Eat a Healthy Lunch … Keep Going All Afternoon Long!

8:43 AM

Have you ever experienced a drain of energy in the afternoon? Do you feel a crash-and-burn after lunch? Many factors can influence your energy level in the afternoon, some more obvious than others: the quantity of sleep you had last night; what time you woke up; physical activity earlier that day; and (try to guess… ) food! Okay, this is a nutrition blog: that was an easy one! With too little food consumed, you will run out of energy and feel tired. How to find the balance? What is a healthy lunch that will give you energy for the whole afternoon? Here are some tips for you:

Go low on fat.

Fatty foods take time to digest. Your digestive system needs blood to be able breakdown the food. This process directs a large portion of blood (and oxygen) to your digestive system muscles. Result: less oxygen is available for the rest of your other muscles, organs and brain, making you feel tired.

Give plenty of room for the rainbow.

Vegetables and fruits are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These nutrients and compounds help you to stay healthy. Choose whole fruits and vegetables rather than juices: they contain more nutrients and help you feel fuller longer.

Eat your carbs.

Potatoes, pasta, rice, quinoa, bread and crackers: they all share a common nutrient -- carbohydrates. Carbs are the source of fuel used by your brain and muscles. Limiting your intake of carbohydrates would have detrimental effects on your level of energy. Keep your level of energy high by including at least one source of high energy food (carbs) in your lunch. Try to select those with high fiber content (i.e., whole grain bread or pasta, quinoa, brown rice). They reduce the rate of absorption of carbohydrate, making your energy level more evenly distributed over time.

Include a source of protein.

Whether your proteins come from chicken, meat, fish, eggs, legumes (i.e., lentils, beans) or dairy (i.e., cheese or yogurt), they all have an effect of satiety or satisfaction. This means your hunger will stay away longer.

Drink enough liquids.

Did you know that being dehydrated can impair both physical and cognitive (brain) performance? Be sure to include a drink in your lunch to stay hydrated. Water is a good option; and milk hydrates as well as provides many essential nutrients, like calcium and vitamin D.

Take time to eat your meal.

Lunchtime isn’t just time to fuel up, it is also time to relax. Wherever you are (school, home, work, restaurant, beach - hey, it is still summer!) try to take at least 20 minutes to eat your meal. It is the minimum time for your brain to receive the signal from your stomach saying it is full. After a little rest, you will have more energy for the afternoon!

Eat that healthy lunch to keep your energy level high in the afternoon! Need new ideas…. check out this website: WINforum.org!

Stay tuned for another Best Teen Diets blog!

By Genevieve Masson, RD (@nutgmasson)

How-To

How-to: Grill Anything Right

3:30 PM

Grocery Shopping

15 Fresh Brown Bag Lunch Ideas

4:46 PM

If you're a parent of school-age kids, you're probably no stranger to brown bananas and smashed sandwiches aging in the bottom of your child's backpack. By the end of the school year, most kids are tired of eating the same bag lunch day after day at school. Even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can grow old.

Summer brings a change of weather and daytime activities. Why not change what you pack in your children’s camp or summer school lunches?

These 15 kids’ lunchbox ideas are based on four key elements. Use them when you fix your summer lunches, too:

15 Fun Lunchbox Ideas for Kids

Try these menu items to jazz up bag lunches.

Pasta Lover's Lunch Salad. Pack a cold pasta salad and a plastic fork, and your pasta lover will love you, too! Make the salad with lean meat or low-fat cheese (so it has some protein), lots of vegetables to boost fiber and nutrition, and whole wheat or whole-grain pasta. Toss everything together with a light bottled vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil or canola oil.

Mediterranean Pita Pocket. Fill a pita pocket with falafel balls and some homemade or store-bought hummus. Some falafel balls come cooked and ready to add.

Fruit and Cheese Plate. Fill a divided plastic container with assorted cubes or slices of reduced fat cheese, easy-to-eat fruit such as apple and pear slices, grapes, berries or melon and whole-wheat crackers.

Peanut Butter Fun Pack. Make a peanut butter fun pack by spooning two tablespoons of natural-style peanut butter in a reusable plastic container, along with whole wheat crackers or whole wheat pita pocket wedges and raw vegetables such as celery, zucchini, or jicama sticks.

