Intrinsic Health Source Wellness Champion Blog

Spicey Vegetable Quinoa Recipe

Jeannine Capria — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 05:57:00 GMT

It's been a very snowy winter here in the Northeast! So what better thing to do when you are snowed in than cook. Always trying to come up with ways to make healthy foods tasty, I feel this Quinoa dish meets this expectation. Especially if you are saying what is Quinoa?

Quinoa is most commonly considered a grain. However, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and swiss chard. Quinoa is high in protein, calcium and iron and a relatively good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. The protein in quinoa contains almost a perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids therefore, quinoa is a great source for a complete protein.

Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it a great alternative for white rice. There are many varieties of Quinoa. The most common one I use most is the white variety. Quinoa is commonly cooked much like rice, bringing water to a boil then adding the grain and covering it to simmer for about 12-15 minutes. Due to the relatively high oil and fat content in quinoa, it's best stored it in the refrigerator.

Now that you learned a little bit about Quinoa, here is an easy recipe to try:

1 cup Quinoa
1 1/4 cup water (you can use vegetable stock for half the liquid to enhance the flavor)
3 medium carrots (diced)
2-3 green onions
3 bunches of broccoli heads/florets
2 Tlbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (to taste)
1/4 tsp red cayanne pepper (to taste)
Cilantro (to taste)

1st step: Cook Broccoli

Cut the broccoli florets and coat them wiith olive oil and some salt. I put the broccoli in a zip lock bag pour a teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle salt. Then I shake the bag until all is coated. Empty the broccoli onto a ungreased baking sheet and cover with foil. Place in Pre-heat oven at 375 degrees. Cook for 15 minutes (while you cook the Quinoa). Uncover after 15 minutes and broil for 2 minutes. Remove, cut into small pieces and add to Quinoa

2nd step: Quinoa cooking and sautee

Boil 1 1/4 cups of water then add 1 cup of Quinoa (you can follow the cooking directions on your package of Quinoa. Remember to rinse quinoa first). Once Quinoa is added to boiling water, lower heat to simmer and cover pot. Cook for 12-15 minutes. While the Quinoa is cooking, sautee carrots and green onions.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add carrots and green onions, salt and pepper. Sautee for about 10 minutes on medium heat or until carrots are tender. Add cooked Quinoa to sautee pan and mix thoroughly. Add broccoli and cayanne pepper and mix again. Some people may wish to add a little more olive oil at this time.

3rd step: ENJOY

Transfer to a serving bowl and mix in chopped cilantro (amount of cilantro is based on taste). I sometimes also add a few raw cashews or tamari almonds in my bowl when serving for an added crunch. Salt to taste and enjoy!

If this is your first time trying Quinoa, I hope it's a tasty first step

“Just Do It” ...not just for Nike…but for your health!

Jeannine Capria — Sat, 22 May 2010 20:16:00 GMT

A lifestyle in which you don't engage in regular physical activity can become a major risk factor contributing to many chronic conditions. According to the World Health Organization “Physical inactivity is estimated to cause 2 million deaths worldwide annually. Globally, it is estimated to cause about 10-16% of cases each of breast cancer, colon cancer and diabetes with about 22% of ischemic heart disease. Estimated attributable fractions are similar in men and women.”

Viewing exercise as just another chore scheduled into your day, will inevitably lead to talking yourself out of doing it. Perhaps it’s difficult for you to carve out a full hour to exercise. Did you know that studies show even small bouts of exercise, several times a day, can also have health benefits. In fact, opportunities to incorporate exercise into the day are more possible than you may think.

Here’s how you can “just do it”:

Housework is a workout; why hire someone when you can enhance your fitness routine? For instance, take your laundry back and forth in separate loads instead of all at once. Your staircase at home is an affordable “Stairmaster" while adding laundry as "some weight training".
Working in the garden or mowing the lawn can be more than just something to do on the weekend. But using a riding mower doesn't count! What does get the heart pumping is raking leaves, pruning, digging and picking up trash.

Walk or bike to the local store instead of driving.

