Spring makes us want to renew everything–from de-cluttering the garage to replanting the flower beds, clearing out the closets and cleaning out the refrigerator. Since we can’t change all the routines in our life, why not give those routines a bit of a makeover to keep up with the spring spirit? Here are five ideas for kid-friendly, spring-friendly snacks that can rejuvenate the whole family during that afternoon lull.

Fresh Baby Veggies

Frozen Grapes

Berries and Yogurt

Popcorn Snack Mix

Deviled Eggs

When your kids need a break from all that fresh produce (do they ever?), try these out. Something about eggs and spring time; for Easter and beyond. Make up a batch of deviled eggs, combining the yolks with a bit of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and plain non-fat Greek yogurt, if desired. You can just as easily make them dairy-free with a touch of soy milk or tofu.

The average American consumes up to three teaspoons of salt a day. The American Heart Association wants to knock that down to less than one teaspoon. The new guidelines have reduced the recommended salt and sodium intake from 2300 to 1500. That’s about a third less than the original recommendation, which we were already exceeding by two teaspoons. 

The stricter guidelines may mean less flavor, but the payoff is a longer life span. Reducing sodium is the first line of defense in the nation’s number one killer: heart disease. In fact, a 30-year study in Finland found that reducing salt intake by 30 percent led to a 75 percent decrease in both stroke and heart disease mortality. The revised sodium diet elevated the entire country’s average life expectancy by 6 to 7 years. Now the AHA is hoping for similar results in the United States, but it will mean a nutrition overhaul.

Many of the foods we consider healthy are saturated in salt. According to the Center for Disease Control, packaged and processed foods, like canned soups or seasoned rice mixes, are responsible for over three quarters of our average salt intake. 

Making small substitutes could make all the difference. Just three ounces of processed ham contains 1300 mg of salt. Compare that to 60 mg accrued from the same serving size of lean, unseasoned meat. Canned veggies have up to 10 times the amount of sodium of fresh veggies. Even frozen vegetables are lower in salt than those in a can. But if you’re stuck with wax beans or a can of tuna, rinse them in a strainer before you eat to eliminate the sodium-laden water it’s been soaking in. Don’t be fooled by labels that proclaim “lower sodium” and stick with canned food with the label “no salt”. 

Sauces and dressings should also be used with discretion. A half-cup of pasta sauce racks up almost half your maximum salt requirements for the day. Make your own salt-free version with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic and oregano. A single serving of ranch dressing over a bowl of leafy greens sets you back 300 mg. Instead, concoct a low-salt dressing of oil, lemon juice, and herbs. The National Institute of Health has a plethora of heart-healthy seasoning recommendations for boosting flavor in salt-free main courses: Meats, fish, and sauces can be seasoned with mustard, dill, curry powder, lemon juice, paprika, oregano and rosemary. Another easy cut from your dietary team: flavored drinks, which have up to 220 mg in a bottle. 

“Even a modest decline in intake – say 400 mg per day – would produce benefits that are substantial and warrant implementation,” according to the AHA advisory committee.

It’s not all about elimination. Adding potassium-rich foods, like potatoes, avocado and yogurt, helps neutralize the effects of salt. To meet the ideal amount of daily potassium (around 4700 mg), try a baked potato with skin (925 mg), a cup of sliced avocado (1000 mg), a bag of dried apricots or peaches (600-1200mg), or 2 cups of spinach (1200mg).

Be warned: ordering a baked potato or a side of spinach in a restaurant can counteract all your healthy intentions. With eateries one of the culprits of our high-sodium addiction, it’s better to risk upsetting the chef, than upsetting your diet. Request the sauce on the side and limit yourself to a dip or two, or request a salt-free preparation. Then when the waiter comes by with the fresh pepper mill, go for broke. A little extra pepper will help you rebound from salt, and keep your heart from breaking.  

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/painless-ways-to-eat-less-salt-2439920/

It would be really nice if we could all stick to healthful eating through the holidays… but who are we fooling? Temptation arrives on the hour, every hour – whether it be Grandma’s famous pie, office Christmas cupcakes, holiday party cocktails, or homemade cookies from the neighbor. Sure, we can be discerning about our indulgence – and should be – but a sugar overdose can happen to the best of us.

