Aug
25

Benefit for Cal Poly’s New Center for Sustainability

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This year’s event will be held at the stunningly beautiful Hearst Ranch in San Simeon starting at 2:00 PM on October 23, 2010. A Taste of the Future will be the new Center’s first fundraiser dinner—with bountiful harvests from the Central Coast, culinary delicacies prepared by local chefs, and celebrated guest speakers in the field of sustainable agriculture. Tickets to the event are $150 and can be ordered by calling the Center at the number below. For more information, tickets, or to be included as a sponsor for this year’s event, please visit the CAFES website or contact Director Hunter Francis at (805 ) 756-5086.

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Aug
03

Really Healthy?

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Many foods have healthy sounding names, but may not be all that healthy.

For example:

Fruit Drinks-also known as fruit beverages or -”ades” (such as lemonade)

  • Are made mostly of water and sugar
  • Some have no fruit juice at all
  • Others have only 1-3 teaspoons of fruit juice in a 6-oz serving

A Healthier Choice: a small serving of 100% fruit juice; better yet-eat fruit

Fruit Bits & Fruit Rollups

  • Most are candy like snacks made mainly of sugar

A Healthier Choice: real fruit

Granola, Granola Bars, Breakfast Bars, & Cereal Bars

  • Most have added sugar and fat & are high in calories
  • Some granola bars have a nutritional value similar to candy bars
  • A serving size of granola is very small-1/4 or 1/3 cup
  • The fruit in breakfast and cereal bars is more similar to jelly than real fruit

A Healthier Choice: whole grain cereal with 6 grams of sugar or less

Wheat Bread-bread made from enriched flour (white flour)

  • Brown color comes from a coloring, such as molasses
  • Contains little or no whole grains and only trace amounts of fiber

A Healthier Choice: 100% whole wheat bread

Those Healthy Sounding Terms—what do they really mean?

  • Organic – grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Naturally occurring pesticides and fertilizers can be used.
  • 100% Whole Wheat – made with the entire wheat kernel and is rich in nutrients & fibers
  • Multi-grain – contains more than one type of grain, but may or may not include whole grains.  If whole grains are included, they will be listed in the ingredient label.
  • Whole Grain – contains a whole grain, but may not be the main ingredient in the food.  Check the ingredient label to see if a whole grain is the first ingredient.
  • Light – this term has a couple different meanings-a food can be 1/3 lower in calories or have half the fat of the regular product.  It can also describe the color of the food.
  • Low-fat – a serving contains 3 grams or less of fat.  However, depending on the other ingredients, it may still be high in calories and sugar.
  • Fat Free – a serving contains 0.5 grams of fat or less.  Again-check the food label–fat free doesn’t mean calorie free.
  • No sugar added – can only be used on the label of a food that is a substitute for a food that normally contains sugar. These foods may contain artificial sweeteners. No sugar added doesn’t mean calorie free-check the food label.
  • Sugar Free – has 0.5 grams sugar or less per serving.  Sugar free doesn’t mean calorie free-check the label.
  • No high fructose corn syrup – does not contain high fructose corn syrup, but can contain other sweeteners like sugar, brown sugar, or honey; and may contain artificial sweeteners.

Courtesy of the University of California Cooperative Extension in San Luis Obispo County

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Aug
03

A Healthier You

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Healthy Lifestyle Suggestions:

Slow down on fast foods. Choose meals with 500 calories or less. Eat out less often. Look for the caloric values of your favorite foods at this website – http://www.calorieking.com!

Cut back on screen time. Limit time spent watching TV, playing video games and recreational computer use to less than two hours daily or 10 hours per week.

Fill up on fiber. Eating more fiber may help lower calorie intake and promotes good intestinal health. Aim for 25 – 30 grams of fiber per day. Add one high fiber food per week. Look at food labels and choose products that have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Include foods that contain 8-12 grams of fiber per serving to your diet: high fiber cereals, beans, berries, figs, and bran.

Break the Fast and do not skip meals. Those who skip breakfast are more likely to overeat later in the day.

Eat a colorful mix of vegetables and fruits each day. Vegetables and fruits of different colors provide fiber, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals that help keep you healthy. For good health eat colorful fruits and vegetables such as spinach, kale, collards, mustards greens, eggplant, carrots, sweet potatoes, red peppers, berries, mangos, apricots, apples, plums and tomatoes.

Spare the fat. Fat is high in calories. A serving of fat is one (1) teaspoon, which looks like one (1) thumb tip. Keep your portions to only 1 -2 thumb tips per meal. Healthy fats include avocados, and olive, canola, flax and peanut oil, which provide heart-healthy fats as well as vitamins.

Snack wisely. Choose snacks that are low in fat (< 3 grams/serving) and low in calories (< 100 calories).  Good snack ideas include carrots, a piece of fruit, string cheese, yogurt, light popcorn, frozen fruit bars, and frozen bananas.

Don’t drink your calories. Eliminate high calorie drinks such as fruit juices, sodas, blended coffee drinks, energy and sports drinks. Switch to water, low fat milk, seltzer water, and black tea and coffee.

Move it: Adults–exercise ½ hour to one hour daily for good health.  Children need at least 60 minutes of exercise each day.

Maintain a healthy weight

Extra weight may put you at higher risk for:

  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Stroke
  • Cancer
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Gall Bladder disease
  • Arthritis
  • Infertility
  • Osteoarthritis

Check your weight status

Check you weight status and learn what a healthy weight is at http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi

Life is a journey that must be taken one healthy step at a time.

Compliments of French Hospital Medical Center Nutrition Department

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Aug
03

Eat Healthy and Save $

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At Home:

  • Make food from “scratch”–many foods are less expensive when made at home rather than prepared
  • Use leftovers–include in other meals and snacks
  • Use food before if spoils–food thrown away is money lost
  • Make brown bag lunches
  • Double the recipe and freeze–1/2 to be used later for another meal
  • Include meatless meals 2-3 times in a week–meat is typically the most expensive item in a meal
  • Extend your meal with whole grains and vegetables
  • Make soups and stews–foods that have a high water content are filling and use less meat-great for using leftovers and freezing extra batches
  • Use smaller plates and bowls–decreases portion size to help with reducing cost and calories

When Grocery Shopping:

  • Set a budget
  • Consider discount stores
  • Use store ads-shop for weekly sale items
  • Make and use a shopping list–saves time and money
  • Use unit pricing to check for best prices–most stores post the unit price on the shelf below the food as part of the pricing label.
  • Don’t shop when hungry–we buy more food when we are hungry
  • Shop when the store is not crowded–it’s quicker and allows for you to spend less time spending money
  • Shop alone
  • Use coupons wisely–only use them to get best price on foods that are needed and will be used
  • Buy foods on sale
  • Buy produce in season
  • Choose food with less packaging
  • Buy larger packages-usually it’s a better buy if you can use the product before it spoils.  The unit price will help you know if it’s the best buy.
  • Shop at farmer’s markets–seasonal produce is usually less expensive
  • Shop the perimeter of the grocery store–the least processed foods are placed in the perimeter of the store
  • Purchase store label products–compared to name brands they are usually less expensive

Courtesy of the County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Department

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