Everything Is Better on a Mini Bagel. Whole-wheat bagels are a wonderful foundation for hardy sandwiches that stand up to being in a backpack or locker all morning. Start with one regular or a few mini bagels. Add tuna or lean, roasted, and sliced turkey or roast beef. Top it off with reduced-fat cheese and fresh tomato, onion, and Romaine lettuce or sprouts. Two mini bagels can supply 6 grams of fiber to the meal.

Celebrate Lunch Salads. A plastic container can hold the makings of a delicious salad lunch. For a Cobb salad, fill it with spinach or chopped dark green lettuce, chopped hard-boiled egg, light cheese, and/or lean ham. Or toss in the ingredients for a Chinese chicken salad: dark salad greens, shredded chicken, shredded carrots, sliced green onion, and toasted sliced almonds.

The salad will stay fresher if your child adds the dressing at lunchtime. Put a light dressing into a small container, buy packets of light dressing, or use extra packets of dressing left over from a fast-food meal.

It's a Wrap! Wraps are a nice change of pace from the usual sandwich. Use a high-fiber multigrain flour tortilla, available in most supermarkets. Spread on mustard, hummus, light salad dressing, or green or sundried tomato pesto. Then fill 'er up with chicken Caesar salad or assorted lean meats, cheese, tomato, sliced onion, and shredded Romaine lettuce. Just roll it up and wrap in foil. Kids can eat it like a burrito -- by unwrapping it on one end and working their way down.

Noodle Soup Cups. Many schools offer a hot water dispenser so older kids (or young kids with assistance) can add hot water to packaged noodle soup cups. Even the more healthful soup options can be high in sodium, however, so you may not want to pack them in your child’s lunch more than once a week.

Some brands are lower in sodium and fat, and higher in fiber, than others. The nutrition label tells the story. If your child has access to a microwave, you can pack one of the more healthful microwaveable individual soup containers now available from major brands.

Veggie Sushi. Not all kids will go for this, but some children really like seaweed-wrapped sushi rolls. You can now buy pre-made sushi at many supermarkets. Choose sushi that is filled with veggies (such as avocado and cucumber) so there's no chance that it will get a little "fishy" in your child's backpack.

Fun Fried Rice. When made with eggs, tofu or chopped lean meat, and lots of veggies, cold fried rice can be a satisfying noontime treat. Make your own using brown rice. Or set some aside for the next day when you get take-out Chinese food for dinner.

Talk About Taquitos. Taquitos are easy to eat and easy to pack. In the morning, lay a few bean and cheese frozen taquitos on a small sheet of foil. Pop them into a toaster oven to crisp them up. Wrap them up in the foil and slide them in your child’s lunch bag. For a vegetarian option, bean taquitos are available in some stores.

BBQ Chicken Sandwich. Your child can assemble a yummy BBQ grilled chicken sandwich fresh at lunchtime. Just pack a grilled, boneless, skinless chicken breast with some lettuce and sliced tomato in one baggie and a whole-wheat bun in another. Add a packet of BBQ sauce and it's good to go.

Muffin Mania. Muffins can add flavor and flair to a bag lunch. If you bake them ahead and keep them in the freezer, you just have to pull out one or two in the morning. By lunch, they’ll be soft and ready to eat.

There are a few tricks to improving the health value of muffin recipes. Substitute in whole-wheat flour for at least half of the flour in recipes that call for white flour. Incorporate other whole grains when possible. Add in summer fruits such as berries or peaches or vegetables like corn or grated zucchini, when appropriate. You can also cut back on the sugar called for in a recipe when you add in fruit. Switch in smart fats (such as canola or olive oil), when possible, and reduced saturated fat options (such as reduced fat cheese).

Tasty Spanakopita Triangles. These spinach-filled filo puffs are vegetarian finger food that’s fun to eat. Some stores carry frozen spanakopita that you can bake in the morning or the night before and pack in your child’s lunch. Read the label to find a brand that's got plenty of vitamins A and C, plus iron and calcium.