We all know the feeling: sugar high, sugar crash, leaving us feeling lethargic, in a daze, moody, and as though our hips are widening before our very eyes. Luckily, we can arm ourselves with a few antidotes to such behavior, a sort of sugar detox arsenal for those rare occasions. Give one of these a try to help bring your body back into harmony after you feel consumed by sugar (because it should be the other way around).

• Ginger tea with soy sauce: Grate or chop 1/2 tsp of fresh ginger, simmer in a cup of water for 4 – 6 minutes, add 1/4 tsp of good quality soy sauce, and drink.
• Eat a few salty, cured olives.
• Eat some naturally cured pickles like sauerkraut or takaun daikon pickle (available at health food stores).
• Umeboshi plum (a pickled plum with a salty, tart flavor): Eat 1/2 to 1 plum chopped and mixed with food or simmered in tea. 
• Simple miso soup with root vegetables and wakame (takes less than 10 minutes to prepare): Using miso paste will be more effective than the dehydrated miso soup, but in a pinch, use the dehydrated variety.

The average American eats more sugar in one day than our ancestors did during an entire lifetime. They prized sugary foods for their abundant calories and quick energy spike. Thus, now we are wired to reach for the cookie jar over and over and over – even though we have no lions to outrun.

Sugar has a very high caloric content and virtually no nutritional value. Besides causing weight gain, it also encourages inflammation and infection, compromises the immune system and raises insulin levels. Insulin encourages the storage of fat, elevates triglyceride levels and promotes cardiovascular disease, asthma, mood swings, diabetes, gallstones, hypertension and arthritis. Still want that piece of cake?

We all know that sugar can cause health problems, however our eating culture revolves around sugary, salty, fatty, unhealthy foods. Even those without a raging sweet tooth will find that it’s almost impossible to avoid eating refined sugar these days, as grocery manufacturers routinely add it to everything from bread and pizza dough to spaghetti sauce and salad dressing.

Eating less sugar is one of the best actions you can take to improve your current and future health, but saying “no” to sweets isn’t as easy as it seems. If you can’t cut out sugar completely (who can?), then try the following tips to quickly and painlessly reduce your sugar intake. It seems this becomes increasingly handy during the holiday season…

1. Cut down on processed and packaged foods. Salad dressings, spaghetti sauces, soups and even pizza crusts contain sugar. If you make your own soup, you will unlikely be adding a cup of sugar to the stew pot, however this is exactly what manufacturers do. Try to purchase groceries with the least amount of packaging as possible.

2. Indulge in the highest-quality sweets that you can afford. You will get more satisfaction from enjoying one divine chocolate truffle than you will from six crappy little sandwich cookies. Resolve to only eat sweets that you really, really like. Forget the rest, and then don’t beat up on yourself when you have a sugary treat that you really enjoy.

3. Free sweets aren’t free. Many work sites, businesses or offices always have on hand candy, doughnuts or other sweets to snack on. It is human nature to grab these cheap calories and ingest them, however you will pay for the free treats later with poor health and a belly roll.

4. Banish the candy jar. Do you have a candy jar on your desk at work, school, or some other handy and convenient place? Remove it, and you will reduce your sugar intake. Even just moving a candy dish from your desk to a table across the room will drastically decrease the amount that you eat.

5. Know your sugars. Fructose, glucose, lactose, maltodextrin and dextrose are all types of sugar masquerading under their scientific names. Read grocery labels so that you know what you are putting into your body.

6. Don’t drink liquid candy. Soda is basically that – liquid candy. Most Americans think of soda as a beverage, and most Americans are overweight. Think of soda as a special treat rather than a daily occurrence, and you will enjoy it even more and avoid all those empty calories.

7. Watch your breakfast. Deep-fried dough topped with icing and candy sprinkles isn’t anywhere near healthy, but doughnuts are a tried-and-true American breakfast. Just say no. Also passing as breakfast: giant muffins (muffins = cake), frappuccinos and smoothies – these are basically milkshakes. Starting your morning off with a sugar overload like this will offset your energy and unbalance your system for the rest of the day.

