Healthy Meals

Black beans for flour. Our experts swear these black bean and dark chocolate chip brownies are better than those at the grocery store. Most people find this idea a bit strange, but it's unlikely anyone will notice the difference. In this recipe, black beans replace flour, which increases the fiber content and drastically decreases calories. One cup of flour has 450 calories per cup; black beans have just 200 calories per cup. The substitution is a one-to-one ratio, so it's easy to replace flour in any baked good recipe, with an equal measurement of rinsed, pureed, black beans. Check out this low-cal brownie recipe. Bananas for butter. Almighty Butter vs. Humble Banana. Would you ever imagine substituting the butter in Grandma's cookie recipe? Think again, because this is a simple way to cut calories without sacrificing taste and texture (and a good way to use the bananas that come back home in your kids' lunchboxes). One half cup of butter has 814 calories while the same amount of mashed banana is only 100 calories. This substitution ratio is one-to-one so you can substitute mashed banana for butter in all your favorite baked recipes. Test this out with oatmeal cookies with banana. Greek yogurt for sour cream. What's better than a pile of creamy mashed potatoes? But adding even one ounce of sour cream to any dish will also add 61 calories and six grams of fat. Try substituting fat-free Greek yogurt for sour cream and save yourself almost fifty calories and six grams of fat per ounce. Try these creamy mashed potatoes. Stevia for sugar. Do you detest the taste of sugar-free sweeteners? If so, try substituting Stevia for regular sugar in your favorite holiday desserts. Stevia is an all-natural, zero-calorie substance that saves 774 calories per cup. This substitution is a one-to-one ratio. You can usually find Stevia next to the sugar in the baking aisle at the grocery store.

Nutrition for kids is essential for their growth and development. Children of all ages need nutrients in their balanced diet which is a healthy mix of carbohydrates, protein, fat and vitamins and minerals. Following a call by the Prime Minister, September will be observed as the nutrition month focusing on the correct amount of nutrition received during childhood that ensures a child's physical and mental development. Nutrition Month is an excellent vehicle to promote healthy living and as a way to educate the parents. The right amount of nutrition is essential for a child's mental and physical development. The nutritional requirements vary from the age of the child and their physical activities.

At this age, it is all about the milk, including breast milk, formula milk or a combination of the two. Milk forms the building block providing every nutrient with a baby would need for development in their first year of life.

Toddlers and pre-schoolers have increased dietary requirements, they can go about eating a whole lot one day while not eating any on the second day! Though its normal, yet parents must not miss on their nutrients and watch out what they eat.

Many junk foods are purchased on impulse, and people tend to ignore their ingredient labels. However, a great way to start cutting unhealthy foods from your diet is by reading food labels.

Only consume foods that contain five or fewer ingredients. This simple step will have big results on your food choices.

It will help you to avoid greasy bags of chips with added flavorings or pre-made cookies. This tip will enable you to choose healthier foods.

If you reflect on the times of the day when you usually tend to eat unhealthy foods, you will likely notice a pattern here.

Junk food consumption can quickly become a habit. The good news is that it only takes a few weeks to break most bad habits.

While fruit does contain sugar, it can be a bridge to help you stop eating junk foods.

Natural Fruit consists of large amounts of vitamins, antioxidants, and water. This composition helps balance out blood sugar levels, preventing a sugar crash.

Healthy Baby food.

Weight loss often tops the list of our New Year’s resolutions. Setting a realistic weight loss plan where you’re making healthier food choices and exercising more can help you achieve your goal.

If losing weight is your resolution, set a goal, stay on track and stay motivated. The following are weight loss tips to help you reach your weight loss goal and make your resolution a successful one. And remember, losing weight is a resolution you can make any time of the year.

People often make resolutions to lose weight and turn to quick fixes that may not be right for them.

“I have a lot of respect for people who can follow highly restrictive diets,” says Adam Rhodes, MD, a family medicine physician at Scripps Clinic Carmel Valley. “Those diets can lead to very significant and very rapid weight loss. But they don’t always include a good plan to keep the weight off.”

Eating fewer than 800 calories a day drops pounds quickly, but when you return to more normal eating patterns, your metabolism will have slowed, and weight will creep back.

“And those diets can be agonizing,” Dr. Rhodes says, pointing out that extreme diets can cause irritability, light-headedness and constant hunger.

For most people, he recommends starting with one small change and building healthy eating and activity habits from there. Cutting cooking oil and avoiding fried foods are a good start. So is focusing more on eating fruits and vegetables.

It can sometimes feel as if we’re bombarded with information about the latest eating trend or buzzworthy ingredient. But good nutrition is really about having a well-rounded diet, and it’s easier to do than you may think. In fact, living a nutritious lifestyle can be easy and fun.

Nutrition is about more than vitamins—it also includes fiber and healthy fats. Now is a perfect time to learn simple ways to help your whole family eat healthier.

When you start learning more about nutrition, it can seem overwhelming. For people who are interested, there is definitely a lot to learn and explore, but, in the end, basic nutrition is quite simple. It's so simple, in fact, that we know you can eat better by focusing on these eight things.

We mean real food as opposed to processed food. Real food is fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, seafood, nuts, seeds, whole grains and beans. Natural sweeteners, coffee, chocolate and wine count, too - just in moderation. Avoid food that is mass-produced, emulsified (where water and oil don't separate) or shelf-stable. Eating real food leads to eating more nutrient-rich food without much effort.

When it comes to carbs, the more natural and whole, the better. Go for complex carbs like 100% whole-grain breads and pasta, brown rice, starchy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy and plenty of fruits and vegetables. Limit simple sugars from refined grains, processed snack foods, sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages. Check out our Essential Guide to Carbs.