Healthy Recipe Substitutions

We all have our favorite family recipes that we love to make and eat. Then you hear the news from your physician that you need to eat healthier, lose weight, and/or cut down on fat, sugar, and salt intake. So how do you still enjoy your favorite recipes, while taking care of your health. Below are some healthy ingredient substitutions for your favorite dishes without losing the great taste you want.

These are ideas that everyone will enjoy.

Substitution List for your favorite recipes

• Instead of cream in a recipe: Use fat free half-and-half, evaporated milk
• Instead of one egg: Use 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute
• Instead of regular mayonnaise: Use low-fat mayonnaise
• Instead of whole milk: Use 1% fat or skim milk
• Instead of sugar: Reduce the sugar in the recipe in ½, or use 1/2 sugar and 1/2 Splenda, or add cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla extract
• Instead of fruit canned in heavy syrup: Use canned fruit in its own juices, fresh fruit, or frozen fruit
• Instead of sour cream: Use reduced fat sour cream or low-fat plain yogurt
• Instead of cream cheese: Use reduced fat cream cheese or nonfat ricotta cheese
• Instead of vegetable oil in dessert recipes: Use less oil than what the recipe calls for, or replace half of the oil with unsweetened applesauce, or use half unsweetened applesauce and half plain low-fat yogurt
• Instead of butter, margarine, shortening or oil to prevent sticking in a pan: Use cooking spray or use a non-stick cooking pan.
• Instead of bacon: Use Canadian bacon, turkey bacon, smoked turkey or lean prosciutto (Italian ham)
• Instead of dry bread crumbs: Use Rolled oats or crushed high fiber cereal
• Instead of Pasta, enriched (white): Use whole wheat pasta
• Instead of recommended amount of cheese in a recipe: Cut the amount in half

And one final tip…When looking at a recipe, read the ingredients and think about how you can make it healthier. With a few modifications you can often find the taste that you like and still enjoy your favorite recipes.

Food Cravings

Attached is a great article from WebMD on how to control "food cravings". I hope you enjoy the article.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/cravings-why-they-strike-what-to-do

Please join us this Saturday at CMWL/FMAR for a nutrition class

“Eating healthy on a budget”

Date: Saturday, January 21, 2012

Time: 10:00am-11:00am

Where: Family Medical Associates of Raleigh,

3500 Bush Street, Raleigh NC

If interested in attending, please call

Sarah Saba at 919-232-9436.

Are you getting enough water

Water: Are You Getting Enough?

Most of us have heard, “Drink plenty of water everyday”. Everywhere you go you see advertisements for bottled water, water filters, and trendy water based drinks. So you may be asking why do I need water? How much? And what kind is the best? Read below to find out the answers to these questions.

Why Do You Need Water?
Water makes up approximately 60% of your total body weight and is an essential nutrient in the diet (humans need it for survival); however most Americans do not meet the recommended intake of this nutrient.


Water is needed for many functions in the human body including:

• Keeping your body temperature regulated through perspiration
• Cushions your organs and joints, and acts as a lubricant for your body
• Carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells in your body and removes waste from your body.
• Helps dissolve nutrients including vitamins and minerals so they can be used by your body.
• Helps to ensure regular bowel activity.
• Helps to curb your appetite.

How Much Water Do You Need?

• It is recommended to have at least 8 eight ounce glasses (2 quarts) of water a day. 
• If you are active and/or exercising, are in very warm or cold weather, at high altitudes, pregnant or breastfeeding you need even more water.

What Is Considered a Good Source of Water?

• A glass of water from the tap, bottle, or filtered is a great way to keep you hydrated. It is calorie free, refreshing, and free of charge (if you use tap water). Contrary to what many people believe, you will not gain weight from drinking water. Water will actually help you lose weight as it helps carry waste out of the body through urine, improves bowel regularity, reduces the feeling of bloating, and helps fill you up.
• If you do not like water, any other non-alcoholic and caffeine-free beverage will also help you meet your requirements. Some good sources include juice, herbal tea, low fat or skim milk, seltzer, and soup. These provide additional nutrients along with fluid, but remember, the will also provide calories and therefore portion sizes should be monitored.
• Food with high water content (lettuce, oranges, grapefruit, cucumbers, etc) will also provide plenty of water.

