Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Healthy Shopping Checklist

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Eating healthy is easier when you have the right foods on hand for snacking and preparing meals. This includes ready-to-eat meals, fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh meat. If possible, purchase meat fresh and cook it right away or freeze it for a meal later in the week. While meat that has been breaded and deep frozen may be convenient, fresh cooked meat tastes much better and is more satisfying.

Planning your meals ahead takes time and patience but it will ensure you have all the ingredients you need for healthy eating. Look through your cookbooks and check online for new recipes of old favorites. Find healthier ways to prepare some the foods you love.

When planning your healthy shopping checklist, you will want to add some herbs and spices to season your foods. Keeping these on-hand will help to enhance many dishes and make cooking and eating much more enjoyable. There are many other foods that you can stock as staples for several dishes you like to prepare. You’ll enjoy your meals so much more when you have everything you need to prepare them right.

Even if you don’t cook every night, planning a shopping list will help you to select healthy snacks and quick fix dinners that won’t have you standing over the stove for an hour. Adding a variety of these kinds of foods will give you a healthy alternative to stopping by a fast food restaurant on your way home from work.

If you take your lunch to work, you will definitely want to add your lunch items to your healthy shopping checklist. Be sure to get plenty of food, so you don’t run out before your next trip to the supermarket. Sticking to your managed diet is easy when you have everything you need to make a healthy, well-balanced meal.

A few healthy items to consider adding to your weekly list:

Cinnamon
Oregano
Basil
Thyme
Ginger
Pepper
Seasonal Fruit
Bananas
Strawberries
Watermelons
Peaches
Mango
Oranges
Lemons
Limes
Colorful Vegetables
Squash
Broccoli
Sweet Peppers
Leafy Vegetables
Spinach
Cabbage
Kale
Root Vegetables
Beets
Sweet Potatoes
Onions
Coconut Milk
Granola
Oatmeal
Quinoa
English Muffins
Eggs
Meat
Poultry
Fresh Fish
Seafood
Olive Oil
Ezekiel Bread
Flax Seed
Walnuts
Almonds
Greek Yogurt
Tofu

Cooking Healthy and the Sneaky Chef

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When you have finicky eaters who refuse to eat foods that are good for them, it’s time to call on the Sneaky Chef. That’s the nickname a friend of mine called me one day after I had explained the art of substituting healthy ingredients in my family’s favorite meals. It’s not so much being sneaky, as it is being a savvy cook. It’s about making foods taste great without the extra calories and then adding ingredients that are actually good for you.

If you have ever eaten a cake made with applesauce rather than cooking oil, you will probably agree that there is little difference in the taste or texture. The cake is just as moist but without the higher calories of the oil. I use applesauce in many of my recipes.

I have substituted tofu for meat in many recipes and used ground turkey in place of ground meat. Cottage cheese is a wonderful substitute for ricotta cheese, and can be used in lasagna and other tomato sauce dishes. I like some low-fat cheeses, but others don’t have much taste. I never compromise the flavor of the dish by cutting too much fat or calories from a recipe.

Another way to sneak healthy foods on your family and yourself is to make a big salad. Add ingredients that you don’t normally try, but do it gradually. One new vegetable or fruit at a time will allow everyone’s taste buds and digestive system to adjust. Make your own salad dressing to control the amount of sodium and sugar that you are adding to your meals. You can make it ahead of time and store vinaigrettes on the table and cream based dressings in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

As often as possible, substitute olive oil for butter and vegetable oil. Olive oil has so many health benefits; it’s good for your digestive system, your cardiovascular system, and your immune system. Eating foods with olive oil will give you radiant skin, lustrous hair and beautiful nails. It’s delicious on meats, vegetables and bread.

If you dare to be sneaky and substitute healthy ingredients in your family’s meals, you won’t regret the benefits of healthier eating. Keep them eating this way and they will continue to make healthy choices for the rest of their lives. A happy family is a healthy family; some foods your family members will like but others they may not, the important thing is that you all try new foods together as a family—that’s really what it is all about.

The Healthy Benefits of Tea – Nature’s Beneficial Brew

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If you want a drink that will keep you healthy, make you feel younger and possibly live longer, put down that coffee cup and try a hot cup of tea, instead. Although, it contains caffeine, tea is especially beneficial to your heart and overall health.

Tea contains flavonoids, antioxidants that help to neutralize free radicals, which can cause cancer. Recent studies have found that people who regularly consume Black Tea have a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.

Virtually calorie free, tea is a refreshing beverage that contains no sodium, fat, carbonation or sugar. It also helps to maintain proper fluid balance. But drinking tea is not the only way to benefit from this natural beverage. Tea can be used in a variety of dishes from salad dressing to cake batters.

Tea aids in digestion and can help you to lose weight. By far, lower in calories than sugar-laden soft drinks, tea works on the body like a natural laxative. A great ally for losing weight, tea can boost exercise endurance. It also magically shrinks your waistline.

