Healthy for you- January tips - Fresh Dish Post from Price Chopper

The Five Healthiest Cereals 

Uncle Sam

This cereal delivers 10 grams of fiber, 9 grams of protein and only 1 gram of sugar – all while use using only 4 simple and clean ingredients (whole wheat kernels, whole flaxseed, salt and barley malt).

Grape-Nuts

Go nuts for Grape-Nuts because in only ½ cup serving you get 7 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein, as well as 100% of your day’s total of whole grains. Plus, it is high in iron and folic acid! With Grape-Nuts’ offers a clean ingredient list of whole grain flour, barley flour, salt and dried yeast and it would be difficult to find a healthier cereal!

Ezekiel 4.9 Cinnamon Raisin Organic Sprouted Grain Crunchy Cereal

Nutrients in sprouted ingredients such as wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt get digested and absorbed more easily than in non-sprouted ingredients. They also provide more antioxidants and increased vitamin C, B2, B5 and B6.

Kashi Go Lean Cereals

Kashi cereals contain plant-powered ingredients packed full of protein and fiber, plus they’revegan and non-GMO. Try Kashi GOLEAN Clusters Cereal, Vanilla Pepita! It contains 6 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein in 1 cup –keeping you going all day long.

Cheerios has a clean list of ingredients and packs 6 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein in only 200 calories for a 2-cup serving! Plus, it only has 2 grams of sugar and contains a soluble fiber that’s proven to help lower cholesterol.

Everyone has experienced the dreaded mental shutdown that typically takes place from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. We immediately crave foods that don’t increase our energy, but instead suck the stength out of us. Follow these three simple tips for re-energizing yourself the healthy way!

1. AVOID empty calories and sugar! When you reach for these during a crash, it will only create another crash two hours later.

   Crash promoting snacks include soda, Gatorade, fruit snacks, reduced calorie snack packs, chips, pretzels, snack cakes, pop tarts and candy.

2. EAT carbohydrates that are full of fiber, vitamins and nutrients. Add some protein and fat to keep your metabolism revving and blood sugar stabilized for maximum energy.

• Keep a jar of nut butter in your desk and pair it with an apple or banana or a slice of Ezekiel bread

• • Dietitian Favorite: Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Sprouted Whole Grain English Muffin with Almond Butter, warmed in microwave for few seconds and served with hot mint tea.

• Store cottage cheese, cheese or yogurt in the office fridge and add a fruit of your choice.  

• Bring a hard-boiled egg already peeled to save time and pair it with a fruit.

• Popcorn is a whole grain with fiber. Add some peanuts for healthy fat and protein to keep you feeling fuller longer.

• • Dietitian Tip: Add one layer of kernels to a small brown paper lunch sack and fold down the top a few inches, pop until there is a few seconds between popping kernels – no oil or salt needed.

• Raw veggies dipped in hummus are quick & easy.

• Another great snack that can travel in your car in any weather are nuts and seeds,

• • Dietitian Favorite: Roasted pepitas, also known as pumpkin seeds.

• If your go-to snack is chips, then make an upgrade to Beanitos! They’re so crazy good you won’t believe they are healthy! The nacho cheese flavor tastes like a Dorito, but the Beanito chips have 6 grams fiber, 4 grams protein, 7 grams healthy fat, zero sugars, are lightly salted, have no preservatives, offer a low glycemic index and are gluten-free!

• • Dietitian News: They also have a new flavor called Hint of Lime!

3. If you are too busy to pack a healthy snack, try saving some of your lunch to eat for your afternoon snack. Fingers-crossed your lunch has some of healthy components listed in Tip 2. You could also organize a workplace healthy snack initiative and suggest adding in healthy vending machine snacks or requesting that fresh fruit be made available for purchase.   

Balanced Meals

Creating meals that are tasty AND healthy can feel impossible! Especially when life keeps getting busier and busier during the weeknights, making the idea of cooking in the kitchen for hours unappetizing. But really, creating a healthy meal that tastes great too just means finding the right balance.

2 Key Tips

• Start by mixing some of the quick so called “unhealthy” foods and add them to the “healthy” foods to cut down on time and boost flavor!

• The healthiest component of a balanced meal is the vegetables! Make sure to include a vegetable at every meal.

So called “unhealthy” foods are listed in BOLD.

Dinner Option 1:

Baked chicken with honey mustard dressing, green beans with butter and baked potato with salt and pepper and sour cream

Dinner Option 2:

Skinless rotisserie chicken with BBQ sauce, frozen bag of broccoli in cheese sauce, potato chips  

Dinner Option 3:

Taco salad- romaine lettuce, tomatoes/salsa, beans, lean ground beef, taco-seasoning packet, ranch, corn chips  

Dinner Option 4:

All natural chicken sausage, bag of stirfry vegetables add soy sauce and brown sugar, minute rice

Dinner Option 5:

Frozen dinner or pizza, with a garden salad or vegetable, and a fruit