snack attack

Everyone's busy; high school students with all their extracurriculars; college students juggling classes, jobs, and social lives; adults trying to provide financially for their families but still have plenty of family time. Even retired folks often fill their schedules with volunteering, traveling, and spending time with grandkids. As a symptom of our collective busyness, the most popular blog post request I've had so far is for quick and healthy snacks. So here's a list I put together of snacks for all different types of cravings and times of the day. Pick and choose which ones you think will make your life both healthier but easier.

Salty:

1. Air-popped or Stove-top Popcorn: Takes just few minutes to prepare, fills you up with fiber and protein, and satisfies any salt tooth.
2. Dry-roasted, Salted Pumpkin Seeds: Lower calorie than most other seeds and nuts (only 70 calories per 1/4 cup) and full of filling protein as well as nutrients like calcium and iron.

Sweet:
1. Fresh fruit: Nature's dessert.
2. Frozen bananas or blueberries: Taste like frozen yogurt (minus all the added sugar)!
3. Hot Cocoa or Sweetened Tea: For relatively few calories, some homemade hot cocoa or honey-sweetened tea can satisfy your sugar craving. Here's a good hot cocoa recipe from Alton Brown of the Food Network.

Breakfast-on-the-Run:

1. A Banana: It has its own built-in packaging, so what could be an easier breakfast when you don't even have a minute for a bowl of cold cereal? If you can, though, grab a handful of almonds or walnuts as well for some protein.

2. Breakfast-in-a-bag: In a small zip-lock bag, pack about half a cup of your favorite cereal (high in fiber and protein, hopefully), a small handful of nuts, and another small handful of something sweet if you'd like, such as dried fruit (idea from Jennifer Saltiel on Kaboose.com). Stash in your purse/backpack/etc and you're out the door with energy to get you through your morning.

3. Whole Wheat Muffins: Make a dozen or two on the weekends, stick them in the freezer, and take them out and microwave when you needed. There are hundreds of versions of whole wheat muffins, but my favorite is pumpkin. Here's the best-tasting and healthiest recipe I've tried to date: Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins.

Car Keepers:

1. Trail Mix, of course: Almonds, walnuts, dried fruit, granola, cold cereal, peanuts, banana chips, raisins, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, cashews, pumpkin seeds, popcorn, pretzels; pick a few, fill up a medium-sized resealable bag, and permanently stash it in your car so you don't feel the need to raid a convenience store or drive-thru whenever hunger hits. If you don't have a car, keep a smaller-sized bag in your purse or backpack instead.
2. Cereal: Simple but works great. Find a high-protein, high-fiber cereal (I love Kashi) and either keep a bag or the whole box in your car 24/7.

Afternoon Energy Boosts:
1. Apple or Banana Slices spread with Peanut Butter: Get a serving a fruit in while filling up on its fiber and the protein from the peanut butter. Great snack to pick you up when you'd rather be taking an afternoon nap. If you're not a peanut butter fan, try pairing a cut-up apple with slices of your favorite cheese.
2. Carrots or Celery dipped in Guacamole or Hummus. Great for the same reasons as the above snack. Fiber + Protein + Unsaturated Fat = Get You Through Until Dinner.
3. Fair Trade Tea: Tea is a great energy boost for several reasons; first and most obvious is the caffeine. But because most teas have less caffeine than coffee they are also less likely to cause caffeine dependence (which is no fun, believe me). The second great thing about tea is (another obvious one) that it's hydrating. Being adequately hydrated is a huge part of staying energetic and alert. The third reason that tea is such a great "snack" is for it's long-term benefits; tea is full of antioxidants, which reduce the long-term effects of stress on your body. If you can't stomach tea plain, add a little milk, soymilk, lemon juice, or honey.

Evening Snacks: If you're anything like me, nighttime is the hardest  part of the day to suppress the desire to clean out the pail of ice cream sitting seductively in the freezer. Whether I'm either trying to avoid homework or cure boredom, the object of my desire is usually sugary or fat-filled. Thankfully I've developed a few coping methods.
1. Homemade Hot Cocoa or Decaf Tea: Here's the same hot cocoa recipe link posted above.

2. Popcorn: Great for the same reasons mentioned previously.
3. Chicken Soup or Broth: I find this a really soothing snack, especially on a cold winter night, and can even trick myself into thinking it's a full meal. :)
4. Homemade Baked Potato "Chips:" Found this snack idea at HubPages.com: Thinly slice a potato (white or sweet) with a potato peeler. Spray a cookie sheet with PAM, arrange the potato slices on the cookies sheet so they're not touching or overlapping. Spray them lightly with PAM, sprinkle with salt to taste and back them in a 370F oven for about ten to fifteen minutes - or until they are lightly brown and crispy.
5. Water: Wait, water isn't a snack! Exactly. If you've had a filling dinner, chances are your food itch is (as in my case) not hunger-based at all. So flavor some water with lemon and find another distraction (easier said then done, but it sounds nice, right?).

Photo Credits: Flickr Creative Commons Artists laffy4k, Rex Roof, floodkoff, kevinmarsh, and roland.

10 shelf staples (Part I)

So you honestly try to eat healthfully. You really do. But every time you go shopping you face thousands of products that shout health claims like "Low-Fat," "No Added Sugar," "All-Natural," and "Heart Healthy!" Where to start? Your common sense will tell you that Quaker Breakfast Cookies probably aren't the healthiest choice you could make for the most important meal of the day, but beyond that things get more hazy. Here are the first five in my list of ten things to keep in your pantry all the time. With these ten items you should be covered for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and meals-on-the-go. Bring this list next you go to the store and you can't go wrong.

