Barbara AboExtension Educator

Ada County

Eating Smart and moving more are the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle.

Balancing Calories◦ Enjoy your food, but eat less◦ Avoid oversized portions

Foods to Increase◦ Make half your plate fruits and vegetables◦ Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk

Foods to Reduce◦ Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and

frozen meals—and choose the foods with lower numbersDrink water instead of sugary drinks

1. Prepare and eat more meals at home-stock your pantry

2. Tame the tube/unplug the screen 3. Choose to move more every day 4. Right-size your portions 5. Re-think your drink 6. Enjoy more fruits and vegetables

1. Use a kitchen scale.Portion sizes have gotten larger

over the years, making it hard to tell what’s appropriate. No, eyeballing isn’t a good solution. It’s best to weigh it before you eat it.  A scale ensures that you keep portions the right size, every time.

Lettuce and other veggies are low in calories and high in nutritional value. They’re also filling alongside a 4-ounce portion of protein (such as my Salt and Pepper Chicken Breasts) and a small whole-grain carbohydrate.

“Treat” yourself—wisely Bacon bits, croutons and cheese, oh my! These tasty toppings can make a salad special, but also add a significant amount of calories. Instead of indulging all at once, choose only one and use it sparingly.

Butter and sour cream on your baked potato adds calories, but salsa and a tablespoon of shredded cheddar are a much smarter choice that adds great flavor. Another smart trade? Sweet potatoes instead of white.

Lean proteins, like chicken and fish, are way more waist-friendly than a well-marbled steak (I’ll be the first to admit the steak does taste great!) Take a cue from the Mediterranean-style of eating…limit red meat to once or twice a week.

It’s a simple thing to choose whole grain breads over white, and whole wheat pasta. Do it—the whole grains aid your digestive tract.

Your mama probably told you this, but it’s really something to listen to—breakfast jumpstarts your body. So, eat something already!

Avocado and olive oil? Good fats. Omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish?

Good fat. Butter and shortening? Bad  fat. Choose fats that are good for your body over saturated or trans fats.

You know that feeling when you really, really want

something? Instead of trying to ignore it and consequently overeating, say yes—and have it in moderation. In the end, you will be more satisfied and be more likely to stick to your diet goals.

It’s not enough just to eat right. Exercise. The general rule of

thumb, at least 30 minutes of physical activity in your daily routine. 

Baking Dried Goods Rice Tomatoes Vinegars Dried Pasta Condiments Oils Milks

Canned goods Misc Dried Herbs Spices Extracts Fresh Produce Refrigerator or

freezer staples

Utensils Baking dishes Pots and Pans Cutlery Baking equipment Electronics for the

kitchen

Why Menu Plan? Where do you start? How to Plan: Web sites that have menu planning

abilities What resources do you need to begin

planning

Saves time◦ You will have ingredients on hand◦ Preparation could be started ahead of time

Saves Money◦ Fewer trips to the grocery store you will not buy unneeded items◦ Spending less time in the store you will purchase fewer impulse items◦ You have a plan for left over ingredients to be used in another meal, less

food waste—”batching”◦ You can buy on sale knowing how and when you will use the items

Improves the nutritional value of meals◦ Plan meals using all the food groups◦ Add extra veggies to hot dishes◦ Eat fruit as a desert

Reduces stress by knowing what is for dinner◦ You know what you will be having for dinner◦ You have shopped and have all the needed supplies on hand

One main dish--two meals◦ You get two meals out of the core ingredient.◦ You save time preparing meals◦ You save money by planning and using leftovers–

for example chicken or beans or beef◦ Left over chicken or beef with the liquid it was

cooked in makes a tasty base for a soup or stew.

Weekly grocery ads and sales-know discount days at your stores

Inventory of what you have on hand

Looking through recipes

Listing foods your family likes to eat

Where ever your starting point is record menus for a week, month, or longer

Use paper and pencil Use soft ware or web site to record “What’s for Dinner”

A binder with copies of recipes and menus you use for planning for the week.

Organizing kids snacks by the week—give them three daily options fresh fruit & vegetables, whole-grain food and a healthy cookie or dessert. They pick one snack from each type every day.

Or if you don’t see every meal being planned--keep a list of healthy ingredients to jog your memory of choices you have.