Walk beyond a leisurely stroll to brisk movement. Pick up the pace! Choose a hilly route. When watching TV, spend a few minutes pedaling on a stationary bicycle.

Instead of asking someone to bring you a drink, get up off the couch and get it yourself.

Stand up while talking on the telephone.

Walk the dog and not just "when it's time". You and your pet will benefit.

Park farther away at a shopping mall; walk the extra distance. In fact, wear walking shoes and sneak in an extra lap or two around the mall.

Take stairs instead of the elevator. Feel like it's too many stairs? Get off a few floors early and take the stairs the rest of the way.

Get off the bus a few blocks

early; walk the rest of the way to work or home.

Walk around your building for a break during the work day or lunch.

At work walk over to speak with someone rather than using the telephone or email.

Do you waste time sitting in rush hour traffic? Maybe exchange that time and join a fitness center near your job. Work out before or after work to avoid rush-hour traffic

Plan family outings or vacations that include physical activity (hiking, backpacking, swimming, etc.)
Check out sights in new cities by walking, jogging or bicycling.
Make a date with a friend to enjoy your favorite physical activities. Do them regularly.

OK...OK.....you have heard this before and you are still having a hard time staying motivated to work out.....right? Well, you're not alone! According to fitness expert Denise Austin, “if you're looking for a simple way to boost your exercise motivation, try keeping a fitness journal! “ Her advice is to give yourself a boost by writing down fitness routines or exercises that you do each day as you complete them.

By writing down your daily activities, you will be able to:

Get a motivational boost! It feels terrific to be able to write down the exercises you completed each day. It's truly motivating looking back over a week and seeing how active you were. All those exercise sessions will add up fast!
Track your progress. Your fitness journal will record how far you've walked or biked, how many minutes or hours you've exercised, and how often you do it. It's hard to remember it all without writing it down!
Pinpoint trouble spots by looking at your weekly or monthly journal. Evaluate it with an objective eye. Suppose you notice that you are great about working out in the beginning of the week but start to slack off from Wednesday on — you'll know that you need to focus on increasing your activity toward the end of the week.

The important thing to remember is that you do not have to work out like contestants on the Biggest Loser. Any physical activity is great, especially when you enjoy it. Also any exercise is better than no exercise at all…...“Just Do It” or rather Just Do SOMETHING and get moving!!!!

Simple ways to identify healthier choices when food shopping: Part Three of a Three Part Series

Jenn West and Jeannine Capria — Mon, 10 May 2010 05:00:00 GMT

                                    Comparing Popular Products
                                                       Part 3

As we have highlighted in this series, walk through most grocery stores and you will see tons of food products advertising their "healthy benefit". Food Industry leaders are capitalizing on consumers' desire to purchase healthier products. Therefore all efforts are made to create packaging that grabs your attention, creating the impression you are making a healthy choice.

As mentioned in Part 2: Playing Food Detective, manufacturers make claims such as "Trans Fat Free" "High Fiber" and "All Natural" which can mislead consumers. But remember " all foods are not created equal", so you need to look beyond the front label and turn over to the ingredient list of every package you contemplate purchasing. Reading the ingredient list is truly the only way to determine the product's health factor.

Let's compare two popular foods that can consistenly mislead the public into thinking they are healthy.

Energy bars
Peanut butter

                                             Energy bars

Energy bars are a great example of how companies are trying to capitalize on marketing while promoting misleading health claims of their products.  If you are interested in learning more about misleading energy bar claims, check out this article by the Centers for Science and Public Interested called, "The Bar Exam". For the purpose of this post, let's review two popular bars ingredient lists to verify their claim to be "healthy".

