HaleMom.Com

As a new mom that’s breastfeeding, and through my pregnancy, I’ve tried my hardest to be healthy because I know my baby is relying on me to thrive.  I for one can attest that no matter how much I try to be “healthy,” I sometimes goof up and don’t make wise choices about what I put into my body.

I’m not perfect, and I don’t expect that anyone else is, especially when all of us are constantly bombarded by advertisements in our homes, and outside of our homes.  I’m constantly needing help to stay on track, and to put healthy options for food in my home, but sometimes I just run out of ideas, or I’m just plain LAZY, and haven’t gotten to the grocery store yet.

I know I’m not the only one that needs motivation to stay on track to having a healthy, well balanced diet, so please tell me about your daily struggles, and any questions you might have.

Also, please tell me about your progress and goals you’ve had through your life.  I love hearing success stories, even if it’s progress in the right direction.

A little about my journey: just about three years ago, before I met my husband, I was teetering at 200lbs!  Can you believe it?!  Within a year, I was able to get down to 135 lbs by eating a balanced diet and restricting my food intake in ratio to my activity level.  Of course, once I had my baby I did gain quite a bit of weight, but I’ve lost most of it, and on the road to getting back to my pre-baby weight.  I’m definitely not at my goal yet, but I try to keep my head up and don’t let one day of getting off track set me on a path of self destruction.

So, please let me hear your success story, your goals, or any questions, or struggles that you have.

I look forward to hearing from you!

~Hale Mom

When thinking about what foods to put into your body and that of our family, it seems like there are too many options and things to think about, and to top it off, everything that actually tastes good seems to be bad for us.  Eating too much sugars, fats and salts can be troubling to our health in many ways from obesity, heart disease and beyond, but you don’t have to be doomed to a bland diet to enjoy any meal of the day.

Today we’re going to look at a few tips to cut back on the fats, sugars and salts that seem to plague our health and waistlines, but it doesn’t have to be like that! These tips can help you and your family get on the right foot, and instill good eating habits in your children without too much trouble.

Fats

Creams, oils, butter, margarine enhance the flavors of food, so we do tend to use more of these inadvertently and wonder where all the extra calories came from when there wasn’t a whole lot of food that was consumed.  Take some of these tips into account to cut back on some of the fats that are found in many of our foods.

• Water or juice can be substituted for oil when sautéing vegetables and other foods that you tend to use oil with when cooking.  Another substitution can be to simply use vegetable/olive oil spray.
• To flavor grains, such as barley, buckwheat and rice with low-sodium, fat free beef or chicken broth instead of other fats.
• Soups can be thickened with potatoes, beans, or other hearty vegetables, and instead of cream you can use non-fat dry milk powder.
• Sauces can be made with fat free evaporated milk to get a smooth texture sans the fat.
• Creamy dressings can be made with non fat yogurt and light mayonnaise for salads or cole-slaws.
• Using apple sauce or smashed bananas is a great way to substitute some of the fat in baked goods that call for butter, margarine or oil.  For most recipes you can actually exchange half of the fat with applesauce.
• Non fat yogurts is also a great replacement for sour cream, margarine or butter in baked goods such as muffins, biscuits or other baked goods
• One egg can be replaced with two egg whites or a quarter cup of egg substitute.  Flaxseed is also a good replacement for eggs; each egg that you want to replace only requires 1 tablespoon of flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of water.

A simple change to the type of oil you use can make a world of difference; olive and safflower are great choices.

The Sneaky Salt

It’s sometimes easy to use too much salt without realizing it.  Of course a healthy diet is going to need salt, especially if that is the only source of iodine in the diet, but moderation is always the key.  If you get your source of iodine from seafoods and other sources, then trading out salt for other spices is a good way to cut back on the sneaky salt.  Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, fresh herbs such as fresh mint; thyme; basil and oregano, and even salt-free pre-blended herbs can be used in a variety of dishes to pack tons of flavor.  It’s a great idea to also use citrus juices, peppers, onion, and garlic and vinegar for a kick to your meal without all the added salt for flavor.

Processed foods are a huge source of sodium in many diets across the country that come in frozen dinners and canned soups, so choose low sodium options if you opt for those meals.

Sweets

Sugar is everywhere these days, from high fructose corn syrup; crystalline fructose,  so it becomes very easy to overdose in just one day the amount of sugar that is consumed.  I know I have a sweet tooth, but one solution I’ve used is making my own sweet treats, and add less sugar than is in many pre-made desserts.  There are many recipes that you can actually reduce the sugar by a third and still turn out with a tasty treat.  If changing a recipe is confusing, you can use these two easy to remember tips:

• Cakes and cookies: half a cup sugar for every cup of flour
• Quick breads and muffins: one tablespoons sugar for every cup of flour.

Extracts and spices can also be used to sweeten recipes such as peppermint and vanilla, or allspice and cinnamon.

Although it seems that it can be hard to find the most healthy options that actually taste good, these simple substitutions can make any meal what you love to eat.

To your health!

~HaleMom

*Disclaimer: This information is simply tips, should not be used to treat or remedy any illness or disease and should not replace seeing a doctor or nutritionist.

Cantaloupes are another item on the list for recall in California today.  If you read one of my recent posts, there was recently a recall on beef in California, now there is a grocery chain in Sacramento erring on the side of caution and voluntarily recalling a recent shipment of cantaloupes that tested positive for salmonella in testing the chain does routinely. The produce that is affected were sold to stores in Nevada and Northern California from October 5, 2009 to October 16, 2009.

It is something that we think could not effect us, but two reports in a week of bacterial contamination in our food sources is a bit of a scare and a wake up call to those of us that make weekly, or even daily trips to the super market.  So if bacterial contamination is possible in meats and fruits, where does the madness stop?  I suppose there is bacteria everywhere, but does this show how flawed our food system is when there is a recall on food every week, or more than once a week in this case?  How many shipments get passed the system and make people sick.  Are these cases under-reported?

There are many ways to get a well balanced diet and avoid the risks that mainstream foods pose, and some of those ways are organic gardening and local farmer’s markets.  With the uncertainty in today’s mainstream food supply, do you and your family choose to go organic, or have you thought about it?  Do you get your produce from chain stores, or do you grow your own foods, organically?  Organic farming has many benefits, and it may be something you choose for you and your family.  What choice will you make?  I’d love to hear any comments, ideas and stories, so feel free to post! Thanks, and may you and yours live happily and healthy!