Let’s Be Healthy

Fruit Juices: Good or Bad?

Don’t be too concerned. Recent studies have confirmed that drinking moderate amounts of 100 percent fruit juice does not have an effect on children’s weight. However, fruit juice is high in calories, and — just like any other high-calorie food or drink — too much fruit juice can contribute to weight gain.

If you do give your children fruit juice, choose 100 percent fruit juice instead of sweetened juice or fruit-juice cocktail drinks. While 100 percent juice and sweetened fruit drinks may have about the same number of calories, your children will get more vitamins and nutrients from 100 percent juice.

To ensure your children aren’t drinking too much juice, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following limits:

• Infants less than 6 months old should not be given fruit juice. However, pediatricians may recommend giving 2 to 4 ounces of juice to infants who are constipated.
• Infants 6 months to 12 months old may have up to 4 ounces a day. Juice should not be given in a bottle, however, to avoid tooth decay.
• Children 1 year to 6 years old may have up to 6 ounces a day.
• Children older than 6 years may have up to 12 ounces a day.

You’re right that fruit juice can be a good source of vitamin C, calcium and other nutrients. Check the label. Some children don’t like eating fruit, so serving juice is one way to get them the two to three servings of fruit they need everyday. Four ounces of juice equals one serving of fruit, but keep in mind that juice lacks the fiber of whole fruit. Although a little fruit juice each day is fine for most children, whole fruit is preferred.

Source: MayoClinic

Children’s Nutrition Tips

Preschoolers are picky eaters. They don’t want this and that but one for sure, they don’t love to eat those veggies prepared on their plates. Well, they have reasons why they choose their food. Anyways, maybe you should prepare something appetizing to their eyes but a nutritious one. Well, here are tips for picky eaters.

Respect your child’s hunger — or lack thereof. Young children tend to eat only when they’re hungry. If your child isn’t hungry, don’t force a meal or snack.
Stay calm. If your child senses that you’re unhappy with his or her eating habits, it may become a battle of wills. Threats and punishments only reinforce the power struggle.
Keep an eye on the clock. Nix juice and snacks for at least one hour before meals. If your child comes to the table hungry, he or she may be more motivated to eat.
Don’t expect too much. After age 2, slower growth often reduces a child’s appetite. A few bites may be all it takes for your child to feel full.
Limit liquid calories. Low-fat or fat-free dairy products and 100 percent fruit juice can be important parts of a healthy diet — but if your child fills up on milk or juice, he or she may have no room for meals or snacks.
Start small. Offer several foods in small portions. Let your child choose what he or she eats.
Boycott the clean plate club. Don’t force your child to clean his or her plate. This may only ignite — or reinforce — a power struggle over food. Instead, allow your child to stop eating when he or she is full.
Leave taste out of it. Talk about a food’s color, shape, aroma and texture — not whether it tastes good.
Be patient with new foods. Young children often touch or smell new foods, and may even put tiny bits in their mouths and then take them back out again. Your child may need repeated exposure to a new food before he or she takes the first bite.
Eat breakfast for dinner. Who says cereal or pancakes are only for breakfast? The distinction between breakfast, lunch and dinner foods may be lost on your child.
Make it fun. Serve broccoli and other veggies with a favorite dip or sauce. Cut foods into various shapes with cookie cutters.
Recruit your child’s help. At the grocery store, ask your child to help you select fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. Don’t buy anything that you don’t want your child to eat. At home, encourage your child to help you rinse veggies, stir batter or set the table.
Set a good example. If you eat a variety of healthy foods, your child is more likely to follow suit.
Be sneaky. Add chopped broccoli or green peppers to spaghetti sauce, top cereal with fruit slices, or mix grated zucchini and carrots into casseroles and soups.
Keep it separate. If your child isn’t a fan of various ingredients thrown together, you might “unmix” the food. Place sandwich fixings outside the bread, or serve the ingredients of a salad, casserole or stir-fry separately.
Stick to the routine. Serve meals and snacks at about the same times every day. If the kitchen is closed at other times, your child may be more likely to eat what’s served for meals and snacks.
Minimize distractions. Turn off the television during meals, and don’t allow books or toys at the table.
Don’t offer dessert as a reward. Withholding dessert sends the message that dessert is the best food, which may only increase your child’s desire for sweets. You might select one or two nights a week as dessert nights, and skip dessert the rest of the week. Or redefine dessert as fruit, yogurt or other healthy choices.
Expect some food preferences to stick. As kids mature, they tend to become less picky about food. Still, everyone has food preferences. Don’t expect your child to like everything.
Know when to seek help. If your child is energetic and growing, he or she is probably doing fine. Consult your child’s doctor if you’re concerned that picky eating is compromising your child’s growth and development or if certain foods seem to make your child ill.

