Healthy Topic Blog

Why not make a back-to-school healthy habit commitment to eat vegetables every day of this month. One fun activity that the whole family can do is to create "blind taste tests" where you set up five centers with new vegetables under cups that you taste blind-folded. That way the vegetable's appearance won’t corrupt your willingness to taste it. You can offer pleasant dips to help the less enthusiastic members – a yogurt dip, hummus or bean dip are 3 tasty and healthy options.

Make sure to wash all vegetables thoroughly and choose organic if you are planning to eat the peel as well.

Find a rainbow. Study the cafeteria options this week and choose Technicolor produce - oranges, green beans, red peppers, yellow squash, blueberries, purple cabbage. These phytochemical powerhouses punch up mental performance.

Dr. Oz considers the pedometer a lifesaving tool. Measuring how many steps you take and getting inspired to walk more can improve your health profile and help you to either shed unwanted pounds, or simply maintain your weight. If you routinely wear a pedometer you will be acutely aware of just how much you are moving in a day. The ultimate goal for most people is 10,000 steps a day, but start with any goal that gets you moving.

Encourage your family members to wear one too and start a competition with some healthy rewards – maybe some iTunes to motivate you or a new exercise top or a weekend picnic at the beach. Make a deal with yourself that if you overindulge at a meal or on a given day, you will "pay back" with extra steps!!

They say that a junk food diet will come back to haunt you later in life. Well, many adults never give up that "junk food diet mentality" and continue to turn to these foods as their go-to foods through life. If you also eat highly processed cereals, white rice, frozen meals and fast foods, pastries and high calorie smoothies then you are also adding most of your day’s poor quality food choices to that junk fix habit.

You are what you eat has great relevance in today’s climate of readily available foods, but you can make a commitment to shift some of your food choices so that your daily diet is more balanced.

Consider keeping the cereal habit in place – just make better choices. Mix a 100% whole grain cereal with a bran cereal and add berries and a tablespoon of ground nuts. Use soy milk or fat free milk.

Drop one slice of bread from your sandwich and make it open face, with a whole grain slice of bread and use vegetables to add bulk.

Make fruit and vegetables your go-to snacks, but add a level tablespoon of peanut butter or some part skim cheese.

Choose a variety of proteins and not just meat.

Lose the liquid calories and mostly drink one or two servings of coffee with skim milk or soy milk as your creamer, drink unsweetened iced teas and water. A serving or two of fat free milk daily is a great way to help achieve daily calcium and vitamin D required levels.