8. Indulge your sweet tooth naturally. Fruits, honey, maple syrup and molasses all contain natural sugars. Although these foods are no health superstars, they are a better option when the sweet tooth strikes and you are craving some sugary action. An apple will give you a sweet burst of flavor along with beneficial vitamins and fiber.

9. Go black and never go back. Resolve to drink your coffee and tea without sugar and milk; this small change of mind can save you several sweet teaspoons every single day, and you will most likely find that you do not miss it. And besides, ordering a straight-up black coffee or espresso is infinitely cooler (and cheaper!) than ordering the triple-no-fat half-caramel grande Flufficino with whip and chocolate drizzle. Don’t let your daily caffeine requirements become an excuse to load up on sugar.

10. If you just have to have something sweet at the end of every meal, keep a pile of your favorite gum on hand and enjoy a piece for dessert. This will give your brain the sweet sensation it desires and will keep your mouth occupied from chewing other more high-calorie dessert options. Of course, conventional gum isn’t healthy either, but you can find natural and even organic gums at your local health food store.

www.organicauthority.com

Unstuff Your Thanksgiving

 Turkey. Stuffing. Pumpkin pie. What’s not to love about Thanksgiving? How about the 2,000 to 3,000 calories the average person eats at the meal? If you eat healthy most days and just overindulge on this one, then it’s not much of an issue. Sadly, this usually isn’t the case. Thanksgiving tends to be a souped-up extension of the poor daily dietary habits that many people exhibit. Also, it marks the beginning of the holiday food fest that culminates on New Year’s Day. This combination is what makes Thanksgiving so waistline wicked.

It is possible to give thanks and enjoy your holiday meal without overdoing it. Consider these slenderizing tips.

1. Pre-burn some extra calories every day for a week leading up to Thanksgiving.  Whether adding another 20 minutes to your existing fitness routine or using the holidays as incentive to begin exercising, expending a few more calories will help negate the extra ones you consume on Thanksgiving Day.

2. Don’t Gobble Up Everything. When it comes to the smorgasbord that most families prepare, eating a “sampling” of all the trimmings adds up to a wallop of fat, calories and sugar.  Be sure to narrow down the number of foods you load onto your plate. You may want to stick with your absolute favorites or the special foods you get only at the holidays. Another “sampling” disaster occurs in the kitchen.

Here are some numbers (calories) to munch on: one mixed drink is 250, four cubes of cheese and crackers is 280, one cup of stuffing is 350, one cup of plain mashed potatoes with one-half cup of gravy is 450 and one dinner roll with butter is 150.

3. Eat like a Pilgrim. Prepare foods simply and adhere to reasonable amounts. When you consume real foods that are served close to the way they exist in nature, then they’re more wholesome and less caloric. For example, one-half cup of green beans sautéed in olive oil contains 50 calories, while the same amount of green bean casserole contains 225 calories. Having said that, too much food is too much food — whether it’s healthy or not.

 4. Save Room for Dessert. If you plan on enjoying dessert, then decide which foods or beverages you will forego to accommodate your sweet tooth. Calorie-conserving tips include choosing pumpkin pie (180 calories) over pecan (480 calories), baking pie on a graham cracker crust rather than a pastry crust or a single-layer pastry crust vs. a double (savings of 120 calories and eight grams of fat per slice), and reducing the sugar in pie recipes by one-third.

Six Ways Not to Overindulge in a Post-Thanksgiving Spending Spree

As early as midnight following Thanksgiving, after millions of Americans have stuffed themselves with the traditional turkey dinner, they’ll line up at their local mall to stuff their holiday gift bags. But it is possible to avoid the specter of holiday overspending, says Brad Stroh, co-CEO of Bills.com.

The day after Thanksgiving, considered the start of the holiday shopping season, is called “Black Friday” because it is the day some retailers break even or become “in the black”  for the year. Indeed, some retailers earn a significant percentage of their annual income on “Black Friday” alone.

Last year, holiday shoppers spent more than $8 billion on Black Friday. Two million shoppers passed through Wal-Mart’s doors nationwide within two hours of the chain’s 5 a.m. opening.

