Eating Healthy: Where to Start

Amanda's Healthy Eating Recommendations:

• Hold out your hands with palms up and little fingers touching, this is your plate
• One palm represents a grain serving
• Grain or starchy vegetable such as a small baked potato
• The other palm represents a protein or meat serving
• Lean meats are recommended most of the time (chicken, pork, fish, turkey and beef) cooked to maximize flavor an minimize added fat broiled or grilled over fried
• Your fingers represent fruits and vegetables
• These are the non-starchy vegetables (not potatoes or corn) 
• Fresh, canned or frozen without added sauces, syrups and rinsed if they're canned vegetables
• Add a side of dairy (yogurt, milk or cheese)

This healthy eating recommendation is a simplified version of MyPlate but also takes into account the size of the person and is a fun demonstration for kids. If after eating the amount of food corresponding to the size of your hands (or plate), you simply have more fruits and vegetables, illustrated to kids by fanning out their hands and wiggling their fingers.

The plate method is a goal for healthy eating and may not be practical as a first step. By setting one small goal at a time and achieving that, adjusting to a more healthful intake can seem more achievable.

This guide serves as a general approach to healthy eating. If you would like more personalized nutrition recommendations please find a Registered Dietitian or RD/N.

A-Z: Keeping Track

Keeping Track: Fitness Trackers and Other Gadgets

In the last 5 years, I've noticed an increasing trend of hyper-awareness as it comes to keeping track of one's health. This began in the early 2000's actually when McDonald's and other restaurants began including pedometers with some special meals. Recently, the trend has spanned to calorie tracking apps and fitness trackers that will track your heart-rate.

My questions when it comes to fitness and diet trackers center around the motivation for using them and the knowledge of recommendations for healthy levels. For example, it is recommended that one get 10,000 steps per day as part of an active healthy lifestyle. 

Additionally some diet or food tracking apps severely underestimate the number of calories needed for daily activities. Personally, I don't enjoy feeling as though I have a calorie budget, I prefer to eat by the 80:20 rule. Striving for 80% healthful choices and 20% foods because I enjoy them (some healthful some not so much), allows me to enjoy the foods I eat without feeling restricted.

I do monitor my steps, but only through my phone's built in pedometer. I strive for 10,000 before going to the gym! 

What are your preferred ways of tracking your activity?

*I am not a medical professional and these opinions are not meant to provide a prescription of any kind. Please speak with a Registered Dietitian or your primary care physician if you have questions concerning your diet or activity level.

Independence Day PSA

As the 4th of July holiday approaches, I wanted to share a few quick food safety tips to help you enjoy your holiday to the fullest!

CLEAN: Wash surfaces (cutting boards, knives, counters etc) and hands with warm soapy water

SEPARATE: Keep raw meat separate from foods that won't be cooked (veggies, fruit, bread, chips etc.) this applies to dishes as well

COOK: Cook meats thoroughly and check temperatures to ensure they are cooked to the desired temperature

CHILL: 2-HOUR RULE! Cream pies, salads, sides and other deserts should find the refrigerator or cooler with ice after being out for no longer than two hours. This doesn't mean the party has to end, just tuck those perishables away!

Follow these four easy steps and your Independence Day holiday will be off to a great safe start!

For more food safety tips!

A Slice of Humble Pie

Yesterday as I was enjoying a slice of apple pie, I started to think about everything I have to be thankful for! If there were 100 people selected at random from around the world:

Only 5 would speak English.

33 would be Christian

21 would be overweight and 16 would be undernourished or starving

23 would have no place of shelter

22 would have access to a computer, 17 would be illiterate

7 would have a college degree.

 

Image Source: 

http://www.indexmundi.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/the-world-as-100-people.png

Only 7 would have a college degree. This one really sunk in. I will graduate college in a year and have every intention of attending graduate school the next fall.

Why is it that I have this sense of entitlement or expectation? There are people that probably wouldn't be able to comprehend the idea of this blog, let alone have clean water to drink! I firmly believe it is because of those who have fought to protect what we have. I also believe it is due to my parents that told me I could do anything I wanted (yes even as a child when I thought it would be cool to be a cheerleader)!

So as the summer months get hotter, and we dread the day to day grind, just remember all of those that are far less privileged!

Why Chase "That" Apple?

Chasing Those Apples is a personal account of my dietetics and life experiences. I chose to start this blog because I have had so many wonderful opportunities this past year and I want to make sure I get them all down.

I chose the title Chasing Those Apples because nutrition and physical activity have always been a central part of life. However, in college, I have had to work harder to make healthy choices nutritionally and physically. I now have a better understanding of the struggles to not only eat healthy but also incorporate physical activity into a daily routine.