Soy Much for Sandwiches. For a change of pace, make soy the center of your child’s lunch. There are more and more great-tasting soy-based products available. For example, specialty grocery stores carry meatless corn dogs. To prepare one for a bag lunch, heat it up in the microwave in the morning. Remove the wooden stick, crisp it up briefly in the toaster oven, and wrap it in foil. Meatless versions of chicken nuggets are also available and can be prepared just like the corn dogs. The trick is finding a brand your child enjoys that isn’t too high in sodium.

Tasty Side Dishes

Add some of these to round out your child’s lunch:

Fruit cups (with no sugar added)
Applesauce in flavors such as pomegranate or cranberry-raspberry (also with no sugar added)
Nuts or seeds in a shell (if age and allergy appropriate), such as walnuts, pistachios, peanuts, or sunflower seeds
Raw veggies (ready to pack) such as carrot sticks, sugar snap peas, celery, or jicama sticks
Cheese sticks -- available in 2% sharp cheddar, part skim-milk mozzarella, pepper jack, and more
Healthy snack bars (individually wrapped) with 3 or more grams of fiber, less than 10 grams sugar, and no more than 1 gram saturated fat
Yogurt in individual containers (keep it cold by packing them with a reusable ice pack or a small water bottle that has been frozen.)

Related: "Brown Bag Lunch Ideas"

Original article, “15 Fresh Brown Bag Lunch Ideas” by Elaine Magee, MPH, RD

Best Teen Diets recommends healthy well balanced eating that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and low-fat or fat-free dairy. We offer nutrition information for teens, parents and educators that emphasizes the importance of healthy eating for teens. For more information visit www.bestteendiets.org

Fats

Fat: Not Always So Fattening

4:00 PM

By Kristi Tamaki, RD / Best Teen Diets Contributor

Good fats, bad fats, low-fat, fat-free.... All these terms can send us into a tornado of confusion. There was a time in my life when I thought that eating a salad plain, without any dressing and piled high with veggies and topped with some form of protein would be the best for me, even if it didn't taste nearly as good. Well it turns out that fat can make a salad better for me because some of the vitamins that are found in the veggies can't be used by my body without fat! Think of it like the vehicle that transports the nutrients from veggie to body. So I need fat? Yes.

Fat is necessary, but don't just give yourself free reign. Instead, choose the healthy fats (unsaturated fats) that come from avocados, nuts, seeds, fish, and olive and canola oils. And use them in moderate portions. So I guess if you really liked your salads plain, a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar could work wonders for you without changing the taste too much. But sometimes we want that creamy dressing that we're told to stay away from. Say no more-- there's a healthy option for that! The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recently shared how we can make salads healthier and included this little tidbit of information:

"We've been conditioned to avoid full-fat salad dressings, but a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that, like avocados, the oils in salad dressings help us absorb the carotenoids in our salad veggies. In addition, fat, whether it's from a salad dressing or an avocado, helps us absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, says registered dietitian Lona Sandon. Finally, adding a little fat — one or two tablespoons of dressing — to your salad can help you feel fuller and more satisfied."

Original article "Healthy Salads: Top This! Five Surprising Toppings For A Healthier Salad" from The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Best Teen Diets recommends healthy well balanced eating that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and low-fat or fat-free dairy. We offer nutrition information for teens, parents and educators that emphasizes the importance of healthy eating for teens. For more information visit www.bestteendiets.org

Food

Tuna Melt Recipe Video

4:17 PM

Lifestyle

Dining out at home: restaurant inspiration #3

11:50 PM

Do you love eating out, but loathe the fact that you can’t fully control what is actually in your food, the way it’s prepared and the often-hefty amount of calories your meal contains? Well, worry no more! Here is one of three healthy restaurant-inspired dinners that you can make at home, while controlling all of these factors—and it’s all at a fraction of the cost you would pay at a restaurant.

The Pizza Shop Meal: Pizza

The typical slice of pizza is not only greasy, but can also be low in fiber and high in fat, carbs and calories.

The Pizza Shop-inspired Meal: Mini-Pizza Eggplant Rounds

Why we love it: Who doesn’t love pizza? This version comes without overdoing the carbs, fat and calories, but it is packed with the veggies, extra nutrients and fiber that most meals lack.