Brown Rice Porridge

I might try this at home because my mom and I love brown rice! A nice meal to start our day.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup 2% low-fat milk
2 tablespoons dried blueberries
1 dash cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

Combine the cooked brown rice, milk, blueberries, cinnamon, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Beat the egg in a small bowl. Temper the egg by whisking in some of the hot rice, a tablespoon at a time until you have incorporated about 6 tablespoons. Stir the egg into the rice along with the vanilla and butter, and continue cooking over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken.

Brown Rice

Brown rice is probably the most familiar of all these grains. Try to substitute brown rice for white rice when you can because brown rice is more nutritious–it contains more fiber. If you are in a hurry, quick-cooking brown rice will suffice. But whenever possible, cook up a batch of brown rice and store it in a container in the refrigerator for future days when you don’t have time to let it cook slowly. Brown rice cooks in double the amount of water or broth and it needs to simmer for a full 45 minutes.

Wild Rice Salad

A healthy recipe using wild rice. Try this at home!

INGREDIENTS

1 (6 ounce) package wild rice
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked, cubed turkey meat
1/4 cup diced green onion
1 cup seedless red grapes
6 ounces blanched slivered almonds

DIRECTIONS

Cook rice according to package directions. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir in rice, turkey, onion and grapes until evenly coated with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Before serving, sprinkle slivered almonds over the top of the salad.

Wild Rice

Wild rice is not really rice at all: it is the seed of a grass grown in Minnesota and Canada. Wild rice has an assertive flavor, so you may want to combine it with other grains before serving it straight. (It is also very expensive, since it’s hand-harvested.) Many people are more willing to consume wild rice than they are brown rice, so consider serving wild rice at your next dinner party or family meal. Wild rice is delicious in soups and great paired with split peas. It is one of the longer-cooking grains, using three to four times the amount of water or broth versus grain. The rice must simmer for a full 45 minutes to 1 hour before serving. The results are worth it!

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast
1/2 cup barley
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons oil
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
4 cups water
4 cubes beef bouillon cube
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper1 (28 ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS

In a slow cooker, cook chuck roast until very tender (usually 4 to 5 hours on High, but can vary with different slow cookers). Add barley and bay leaf during the last hour of cooking. Remove meat, and chop into bite-size pieces. Discard bay leaf. Set beef, broth, and barley aside.
Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and frozen mixed vegetables until tender. Add water, beef bouillon cubes, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chopped stewed tomatoes, and beef/barley mixture. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 20 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Source: AllRecipes

All About Barley

Barley is a mild-flavored kernel-shaped grain known for its success at adding thickness to stews and soups. Barley is also a great addition to casseroles containing winter vegetables such as carrots, root veggies, and onions. The two most often used (for cooking) types of barely are pearled barley and hulled barley. Pearled barley is barley that has been milled. Because of this, it takes only 40 minutes to cook. Hulled barley–barley with its outer layer removed–is more nutritious than pearled but takes a full 90 minutes to cook.

Restaurant Slimming Tips

Dining out is really challenging for you have to make sure that all you order are less in calories in fat. Anyways, here are some simple tips that you can use when dining out.

1) Think small: Restaurant portions are often gigantic. Scale back by ordering one to two non-fried appetizers instead of an entrée – or consider sharing an entrée with a friend. You can also divide your main course in half and take half home for a future meal.

2) Delete the bread basket: Each slice adds about 100 calories – plus 50 additional calories for every teaspoon of butter or olive oil you add. That said, politely (and immediately!) ask to have the entire basket removed.

3) Lose liquid calories: Beverage calories add up quickly – calories that don’t necessarily fill you up. Try your best to pass on soda, fruit drinks, fruit juice, smoothies, fattening cocktails, and coffee loaded with milk and sugar. Instead, drink lots of water, seltzer, and unsweetened ice tea. For coffee and tea, use skim and/or 1% reduced fat milk – and limit the sugar to 1 packet per cup.

4) Special request: Speak up and ask your waiter for a few substitutions. Request foods which are baked, steamed, broiled, grilled, poached, or roasted….  and ask to replace fatty French fries with a baked potato or side vegetable. Also, request your sandwich on whole wheat bread instead of white, specify brown rice instead of white rice and ask for salad dressing, gravy, and sauces on the side. These minor adjustments translate into major calorie savings.

Source: Joy’s Healthy Bite

Fruity Tofu Parfait

I love Tofu and it completes my week! You can use this as a substitution of meat. A healthy food that makes you fit and fab.

INGREDIENTS
1 (12 ounce) package silken tofu
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup raspberries
1 apple, cored and diced
1/2 cup low fat granola
2 tablespoons raisins
DIRECTIONS

Combine tofu, honey and vanilla in blender or food processor and puree until completely smooth, then transfer to a bowl and stir in raspberries until mixture is slightly pink.
Layer fruity tofu in serving glasses with apple and granola, top with raisins and serve.