• Bananas
• Oranges
• Apples
• Carrots
• Hard boiled eggs
• String cheese
• Yogurt
• Granola bars (Always be sure to check the nutritional content when buying grocery store granola bars. Some bars can be full of sugar!)
• Almonds
• Whole grain cereals

Healthy snacks don’t have to be hard to find. Fill up your lunch box with healthy snacks for the family and enjoy them on the go!

Interested in learning more about healthy eating? Call your HealthNet health center and ask to make a FREE appointment with our dietitian, Karen!

With Thanksgiving behind us, how did you do with your holiday eating behaviors?  Did you need your stretchy pants?  Did you make room for any fruits or vegetables?  Was your whole plate covered in gravy?  If you didn’t do as well as you wanted, here are 10 tips you can try out at upcoming holiday gatherings.

1. Use a smaller plate.  This will trick your brain into thinking you are eating more than you actually are.
2. Drink water. This will help you stay hydrated and feel full longer.
3. Make sure are not extremely hungry before getting to the “big meal.”  Being overly hungry before the meal could lead to overeating.
4. Load half your plate with healthy fruits and vegetables.  This will allow you to get some healthy calories and nutrients.
5. Think ahead about what foods will be available during the meal and plan what you are going to eat.  This will help cut down on impulse eating as you follow through with your plan.
6. To reduce the temptation to snack, stay out of the kitchen or away from areas where food is being prepared.
7. After your first plate of food, wait 20-30 minutes before going back for more. This will allow your mind to understand how full you are.
8. Exercise and be active throughout your day.  This will help burn more calories.
9. Give yourself permission to not finish and\or throw away extra food on your plate (or your child’s plate).  This will help limit extra calories that you are tempted to consume.
10. Moderation is key!  If there are a lot of foods you want to try, focus on putting a smaller portion of each item on your plate.

Hopefully these tips will allow you to cut down on extra calories, improve the quality of time spent with friends and family, and feel successful in a challenging environment!

Happy Holidays!

Post by Mike Lockard

Summer is here and most of us will probably attend a cook out or barbecue or host our own. While cookouts are great to spend time with family and friends, they might not be great for your health.

According to The Daily Meal, a single day of barbecue eating could total 2,652 calories!  Check out the information below on the calories and fat in your favorite cookout foods.

Hot dog with ketchup:                    315 calories/18.5 grams of fat

Potato salad (1 cup):                       358 calories/20.5 grams of fat

Hamburger patty:                            250 calories/9 grams of fat

Pasta salad (4.9 oz):                        370 calories/26 grams of fat

Lemonade (8 oz):                             98 calories/25.7 grams of sugar
*According to calorieking.com

To make it easier to say no to these unhealthy cookout foods, eat before you go so you are less likely to grab a plate full of food at the cookout.

If you can’t resist, be aware of your portions and drink lots of water. Water will help you feel full and can help stop the temptation of grabbing seconds!

Need help with healthy eating? Make a free appointment to see our Registered Dietitian today! Find a HealthNet Health Center near you by clicking here.

http://www.eatrightpro.org/resources/media/multimedia-news-center/national-nutrition-month-media-materials

There is no better time to get rid of your unhealthy eating habits than March, which is National Nutrition Month! This year’s theme, “Bite Into A Healthy Lifestyle” starts at the time when many New Year’s resolutions start to fail.  National Nutrition Month is a great reminder to try and eat a wholesome diet and maintain your exercise plan. Below are tips for eating better, as well as how to keep a healthy diet.

The internet has many different diet plans, but in reality there is no miracle to healthy eating and lifestyle changes. “There is no one pill, food, drink, or machine that is the key to achieving optimal nutrition and health,” says Morgan Richardson of the Scotland County Health Department (1). When shopping choose items such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. You should also plan time during your day to exercise and always be aware of your portion sizes. Don’t be fooled by low-calorie foods! Sometimes they can add up more than you think if your portion size is bigger than it should be. A lot of a good thing is not always a good thing!

A healthy diet can reduce your risk of diseases like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. It can also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and even prevent certain types of cancer.

Eating a balanced diet doesn’t mean you have to stop eating certain foods. When you don’t eat certain foods, it is common to want those foods again. If you give in and eat those foods, you might feel guilty and go back to your unhealthy eating habits (1).

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition recommends eight healthy eating goals which are (2):

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Make half the grains you eat whole grains.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Choose a variety of lean protein foods.
• Compare sodium in foods.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
• Eat some seafood.
• Cut back on solid fats.

The bottom line: 

Try to be more mindful of your food choices and exercise every day.  One way to do this is to keep daily food and activity logs.  There are several apps or web sites you can use that are free (myfitnesspal.com or app, fatsecret.com or app)!

