Member-Only Articles
Tip: Look at the bottom of each article for premium-member tools to print, make a PDF, email and translate each article.
Partnering With MyPlate
12 Things We Learned from MyPlate
Here are 12 things we learned about MyPlate after working with it all week. We read through the pages of the USDA choosemyplate.gov site, performed makeovers on over 8 meals, and created a comprehensive MyPlate PowerPoint presentation that has over 70 slides. We like the new plate quite a lot and were amazed that it even works with fast food.
MyPlate
We love to play with MyPlate. This post reviews a few ways that we tested MyPlate's applications in the real world. We moved a McDonald's value meal out of the bag and onto a plate, which offers a better sense of portions and proportions. When we brought it into alignment with MyPlate's messages, the meal went from over 900 calories to just over 300 calories. Voila!
New Food Icon Coming June 2
On June 2nd, the USDA will release a new food icon to help consumers use all of the wonderful information presented in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. We will keep you up to date with the latest news about this new icon, and this post includes links to the live webinar site and possible image layouts.
Potatoes
To test my son's hypothesis of satiety for his science fair project, each volunteer ate as much as they wanted until they felt full and the amount was recorded. To ensure that each volunteer was hungry and to avoid bias each volunteer was not allowed to eat 2 hours before the test and the test was recorded at the same time of the day - after school. The results were statistically significant.
Hidden Veggies Lower Calories
Researchers at the Pennsylvania State University completed a study that shows that hiding veggies in foods is an effective strategy to get people to eat more veggies and significantly fewer calories. We wanted to give this fun idea of hiding pureed vegetables in foods a try.
Weight Control Registry Update
Did you ever notice when you go out to eat you always order the same thing at a restaurant? Well, why not do that at "your" restaurant? Sure, you can alter your list and add new dishes or change them as needed. You can also find something neat to prepare in the store. But we find just having a plan is a good idea.
Happy Birthday To You
My daughter's school principal is requesting ideas for alternative snacks for parents to sendto school to celebrate their child's birthday, rather than the usual cake/brownies, etc. Do you have anyhandouts/suggestions that I could use?
2010 Dietary Guidelines Released
The focus for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines is to battle our obesity epidemic. Obesity is crippling us as a nation financially and it is impeding the progress of students, workers and families. Here is the morning transcript of the introduction as well as links for more.
Good Library Here
The research keeps going in one direction in our opinion. That is, the data is consistently showing that diet and exercise are so important for better health to avoid the debilitating chronic illnesses that keep most Americans from enjoying their golden years and causing a huge amount of money spent on healthcare dollars every year.
Happy Beans
Home run meal - this wonderful Mediterranean inspired meal has color and flavor down pat. Find out how we put it together quickly for a wonderful buffet that had everyone running back for seconds on the bean dish!
The Most Important Hour
The most important hour of your day could very well be dinner time. At least from a calorie standpoint. What you do in one hour can make a big calorie impact for calories in and calories out.
L-ergothionine
Rich Gravy
Using a fat separator cup for gravy really makes a difference - we removed about a quarter of cup of fat per 2 cups of broth or about 56 grams! Watch our video from Holiday Secrets Book on how to make a delicious, rich gravy that is low in fat and high in flavor.
Holiday Secrets Holiday Recipe Cookbook
Holiday Secrets contains the most creative, healthy holiday recipes. This is not just another chef's favorite recipe book - it is meant to teach you how to make many holiday creations from appetizers to gravy to desserts no matter your kitchen skill. We promise you will have the most wonderful time making great dishes that taste great, look good and are healthy every time.
Pasta Primavera Salad
View and download our pasta primavera salad handout or the free show on how to make a better salad - great for home or foodservice. You will love this favorite salad because it teaches you to use a lot more veggies than pasta so your salad looks tasty and helps you consume fewer calories!
Pound of Melon
Do you eat "value meals" at fast food counters? If so, you might want to read our comparison about a different kind of value food - value for your wallet, value for your health and value for how much food you get to eat for so few calories.
Take Your Salad to Work
Did you know you can take a salad to work? We have one here that takes minutes to make and it is gorgeous. You will be the envy of your whole office and hopefully, since you will skip the commute and line at the lunch palace, you will have time to walk. Pictures, story, recipe here....
Contact us.
Need help finding a topic? Have a request? Let us know!