From the first sip to the last, a good cup of tea comforts a weary soul like a familiar friend. Warm and comforting, a cup of hot tea can make the stress melt away. There are even teas that will calm you and help you fall asleep, like chamomile tea.

Although tea has been around for thousands of years, it has found a new group of followers for its mystical brew. Tea bars and stores devoted to selling teas have sprung up everywhere. They encourage tastings and promote different brands and tea and food parings. There are so many different flavors that it’s easy to fall in love with at least one of them.

Loose-leaf tea comes in a variety of types in Black, White, Green or Oolong tea. Each has a different flavor and different health benefits. Loose-leaf tea is a higher quality tea with a much better taste than bag teas.

Iced tea is also beneficial to your health. Choose unsweetened tea to keep it virtually calorie-free. A cold glass of tea is a welcome refreshment on a hot summer day. It goes well with sandwiches, snacks or a full course meal. Totally versatile, hot or cold, tea is the favorite beverage that Americans choose to quench their thirst.

How To Cook Without Butter

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If you are watching your cholesterol intake, looking for ways to cut down on saturated fats or just searching for new ways to cook old foods, try cooking without the addition of butter. It’s not that I am an enemy of butter; it’s just that I can find so many ways to cook without it that it’s really a non-issue with me. Living in the South, most of my friends and neighbors look at me as if I am crazy. I have not overlooked the fact that butter is a flavor carrier; I too look for foods that amplify the flavors of the meats and vegetables that I prepare. Seasonings, fruit juices and zests as well as vinegar and oil all play a part in the meals that I make on a regular basis.

When cooking with oil, I usually choose extra virgin olive oil. The astounding benefits of olive oil never cease to amaze me. A true favorite of mine, olive oil complements the taste of many foods that I prepare regularly for my family. It’s easily digestible and provides the healthy fat that your body needs. Olive oil is a flavor carrier that locks in the moisture of chicken breasts and other lean cuts of meat. Brush it on grilled vegetables for a taste sensation you won’t feel guilty about. To me it has a lighter taste than butter and the fact that it contains half the saturated fat content as butter, olive oil is the healthier choice when you are watching your fat and cholesterol consumption.

Long acknowledged for being a heart healthy fat, recent studies show an increase in the protein osteocalcin, a marker for bone growth in people who regularly ate a Mediterranean diet and virgin olive oil. You can also increase your osteocalcin levels by munching on olives. Add a few to your salad or toss some into your food processor combined with some capers and anchovies for a tasty tepenade that you can add to sandwiches or pasta for a boost of flavor.

Other ways to cook without butter include cooking with orange juice, lemon wedges, pineapple slices, a variety of peppers, applesauce, garlic and nuts. All of which can be combined and complemented with a small amount of olive oil to lock in the flavors of your food and even have enough left over to make a sauce that will rival most of the finer restaurants in town.

If you want to make the switch, or just interested in adding olive oil to more of your recipes, keep a bottle close to your stove and grab it instead of heading to the refrigerator for the butter. I keep a bottle in the cabinet next to my stove because I reach for it repeatedly. Whether you choose virgin or extra virgin olive oil is up to you. These types are considered more beneficial than the light tasting variety, but be open to the different flavors and decide for yourself.

Belly Busting Benefits of Balsamic Vinegar

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Balsamic vinegar is a tasty topping that can help you to lose weight. That’s because vinegar with its acidic properties slows down the body’s ability to absorb sugar. To keep starchy foods from converting to sugar, eat foods like pasta or rice with balsamic vinegar. Not only will this provide belly-busting benefits, it will also make you feel fuller after eating these foods.

Pasta and other starches break down and convert to sugar in the body. When you toss in a little vinegar, you actually slow the process of breakdown and conversion, thereby keeping your tummy fuller longer, staving hunger from coming on too quickly.

When sugar levels drop too quickly, hunger sets in. When sugar levels are kept stabilized, you won’t feel the strong urges to satisfy your hunger with something sweet. The same solution to hunger comes from eating more often. I suggest eating five to six smaller meals each day rather than the traditional three large meals. This keeps sugar levels from dropping off too sharply, which tends to make women hungrier between meals.

Balsamic Vinegar is made from pressed grapes and has a tart, yet sweet flavor. It contains Omega 3 fatty acids that protect against heart disease. It’s interesting to note that a study done at Harvard University found that women who consumed one to two tablespoons of vinegar a day cut their risk for heart disease in half.

To add some zing to your rice or pasta, try adding a couple of tablespoons of vinegar for best results. A great alternative to sauces or gravies, balsamic vinegar is low in calories and saturated fat. It’s also great on vegetables, tomatoes or low fat cheeses.

Balsamic vinegar can liven up a pasta salad and has an aromatic smell that enhances the appetite. I like the corkscrew pasta with carrots, bell peppers and green onions, chopped finely and then tossed with two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Be creative and find ways to add balsamic vinegar to your foods daily. Your heart and your waistline will benefit from this healthy way of eating.