1. Dried Beans and Lentils  
I'm not a true vegetarian, but I eat like one most of the time, and one of the biggest reasons is cost. Even the cheapest meats and poultry are more expensive than "vegetarian" sources of protein like beans and other legumes. And there are so many to choose from! Black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, navy beans, edamame, split peas, lentils, and the list goes on. Experiment and find your favorites. Check out this helpful guide from the Mayo Clinic to find out which beans are best in which dishes and how to prepare and cook them.

2. Canned Tuna OR Canned Sardines
Omega-3's, omega-3's, omega-3's! You've probably heard this term tossed around a lot lately, but it's for a good reason. Omega-3 fatty acids are really important in reducing inflammation in the body, which in turn reduces the risk of common health problems like heart disease and cancer. And if you're too young to think you need to worry about those, remember that omega-3's are important for hair and skin health. The great news is that tuna and sardines (see my sardines? post for more sardine benefits) are both great sources of omega-3's and are also some of the cheapest forms of protein in the grocery store (usually at a dollar or less per can). So stock up! They're really versatile, too. On a cheese sandwich, as a cracker dip, in a hotdish/casserole, or even plain. For more ideas, look here:
20 Ways to Use a Can of Tuna
Low-Cost Cooking With the Lowly Sardine

3. Whole Grain Cereal OR Oatmeal
If you're a breakfast person (I won't judge you if you aren't, but would highly recommend you be) it's a good idea to find a whole grain cereal that's as minimally processed as possible and contains little sugar. My college-student-budget favorites?
-Kashi GoLean: One cup has 13 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber for just 140 calories. It goes on sale at Target for as little as $2.80 a box. And man is this stuff filling.
-Food Club Essential Choice Bite Size Shredded Wheat: A box of this cereal has only one ingredient. Yeah, you read right, 100% whole grain wheat is the only ingredient here. Consequently it tastes pretty bland, so I eat it with vanilla soymilk, which sweetens it up a lot. A 1-1/4 cup serving has 6 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber for 170 calories. A very hearty start to your day. Plus, because Food Club is a generic brand, boxes are almost always on sale for $2.50. A very economical start to your day as well. :)

4. Olive Oil (virgin if possible)
Olive oil is widely considered the healthiest fat to use in cooking. Why? First, because of it's richness in monounsaturated fats (called MUFAs), which are linked to the prevention of heart disease. Second, due to its high levels of phenolic compounds, which act as antioxidants. Use it for all of your cooking fat needs.

5. Popcorn (the dry kernels, not the microwavable bags)
Maybe it's not so good for you when doused in butter at the movies or covered in carmel in a Christmas tin, but make no mistake, pure popcorn is a fantastic snack. According to NutritionData.com, one air-popped cup has just 31 calories and is high in fiber. And remeber those phenol antioxidants I mentioned are in olive oil? They're in popcorn, too.To make it healthy and tasty you can either air-pop it or make it on the stove. If you're air popping, flavor it afterward by sprinkling it with a little butter or olive oil and salt to taste. Or try something new like cinnamon or chili powder. The more flavor from spices and such, the less you'll need from butter or oil. My personal favorite way to make popcorn, though, is stove-top. My dad uses two tablespoons of oil and a "heaping half cup of kernels." So. Good. Never made stove-top popcorn before? Thank goodness for YouTube. Oh and did I mention? You can get a giant bag of unpopped popcorn for a couple of bucks.

Photos from yummydelicious.com and apartmenttherapy.com.

summer reads

When I think of summer, one of the first images to pop into my head is one of me lying on a blanket on the grass, reading a book. Summertime is a combination of work and leisure, and I take the leisure part very seriously. And while I love to sit down with a classic novel (can't go wrong with some Jane Austen) or old favorite (HP forever!), I also try to pick up some books about new topics I find interesting and didn't have time to learn about during the school year.

My transcript may be full of nutrition and food-related classes, but very few of them address environmental sustainability, the health consequences of pesticides and processed foods, and so on. If you happen to be an avid summer reader as well and want to learn more about all the facts behind organic food, sustainability, fair trade, etc, I've compiled three reading lists to help you get started. And, keeping with the theme of this blog, I'm almost positive you can find these at your library or as inexpensive used copies on Amazon. Happy Reading!

"Dipping Your Toe In" List:
1. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
2. Food Rules by Michael Pollan

"More Than Curious" List:
1. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
2. Food Rules by Michael Pollan
3. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser


"Can't Get Enough of This" List:
1. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
2. Food Rules by Michael Pollan
3. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
4. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
5. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

welcome to eat.to.glow

Why start a blog when there are millions out there already?

Hey! My name's Alyssa. My motivation in starting a blog about healthy eating stems from my frustration with trying to make healthy and sustainable eating choices on a college student's budget. If you are one of the many trying to do the same, you know how difficult this task is. But it's extremely important.

My mom grew up on a farm during the rough times of the '80s, and consequently I was raised to make frugal and thrifty spending choices. We bought generic food brands (but were still very health-conscious), shopped at garages sales, and used the library instead of buying brand new books. So, when I started in 2008 as a nutrition student at the University of Minnesota and began spending the majority of my time reading and learning about the link between diet and health, I began to stumble more and more upon terms like organic foods, sustainable agriculture, and fair trade products. While I had heard of these things before, I had dismissed them as elitist and too expensive. But the more reading I did, the more I realized that putting quality substances into our bodies is more than worth the added cost. While truly high-quality food may have a higher upfront cost, it will pay off over time through decreased health care costs, decreased damage to the environment, etc. BUT that does not mean that one's food budget needs to triple in size. This blog will explore why it's so important to eat as much fresh, unprocessed, and chemical-free food as possible without going broke.

For an in-depth look into the true costs of cheap food, check out these sources:
Time Magazine Article: "Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food," by Bryan Walsh.
Books: In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan.
Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser.