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FREE Nutrition Tools and Resources for YOU!

9/1/2016

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If Luciana can learn to use these kitchen tools, you can use these online tools!
​As a dietitian, there is not much I enjoy more than speaking with someone about their food choices and discussing ideas to make small changes to reach their health goals when they are really interested.   On the slip side, there is not much I enjoy about talking to someone when all they want is for me to validate nutrition myths they have heard or think I can just “give them a meal plan on the spot”.
 
The challenge: You or someone you know wants a free & quick answer for a nutrition question but is frustrated when the answer you receive isn’t applicable to your life.   However, you or your friend isn’t able or willing to invest the time and money for a qualified professional to provide a personalized answer.  
 
The solution: This post shares some free tools and resources that you can access to get answers to frequently asked food and nutrition questions.  If you have additional questions on how to apply this to your life or think that meeting with a registered dietitian would be beneficial, click here to find a qualified professional near you.

​Q: “I have no idea how many calories I NEED TO EAT, just tell me what to eat”

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A.  Before I can suggest a level of calories, I’ll need to know your age, height, weight, level of physical activity and overall health & weight goals.  If you are also interested in knowing a specific recommended mix of macronutrients (carbs-fat-protein) I’ll need to know more about your past medical history and lifestyle.  Click here to calculate a "MyPlate Daily Checklist" based on YOUR information.

​Q. “I have no idea how many calories I EAT, I ate X-Y-Z yesterday, how many calories is that?”

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A. Depending on what the food/meal is, I’ll likely have more questions.  Such as: how much of it did you eat & how was it prepared.  To get an idea of your overall calorie intake, you can keep track of your food for a day or two using this tracker, which will prompt you for serving sizes and preparation method.  Visit the "Super Tracker"' today to get started tracking your food and learning more about what you are eating!

​Q. “Is ______ [insert specific food or brand]______ good to eat?

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A. It’s important to focus on your overall diet – it’s not just one food, one meal, or one day that makes or breaks a balanced diet.  Take a look at the Nutrition Facts Panel, specifically the ingredient list, for the food your are interested in – does it include any ingredients you are allergic or sensitive to?  If so, move on.  If not – take a look at the nutrient details.  If the food has 20% or more of the Daily Value for Fiber, Calcium, or Vitamins/Minerals and less than 5% Daily Value for Saturated fat and Sodium that means it’s a good source of nutrients we should consume, low in those nutrients we should limit, and likely a good choice.  You also need to think about when you are eating the food, what else you are eating that day and how much of the food you plan to eat.  If the food doesn’t have a Nutrition Facts Panel, Click here to search for the food in the  USDA database for nutrition information.  Click here to search for articles by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on the food.

​Q. “How can I get my son/daughter to eat better?”

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A.  I’m going to first ask you to take a look in the mirror – are you modeling the behaviors you want to see in your kids?  Are there any changes you can make to your food and nutrition choices or routine to increase the likelihood of your kids following suit?  Additionally, check out Kids Eat Right for tips, recipes and ideas for getting kids involved in food and nutrition. ​

​Q. “I would eat more fruits & veggies if I knew hot to prepare them – can you tell me how to buy and prepare ________?” 

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A.  If you ask me this question, I will likely start rattling off my favorite ways to prepare the food – but you may not like that or have the necessary equipment to prepare it.  So, I suggest you check out this link to get a wealth of information on fruit and veggie buying, storing & prepping.  
​I know most of you fall somewhere in between the above two scenarios: you have a nutrition question or interest, but you either don’t need in-depth counseling, can’t afford the out of pocket expense, or don’t have easy access to a registered dietitian nutritionist.  Let me know what else would be helpful to see here!  What is your favorite food and nutrition resource?  Link to it in the comments below to share!
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By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. --Benjamin Franklin

