Please join us at FMAR/FHWC for a Saturday morning nutrition lecture

 

“Should I be watching my carb intake?”

When: March 2^,  2013 from 10-11am

Join Monika Kraus, RD for a nutrition lecture about healthy eating and how to incorporate “healthy carbs” into your diet.

Please call 919-232- 9436 to sign up for this free program

 

 

 

How to sneak more fruits and vegetables into your diet

How to sneak more fruits and vegetables into your diet

At breakfast

• Add vegetables to your morning omelet
  
• Add fruit to yogurt
  
• Make a fruit smoothie
  

  (you can even add a handful of spinach without even noticing the taste)
  

• Make a peanut butter and banana sandwich
  

 

At lunch and dinner

• Add a variety of vegetables to your sandwich. Some ideas include roasted red peppers, banana peppers, avocado, and sprouts.
  
• Top pizza with a variety of vegetables
  
• Add chopped up vegetables to tuna and chicken salad
  
• Top a baked potato with vegetables and salsa
  
• Add spinach to a lasagna dish
  
• Mix pureed cauliflower into your mashed potatoes
  
• Add vegetables to your favorite chili recipe. You can either puree the vegetables or cut them into small pieces
  
• Put salsa as a marinade on chicken or fish
  
• Grill chicken, fish, or meat kabobs with lots of vegetables and pineapple
  
• Make a hearty vegetable soup or add frozen vegetables to a can of soup
  
• Add onions and peppers to a quesadilla
  
• Add onions, peppers, zucchini, etc. to your tomato sauce. If you do not like the texture of the vegetables in your sauce, puree the vegetables before adding them.
  
• Use mashed avocado on a sandwich instead of mayonnaise.
  
• Use pureed cauliflower in macaroni and cheese
  
• Use spaghetti squash instead of pasta as a side dish
  
• Instead of having a usual salad with lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers; add more color, taste, and texture with fruit, beans, and roasted red peppers.
  
• Try grilling fruits such as pineapple and peaches.
  

 

Snacks/Desserts/Drinks

• Have hummus with vegetables
  
• Have a yogurt with frozen fruit
  
• Make a fruit shake (yogurt, frozen fruit, ice)
  
• Freeze pineapple, berries, and grapes
  
• When making jello, add some fruit into the mixture
  
• Make zucchini bread, carrot cake, or banana bread and use a lot of the vegetable/fruit ingredient in the recipe.
  
• For dessert, try strawberries with whipped cream
  
• Puree a mixture of frozen berries, pineapple, and/or any other fruit you enjoy, then and a small amount of juice and freeze it in ice cube trays for a snack. You can even add toothpicks to make it into a popsicle.
  
• Add a few slices of orange, lemon, or lime to your water
  

Nutrition Discussion - How to eat more fruits and vegetables - and like it

Please join  us tonight, Wednesday, February 13^th  for a nutrition discussion – “How to eat more fruits and vegetables – and like it”.

The discussion will be led by Monika Kraus, MS, RD, LD

We will be meeting from 6:00-7:00PM at Family Health and Wellness, 3500 Bush Street, Raleigh NC 27609

If interested in attending, please call 919-232-9436.

We look forward to seeing you tonight.

How to choose a food scale

How to Choose a Food Scale
    

A food scale can be very helpful when focusing on portion control for weight loss. There are many scales available, and it can be overwhelming picking the "best" one. So how do you choose the right food scale for your needs when considering function, cost, and ease of use?

Benefits of a food scale

1. A food scale can give you an accurate measurement of what you are eating. Think about the last time you tried to measure a cup of cooked pasta– it can be very confusing about how much pasta fits into a one cup measuring cup. You will often have more pasta than indicated on the pasta box (meaning more calories). However if you measure it on a scale, you will get a true serving size measurement. This is possible because all food labels are required to provide measurements in grams. This is the method of measurement on a food scale.
2. A food scale will help you to get a better visual idea of portion sizes. This will be helpful when you are eating out, or do not have time to measure/weigh your food.

Picking a scale to purchase

1. Food scales range in price from a few dollars up to over $100.
2. You can purchase a mechanical scale which will only cost a few dollars, but may wear out after many uses and become less accurate. Therefore, mechanical scales will likely cost less, but may not last as long.
3. A second option is a digital scale. Most digital scales are accurate with measurement. The basics of most digital scales are the same. The prices range with all the extra's that they provide. Some scales are more stylish, can handle more weight, and/or offer more functions.
4. A third option is a digital nutrition scale. This is a digital scale that will weigh your food and also provide nutrition information including calories, protein, fat, sodium, etc.
5. When purchasing a scale it is important to consider the price, ease of use, food basket size, how easy it is read the numbers, extra functions, and ease of cleaning.

Some Food Scale Recommendations

1. EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale: $25 – converts from grams to ounces easily,
2. OXO Good Grips Food Scale with Pull-Out Display: $50 –Stainless steel platform can be removed to be easily cleaned.
3. Taylor Biggest Loser 6.6 pound kitchen scale with glass platform $12.50