1. Dark Chocolate

Yes, you read that right. Your favorite treat is good for you! Premium dark chocolate (the stuff with 70% or more cacao) packs an impressive 3 grams of fiber per ounce. That’s about as much as a slice of whole wheat bread, but way more enjoyable. Your afternoon chocolate craving just became a health decision. Pair it with some almonds or berries, and you’ve got yourself a fiber powerhouse that feels like cheating. The best part? The compounds in dark chocolate might even boost your mood while they’re doing good things for your digestion.

2. Popcorn

Remember that guilt you felt about munching popcorn during movies? Time to let it go. Three cups of air-popped popcorn give you 3.5 grams of fiber, making it one of the most efficient fiber sources you can find. Skip the movie theater butter and try sprinkling on some nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor that’ll make your taste buds and your gut happy. This whole-grain superstar proves that healthy snacking doesn’t have to be boring. Plus, it’s probably the most fun way to get your fiber intake up.

3. Artichokes

Who knew this armored vegetable was secretly a fiber superhero? One medium artichoke brings 10 grams of fiber to the table. That’s almost half your daily needs in one elegant package. Don’t let their prickly appearance scare you off. Steam them, grill them, or throw them in a dip. They’re way easier to prepare than they look, and they’ll make you feel like a gourmet chef while you’re taking care of your health. Plus, they taste amazing with some garlic butter (we won’t tell if you don’t).

4. Asian Pears

Meet the cool cousin of regular pears. Asian pears are crisp like apples but pack almost double the fiber of regular pears. We’re talking about 9.9 grams in one medium fruit. These juicy treats stay crunchy even when baked, making them perfect for both snacking and cooking. They’re nature’s way of proving that fiber doesn’t have to taste like cardboard. Grab one when you need something sweet and refreshing, knowing you’re doing your body a favor with every bite.

5. Edamame

These little green soybeans are like nature’s candy, vegetable candy, that is. One cup serves up 8 grams of fiber along with enough protein to keep you feeling full for hours. Pop them out of their pods as a snack, throw them in your stir fry, or roast them with a bit of sea salt. They’re fun to eat and incredibly satisfying. Think of them as the more sophisticated cousin of regular green peas. Your snack game just got a serious upgrade.

6. Avocados

More than just guac, baby. Everyone loves avocados for their creamy texture, but did you know one medium avocado sneaks in 9 grams of fiber? That’s right. Your favorite toast topping is secretly a fiber superstar. Blend it into smoothies, spread it on sandwiches, or eat it straight with a spoon (we won’t judge). It’s like nature’s butter but with benefits. The combination of healthy fats and fiber makes everything else you eat work better for your body too.

7. Chia Seeds

These little seeds might look unimpressive but they’re secret fiber ninjas in disguise. Just one ounce packs 10 grams of fiber. Sprinkle them on yogurt, blend them into smoothies, or make a delicious pudding. They basically disappear into whatever you’re eating while secretly upgrading its health benefits. Plus, they make you feel like you’re participating in an ancient food tradition (because you are). They’re practically magical, turning into a gel-like substance that helps keep everything moving smoothly.

Time to Shake Up Your Fiber Game

Getting enough fiber doesn’t mean choking down bland, boring foods anymore. These tasty options prove you can take care of your gut while actually enjoying what you eat. Start small by picking two of these foods to try this week. Your digestive system will thank you, and your taste buds won’t even know they’re eating healthy.

The post Not Another Prune: 7 Surprising Foods That Add Fiber To Your Diet appeared first on Kellys Thoughts On Things.

1. Sweet Potato Puree

Packed with nutrients, sweet potatoes are easy to cook and blend into a smooth puree that babies love. You can also cook them down and serve them mashed. If you’re doing baby-led weaning, another good option is serving them strips like fries.

2. Avocado Mash

Avocados are full of healthy fats, so avocados are an excellent first food. The veggie is quick to prepare and requires no cooking. I like to serve it to my little one in strips or mashed with a little lemon to keep the color. She enjoys every bite. 

3. Carrot and Pea Puree

Carrots and peas are both colorful and nutrient-rich. They make a sweet and savory snack that your baby is sure to enjoy. You can serve them separately or blend them together to make a safe mixture. 

4. Banana and Oatmeal Mash

If you’re looking for a cheap snack at the grocery store, get a bunch of bananas. They are, fibrous, and easy to digest. These factors make this a perfect snack. What’s more is bananas only take a few minutes to prepare.

5. Apple and Pear Puree

Babies love a sweet food mixture. It makes them happy. If you looking for a treat without added sugars but is still sweet and vitamin-rich, apples and pears are a go-to. A bonus is that it’s gentle on tiny tummies.