“Holiday shopping is a necessity for most of us, and one that many of us may enjoy,” Stroh said. “It’s hard to resist the perfect gift for your loved one. But ‘perfect gift’ is the key and ‘perfect’ doesn’t have to mean dozens of presents, or thousands of dollars on your credit card bill.”

Here are six suggestions for keeping “Black Friday” spending in check:

1.    Make a list. “This piece of advice can’t be repeated often enough: Make a list of those for whom you will shop and what you plan to get each recipient,” Stroh said.

2.    Reality check. Price each item on your list. Cross-check the total with your holiday budget. No budget? No shopping. “Put the car keys down until you look at your bills, your checkbook, and your savings balance and, if you have a spouse, until you have a discussion,” Stroh said. “Decide what you can afford and want to spend on the holidays.”

3.    Delegate. Decide who will shop for each recipient. “If you and your daughter split up at the mall, and you both spend $100 on Dad, whose gift budget was $100, you’ve outdone yourselves in a bad way.”

4.    Be selfless. When it comes to shopping for yourself, put on the blinders. “Most likely, family members are buying holiday gifts for you,” Stroh said. “Don’t join them. Instead, think only of others and the way you are not adding to your credit card balance.”

5.    Train for success. When considering competitive “Black Friday” shopping, success is in the sales: The best deal wins. If you are out for bargains, take it seriously. Study ads, sale fliers and coupons. Map out an itinerary to hit the early bird sales. Smart shoppers can save hundreds of dollars.

6.    STOP. The gift budget should be a “not to exceed” figure. “If you follow No. 5 and find that must-have game for $5 instead of $35, do NOT ‘just buy a few more things’ to spend the extra $30,” Stroh advised. “Remember, it’s the thought that counts and your recipient will appreciate the value of that perfect gift. Use the money you don’t spend for a truly meaningful gift for yourself like paying extra on your credit card or adding to your retirement fund.”

Holiday sales aren’t all bad. With these six steps in mind, you can stuff your stockings without adding fat to your consumer debt.

Does It Matter How Late We Eat?

From Japan, China, India and the ancient Mayan cultures, many traditional societies intuitively knew that eating late at night was not good for our digestive systems. Our medical science has repeatedly attempted to show that it shouldn’t matter how late we eat just as long as we are burning the calories. Well I think we all know by now how wrong the information provided by our modern medical system can be. We currently have more digestive and health problems than anytime in recorded history! Ancient cultures on the other hand, tell us that our ideal digestion requires us to eat an earlier, lighter dinner. 

How Eating Late Affects Your Body

Furthermore, unless you work the night shift, most of us are tired after a hard day of work. After dinner, we want to rest and settle in for the night. This is a good idea! It prepares our bodies for sleep and relaxation. Unfortunately, if we lie down with a huge belly full of food, we are putting a strain on our system. This usually leads to a feeling of lethargy in the morning. We also experience disrupted sleep if the body is working so hard to digest what we ate the night before. Red meat is an especially toxic food to consume late at night. Meat takes longer than any other food item to digest. We should particularly avoid the intake of meat late at night, as it tends to stay in our digestive track longer than grains, fruits or vegetables.

Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine believe the late evening and early morning hours are the time for cleansing and healing the body from the day before. If we are using the body’s energy to digest food (which should have occurred during the active day-time hours), we are not giving the body that precious cleansing time that it needs to help fight off disease, as well as help heal ourselves naturally.

Research Into Late Night Eating

Studies by Dr. Louis J. Aronne, director of a weight control program for the Weill Cornell Medical Center, have shown that people who eat late, eat more than they would during a day-time meal. Furthermore these studies found a link between larger evening meals and an increase in tryglyceride levels  associated with diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and overall weight gain.  When our triglyceride levels are high, our body thinks that it needs to store the fat from this excessive night-time eating for later use. Quite literally, when we eat large meals at night, we unwillingly inform the body that there will be a shortage of food soon, so it needs to make us fat in the mean time!

