FEATURED ARTICLES
- Details
- Written by Lisa Jillanza
Use this handy calorie counter to find out how many calories are in some of your favorite Thanksgiving foods, and avoid packing on some extra pounds this holiday season.
Salads and Appetizers:
3 cups salad (with light dressing): 100 calories ½ cup jello with fruit: 120 calories ½ cup Waldorf salad: 110 calories 1 cracker with cheese: 70 calories ½ cup mixed raw vegetables: 25 calories ½ cup mixed nuts: 440 calories 1 oz. tortilla or potato chips: 150 calories (75 extra calories per tablespoon of dip)
Main Course:
6 oz. cured ham: 300 calories 6 oz. white and dark turkey: 340 calories ½ cup stuffing: 180 calories ½ cup cranberry sauce: 190 calories ½ cup mashed potatoes: 150 calories ½ cup gravy: 150 calories ½ cup green bean casserole: 225 calories ½ cup candied sweet potatoes: 150 calories 1 dinner roll: 110 calories (45 extra calories with one pat of butter)
Drinks:
1 mixed drink: 250 calories 1 glass of wine: 120 calories 1 glass of cider: 120 calories 1 cup eggnog: 343 calories
Desserts:
2 small chocolate chip cookies: 150 calories 1 piece apple pie: 410 calories 1 piece pecan pie: 480 calories 1 piece pumpkin pie: 180 calories ½ cup whipped cream: 75 calories ½ cup ice cream: 145 calories
Leftovers:
1 turkey sandwich with mayo and cranberry sauce: 450 calories 1 open-face turkey sandwich with stuffing and gravy: 290 calories
- Details
- Written by Lisa Jillanza
Instead of dragging yourself to the gym every day, fit these three simple exercises into your daily regimen at home and you will see results in no time. Begin any work out with a quick stretching routine and then do the following exercises, which target your upper, middle and lower muscle groups, gradually.
Push Ups: (Reps: Three sets of five, or five sets of three) Do simple push-ups, using your knees as your stability, instead of your toes. When lowering your body, try to go as slow as possible for the best work out.
Crunches: (Reps: Three sets of twenty) Do crunches instead of sit-ups because sit-ups tend to harm your back. Lay on your back with your hands locked behind your head, bend knees so your feet are on the floor and lift your shoulders and head up forming the crunch. If you can hold it for one second the work out will be more beneficial.
Half-knee bends: (Reps: Twenty) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hands on hips, lower your hips halfway and hold, placing your weight on the balls of your feet. Hold for a ten count and then go back to a normal stance.
- Details
- Written by Lisa Jillanza
When given the chance to choose their own meals, many children would opt for foods that don't necessarily make a complete meal with all of the vitamins and nutrients that they need.
That's why as parents we need to make sure that they are getting all of these important vitamins when we are choosing their daily meals.
Besides giving your child a daily multi-vitamin keep these tips in mind when label reading to make sure that they are getting all that they need from their food:
Calcium: Getting enough calcium is important to everyone, especially children. That's why children require at least 800 mg of calcium for children ages 4 to 8, and at least 1,300 mg of calcium for children 9 and older.
Iron: Many multi-vitamins do not contain iron, so be sure to supplement your child's meals with iron-rich foods to be sure they get the recommended 10 mg of iron a day.
Folic Acid: Important for so many reasons, including the production of red blood cells and healthy skin, hair and gums, a typical child's dose of folic acid is 75 to 150 mcg daily.
Vitamin C: Especially during cold and flu season, be sure to increase your child's daily intake of Vitamin C to at least 1 gram per day.
Vitamin D: Children's growing bones require plenty of Vitamin D, so many pediatricians recommend that children take a supplement with 800 to 1,000 IU of Vitamin D daily.
Vitamin A: Vitamin A is also important for a growing child's body, but too much Vitamin A can also be toxic, therefore many pediatricians suggest increasing your child's beta carotene intake, which is converted into Vitamin A in the body.
While these are just some of the main vitamins that your school-aged child needs on a daily basis, be sure to check with your own pediatrician to see what vitamins and minerals they suggest specifically for your child.
Make sure that your child is eating balanced meals and taking a daily multi-vitamin and your child will be well on their way to healthy lifestyle.
- Details
- Written by Lisa Jillanza
Long gone are the days when young trick or treaters travel from door to door getting fruit and popcorn from their neighbors. Instead, the new “normal” is to give out as much candy as possible and at the end of Halloween night the children's bags are chock full of sugar-filled, unhealthy items.
Nutrition experts (and dentists) cringe every time October 31 rolls around, but this year parents can not only do their part in giving out healthier treats, but they can also be sure to monitor what their children are eating, too.
We all know that too much sugar is bad for anyone, but do we know what effects too much sugar can have on our children? Nutrition experts offer the following points:
Children that consume too much sugar and too many carbs, can suffer from hypoglycemia causing fatigue, poor concentration, mood swings and frequent illness.
Too many “empty calories” can mean that children aren't getting the nutrients they need on a daily basis.
A new diabetic is diagnosed every 8 minutes, a threefold increase in the past 5 to 6 years when a new diabetic was diagnosed every 23 minutes.
Recent research has shown that more than 20% of school-aged children are obese and more than 50% are overweight.
Too much sugar can cause chronically elevated blood insulin levels triggering inflammatory problems and elevated cholesterol.
Now don't get us wrong, this Halloween doesn't have to be all “doom and gloom” when it comes to having a few treats.
Parents need to be very careful in monitoring what their child puts into their mouth and how often they are turning to sugary items.
Ration the sugary products over a longer period of time and incorporate them with a protein snack.
Having a protein, especially before the sugar snack, will slow and reduce the rate and quantity of insulin secreted by the pancreas, thereby reducing many of the risks stated above.
Here is to a Healthy and Happy Halloween. Enjoy!
- Details
- Written by Lisa Jillanza
In support of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the American Institute for Cancer Research recently estimated that nearly 40 percent of breast cancer can be prevented if all women would follow these four simple lifestyle changes.
1. Have one alcoholic drink per day, MAX : abstaining is even better although.
2. Get moving for at least 30 minutes per day : besides helping you to keep a healthy weight, exercise will also help boost your immune system and keep your hormones in check.
3. Watch your body weight and keep it down : fat cells produce estrogen which can only fuel some cancers.
4. If you have a baby and breastfeed, try to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months : this in and of itself can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer by 60 percent.
