Halloween Fun Fact!

At Halloween time, 600 million lbs. of candy is sold! That's $1.9 billion worth of candy. 90 million (nearly half) of this is chocolate.

Healthy Rainy Day Soups

Today in the lovely Chambana, it is raining. Hard. As I'm sitting here in FSHN 120, shoes soaked, there is only one thing that I really want.

SOUP.

I want some delicious, chunky, warm, healthy soup. Keyword: Healthy.

If anyone is suffering from this same craving as I am, here is a list of the healthiest canned soups that I have researched.

#1 Pacific Foods Organic Spicy Chicken Fajita

#2 Blue Menu Minestrone Low-Sodium

#3 Campbells Select Harvest Light Vegetable Beef and Barley

#4 Progresso Reduced Sodium Italian-style Wedding

#5 Healthy Choice All Natural Cheese Tortellini

Try these out and tell me what you think!

Click HERE for more healthy soup ratings!

Nutrition Tip #2 - Eat Less Meat

Today in FSHN 120, we learned about the average protein intake of Americans. To my surprise, we discovered that on average, Americans eat more than 2x the amount of protein that they need for a healthy diet, meaning that this excess intake of protein is, in fact, unhealthy.

So what is one to do?

Here's the tip: Treat meat as a flavoring or a special occasion food. You will appreciate it more and it will taste a whole lot better as a treat instead of the main dish in your meal. One easy trick that I do to achieve this is have a large salad for my main course and throw on a few pieces of chicken to get my protein. This way, I have a sufficient amount of protein, but have another food item that is my main course.

Another, possibly more extreme way to achieve this lower amount of protein is to try to eat a flexitarian diet. This diet consists of mostly plants but allows for occasional meats. (As opposed to the paleo diet that required a TON of meat. Nom Nom Nom.) This diet will make it easier to maintain a more healthy level of protein intake.

The Paleo Diet

The phrase "you learn something new everyday" just proved to be true to me today.

Just a few minutes ago, I was inviting my friend to the annual Chi Omega Spookghetti fundraiser dinner. (A big halloween spaghetti dinner to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation. Nov 2nd. Be there or be square.)

He asked me, "Is there anything besides pasta? I only eat Paleo."

Paleo???? What in the world does that mean? I didn't want to make him think that I am the naive freshman that I really am, so I looked it up online to see what this shindig is all about. 

 What I learned is that people who eat Paleo basically eat like they are cavemen. Except for the fact that they dress fully covered and don't actually have to hunt their own food, they eat just the same. By only eating things that are grown from the ground or were once living, believers of the Paleo diet think that it is the healthiest way to eat and the oldest diet in the world. 

Here are some of the things they can and cannot eat. 

Ok To Eat: fruits, veggies, lean meats, seafood, nuts & seeds, and healthy fats

Not Ok To Eat: dairy, grains, processed food & sugars, legumes, starches, alcohol

Some People start this diet because they think they will lose weight off of it. Other reasons for choosing to eat like a caveman are for the numerous health benefits. Some of them include: anti-inflammatory, stable blood sugar, clear skin and teeth, improved sleep patterns, and reduced allergies. 

It sounds like a good deal to me! Eat delicious food and lose (or stay the same) weight, what could be better?

Click HERE for more info on the Paleo Diet

Fads are BAD!

In Food Science class today, we learned about what diets actually do more harm than good. These diets are bad for you primarily because they end up making you gain more weight in the end than you lose. Quite counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?

Here are some of the diet plans that Professor Roach instructed us to avoid. (She's a pro. I'd listen to her if I were you.)

#1- New discovery diets

The first one that comes to mind is the new Acai Berry Diet. Just because Oprah endorses it doesn't mean it is a good thing. Chances are if these "new discoveries"were really as amazing as they were advertised, they would have been discovered years and years ago.

#2- Diets that over or underemphasize specific, narrowly defined nutrients

Lets go back to third grade health. The food pyramid. Yes it is simple and we have had to fill it in hundreds of times, but it really does matter. There is a reason why each of those food groups is on it. Even fats and oils. Our body needs those to function. Sure, carbs turn into sugars, but we need sugar so carbs are a very good thing and they are a huge source of energy in our diets. One popular example of this is the Atkins diet. It tells you to eliminate carbs from your diet and this is not a good thing.

#3- Rapid weight loss

Rapid weight loss is defined as losing more than 2 lbs. a week. Simply put, our bodies are not meant to lose that much weight at one time and we shouldn't subject our bodies to that kind of damage.

#4 Special foods only available from promoter

Jenny Craig. The Cookie Diet. Nutrisystem. These are 3 of the most popular diets that are sold primarily via commercials that hook viewers in and convince them that their diet will help them lose weight fast and easily. The trick with these plans is that you have to buy their food. These are foods that you can make just the same at home with a few changes in ingredients. Any diet plan that says you have to buy and eat their foods is one that you should try to avoid. They are expensive and they don't teach you how to eat healthy to sustain your lower weight for a longer period of time. Don't fall into the traps!!!

#5 Rigid and Limited menu

These diets do work as a quick fix, but like most fad diets, they are harmful in the long run. Examples of these are the Grapefruit yet or the fruitarianism diet. The first one is pretty self explanatory. Eat grapefruit with every meal. The latter, fruitarianism diet, is where you only eat fruit. (Duh.) These both make you lose water weight really fast because you eat foods that leave your body very quickly. You aren't eating things like fats, carbs or sodium that will hold on to the water in you body. These too will make you gain more weight than you lose.

Halloween Shopping Tricks

Whether your house is a stop on the rampages of October 31^st or you are a college kid like myself who wants to properly decorate their dorm room for the holiday, candy is inevitable. Candy shopping is inevitable.

