As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, we find ourselves reaching for snacks and goodies all the more. We could argue there's a
scientific reason for our second helpings, or own up to the fact that our December food choices tend not to be the most light or nutritious. Like it or not, most winter meals are rich, abundant and frequent.
Luckily though, waistlines in North America have ballooned to the point that advice is everywhere… the
Consumerist.com is grading fast food chains on nutritional transparency and CNN has a launched a
Healthy Bodies segment on its website. Even our schools have taken measures to cut sugary and deep-fried items from their cafeteria menus. With the internet at hand and a flurry of bloggers to show you the way, you just may find a way of eating better this season and educating (or scaring) yourself out of a few thousand calories.
Avoid fast food and soft drinks… even the diet ones
We've all heard horror stories about fast food, but with recent additions like salads to the McDonald's menu and even more Subway "fresh" sandwich shops popping up everyday, the fast food industry has managed to clean up its dirty reputation just enough to lure even health-conscious individuals through the glass door.
So as you're racing through the mall in a shopping frenzy and you feel your blood sugar drop, this article tells you to mind the food court with caution (or not at all), by pointing out that
fertilizer and additives deemed too harmful for cats have been included in some of the most seemingly healthy menu options out there.
And lest we forget that triple hamburgers don't become nutritious by association, here is a
comparison chart of some popular items you might consider at the counter. If that's not enough to keep you from driving "thru" on the way home, here's a
reminder of what the food actually looks like when you order it, and a story about a
new breakfast option from Hardee's that weighs in with more fat and calories than two
McDonald's Double Cheeseburgers. Never mind the fact that most fast food sandwiches are consumed with some type of sugary, fizzy beverage. Speaking of which…
A blogger at Healthbolt claims these
gory details about what a single Coke will do to your body within an hour of drinking it. For Diet Coke drinkers and aspartame lovers, here's a video about
Donald Rumsfeld and a conspiracy theory brought to you by YouTube about
Stevia, a natural alternative to sugar currently
blocked in the US by the FDA but that is being considered for
future production of Diet Coke in North America.
Make smarter food choice (duh)
So what should you be eating? Here's an
exhaustive list of the world's healthiest foods to peruse before cooking for guests. For the kick in the pants you need to get everything done between visits, here are
100 ingredients towards better productivity.
That's not to say you shouldn't have any of the mashed potatoes or the pie. Allow yourself
a taste of everything in small portions, with most of your plate's real estate reserved for fresh vegetables and fruits. If you're a visual person, here's a quick glance at what
200 calories looks like.
If you've already mastered your eating habits and are a little bit of a nutrition guru, then here are some finicky food tricks you can add to your diet to move you from
clean living to performance eating. Until fast food chains in North America catch on to practices like those of
Leon's in the UK, join the
Slow Food movement and fine tune your eating philosophy.
Don't learn to eat poorly in the first place
At the end of the day, rethinking your approach to food from recreation to
fuel requires a lifestyle change. It's easier to keep eating well if you grew up on free-range chicken and not KFC, but even kids brought up healthy can pick up
bad food habits in adolescence.
With that in mind, the Dietitians of Canada offer
Let's Make a Meal and these
nutrition challenges for students. South of the border, The American Heart Association promotes healthy eating and exercise with help from Bill Clinton and
I Go Hugo, while General Mills's Eat Better America campaign shakes up their approach to online recipes with
The Good Food Fight.
Also, take time this season listen to this
broadcast about how others eat around the world and to play
Food Force, a video-game you can download from the United Nations that educates players about world hunger and the importance of a varied diet for proper health.
Finally, if you can't clean your plate,
consider "replating" it instead of refrigerating leftovers.
As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, we find ourselves reaching for snacks and goodies all the more. We could argue there's a scientific reason for our second helpings, or own up to the fact that our December food choices tend not to be the most light or nutritious. Like it or not, most winter meals are rich, abundant and frequent.
Luckily though, waistlines in North America have ballooned to the point that advice is everywhere… the Consumerist.com is grading fast food chains on nutritional transparency and CNN has a launched a Healthy Bodies segment on its website. Even our schools have taken measures to cut sugary and deep-fried items from their cafeteria menus. With the internet at hand and a flurry of bloggers to show you the way, you just may find a way of eating better this season and educating (or scaring) yourself out of a few thousand calories.
Avoid fast food and soft drinks… even the diet ones
We've all heard horror stories about fast food, but with recent additions like salads to the McDonald's menu and even more Subway "fresh" sandwich shops popping up everyday, the fast food industry has managed to clean up its dirty reputation just enough to lure even health-conscious individuals through the glass door.
So as you're racing through the mall in a shopping frenzy and you feel your blood sugar drop, this article tells you to mind the food court with caution (or not at all), by pointing out that fertilizer and additives deemed too harmful for cats have been included in some of the most seemingly healthy menu options out there.
And lest we forget that triple hamburgers don't become nutritious by association, here is a comparison chart of some popular items you might consider at the counter. If that's not enough to keep you from driving "thru" on the way home, here's a reminder of what the food actually looks like when you order it, and a story about a new breakfast option from Hardee's that weighs in with more fat and calories than two McDonald's Double Cheeseburgers. Never mind the fact that most fast food sandwiches are consumed with some type of sugary, fizzy beverage. Speaking of which…
A blogger at Healthbolt claims these gory details about what a single Coke will do to your body within an hour of drinking it. For Diet Coke drinkers and aspartame lovers, here's a video about Donald Rumsfeld and a conspiracy theory brought to you by YouTube about Stevia, a natural alternative to sugar currently blocked in the US by the FDA but that is being considered for future production of Diet Coke in North America.
Make smarter food choice (duh)
So what should you be eating? Here's an exhaustive list of the world's healthiest foods to peruse before cooking for guests. For the kick in the pants you need to get everything done between visits, here are 100 ingredients towards better productivity.
That's not to say you shouldn't have any of the mashed potatoes or the pie. Allow yourself a taste of everything in small portions, with most of your plate's real estate reserved for fresh vegetables and fruits. If you're a visual person, here's a quick glance at what 200 calories looks like.
If you've already mastered your eating habits and are a little bit of a nutrition guru, then here are some finicky food tricks you can add to your diet to move you from clean living to performance eating. Until fast food chains in North America catch on to practices like those of Leon's in the UK, join the Slow Food movement and fine tune your eating philosophy.
Don't learn to eat poorly in the first place
At the end of the day, rethinking your approach to food from recreation to fuel requires a lifestyle change. It's easier to keep eating well if you grew up on free-range chicken and not KFC, but even kids brought up healthy can pick up bad food habits in adolescence.
With that in mind, the Dietitians of Canada offer Let's Make a Meal and these nutrition challenges for students. South of the border, The American Heart Association promotes healthy eating and exercise with help from Bill Clinton and I Go Hugo, while General Mills's Eat Better America campaign shakes up their approach to online recipes with The Good Food Fight.
Also, take time this season listen to this broadcast about how others eat around the world and to play Food Force, a video-game you can download from the United Nations that educates players about world hunger and the importance of a varied diet for proper health.
Finally, if you can't clean your plate, consider "replating" it instead of refrigerating leftovers.