How to make it:
Ingredients
1 eggplant
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Low-fat, low-sodium tomato sauce
Low-fat mozzarella, shredded
Black pepper or Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice an eggplant into thin rounds, about ½ inch thick. With olive oild, lightly spray both a baking sheet and the eggplant rounds and arrange them on the baking tray. Heat the rounds until hot, which should take about five minutes. Once hot take them out and flip them over, sprinkling each round with a teaspoon of grated Parmesan before returning them to the oven for about five minutes or until the parmesan is melted. Take them out once again and add one tablespoon each of tomato sauce and shredded low-fat mozzarella on each eggplant round. Return the eggplant rounds to the oven and bake one final time for another five minutes or until cheese is bubbling. Season with black pepper or Italian seasoning and enjoy!

Related: "Dining out at home: restaurant inspiration #2", "Dining out at home: restaurant inspiration #1"

View original post, "Ditch Dining Out: 3 Restaurant-inspired Dinner Ideas That are Actually Good for You" by The American Council on Exercise

Best Teen Diets recommends healthy well balanced eating that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and low-fat or fat-free dairy. We offer nutrition information for teens, parents and educators that emphasizes the importance of healthy eating for teens. For more information visit www.bestteendiets.org

How-To

How To: Make Lentil Soup

7:20 PM

Breakfast

Identify MyPlate recipes with a new icon!

8:40 AM

By Nanci Hellmich of USA TODAY

The sum of it:

Five major media companies will be using the MyPlate icon on healthy recipes
It will take the "guesswork" out of finding healthy recipes, the first lady says
A new Pinterest page will spotlight the recipes

The recipes that meet the specific nutrition criteria will have the MyPlate image.

It's going to be a lot easier to tell if a recipe is pretty nutritious or a diet disaster.

First lady Michelle Obama is unveiling a plan today that will flag thousands of healthy recipes that align with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidance for healthy eating and the MyPlate icon (choosemyplate.gov).

Five media companies — Condé Nast Magazines, Hearst Magazines, Meredith, Food Network and Time Inc. with 18 cooking websites, from AllRecipes.com to FoodNetwork.com to GoodHousekeeping.com — are working with the first lady's Let's Move! (letsmove.gov) campaign to identify the MyPlate-worthy recipes. More than 3,000 recipes will be featured on a new Pinterest page.

"This partnership takes the guesswork out of finding healthy recipes and gives parents the information and the tools they need to make healthy choices for their families every day," Mrs. Obama said in a statement.

The recipes may be for an entrée or a side dish that meets at least one part of the MyPlate criteria, such as having a lean protein, whole grain or fruit or vegetable, says Sam Kass, assistant chef and senior policy adviser for Healthy Food Initiatives at the White House.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture "is also partnering in this effort to ensure that the recipes align with the dietary guidelines and have limited added sugar and saturated fat and are low in sodium," he says.

The MyPlate icon marks recipes that are healthy

The MyPlate icon on recipes "is a simple tool and a tool that can be incredibly powerful for families," Kass says. The Pinterest page will help families share recipes they like, he says. "Cooking a new dish is a risk for parents, because if the kids don't like it, you have a problem on your hands."

Elizabeth Ward, a registered dietitian in Boston and author of MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better, calls the MyPlate icon "the program in its simplest form — a visual reminder of what to put on your plate.

"The overall MyPlate program suggests that you enjoy your food without eating too many calories, eat a variety of protein-rich foods, make half of your plate fruits and vegetables (but not fried or slathered in butter), make sure half of the grains you consume are whole grains, drink fat-free or low-fat 1% milk, use healthy oils such as canola and olive oil."

The first lady is celebrating the third anniversary of her "Let's Move!" initiative to combat childhood obesity. About a third of kids and teens are overweight or obese, putting them at a greater risk of developing a host of debilitating and costly diseases, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

The publications that are participating in the MyPlate recipe program include Allrecipes.com; Better Homes & Gardens (bhg.com); CookingLight.com; CountryLiving.com; Delish.com; DiabeticLivingOnline.com; EatingWell.com; Epicurious.com; Everyday With Rachael Ray (rachaelraymag.com); FamilyCircle.com; FoodNetwork.com; GoodHousekeeping.com; MyRecipes.com; Parents.com; RealSimple.com; Redbook (redbookmag.com); Recipe.com; Woman'sDay.com. Collectively, those websites attracted 150 million page views in January.