Clip coupons for items you plan on purchasing and using

Take coupons with you to the store to purchase items for your meal plan

Shop for unadvertised specials in the store

Buy family packs of meat-20 cents per pound cheaper. Repack when you get home, cook and freeze the extra for another day.

Buy bagged potatoes, onions, and apples the cost per item is often less-weigh the bags you might get an extra ½ pound for the same price.

Purchase store brands-you can save as much as 25% the taste is different but the quality is just as good. Grocers offer a money-back guarantee if their product does not meet your expectations.

MyPyramid.gov has menu planning, grocery shopping, recipes and diet tracking tools

Betty Crocker has menu planning and recipes Eating Well has menu planning and recipe

tools Health Castle has menu planning and other

nutrition related information. Spend Smart, Eat Smart Choose one that works for you and invest

time and your plan to track what your family is eating.

•Menu Planner

•Tracker for food and Physical activity

http://www.mypyramid.gov/Type in and Select the foods you eat.

Nutrients are tracked and graphed when a food is added

Email’s come with new recipes and ideas, open the web site and explore from there.

Meal Finder--Enter ingredients you have on hand for help with recipes and complete meal ideas.

•Recipes•Recipes storage•Grocery list•Sharing recipe

Write your list by hand, or use the computer to create a list that ties in with recipes, for example:

Baking 1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix

Condiments 1/2 cup honey

Dairy 1 cup milk 2 eggs 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese sour cream

Ethnic 1 package Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix 1 can Old El Paso® chopped green chiles Old El Paso® salsa

Frozen Food 2 cups Green Giant® Select® frozen sugar snap peas

Meats/Poultry/Seafood 1 pound uncooked turkey breast 1 pound lean ground beef

Produce 1 cup ready-to-eat baby-cut carrot 1 onion

Food & Nutrition

Diet GuidelinesNutrition BasicsGrocery Aisle

Healthy Dine-outSuper Foods

Nutrition BooksFood of the Month

Nutrition & Health

Heart Smart DietCancer DietGout Diet

Acid RefluxHigh Cholesterol

Diabetes DietDiverticulitis Diet

Lactose IntoleranceIBD Diet

Gluten-Free DietADHD Diet

Women's Nutrition

Menopause DietOsteoporosis

AnemiaBreast Cancer Diet

Pregnancy

Interesting feature of this web site—compares package mixes with made from scratch foods. Nutrients, cost, and preparation time are all considered.

Spend Smart Eat Smart has information, recipes, and tips for menu planning, shopping and preparing meals for your family. Low cost basic information.

My Pyramid has servings sizes in chart form.Look inside the Pyramid

MyPyramid portion sizes relate to daily calorie intake, different from serving sizes on a nutrient label.

Light activity Grains 6 ounces Vegetables 2 ½ cups Fruits 1 ½ cups Milk 3 cups Meat/beans 5 ounces

Vigorous activity Grains 8 ounces Vegetables 3 cups Fruits 2 cups Milk 3 cups Meat/beans 6 ½ ounces

Dining out-think of eating out as a leisure time activity that includes a meal. Most often more expensive and time consuming. Save for special occasions.

Takeout/delivery—trading cash for time to unwind. Is it really giving you enough time for the cost?

Making your own pizza◦ Making from scratch $3.00 ingredients and ½- 1

hour of time Ordering a pizza

◦ Cost: $18.00◦ Time: 2 minutes ordering and 1 minute accepting

and payingIs $15.00 worth it?

Prepackage food—eating frozen dinners or food ready to heat and eat are more expensive than food cooked from scratch. They are a good choice when used occasionally but you are eating higher amounts of preservatives, salt etc. that might not be a healthy choice for every meal.

Making your own food—is likely the cheapest and healthiest option but it takes time.

Use a Slow Cooker to reduce food prep time in the evening

Create a Casserole Creating “Planned-Over” meals with

ingredients you shopped and cooked earlier◦ Having ingredients on hand that will create a

meal in a short amount of time◦ Cook once and serve twice

Take time to put your health first—exercise and move every day.

Plan meals. Identify recipes—use a book or the internet

but have a list to use and know where to find them.

Use a shopping list to stock your “pantry” with ingredients to prepare planned meals.

Know portion sizes and eat accordingly.

Photograph the contents of your pantry, cupboards, or fridge today

Put into action what you learned today Photograph your pantry, cupboards, or

fridge in April Submit both pictures to Health Matters Health Matters will feature your success as

part of May’s Success Story!