6. Broccoli and Cauliflower Mash

Introducing your baby to vegetables early on is a crucial step in promoting their health and well-being. One delicious and nutritious option to start with is this green mash. Packed with vitamins, fiber, and essential nutrients, this mash will provide your baby with a foundation for a healthy diet. Make this yummy treat with broccoli and cauliflower for the best results. 

7. Homemade Baby Rice Cereal

Skip the store-bought version and make your version of rice cereal. It is sure to be more cost-effective and it’s easy to prepare. It will likely be more nutritious than what’s in the store as well.

Making Your Own Baby Food

Creating homemade baby food allows you to control the ingredients in your child’s diet while saving money. These seven easy and nutritious recipes are a great way to introduce your baby to healthy eating habits. With homemade baby food, you can ensure fresher ingredients while minimizing waste, providing a win-win situation for your baby and your finances.

The post 7 Baby Foods You Can Make at Home and Save Money appeared first on Kellys Thoughts On Things.

Launch your 2018 healthy resolutions with Garden Lites which contains all the wholesome tools you need. Their products are veggie-rich and made with only clean and simple ingredients. They’re non-GMO certified, gluten free, dairy free, nut free and delicious.

Healthy Snacks I’ve Tried from Garden Lites

Cheddar Broccoli Bake

Roasted Vegetable Souffle

New Year, New You

Garden Lites has a variety of products. All of them, including the Superfood Veggie Cakes and Muffins, are packed with nutrient-rich superfood veggies. Including kale, cauliflower and quinoa, they’re only about 100 calories. They come in a package of six for around $4.99. They’re available in the frozen and refrigerated sections.

You can find Garden Lites products around the country at Kroger, Meijer, Target, Costco, Shop Rite, Publix, Stop & Shop, Giant, HEB, Ralph’s, Fry’s, Whole Foods, and many more retailers. However, call the store to confirm they carry the products before you head out. The store locator is updated about every eight weeks.

Garden Lites products are available online for home delivery at thehealthfoodstore.com. The line has the Good Housekeeping Nutrition Seal of Approval, the first health-conscious and lifestyle-award seal in the food/beverage industry.

About The Brand

Since 2008, Garden Lites, a Classic Cooking, LLC brand has produced delicious vegetable snack foods. Based in Jamaica, Queens, NY, Garden Lites have the Good Housekeeping Nutrition Seal of Approval and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2016 Cooking Light – The Healthiest Frozen Foods in the Supermarket: Breakfast; the 2016 Grocery Headquarters Trailblazer Award; 2016 Parents Magazine 25 Best Frozen Food for Families; 2016 – Gluten Free Digest Chocolate Muffins; 2015 Pioneers of Better For You: Refrigerated and Frozen Foods and 2017 Runner’s World Editor’s Pick.

CONNECT WITH GARDEN LITES: Site | Facebook | Twitter

The post Feed Your Family With Healthy Snacks From Garden Lites appeared first on Kellys Thoughts On Things.

Low Fat, High Protein

Image via Flickr by Dana Moos

According to the Journal of Nutrition, a high-protein, low-fat diet is a perfect combination for losing weight. However, lobster has not always had the best rap as a skinny food. The truth is that lobster is a skinny food, but not when we drench it in butter. When it comes to lobster, it all boils down to how we prepare it. Boiling, steaming and even grilling lobster make it a healthy low-fat, high protein food. If we are talking numbers, expect about 28.2 grams of protein per 150 grams of lobster. In the same amount of the spiny crustacean, there are only 1.3 total grams of fat.

Omega 3-Fatty Acids for Smartitude 

Omega 3-fatty acids have a ton of healthy benefits and lobster contains between 200-500 milligrams of Omega 3-fatty acids per three ounce serving. The Harvard School of Public Health lists Omega 3-fatty acids as an essential contribution to better health and brain function. In the body, these healthy fats contribute to intelligence, heart health, and help to prevent heart disease and stroke. Omega 3-fatty acids may also help in the control of other diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and even some forms of cancer.

Excellent Source of Zinc, Phosphorus, and Vitamin B-12

Zinc is an essential mineral that helps our body build a stronger immune system. Our body uses phosphorus to make strong bones and teeth. To produce nerve and blood cells that are healthy we need vitamin B-12. During the production of DNA, our body also uses vitamin B-12. Lobster is an excellent source of all three of these powerful substances. In one 150 gram serving of lobster there are 4.5 mg of zinc, 444 mg of phosphorus, and 1.4 mcg of vitamin B-12. Stock up on lobster at places like Lobster Place. 