Families can share recipes on Pinterest

Read the original article, "First lady's plan identifies healthy MyPlate recipes" by Nancy Hellmich

Breakfast

Mandarin Oranges: 7 Ways to Use Them

9:22 PM

A Colorful Splash

Mandarin orange varieties like Clementines and Satsumas are typically eaten out of hand or canned for use in fruit salads. But they're just as welcome in savory sauces, salads, salsas, and even ice cream pies. Open a can and enjoy.

Mandarin-Berry-Almond Floats

A colorful addition to brunches, teas, or pot lucks, this easy make-ahead dessert combines Mandarin oranges, fresh raspberries and cubes of homemade almond gelatin with a simple syrup that's flavored with cardamom seeds and orange juice.

Recipe: Mandarin-Berry-Almond Floats

Crispy Sesame Salad Stack

It may look like an architectural masterpiece, but this Asian salad is easy to pull off. Store-bought wonton skins sprinkled with sesame seeds are oven roasted to form crisp layers. Packaged salad greens, cashews, green onions, and mandarins tossed with an orange-soy vinaigrette make the crispy filling.

Recipe: Crispy Sesame Salad Stack

Best Ever Chinese-Chicken Salad

It's hard to believe, but Chinese-Chicken salad gets even tastier with the addition of asparagus, avocado, and fresh mandarin oranges. If you can't find fresh mandarins, substitute the canned variety. And if time is short, substitute canned chow mein noodles for the pan-fried wontons.

Recipe: Best Ever Chinese-Chicken Salad

Soft Shrimp Tacos With Tropical Salsa

The ingredient list is long, but prep for these shrimp tacos is a snap thanks to mostly canned salsa ingredients (mandarin oranges, pineapple, and chopped green chilies) and a spicy filling made with already peeled and deveined shrimp, shredded Jack cheese and lightly sautéed bell peppers and onions.

Recipe: Soft Shrimp Tacos With Tropical Salsa

Orange Mandarin Chicken

Pan seared chicken is topped with a cooked sauce of mandarins, jalapeño, soy sauce, green onions and cornstarch for a quick weeknight supper that can be served over instant rice or Asian noodles. If you like fiery flavors, add extra chopped jalapeño or chili garlic paste to the sauce.

Recipe: Orange Mandarin Chicken

Mandarin Cream Delight

A simple dessert for pot lucks, this tropical delight is made in three parts. First, a sugar cookie-style crust bakes to form the bottom layer. Top the crisp crust with a fluffy sweet concoction of sour cream, mandarin oranges and instant pudding, then crown with a whipped topping cloud.

Recipe: Mandarin Cream Delight

Orange Cream Pie

Pick your favorite vanilla ice cream and beat in canned mandarin orange sections for a sweet-tart filling housed in a prepared graham cracker crust. If your family prefers sweet pie fillings over tart, stir in a little well-drained crushed pineapple to sweeten things up.

Recipe: Orange Cream Pie

BONUS: Use mandarins in our Quick Kebab or Breakfast Parfait recipes!

Check out the full slideshow, "7 Ways With Mandarin Oranges" from MyRecipes.com

Best Teen Diets recommends healthy well balanced eating that includes fruits, vegetables,whole grains, protein and low-fat or fat-free dairy. We offer nutrition information for teens, parents and educators that emphasizes the importance of healthy eating for teens. For more information visit www.bestteendiets.org

Lunch

Brown Bag Lunch Ideas

11:18 AM

In the quest to fuel your teen with heart-healthy foods that won’t weigh them down (or your pocketbook), here are 10 tasty, healthy, and economical options for your child to take to school or summer camp. Just make sure you keep these items cold (cold items should stay below 40 degrees Fahrenheit at all times) by packing their lunches in an insulated bag and tossing in an ice pack along with it.

