kitchen-related stories
Clean Your Kitchen - 12 Items to Trash
Do white foods fill your pantry? You know, flour, sugar, white rice and white bread? Sorry, not so healthy. How about boxed cereals, margarine and mayonnaise? If you've got these items in stock, a healthy eater you are not. Sadly, there are more -- get the full list right here. Happily, if you ditch these demons and make some nutritious swaps (Bev says there are seven foods you should definitely put in your fridge), then you just might be able to reach healthy-eating status.
Kitchen - Keep It Stocked and Ready
When you're trying to lose weight, it's helpful to have your kitchen stocked and ready.
Drew Barrymore Needs Cooking Lessons
Drew Barrymore recently admitted she's clueless in the kitchen, and she makes her friends cook for her whenever they visit. "I don't cook, I can't cook, and it is really abominable to see me in the kitchen," says the 33-year-old actress, adding, "I order in takeaway food or get my friends to cook because a lot of them are very good."The thing about take-out food (or delivery food for that matter) is it's often loaded with calories, fat and sodium, so I don't know how Drew manages to stay so slim on her current diet. If you're as domestically disabled as Drew, don't rely on the Chinese place down the street to whip up a nutritious, waistline-friendly meal. Sign up for a cooking class in your area and keep in mind that fixing yourself a delicious salad requires no culinary skills at all.
Get Organized to Get Fit
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
An organized person trapped inside a procrastinator's body, that's me. But though organization comes hard to me, it's one of those necessary parts of healthy eating that I'm trying to master. It just makes things easier.Diet-Blog has some excellent tips for staying organized to prevent those "eating in a pinch" moments -- the drive-thru, for instance, or even just grabbing some chips from your cupboard and calling it dinner. Not that I know anyone who's done that. (I mean, at least dip them in some salsa, right?)
No, eating right takes a little forethought. Today I planned out the next seven days' dinners, made a list of fresh fruits and veggies to pick up at the store tomorrow, and cleaned out my fridge. And tomorrow when I get home from grocery shopping, I'll shred and wash my lettuce and chop my fresh veggies for easy access. Now when 5 P.M. rolls around, I won't be tempted to reach for the take-out menus because I can't find anything to cook.
What about you? Does staying organized help you stick to your healthy habits?
Small Kitchen - Don't Let It Get You Down
"I'd cook more if I had a better kitchen." Does this sound like the kind of excuse that might come out of your mouth? It would mine, but I can't ignore the fact that two years ago, when I was slumming it in a tiny one-bedroom rental place with a stove older than me, I cooked a lot more than I do now that I have quality appliances. Thing is, the quality of your kitchen has nothing to do with your ability to cook. And, if you ask food guru Mark Bittman, blaming a small kitchen is no excuse. "When it comes to kitchens, size and equipment don't count nearly as much as devotion, passion, common sense and, of course, experience," he says. "To spend tens of thousands of dollars or more on a kitchen before learning how to cook ... is to fall into the same kind of silly consumerism that leads people to believe that an expensive gym membership will get them into shape."
If you want to get healthier, it's time to start taking an interest in what you're putting into your body by preparing your own meals -- small kitchen be darned. To find out what you can do with your limited cooking space, check out some of Bittman's advice here.
Kid Snacks - Presentation is Everything
Kids are always on the hunt for snacks, says the American Dietetic Association team. So why not lure them into begging for something healthy? Here's how you can do it in your house.
- Keep fresh fruit on the counter where kids can see it.
- Wash and cut up vegetables ahead of time so they're ready to eat.
- Store the good stuff in see-through containers or clear plastic bags so kids can see what's inside.
- Put nutrient-rich foods where they can be easily reached, on lower shelves in the refrigerator, pantry or cabinet.
- Keep cookies and chips on higher shelves where they can't be reached. Even better: Don't buy them at all.
What's your strategy for sneaking nutritious bites into your kids' bellies?
Does your doctor know how to cook?
A sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits can lead to a host of health problems. This comes as no surprise to anyone, particularly doctors and other medical professionals. But knowing that patients should lead a healthy lifestyle and knowing exactly what entails a healthy lifestyle are two different things. A friend of mine is an OB/GYN and she recently attended the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. The conference is interactive -- the medical professionals who attend have a hands-on experience of tasting and preparing nutritious meals. The conference had a great impact on my friend. She learned so much about nutrition, eating healthfully, and preparing healthful and delicious meals. Not only are the things she learned going to benefit her own family, her new knowledge is going to benefit her patients as well.
My friend is already health-conscious. She's a runner and she pays attention to what she eats. But this conference fired something new in her ... passion for healthful cooking. When she talks to expectant mothers and other patients about eating healthfully, that new-found passion will come out. And while a dry recommendation to a patient to live a healthier lifestyle may not have much effect, a passionate sharing of information and knowledge will.
Are you eating out less?
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
According to General Mills, sales are up significantly on some popular brands, including baking goods, yogurt, soups, cereal and snack products. Some experts think this is a strong indicator that people are eating out less and opting to enjoy their meals at home instead.
Why do you think this is? If you ask me, there are a couple of factors at play:
- A drop in the economy coupled with rising fuel costs leaves less money in the bank for luxuries like eating out, OR
- Perhaps people are wising up and realizing that picking up their meals from a fast food restaurant is doing them no favours health-wise.
I have nothing against the occasional meal out with family or friends, but let's be honest -- cooking your meals at home is the only way to ensure that you're getting the healthiest, most nutritious meals possible. Your thoughts?
(via Diet Blog)
Daily Fit Tip: Close your kitchen
Trying to cut calories? Try this tip for keeping yourself out of your refrigerator after-hours.
Cook skinny with these 5 tools and tricks
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
You know how it's always easier to fix something around the house if you have the right tools? Trust me, using a key as a screwdriver is not a good idea.
Anyway, the same thing applies in the kitchen -- if you're trying to cook low-fat, portion controlled meals, but still want them to be flavorful and delicious, you need the right tools to get started!
Celebrity diet chef Bethenny Frankel told Health that her favorite kitchen tools make it easy to consistently cook light. And, in addition to a few of her favorite gadgets, she shared a couple of other "skinny kitchen" tricks. Check out the gallery to see how she keeps her clients thin!
Anyway, the same thing applies in the kitchen -- if you're trying to cook low-fat, portion controlled meals, but still want them to be flavorful and delicious, you need the right tools to get started!
Celebrity diet chef Bethenny Frankel told Health that her favorite kitchen tools make it easy to consistently cook light. And, in addition to a few of her favorite gadgets, she shared a couple of other "skinny kitchen" tricks. Check out the gallery to see how she keeps her clients thin!
Daily Fit Tip: Quit picking
Are you the person who does most of the cooking in your house? If so, you're at risk for a very serious condition: Food picking syndrome.
Just because the economy's doing poorly, doesn't mean you should eat poorly
Motivation, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements
We can't ignore the fact that the economy is in a bit of a slump. And whether or not we recognize it, this affects nearly every aspect of our lives -- including our eating habits. During times of financial hardship, it's a natural reaction to stock up on foods that are processed and full of preservatives, but our healthy habits shouldn't be the first thing to go when things get a bit tough.
At least that's what nutritionist Jane Clarke says in her weekly column for The Daily Mail. She offers a few tips for reducing waste -- and ultimately cost -- when you're shopping for the family:
- Buy sliced, fresh whole wheat bread and freeze what you don't use right away.
- Add cheap, healthy ingredients like beans to your meat dishes to make the meat go further.
- Buy only as much fresh fruit as you know you can consume, and stock up on frozen fruit instead.
- In fruits do go limp, cook them (or freeze them) right away instead of throwing them out.
How do you stretch your grocery dollars?
Home Hazards: When kitchen counters kill
HealthWatch, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Are your kitchen countertops killing you? Stop laughing -- I'm being serious here. There might be a very real and potentially deadly source of radioactive gas in your home--your granite countertops. According to this article from the New York Times, granite countertops can contain high levels of Uranium, which is radioactive in itself, and when it decays, it releases radon, a radioactive gas. If that's not frightening enough, consider this: radon can cause lung cancer.
Not all granite countertops are dangerous, but have the potential to be. What can you do to protect yourself? Test the merchandise before you buy it by hiring a certified technician to measure your radiation levels or picking up a DIY tester from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Not all granite countertops are dangerous, but have the potential to be. What can you do to protect yourself? Test the merchandise before you buy it by hiring a certified technician to measure your radiation levels or picking up a DIY tester from the Environmental Protection Agency.
(Via Crabby McSlacker)
What's the shelf life of canned foods?
If you can't remember how long that can of beans has been sitting on your pantry shelf and there's no apparent expiration date to clue you in, then toss it. If you do know how long you've been hanging on to the goods you've got stashed around your kitchen, here are some good rules of thumb.The FDA says that high-acid canned foods, like tomato, grapefruit, and pineapple, can stay put for 12 to 18 months if kept in a cool, clean, dry place. If stored correctly, canned meat and most vegetables can stick around for, get this: Two to five years. Just keep these few items in mind when tending to your cans.
- Cans that are dented or rusty may contain food that is unsafe to eat.
- Throw away any cans that are bulging or leaking -- signs that the food inside is spoiled.
- When eating canned foods, use the older cans first.
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs Weekly Round-up: July 11, 2008
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs Weekly Roundup, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Jessica Biel is known for her sexy, athletic body, and as you can probably guess, she didn't get it by sitting around playing video games. Growing up, her family didn't play video games or watch movies -- instead, they played soccer, basketball, and gymnastics outside. And her mom always made her feel great about her body, which has helped Jessica remain confident as a Hollywood starlet. I'd be pretty confident with those rock hard abs, too.Hilary Duff is looking healthy and gorgeous these days, and she owes part of that to her fitness routine, which includes Pilates. She's feeling good about her body and her health, and therefore, so am I -- her smile can cheer just about anybody up!
Country crooner Trisha Yearwood does more than just sing -- she's the author of a cookbook, and she recently shared some kitchen secrets with Health.com. Wonder how she gets her stepdaughters to eat fresh fruit? Find out here!