Many people complain that they are able to eat healthy meals all day long, but at night they begin to crave sweets and heavy foods. This may involve an emotional component to eating. Are you stressed from a long day? Are you left exhausted? Look at how you missed out on areas of “sweetness” in your own life. What emotional comfort are you seeking from large amounts of late night food? Try taking a warm bath with essential oils to comfort yourself.

Tips to Avoid Eating Late At Night

• Eat a moderate breakfast and a heavier lunch
• Try eating a light dinner that still fulfills a healthy emotional “nourishing” component. A good dinner food is soup. It is warming, filling, and easy on our digestive tract. Particularly in the winter and fall, it is the perfect later meal.
• If you aren’t a fan of larger lunches, go for a larger dinner before 6 PM.
• When you feel like eating late at night, drink a cup of warm lemon water or an herbal tea with raw honey.  Hot liquids are soothing, warming and nourish the emotions.
• Remember that if you have habitually eaten late over a long period of time, you will have to retrain your body not to crave that habit. Start slowly by reducing your portion sizes and choosing healthier meals.
• Stop eating foods that cause high energy peaks, followed by large energy plummets. Trade in junk food, white sugar, processes foods and white flour for whole grains, warming soups, fruits and vegetables.
• Brush your teeth earlier! It may sound too simple, but some people find that if they just brush their teeth, they are less likely to indulge in late-night eating patterns.
• Turn off the TV. Studies have shown that the television can subconsciously trigger our desires for more food, too late.
• Take a warm bath before bed. Turn on some soothing music. Read a light book. Enjoy some new night-time rituals that don’t involve heavy eating.
• Go on a brisk walk after dinner. Ayurvedic medicine says that we should eat no later than six o’ clock, and afterwards take a walk of at least 108 steps!

article by Dr. Edward, www.globalhealingcenter.com

Number of fat people in US to grow, report says

By GREG KELLER

Citizens of the world’s richest countries are getting fatter and fatter and the United States is leading the charge, an organization of leading economies said Thursday in its first ever obesity forecast.

Three out of four Americans will be overweight or obese by 2020, and disease rates and health care spending will balloon, unless governments, individuals and industry cooperate on a comprehensive strategy to combat the epidemic, the study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said.

The Paris-based organization, which brings together 33 of the world’s leading economies, is better known for forecasting deficit and employment levels than for measuring waistlines. But the economic cost of excess weight — in health care, and in lives cut short and resources wasted — is a growing concern for many governments.

Franco Sassi, the OECD senior health economist who authored the report, blamed the usual suspects for the increase.

“Food is much cheaper than in the past, in particular food that is not particularly healthy, and people are changing their lifestyles, they have less time to prepare meals and are eating out more in restaurants,” said Sassi, a former London School of Economics lecturer who worked on the report for three years.

That plus the fact that people are much less physically active than in the past means that the ranks of the overweight have swelled to nearly 70 percent in the U.S. this year from well under 50 percent in 1980, according to the OECD.

In 10 years, a full 75 percent of Americans will be overweight, making it “the fattest country in the OECD,” the report said.

The same factors driving the epidemic in the U.S. are also at work in other wealthy and developing countries, Sassi said. “There is a frightening increase in the epidemic,” Sassi said, “We’ve not reached the plateau yet.”

The lifespan of an obese person is up to 8-10 years shorter than that of a normal-weight person, the OECD said, the same loss of lifespan incurred by smoking.

In the U.S. the cost in dollars of obesity, including higher health care spending and lost production, is already equivalent to 1 percent of the country’s total gross domestic product, the report said. That compares to half a percent in other OECD countries, Sassi said.

These costs could rise two- or threefold over the coming years, the OECD said, citing another study that forecast obesity and overweight-related health care costs would rise 70 percent by 2015 and could be 2.4 times higher than the current level in 2025.

The OECD found that rates of obesity, defined as a body mass index above 30, show a wide variation across its member countries, ranging from as little as 3-4 percent of the population in Japan and Korea to around one-third in the U.S. and Mexico.

“However, rates are also increasing in these countries,” the OECD said. Outside the OECD, obesity rates are rising at similarly fast rates in countries such as Brazil, China, India and Russia.

The OECD advises governments on economic growth, social development and financial stability.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.