Lobster Supports Heart Health

There is support for lobster as an aphrodisiac, but you be the judge of that. What we know is that with better heart health, strong blood cells, and a crisper mind, you probably won’t have much trouble getting lucky. How so? Well, strong blood cells carry more oxygen, and that helps your skin look its best. A stronger heart means you can do more exercise so your body is likely in good shape. Eat a serving of lobster once a week and see how it goes. 

What does all of this mean? It means that if you want a healthier body with a strong immune system that receives support from  healthy blood cells, consider lobster as a food source. Lobster is an excellent source of bone-building materials. The extra Omega 3-fatty acids help make you smarter, so eating lobster makes you a winner all the way around. 

The post There Are Many Benefits From Eating Lobster appeared first on Kellys Thoughts On Things.

Drink. More. WATER!! While following the pursuit of healthiness, I’ve learned that drinking water is one of those things that are so incredibly simple, yet often overlooked. I used to drink water only when I absolutely needed to. Sounds weird, but there are multiple reasons why I pushed it aside: for example, buying a water bottle at my school is stupidly expensive (and they’re not even normal-sized water bottles–they’re minis). Also, sometimes I get so busy and caught up in my life that I push it aside. Of course I’d drink water when I was thirsty, but when I wasn’t thinking about it, I replaced the thought with something else.

Drinking water is, for obvious reasons, crucial to your existence–and it turns out, you probably aren’t drinking enough. Typically, people should be drinking eight glasses of eight ounces of water a day (commonly known as the 8 by 8 rule). It seems like a lot, and I know for a fact I wasn’t drinking that much when I wasn’t paying attention to it. But it turns out, it’s actually quite easy to meet this goal.

The easiest way to drink more water is to make it more accessible to yourself. I now fill up my own water bottle with lots of ice and bring it to school with me so I can sip it throughout the day. Victoria’s Secret sells some really cute bottles. I use an MnM Mars one.

Either way, the benefits water provides are endless. Water help keeps you awake, less hungry, and quenched. Often times, dehydration gets confused with hunger, so by drinking more water you are literally minimizing your unnecessary cravings. Also, chewing on ice settles your stomach! The more you know. :)

The next thing you can do is exercise. Every single health nut will tell you by burning more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. Sometimes, however, this is quite difficult. Rather than solely focusing on the calories you eat, try to consume a regular amount of food while tacking on 30 minutes to an hour of exercise each day. Personally, when I’m not in season for a sport, I like to try and run for an hour every day. With that, I like to do some push ups, sit ups, and squats. It usually takes my body only 2 weeks to start showing results after doing this repeatedly. But sometimes I’m too busy for that–and though it seems like the end of the world, it’s okay to skip a workout. As long as you are making an effort to get exercise in at least 3-4 days of the week, you’re toning up and on your way to a healthier version of you!

Exercise doesn’t always have to be something like running or lifting either–as a matter of fact, simple things like jumping rope and jumping jacks are so good for your body because they really increase your heart rate and burn calories. Plus, you can do these things in front of the TV. Time flies.

Another tip I learned, if you absolutely cannot fit any of these things into your day, is to add them to your routine. By this, I mean while you’re waiting for your shower to warm up, do a few crunches and push ups. While you’re brushing your teeth, do calf raises. Right before bed, do a three minute plank. Simple things like this can really make a difference. Just make sure you work at your own pace, allow yourself rest days so your muscles can recover, and constantly replenish your body with food and water.

Diet is another important role to healthiness. By this, I do not mean living off of rabbit food. Actually, dieting doesn’t have to be a part in this at all. Just be more innovative with your food–rather than reaching for a chocolate bar, try a protein bar instead. There are some really good ones by Nature Valley, like the peanut butter and almond butter bars. They taste so good, and are so much more beneficial than a bowl of ice cream.

Preparing your meals the night before so you know in advance what you will be eating is also a good technique and makes healthy food easily accessible. For example, if I’m trying to eat healthier I like to pack my lunch with an almond butter sandwich, some type of vegetable (usually carrots), a small dessert like potato chips or Oreos, and a banana. You don’t have to complete cut out junk food, but simply moderate it into smaller portions. Also, do not starve yourself. People often confuse healthy eating with barely eating, and by barely eating you are really hindering your body. By eating a deficient amount of calories, you are locking your body into starvation mode. This means that the next time you reach for a snack, your body will cling onto it and turn it into fat from fear of not getting enough food in the future. Also, by starving yourself you risk the chance of developing an eating disorder. The goal of being healthy is to get nutrients, vitamins, etc., etc., from your food to make a glowing, healthier you. Not enough calories will make your hair fall out, your skin pale, your nails flimsy, and so on. Moral of the story is to eat. :) 

Once you get your eating down, make sure you also go to sleep at night. Believe it or not, sleeping is linked to weight loss. If you are getting 6 hours of sleep, the chances are you hindering your health! Not only are you setting yourself up for a terrible morning, but if your goal is weight loss, you are ruining that too. Sleep is very important to your overall health, and try and aim for 8 hours a night.