'Fiber One Bars" : Oats and Peanut Butter
Ingrediant list: Chicory Root Extract, Peanut Butter Flavored Chips (Sugar, Fractionated Palm Kernel and Palm Oil, Partially Defatted Peanut Flour, Nonfat Milk, Whey, Peanut Butter [Peanuts] Salt, Soy Lecithin, Rolled Oats, Crisp Rice (Rice Flour, Sugar, Malt, Salt) Barley Flakes, High Maltose Corn Syrup, Roasted Peanuts, Honey, Peanut Butter Flavored Coating (Sugar, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Partially Defatted Peanut Flour, Peanut Butter, Nonfat Dry Milk, Whey, Salt, Soy Lecithin) Canola Oil, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Glycerin, Maltodextrin, Tricalcium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Peanut Oil, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Baking Soda, Color Added, Sunflower Meal, Wheat Flour, Almond Flour. Mixed Tocopherols added to Retain Freshness.

WOW, what a list that is! We have color coded it to simplify it into categories to evaluate the "nutrient dense quality":
SUGAR (in red) -    9 items listed
OIL/FAT (in blue) - 5 items listed, not inluding any actual peanut ingrediant (an additional 4 items) which also contain fat
SALT (in orange)- 4 items listed

Where are the WHOLE GRAINS providing the "fiber" in Fiber One?
We see listed peanut flour, rice flour, wheat flour, and almond flour, but this is not a whole grain and has no fiber? Yes,rolled oats are listed, but it's listed as the fifth ingrediant! The first four ingrediants (remember ingrediants are listed most to least) is simple flour, sugar and salt. If you were an athlete performing at high intensity for two hours or more of activity, you just may need this quick surge of energy. However, for the average consumer eating this as a snack, it's filled with non nutritious-empty calories.

The first thing to consider here is that there are more than five ingredients and that alone is a red flag. The next downside to this bar is the lack of natural fiber. Chicory root extract is the first ingredient, indicating this bar is made up of mostly an isolated fiber called inulun which does supplies the 'extra fiber' and may nourish the good bacteria in your gut; however, research does not indicate it lowers cholesterol, boosts regularity, curbs blood sugar, or has any other benefits as the intact fiber found naturally in whole grains and bran.

Lara Bar: bananna bread
Ingredient list: almonds, dates and unsweetened bannana.

The Lara Bar contains only three ingredients which is amazing. The Lara Bar is a simple energy bar with natural whole food ingredients, so it is definitely a better choice than the Fiber One bar. The Fiber One bar is filled with sugar and has way too many "factory altered" ingredients, especially ingredients that may or may not have the health benefit they claim.

Keep in Mind...
Just be aware when snacking on energy bars, because even with less and all natural ingrediants, they are higher in sugar and fat.. Although the Lara Bar is a healthier choice, you have to remember that it is still a high calorie snack. Dates which is one of the main ingrediants is a very sugary food and nuts are high in fat.

Having less ingredients usually means that there are less chemicals, sugar, and additives in your food.  Remember, calories supply the body with energy. "Energy bars" were meant to be a convient way of fueling the body with needed "energy" (calories) during intense workouts. Lara Bars are great because they’re super natural (most bars have only 2-5 ingredients), have very healthy fats (from nuts), have good fiber/protein content, and are quite filling! Each bar is only about 200 calories which makes it a great snack or meal substitute (if your only options for lunch are white bread and cheese).

                                             Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter is actually an amazingly healthy food, that is often transformed into a high sugar, non-nutrient dense food.  When looking at the ingrediant list, peanut butter should ideally only contain peanuts and salt.

Skippy Peaunt Butter is a perfect example of a good food gone wrong. The ingredients label from the Skippy Peanut Butter jar lists way more than five ingredients with sugar being in the top three of those ingredients. Oh and don't look past the hydrogenated vegetable oil that was added as an emulsifier!! Fully hydrogenated vegetable oils are "healthy, unsaturated fat oils" that have been hydrogenated to yield a hard, waxy, fully hydrogenated fat. Basically they took a healthy fat and transformed it into a not so healthy fat.  Peanuts have their own healthy polyunsaturated fat, they don't need anything extra.

Skippy Natural is just another marketing trick to get you to buy a peanut butter you think is natural. The FDA does not have a clear definition of what "natural means", so, this is a perfect example of how reading your food labels can uncover unwanted ingredients in your food. Skippy Natural is actually considered a "peanut spread", not a peanut butter because it does not meet the standards to be called peanut butter. True peanut butters must contain 90% peanuts and can contain up to 10% stabilizers such as partially hydrogenated (AKA trans fat) or hydrogenated oil  to keep the product from seperating. Skippy Natural uses palm oil, which is not hydrogenated but it still adds extra, unneeded oil to the peanut butter. Simply... do not choose peanut butter spreads because they are not 90% peanuts.

Smuckers Natual Peanut Butter, Trader Joe's Peanut Butter, and Teddy's Old Fashioned Peanut Butter all contain only peanuts and salt. This peanut butter is a good choice, containing only two ingredients and no added sugars or oils to be used as emulsifiers and shelf stabilizers. Once you open the jar of peanut butter, you just need to give it a slow and steady stir to mix the natural peanut oil and peanuts together. Put it back in the fridge and whala, it's naturally emulsified and you should not have to mix the oil and peanuts together again.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Being a healthy food consumer requires more than reading the food packaging labels that showcase their "natural", "healthy choice" or "high fiber" claims. You must read between the lines and read the ingrediants listed that make the health claims true or perhaps NOT true. Get overwhelmed trying to understand the ingrediant list. Simple is always best. Look for less ingrediants, ingrediants you can pronounce and that ingrediants that are dervied from nature, not a lab.

Happy Healthy Shopping!
Jenn and Jeannine

Sources:

Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Division

Federal Government Standars of Identify

Simple ways to identify healthier choices when food shopping: Part Two of a Three Part Series

Jenn West and Jeannine Capria — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:36:00 GMT

                        Playing Food Detective
                                      Part 2

Health Claims and Descriptive Terms
Our quest for better health has created a trend within the food industry. The increased promotion around healthy food choices, health claims and marketing strategies highlight product health benefits with terms such as "No Trans Fats" " Heart Healthy Choice" "High Fiber" "Excellent Source", etc.   However, even though these are helpful claims, are they completely accurate?

Keep in mind that companies are responding to consumer requests for healthier products; their first goal is to reel customers in. The FDA provides guidelines around claims and descriptions manufacturer's may use. BUT these are just guidelines.  Nutrition claims can be misleading if you don't know how to read between the lines. Not all labels give us the whole picture. And even though there are third party watch groups that monitor and fight false claims, such as the Centers for Science and Public Interest (CSPI), it's best to learn the tricks of the trade for yourself.

In order to ensure that you are making a healthy choice it is important to read the nutrition facts label.  Now, we realize this can be overwhelming, but all the components of a food label are valuable. In fact, we feel the most important place to start is the ingredients list. Plus, if you are choosing products with healthy ingredients, you can rest assure that all other components of that food label will qualify as "a healthy choice".

It may be difficult to follow these tips all the time, especially on a budget or short on time. But, its not impossible.  With practice and patience you can learn to navigate the shopping aisles healthier. Therefore, if you are willing to put your detective cap on, you can learn to distinguish what is healthy and what should be avoided. Or at the very least consume the "least healthy foods" sparingly.
Check out this article regarding misleading food labels as published in Forbes magazine

Do You Know What's In Your Food?
We have come to expect "nutrition food labels" on all packaged products. But it wasn't until 1990 that the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act went into effect to aid consumers in making informed and healthy food choices . This act was established by the USDA and the FDA, requiring labeling with specified nutritional information about the product.

In addition to the product manufacturer name and location, all labels must further include the following requirements:

Serving Sizes: Each package must indicate what a serving size is for the product. This means that all nutrition information noted on the label is based only on this one serving size.

Nutrition Facts: Each package must note the quantities of specific nutrients for the established serving size. This will include information on calories, fat, protein, sugar, carbohydrates, fiber, calcium and other nutrients.

Ingredients List:  This is the most important section to check out!   The ingredients that are listed fall in descending order of predominance and quality. For example, if the ingredients listed items such as enriched wheat flour, baking soda and high fructose corn syrup you are consuming a product that is high in refined flour, sugar and salt.   When reading, keep in mind if items are listed most to least, then the first five ingredients are your most predominate nutrients and therefore should be your healthiest!

To help enhance your food detective skills, here are a few quick tips to reading food labels.

Tip #1: Concentrate on the top five ingredients
As we have mentioned above, ingredients are listed from most to least, therefore you want to consume food products that have the highest quantity of the healthiest ingredients. Focus on the first five ingredients to help ease the daunting task of navigating the long list. If enriched flour, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated oil, saturated fat, sodium or sugar are listed in the first five ingredients, put it back and choose another. These ingredients are in high quantity, have little to no nutritional value and can be detrimental to our health.

Tip #2: If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it.
How many of the ingredients listed do you know how to pronounce? More importantly do you know what they are or how the affect our body? Processed and packaged foods contain "additives" to preserve or enhance color. These additives are factory produced or simply put they are "chemicals". The Center for Science in the Public Interest provides information about what these food additives do and their safety. This information can be helpful in choosing healthier products.  Isn't the best way to ensure your safety and health to avoid these products?

Tip #3: Don't buy products with more than ten ingredients.
Another good tip is generally the longer the list the more likely one or more of the undesirable ingredients will be in your food. A good rule of thumb is that your food product shouldn't have more than ten ingredients, unless there are ten different varieties of vegetables listed

Tip #4: Avoid added sugars, salt, enriched flour, artificial sweeteners and trans fats!

You're almost there! You know what shouldn't be in the first five, you know to avoid ingredients you can"t pronounce and you know to look for the shortest ingredient list. Great! BUT, you still need to read between the lines!

    a. Added sugars (see "other names for sugar" below) are one of the biggest culprits in the obesity epidemic and a major contributor for dental carriers. Sugar in any form is a simple carbohydrate that breaks down quickly, requiring the pancreas to release insulin to metabolize this carb for energy. The problem with all this added sugar; our pancreas is required to work overtime as well as the ongoing rise and fall of blood sugar levels. Choosing foods and drinks without added sugar or at least not one of the first five ingredients can help avoid this problem. Sugars come in different forms, so be on the lookout for any of the terms below indicating added sugars:

brown, raw, or invert sugar
corn sweetener
syrups such as corn, malt, or maple
dextrose, fructose, lactose, maltose, glucose, or sucrose
fruit juice concentrates
high-fructose corn syrup (this should be avoided altogether)
molasses
honey
stevia
agave

Health note: many people will choose to curb sugar consumption by choosing products with artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are chemical additives. It is best to use natural sweeteners in small amounts.

b. Salt - is a nutrient that the body does need, but not in the abundance that our food industry uses. Like sugar, an excess of sodium has negative health implications and needs to be limited. Fresh foods that we eat contain the sodium our body needs. Therefore, avoiding added sodium as a seasoning or preservative should be avoided or limited. Sodium is found in our cookies, crackers, breads, sodas, cereals, ketchup, marinades and other packaged products. Other sodium containing ingredients are:

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Baking soda
Baking powder
Disodium phosphate
Sodium alginate
Sodium nitrate or nitrite

    c. Enriched wheat flour (AKA white flour) - White flour has been stripped of its two most important components, the bran and the germ, making it a refined, processed grain in order to increase shelf life and palatability. It lacks nutrients and is often considered just about as nutritious as processed, white sugar.  However, whole grains such as rolled or steel cut oats, whole rye, whole wheat, brown rice, and whole spelt contain their bran and germ. As a result of their intact and unprocessed structure, whole grains can lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes. They contain fiber, vitamin E, and healthy fats to help keep your blood sugar regular and your arteries clear.

Choose whole grain breads, cereals, and crackers that list a whole grain as one of the first three ingredients. Look for whole wheat, whole rye, oats (whole, steel cut, or rolled) brown rice, or barley. Do not be fooled by claims on the front of food packages indicating a product is whole wheat or any other type of whole grain.  Just because a loaf of bread is brown, does not mean it's whole grain. Manufacturers have been known to market some bread as whole grain, when in fact they are really just enriched wheat flour dyed with molasses or other brown coloring. Remember the word WHOLE WHEAT must be listed.

    d. Partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils (AKA Trans Fat)

As of January 1st, 2006, the FDA mandated all food companies list trans fats along with total, saturated, and unsaturated fats on the food labels. This new law has made it easier for consumers to identify trans fat.   Yet, there is one catch. Foods claiming to have "zero Trans fats" are allowed to contain up to .5 grams per serving of trans fat. So in essence it is NOT "zero trans fat"! You are consuming at least .5, if not more, since many people actually consume more than one serving throughout a day.  This is why you must read between the lines! ALWAYS read the ingredients list to confirm a specific food product does not contain Trans fat. Look for the terms "vegetable shortening" or "partially hydrogenated oil", both of which are other terms indicating Trans fat. If you do decide to purchase a food product with Trans fat, choose products that list the previously mentioned terms near the end of the ingredients list. This ensures there are minimal amounts of this fat present in your food.

The take away message: This information is provided to offer you "food for thought"; to make the best choices for you and your family. The most important thing is to ALWAYS read and understand the ingredients list before putting any foods in your shopping cart.

This does not mean you can never eat your favorite foods. We suggest to eat them less often if they are not the most nutritious. You want to fuel your body with the most nutrious foods in order to facilitate a healthier self. Even if you choose to purchase packaged foods, there are healthy choices, as long as you keep your detective hat on. Avoid relying solely on food packaging health claims. They are there to attract you to the product, you decide to purchase it.

Our next Wellness Blog will focus on specific foods products to compare ingredients labels and demonstrate how to determine which options are the healthier choices.

Simple ways to identify healthier choices when food shopping: Part One of a Three Part Series

Jenn West and Jeannine Capria — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:55:00 GMT

Identifying Healthier Choices

Part 1

Welcome to the first of a three part series, helping you to navigate a healthier grocery shopping experience while better understanding food labels and the long list of ingredients we are faced with.

How can we avoid unhealthy ingredients? The first step is pretty simple...eat less processed and packaged foods. Sure, this is easier said than done, especially when trying to make informed decisions regarding healthier food options. In fact, reading food labels can surely overwhelm our shopping experiences, raising many questions such as: Is "enriched wheat flour" healthy? or What is high fructose corn syrup?

But consider this; we are mindful of putting the right type of fuel into our cars in order to perform efficiently and extend the life of our vehicle? Therefore, shouldn't we give that kind of attention to the fuel (food) we put into our body's?

In our fast paced, on-the-go society, quick and easy is the main focus. Yet, drive thru visits and fast food purchases do not optimize healthier options. Great! What about convenience foods being offered at grocery stores to make our lives easier? Again, this efficiency is often loaded with sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and ingredients to help extend the shelf life of the food, shortening the shelf life of us!

Perhaps you think an item must be healthy because of the "healthy claim" lable imprinted on the package, such as NO TRANS FATS. But, in truth, many convenience foods we love and have trained our tasted buds to crave contain ingredients that are NOT the best choices for achieving optimal health. When was the last time you read all the ingredients on a food label? When was the last time you understood or were able to pronounce these ingredents?

Many pre-packaged, convienent foods are highly processed. These are known as "non-nutrient dense" foods among nutritionist. A non-nutrient dense food is exactly what it sounds like. A food product that does not provide the body with enough proper nutrients. In simple terms, it's just not a healthy choice. Diets high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats have been shown to increase risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

As mentioned on the Second Day of Wellness Blog, nutrient dense foods fight chronic disease and non-nutrient dense foods (ie: packaged convenience foods) contribute to development of chronic disease. Hence, we really want to fill our carts with as many nutrient dense foods as possible.

How can we effecetively change our shopping experience and gain health benefits?

Choose to eat more "whole foods".

Whole foods are unprocessed, unrefined OR at the very least processed and refined minimially before consumption. Consuming FRESHLY PREPARED fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains, FRESHLY PREPARED chicken, beef and fish are some examples of nutrient dense - whole foods. Therefore, a baked potato is a whole food, BUT french fries ARE NOT. Homebaked chicken is a wholefood, chicken nuggets are not. FRESH fruits ARE, processed fruit juice IS NOT. In fact, eating more whole foods automatically minimizes the purchase of processed foods AND therefore all those confusing food labels.