A healthy lunch should always include these key ingredients:

Whole grain. Your child needs fiber for good health and cholesterol control. So always pack a whole grain with lunch. Whole wheat bread, English muffins, pita, tortillas, whole grain pasta, and crackers are all examples.
Lean protein. Protein will help satisfy their appetite and give them much-needed energy for the afternoon. Alternate plant and animal-based protein options throughout the week. Nuts, peanut butter, beans, lean beef, chicken, tofu, milk, yogurt or fish are good sources of protein.
Veggies. Your child needs at least 1 ½ cups of veggies each day so supply at least ½ to 1 cup at lunch. Baby carrots, cucumber or pepper slices, veggie soup, grape tomatoes or spinach – your options are endless.
Fruit. Fresh fruit is a great way to end a meal with a little “sweet” touch. Pack fresh, dried or canned (in light syrup) fruit in your child’s lunch every day. If they are too full to eat it for lunch, it makes a great portable mid-afternoon snack.

10 Great Ideas for Lunch

Hummus Wrap

Spread a ¼ cup portion of hummus over a whole-wheat tortilla and top with diced tomatoes, romaine lettuce, grated carrot, and sliced artichoke. Roll tightly. Add a serving of nonfat yogurt, a handful of nuts, and an apple.

Cracker Delight

Some kids just don’t like to eat a sandwich, but you can still give them the “insides” of a sandwich and serve with whole grain crackers. Pack a serving of whole grain crackers and let them top with any of the following protein-rich foods: rolled turkey breast lunchmeat, tuna salad made with light mayo, 2% fat cheddar cheese slices, or hummus. Toss in a baggie of cooked and cooled edamame (green soy beans), 1 cup diced melon, and a carton of milk.

Veggie Pasta

Make a few extra servings of whole wheat penne pasta next time you prepare pasta for dinner. The following day, let your child delight in this amazingly tasty pasta salad: Toss in cooked and sliced chicken breast (from leftovers), halved grape tomatoes, and spinach leaves. Zest some lemon over the pasta and stir in some olive oil, lemon juice and chopped fresh basil for a delightfully easy meal. Don’t forget to pack a serving of milk and fruit.

Mexicali Rice Surprise

Take a serving of leftover cooked brown rice and toss in the following: black beans, chopped scallions, diced red pepper, and thawed yellow corn. Stir in a little lime juice, olive oil and ground cumin. Serve with brown rice tortilla chips, salsa, and mango slices.

Leftover Pizza

Kids love pizza, and there’s nothing wrong with leftovers – especially if it’s homemade pizza! Take two slices of leftover whole wheat veggie pizza and serve with a small tossed salad with light dressing and a cup of sliced strawberries.

Cottage Cheese and Veggies

Some kids love cottage cheese – others absolutely hate it. Give it another try with this creative assortment. Portion a ½-cup serving of 2% milkfat cottage cheese and top with grape tomatoes, cucumber slices and a sprinkling of fresh dill. Serve with whole grain crackers and a medium orange.

Peanutty Treat

Spread 2 Tablespoons natural peanut butter into a whole-wheat tortilla. Sprinkle with diced apple and raisins or banana and raisins and a drizzle of agave nectar. Roll tightly. Serve with nonfat Greek yogurt and baby carrots.

Lunch Kebobs

On a few wooden skewers, alternate turkey, ham, 2% cheese, and grape tomatoes. Serve with whole grain crackers, a carton of chocolate milk and a small peach.

Pita Pocket

Stuff a small whole-wheat pita with canned chicken, tuna or salmon salad. Mix 2 ounces of the drained protein choice with diced onion and celery, 1 Tbsp light mayonnaise and a dash of Dijon mustard. Stuff in sliced tomato and lettuce leaves. Serve with a thermos filled with your child’s favorite vegetable soup, a piece of fruit, and carton of low-fat milk.

Not Your Usual Salad

Buy bagged, pre-washed salad mix and toss in canned drained chickpeas, diced low-fat cheese, sliced olives, cucumber, and pepper. Toss with your child’s favorite light vinaigrette dressing and top with slivered almonds and craisins. Serve with a whole wheat roll and a carton of low-fat milk.

Excerpts taken from "10 Quick and Tasty Brown Bag Lunch Ideas" found at the Cleveland Clinic. Read more: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/women/teenhealth/10_brown_bag_lunch_ideas.aspx