Finally, a healthy alternative to dessert is tea. If I’m craving something sweet, I make one of my dessert teas (Teavana has SO many) and they’re delicious, zero calories, and relaxing. I love to drink decaffeinated tea before bed, 

Though all of these things are simply and important, the most vital technique to getting healthy is being happy. The more positive you are, and the better your outlook is on life, the easier it will be to stay motivated, and the more confident you will feel.  

I’m not an expert, just a teenager. These are simple things I do when I’m trying to stay healthy. Below I have some websites to help you with your research from more qualified people. I’ve learned a lot from researching, and I’m sure you will be able to as well.

This website is great for deciphering how many calories you should be eating, and a target BMI for your weight range. 

Still not convinced about how great water is? This will change your mind.

Should you be eating more protein in your diet? Find out here. 

Not sleeping is detrimental to weight loss–check it out. 

Healthy eating for teenagers like me! 

Girls, want some cute work out clothes? Victoria’s Secret has a great selection.

The post A Teenager’s Guide to Getting Healthy appeared first on Kellys Thoughts On Things.

Listen To Your Body

More than practically any other time in their life, pregnant and nursing moms need to be in tune with their body when it comes to their diet. This includes letting your hunger guide when you eat and what you eat. On average, nursing mothers need about 500 more calories than non-nursing women, but that it is not an excuse to eat unhealthy foods. Learning to tell the difference between actual hunger and eating out of habit is an important skill to develop.

Keep Water Within Arm’s Reach

Breast milk is made up of around 87 percent water, and this means that hydration is going to be vital. Nursing mothers want to increase their water consumption and ensure that they have water on-hand at all times. Keeping a few refillable bottles in the fridge is a great way to simplify the process and anyone getting tired of plain old water can toss in a few slices of fresh fruits and vegetables. Some great produce to put in your ice cold water includes citrus fruits, strawberries, cucumber, and frozen grapes.

Cook the Good Foods in Bulk

When you have decided to cook or prepare healthy food, consider making it in bulk to cut down on prep work later on in the week. This may include cutting up a few more veggies or fruits, bagging them, and then using them to munch on in the coming days. The same can be said for healthier dinners which can be used as a go-to snack for a week or longer. On cheat days or when cooking not-so-healthy dinners, make a small serving so you aren’t tempted to save it and eat it throughout the week.

Don’t Start Any Dramatic Diets

As time goes on a mother’s body will slowly adapt to nursing, but there will still be some stress on the body and change to the metabolism. Outside of clean and healthy eating habits, nursing mothers should not attempt any dramatic diets or cleanses. This is a time in which mothers should be focusing on a diet of fresh produce, whole grains, and lean proteins. If you are looking forward to a major cleanse or more comprehensive diet change, wait until after you are done nursing to attempt it.

Drink Your Fruits and Veggies

Getting enough fruits and veggies is one of the most difficult habits for busy and nursing moms. A simple way to combat this is to beginning drinking your fruits and veggies in a smoothie. One of the best habits to get into is to have baggies of pre-diced fruit and veggie mixes to toss into the juicer each morning. Some of the healthiest veggies to use include greens such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli rabe. If the taste is not quite to your liking, try tossing in some frozen pineapple, berries, and coconut chips.

Bio

This contribution is a guest article from Cherry Creek Medical Weight Loss Center. They handle a wide variety of needs for their clients, including BHRT therapy, B12 injections, as well as personalized nutrition plans.

The post Easy On-the-Go Nutrition Tips for Nursing Mothers appeared first on Kellys Thoughts On Things.

That famous character is Mrs.Clause. Mrs.Clause is bring attention to heart disease during this holiday season. During the holiday season it can be stressful and all the fast food and holiday fatty food can add to heart disease and cause heart attacks and it is said that heart disease by 5% during this time of year,we all know that’s not good. Santa and Mrs.Clause have been saddened by the fact that heart diseases increases during this time of year and have checked their grocery list twice and have made changes  to what they are eating. The Clause journey was inspired by the Oklahoma City committing to lose weight and they have done that plus more.  The awesome thing is that Mrs. Clause took out a ad in the newspaper to congratulate them on their success. Mrs. Clause also made an appearance via video.

Mrs.CLause has created her own website that holds all of her nutrition tips and it will be updated during the month of Dec to help you choose the best food for your holiday meal and if you’re wanting more information on nutrition and vitamins and serving sizes click HERE .

The post Healthy Holiday Meals appeared first on Kellys Thoughts On Things.