Some tips to help integrate more whole foods...

Tip #1: Shop the perimeter of the supermarket and limit time spent in the center aisles.

The inner or center aisles of the supermarket contain processed foods such as cookies, crackers and frozen dinners. Shopping the perimeter will help you fill your cart with a variety of nutrient dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, nuts, whole grains as well as lean meats, poultry, and fish. However, keep in mind that some inner aisles do contain healtheir options, but you need to put your detective hat on. We will talk more about this in part 2 of this series.

Tip #2: Plan your meals and snacks, keep to a minimum of 3-4 days at a time.

You don't have to love cooking to eat more nutrient dense whole foods. Embrace the art of food preparation! Whole foods are in their simplest form, not overly processed or packaged; hence, maintaining many valuable vitamins, minerals, and fiber. AND fiber plays a major role in chronic disease risk reduction! Examples include fruits, vegetables, nuts, yogurt, cheese (free of preservatives), whole grains such as oats and brown rice, met, poultry and fish.

People can be apprehensive to take the time to plan and prepare meals. What I hear the most is, "I don't have time to eat healthy". This leads me to respond with "do you have time to manage a potentially chronic health condition?"
Here are just a few meals using whole foods with minimal preparation:

Breakfast: Yogurt with a tablespoon of flax seed, fresh berries, and sliced almonds.
Lunch: Tuna sandwich with lettuce and tomato on whole grain bread with a side salad
Dinner: Black bean and veggie soup with a dollop of guacamole and Greek Yogurt.

Tip #3: Prepare a list before you go food shopping. Keep in mind the whole foods menu you planned for the next 3 to 4 days.

Preparing a list as you hit the supermarket will help you stay on task. Once you get home, take an hour to clean, cut, and store your produce. This is also a good time to prepare any dishes such as the black bean soup or organize indiviudal zip lock baggies full of cut veggies.

Stick around and we will provide further information and strategies to implement these healthy habits.

Welcome: A Place to Find Information on Nutrition, Exercise and Support for Healthy Behavior Changes

Jeannine Capria — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:36:53 GMT

Intrinsic Health Source is excited to announce the launch of the Wellness Champion Blog. Why a second blog? The Intrinsic Health Source blog is a great resource for everything health and wellness related. However, nutrition, weight loss and exercise information are the most sought after topics in the wellness field. This blog allows us the ability to provide a designated forum for easy navigation of information and discussions related specifically to nutrition and fitness topics. In addition, this blog also serves as a source of support to share information and insights not only based on professional expertise, but also personal struggles and successes. Through these "been there, done that" dialog, I hope to facilitate discussions of the difficulties of changing habits, but the strategies that work.

In addition to this new blog experience, I am also excited to collaborate with Jenn West in providing the latest information and helpful tips to enhancing nutrition and fitness habits. You may recall being introduced to Jenn when we collaborated to launched the 12 Days of Wellness in December on the Jeannine's Journey blog. Now we have the privilege of Jenn's insights and expertise as she helps guide all of us into healthier behavior changes.

Why did we choose to call this blog Wellness Champion?

A champion is someone who wants to excel at a given task, even when the task is difficult. A champion is committed to the challenge and understands planning and goal setting are required. As we navigate through our daily life, it can be challenging to maintain healthy habits. It becomes very easy to slip into our old habits that may not best serve our wellness needs. A wellness champion is a person with a commitment to achieving optimum wellness and to serve as an ambassador for wellness! Regardless of where you are on your wellness path. We want to be that Wellness Champion for you! We want to help you plan your strategies, set achievable goals and most importantly provide support and encouragement. We also hope that you can be that Wellness Champion for each other. Most importantly we want you to be that Wellness Champion for YOURSELF!

Stay tuned for more exciting blogs and information to help you achieve your wellness goals!

Ciao for now!
Jeannine