbaugh’s recent weight loss is Quick Weight Loss Centers, a Florida-based company that combines a low-calorie diet, office visits and supplements for weight loss. Those supplements included in diet are protein boosters, carbohydrate blockers and appetite suppressants.

For Limbaugh the plan was the easiest one he has ever found. “It’s just the easiest one, and it’s the fastest. I’m 58-years-old. I never lost weight this fast, almost 90 pounds here since March 9, not even six months yet,” Limbaugh said on his radio show recently.

The program has provided him with very quick weight loss but not much education about how to live a healthy life and keep the weight off.

“I don’t know the caloric intake of one thing I’m eating,” said Limbaugh. “All I know is that it adds up to about 1,500 calories. It’s a factor, but it is the way the proteins, the complex carbs and the fats and even some fruit get put together during the course of the day.”

Most weight loss experts don’t expect drastic weight loss results like this to last. In order to maintain drastic weight losses dieters need to remain on the same program forever and programs like this are unsustainable in the long term.

The drastic weight loss is very difficult to sustain and can also be dangerous. To lose that much weight so quickly, over a pound a day according to the amount Limbaugh says he has lost, you must severely cut calories. That cut leads the body to starvation mode which has potentially dangerous health effects including losing lean muscle mass.

Hours after Limbaugh revealed his secret weight loss weapon, the Quick Weight Loss Centers’ name became the fastest-rising search on Google. Other clients of the center have come forward with their own amazing weight loss stories that prove the center can lead people to the quick weight loss it’s name promises.

While Limbaugh has found success with the program only time will tell if he is permanently successful. While most weight loss experts are sure of his impending failure, he might just surprise everyone with his ability to keep the weight off. He will have to come off the strict program he used to lose the weight and that is when the real battle will begin.

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