It’s so hard to stop yourself from eating all the delicious candy once you have it all in your presence. How to prevent this? It all starts with the shopping cart. Here are a few tricks to put the right things in the cart and leave the dangerous candies out.

#1- Don't Buy Your Favorite Candy

The more you like the candy, the more you will be tempted to eat it. So, buy the things you don't necessarily like, but you know others will. For example, I’m not a huge fan of Reese’s or Twix, but for others, those seem to be the first ones to go! I’m sucker for Butterfingers and Three Musketeers, so I try my hardest to avoid those.

#2-Choose Dark Chocolate. Not Milk Chocolate

I know it is an acquired taste. I love it, but many youngsters are looking for the sugary, sweet milk chocolate. Kids don't care about the health benefits of their candy, but some of us who do should be very pleased to hear that Dark Chocolate is in fact healthy! It has been proven to lower your blood pressure and has great antioxidants in it! I don't think any of those can be said about milk chocolate.

#3- Snacks, Not Candy!

There are many alternatives to candy that we can have on Halloween. Personally, I am a huge fan of pretzels and other healthier alternatives. Instead of handing out candy, mix it up a little and give Halloween snack packs of pretzels or Z Bars. Companies often will have special small packs just for this holiday to promote their product.

#4- Buy Candy the Day Of

In my family, before I went to college, we had the same routine every year. I’m pretty sure my mom still does this even though I’m gone. We buy our candy a month ahead of time, probably because we see a good deal at the Jewel or Target. A week later, what do you know? The hundreds of pieces of candy are gone. Completely gone! So don't do what we do and wait until it’s closer to Halloween itself to buy the candy. That way, the temptation isn’t sitting in your pantry for a month. Even healthy eaters like myself know that it is very very VERY hard to resist the temptation of a bowl of candy sitting in your house for a month before Halloween. 

Click HERE to Buy some Halloween ZBars!

Or HERE for some Herseys Special Dark Chocolate!

Fall's Health Tricks

Fall. We all know it's coming and we all know what that means. Candy. Candy Apples, Candy Corn, Cotton Candy, Caramel Candies, the list goes on and on. This season is blessed (or plagued, depending on how you look at it) with signature treats that always make us forget about those summer health kicks. It's not just Halloween and Thanksgiving that have all the food, but just the normal day to day fall treats. What is one to do? They are EVERYWHERE!!!

Never Fear. Allie is here.

Lucky for all of us, I have composed a list of a three tasty tricks that are healthy alternatives to some of our favorite fall treats.

#1 Peanut Butter Apple

It kills me to make this healthy replacement as caramel apples are my absolute favorite fall treat, but a healthy girl's gotta do what a healthy girl's gotta do. Instead of buying those deliciously sugary, unhealthy taffy apples, why don't we make our own! Everyone loves peanut butter (unless you're highly allergic. Sorry Jon and Alex.) What you can do is take whole apple and spread it all over with peanut butter. Look! It even looks like a caramel apple! If you want to go crazy, which I usually do, grab some crushed nuts and sprinkle it all over the apple. Bite in and enjoy this delicious treat!

#2 Whole Wheat Pumpkin or Banana Bread

Another one of my favorites is banana bread. My mom makes the best I have ever eaten and I never want it to go away. A fall favorite similar to banana break is pumpkin bread. Both are happily enjoyed during this season and both aren't exactly the healthiest things for us. Something that can give it a little healthy punch is making it whole wheat instead of whatever else you would choose to use. It gives more fiber to help digestion and that is something that everyone needs! What says Fall better than a healthy digestive system?! (Many things. But laugh at my joke anyways. It's much appreciated.) 

#3 Pumpkin Yogurt Dip

This delicious snack is good for all of your dipping needs. Once again, here is a replacement for caramel. I know I love dipping my apples in caramel in the fall partially because it seems healthy. "After all, it is apples!" I convince myself to believe, and yes, that is true. It is apples, but why don't we replace the unhealthy part with a healthier treat. Here is an easy recipe to do this:

In a small bowl mix:

1/2 cup of vanilla Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup of canned Pumpkin

3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

Chill and serve with sliced apples, pears, cucumbers, or red peppers!

Nutrition tip #1- Only Eat Foods That Will Rot

In FSHN 120 today, the wise Professor Roach (or Becky, as we like to call her) talked about the everlasting Twinkie. To some that sounds wonderful. Delicious goodness forever and ever and ever!! With the exception of dying of type 2 diabetes at the age of 22, what could be better than eating a Twinkie that’s older than you?!

I don't know about all of you, but that doesn't sound too appealing. Whenever I walk past the 10-year-old Twinkie exhibit in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, I can’t help but to wonder, “How does it do that?”

That is the exact question that Becky answered today in class. The longer foods last, the more chemicals they have in their body. They put chemicals in dead bodies to preserve them and I’m not too sure that I want those same chemicals moving around in my body.

So what do we need to do? Shop for organic foods. Now organic doesn't necessarily mean that it is 4x the price and comes the oh-so healthy Whole Foods. It simply means that the food was grown and not processed. It was once a plant and wasn't mixed with allura Red AC, benzoic acid, or calcium sulphite. (The three most harmful preservatives in foods)

Now you may be asking, “How do I do this?”

One easy way to only eat foods that will rot is by only buying these foods. Something helpful that I learned from Becky today is that in grocery stores, the foods that are in the center aisles will last a really long time. The foods that are on the outskirts, dairy products, meats, and produce will eventually rot. Why? Because they are organic and not stuffed with chemicals to the max!

So the next time I head on over to the County Market to do my grocery shopping, I know where I’ll be shopping.

Check out these links for more info:

Top 5 Harmful Preservatives in Foods

World’s Oldest Snack Food: Twinkie