7/1/2016

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​While the title may be a bit dramatic, it’s also pretty accurate when you think about how it can apply to your life & MEAL PLANNING.  A key to succeeding at any goal – be it a strategic business goal or a personal health & wellness goal – is to have a SMART goal that acts as your PLAN. “I want to be better at planning my meals” is more of a desire than a goal.  A SMART goal around meal planning would be “I will prepare at least 5 dinners this week from food on hand, eating dinner out no more than 2 times”.  
  • The second statement is much more Specific – you are going to be preparing dinners more and eating out less, pretty straightforward. 
  • It’s Measurable – you can count how many dinners you made and how many you ate out.  Now, I hope this isn’t the case – but don’t forget to count any dinners that you failed to eat.  Your goal is 5+2=7, to be successful you need to eat all 7 dinners!
  • The goal is Achievable (for some, maybe not you) – it takes into consideration that you have, or will, grocery shop and have the ingredients, knowledge & skill to prepare the meals you and your family want for those 5 dinners. 
  • It is also Realistic – assuming you grocery shop and prepare meals on a routine basis… if you haven’t prepared a meal at home in a month, starting with 5 dinners in a week may be unrealistic.  And if you prepare every meal at home, this goal isn’t for you either! Remember, while the strategy is the same for business & personal goals – meal planning isn’t likely a Key Performance Indicator for you and you can adjust the goal to be more realistic for you and/or your family. 
  • Additionally, this goal is Time-bound: you have 1 week to meet your goal.  You will either succeed and repeat/improve or miss the mark, see where you have opportunities and adjust your goal or make a plan to address your gaps.   In order for the goal to be achievable and realistic, it’s important to know where you are starting. 
So, stop for a minute and ask yourself two questions (referring to the 6 statements below): “What is my current level of meal planning?”   and “What level of planning do I want to reach for?”     
  1. I write a plan for all meals for my family for each week.
  2. I write a plan of 1 or 2 meals each day for a couple days ahead.
  3. I think about meals for the next few days & foods I will need before going to the grocery store.
  4. I think about the meal I am going to eat or fix when I get to the grocery store.
  5. I think about what to order while driving into a fast food restaurant/calling for take-out
  6. I think about what I am going to fix or eat when I am hungry and my family is ready to eat
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Where you are in your meal planning and where you PLAN (not want) to go will guide your specific next steps, here’s a few things to get you started with your plan:
  1. Reference “MyPlate” for a guide on how much of each food group you need based on your age, height, weight and activity level. 
  2. Dedicate time each week for meal planning.  It’s an important meeting with yourself that you shouldn’t cancel.
  3. Think about cooking extra to use leftovers for another meal.  Either exactly the same for lunch or dinner the next day or use it another way, tonight’s leftover grilled chicken, corn & veggies will be great chopped and tossed with lettuce, olive oil, lemon juice and a handful of raw veggies for a satisfying salad tomorrow!
  4. Prepare as much as you can all at once to save you time.  Personally I do not like to mess up my kitchen (the way that I do when I cook) more than once a week.  There are some things that can’t be prepped ahead of time, but most veggies can be sliced or diced, meat can be marinated or even cooked and grains can definitely be batched cooked.
  5. Prepare your grocery list according to the layout of the store.  This helps ensure you won’t get home and realize you forget a pretty key ingredient.  Also, keep this list handy to you and the family and add to it as you run out of things throughout the week.
  6. Keep you pantry (fridge & freezer too) staples well stocked.  A balanced meal is fruits/veggies, lean protein & whole grain.  Can you think of at least 1 item from each of these groups that you can keep on hand for a last-minute meal?  I’ll help: Frozen spinach, frozen cooked grilled chicken breast, can of unsalted diced tomatoes and whole wheat noodles.
  7. Use the FIFO (First In First Out) method to avoid food waste.  Base your next meal or snack on what is going to go bad first.  Have some bananas that are really ripe?  Peel & toss them into the freezer to use in smoothies later or mash them up & create some Energy Bites [RECIPE BELOW].
  8. Get input and buy-in from those who you share meals with.  This will go along way towards success (again, similar to your business goals and getting the key stakeholders on board!).
  9. Practice portion control.  This is especially important if you are planning to use some of the food for another meal.  Portion what you need to save and put it in the refrigerator right away to ensure the safety of the food – both from food borne illnesses as well as second-dinner sneaks that may lurk in your house.
  10. Repeat successes.  Keep track of meal plans you and your family really liked and rotate through them – you don’t need to reinvent the wheel every week!
PictureMy Back Up Plan: Salmon Salad

​Ironically, I was invited to present “Meal Planning Strategies” at a worksite earlier this week.  In preparing for my presentation, I let my meal 
prep portion of my plan slip.  The night I came home from the presentation I had to go with a back-up plan and re-work the rest of the week to be sure nothing went to waste!
 
Some of my most favorite meals have come about as a result of needing to rely on staples or leftovers for a back-up plan.  What is your favorite or go-to “back-up meal”? or is it a drive thru ;)

Energy Bites
Makes 20 large or 60 small bites
  • 2 small ripe bananas (or 1 really large)
  • 1/3 cup nut/seed butter (I’ve had success with both peanut & sunflower seed)
  • Dash Cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp honey, optional
  • 2 ½ cups Old Fashioned Oats
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
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Mash banana and thoroughly mix in the next 3 ingredients, as well as honey if using.   Add in the oats and chips, mix and cover.  Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to make forming the bites less stressful!
1 large or 3 small bites prepared as above will provide 100 calories, 4g fat, 13g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g sugar, 3g protein
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    Caroline

    I'm a busy mom with a passion for sharing practical advice to help you live the healthy and balanced life you envision.  Warning: the information is evidenced-based, but the delivery will often contain humor!

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Photos used under Creative Commons from PersonalCreations.com, mealmakeovermoms, Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors, uwlideas, davidmulder61
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