Post by Karen Gough

Sources:

1. http://www.ibtimes.com/national-nutrition-month-2015-ideas-healthy-eating-habits-recipes-tips-balanced-diet-1830886

2. http://www.fitness.gov/eat-healthy/how-to-eat-healthy/

Our society is becoming so fast paced that we want things to be taken care of quickly and look for instant gratification.  That’s why we all, yes, even I’m guilty of it, go through the drive thru to grab dinner on the go instead of cooking at home.  Have you seen the statics now on obesity in America?  Did you know that more than 2/3 of adult Americans are obese or overweight? Or that about a quarter of 2-5 yr. olds and one-third of school-age children (including adolescents) are overweight or obese in the U.S.?  (Ogden et al., 2014)

When I was reading these facts it was quite a shock to me.  Did you know that obesity is considered a medical illness and that it has its own set of issues that follow with it?  Why is it that we don’t take a few minutes out of our day to cook healthy meals at home?  Why is it that we are okay with eating chips or drinking 48 oz. sodas from the gas station and think that it is sufficient for us and our bodies to function properly?  It seems that we as a society have gotten away from eating our fruits and vegetables that have all the natural nutrients our bodies need on a daily basis.

I attended a conference last year that mentioned, if we just ate healthier and ate our recommended fruits and vegetables, our body would get the necessary dopamine and serotonin naturally that we are looking for in medicines now.  I’ve read numerous articles talking about the unhealthy effects of processed foods on us and our immune system.

So I ask you, is it really worth it to you and your family’s wellness and well-being to go through the drive-thru consistently?  Is it worth adding to or creating medical issues?  What we put into our body affects our moods and irritability.  What we do or do not put into our body also affects our overall well-being and how we function.  If we don’t get the essential vitamins, nutrients and proteins we need, it kurplunks, like a car when it doesn’t get its regular oil changes, tune ups, and gas.

So remember, this year as our New Year’s resolution, let’s all try to eat healthier meals!

For more information on a healthy diet, call your HealthNet health center and ask to make a FREE appointment with our dietician, Karen Gough.

Post by Bhumi Bhavsar

Source:  http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/obesity-in-the-us/

At the beginning of May HealthNet and IU Health started a voucher program that provided $7.00/week to shop at the Garden on the Go locations.  This Rx program will run from May thru November 2012.  There will be 25 participants chosen to participate.  I currently have 21 participants enrolled.  There have been many positive comments on how this has helped increase the intake of fruits and vegetables.  Thank you to all my patients who are participating.

photo from National Nutrition Month

Getting back to the basics of healthy eating is to eat foods in their most natural form.  Many foods in our society are processed and ready to eat.  These types of foods have more fat, salt and sugar.  By using the plate to get in shape, you can make informed choices and get the right amount of fruits/vegetables in your daily intake.  Half your plate should be fruits/vegetables, a quarter protein and a quarter grains.

Diet Tip:

How many fruits and veggies should you eat?  Five or more per day.  Try to get a rainbow of colored fruits and veggies daily.
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Editor’s note: This month’s theme is “Our HealthNet”!  Our bloggers have taken on this topic and are talking about how it takes a community for us to provide quality health care and support services.  Click here to find out more about our topic this month.

Here’s a new tool to help guide what goes on your plate.

Today, the Obama administration is tossing out the old food pyramid, that symbol for healthy eating for the last two decades. In its place, officials are dishing up a simple new icon meant to give consumers like you and me a fast, easily grasped reminder of the basics of a healthy diet. Watch the announcement live!

Photo by leoncillo sabino

The new symbol is meant to help educate consumers about the government’s latest dietary guidelines, which were released in January. These guidelines come at a time when two-thirds of adults and one in three children are overweight or obese.

It’s also a time when nearly 15 percent of American households are unable to acquire adequate food to meet their needs. And with today’s economy, that rate keeps climbing.

It might seem like a paradox, but not having enough money for food actually promotes obesity — by limiting choices and discouraging healthy decisions.

For many low-income families, putting food on the table comes down to tough choices. Do I pay extra for pricey yet healthy foods, but skip other essentials for my family? Or do I buy the cheapest, most filling junk food I can find so that I can pay my rent on time? I can’t do both.

Obesity IS an economic issue.  Eating well is beyond the reach of many Hoosiers. Thankfully, many folks are working to change that picture in Indy.

Two-thirds of adults and one in three children are overweight or obese.

Take Garden on the Go – bringing a truck full of affordable, fresh produce into inner city neighborhoods every day.

Or HealthNet – providing free, one-on-one nutrition counseling in seven low-income neighborhoods around the city. Last year, we helped over 1,000 people take control of their diet and begin making healthy choices on a budget.

These are just two of many initiatives that are under way to make Indy a healthier place to live. Sign up our e-newsletter for regular updates!

Learn more about how YOU can stay healthy on a budget, and how you can help others in Indy do the same!