Tips For Increasing Water Intake

• Drink a glass of water when you wake up in the morning.
• Carry a water bottle with you throughout the day and keep refilling it. Be sure to wash out the water bottle daily to avoid bacteria buildup.
• Drink water with your meals.
• Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator. If you do not like plain water, add slices of oranges and lemons for a refreshing drink.
• Keep a glass of water at your desk at work.
• Keep a glass of water at your bedside at night.
• Snack on fruits and vegetables.
• If you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water. Often we think we are hungry when we are actually slightly dehydrated and water will solve the craving.
• Limit caffeine intake, as caffeine is dehydrating and you will need additional water if you drink a lot of caffeinated beverages.
• After you start drinking more water, you will find it gets easier and it becomes a regular part of your day.

Signs Of Not Getting Enough Water (Dehydration)

• Light colored urine is usually a sign of being well hydrated. However, if your urine is dark yellow (except first thing in the morning and/or if you are taking a multivitamin), you are probably not getting enough water.
• If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Therefore drinking water is the best way to prevent this from occurring.
• Your mouth and/or skin may feel dry.
• You may feel tired.
• You may experience a headache.
• You may feel hungry.

These signs may also be a signal of other conditions; so please consult your physician if any of these symptoms are not relieved with increasing water intake and these symptoms persist for an extended period of time.



Happy New Year

Ten Ideas to Kick Off a Healthy, Happy 2012

1. Make a New Years resolution that you can keep. Vowing to yourself that you’ll eliminate all sweets and processed carbohydrates, exercise seven days a week, and only eat out once per month is unrealistic for almost everyone. If you do choose to make a health-related resolution, choose only one or two, make sure it is focused, and make it something you truly can and want to achieve. You’re far more likely to keep it if you set yourself up for success by making it realistic.

2. Drink more water. Think very carefully before you consider consuming empty calories through beverages (soda, juice, wine, beer, sports drinks, cappuccino, etc.) Is it worth it? Beverage calories can be reduced to zero if you stick to water, and you will feel good physically, too. (Plus-it’s free!) Add a squeeze of lime or lemon, or a sprig of mint to keep it interesting. (Don’t fret – coffee and tea are still ok, as long as it isn’t loaded with sugar and cream.)

3. Do one more active thing daily. If you currently don’t exercise at all, just think of taking one flight of stairs that you might usually do by elevator, or parking at the back of the lot to walk into the supermarket. If you currently exercise several days per week, consider adding 5-10 minutes onto your current routine, or add something that’s missing (cardio? Weights?) Start small, but make it consistent.

4. Add one more vegetable serving to your plate each day. (1 cup of leafy greens is a serving, ½ cup cooked or raw veggies is a serving, ½ cup pure vegetable juice is one serving). Spinach and tomatoes on your sandwich? Red peppers and mushrooms with your eggs? Carrots in your smoothie?

5. Try a new vegetable! If you’ve never had kohlrabi, broccolini, or jicama, now is the time! Google a recipe and expand your veggie horizons.

6. Include your family in your nutrition or exercise endeavors. It will make it easier to maintain your new habits, and it will be good for them as well.

7. If you are considering joining a gym, don’t do it immediately. It will cost you money just to sign up, and if you end up not liking it, not going, or it’s too crowded, and you’ll regret it and lose your money. Shop around, and ask for a free trial period of at least a week, or maybe a month. Most gyms will be more than willing to accommodate, especially at the beginning of the year when new member specials abound. Once you get a sense of the gym and see how it fits into your life, then you can join. Just don’t waste money on something that might not work in the long run. Gyms make mega-money on people who sign on but never show up.

8. Consider eliminating carbohydrates from at least one dinner per week, maybe more. That means eat one lean protein and veggies for dinner, loading up on the veggies, and avoiding potatoes, rice, and pasta as side dishes.

9. Get outside! Even if it’s chilly, bundle up and walk a block or two, breathing the fresh air and getting some winter sunshine. It’s good for your body and your mind, especially while the daylight hours are minimal.

10. Set small goals, and be proud of small successes. Any major lifestyle changes take time, and none of them happen overnight. If you want to lose 20 lbs, start with a goal of 5 lbs, and then another 5 lbs once you reach the first goal. Small successes still deserve to be celebrated, and they make the longer-term goals more attainable. If you can do the first 5, you know you can do the next.

Happy New Year, all year long!