Making Healthy Restaurant Menu Choices

As it does for many of us, life gets very busy or we have to travel somewhere for work or vacation and sometimes the only option is eating out at a restaurant. This doesn’t mean you have to completely go off your healthy eating plan. If you know what to look for, you can make some great choices when eating out that is in line with your goals. To help you know what to look for and what to avoid, download Making Healthy Menu Choices and keep it handy.

Eating out doesn’t have to be bad and it doesn’t have to completely derail you from your goals. With some knowledge of what to look for you can stay on track no matter where you go or what situation you’re in.

Free Live Online Class!

diabetes symposiumI have some exciting news to share with you!  Starting this month I will be doing live online classes through Learn It Live!  My first class is part of the Diabetes Smart Online Symposium and I will be talking about the best foods to help manage diabetes and the importance of regular exercise.  It is a free 30 minute class taking place on June 11th at 3:30 pm EST.  Even if you don’t have diabetes there is great information in this 30 minute session that will be beneficial for anyone to help prevent diabetes and just good health in general.

So come join me this Saturday and interact with me and other people from around the country!  You can sign up by clicking on the following link. https://www.learnitlive.com/class/9088/The-Best-Foods-to-Help-Manage-Diabetes-and-the-Importance-of-Regular-Exercise

Nutrition Tip – Sugar

We all know the detrimental effects of too much sugar in the diet and many of you are trying to limit your sugar intake. When looking at the ingredient list of foods you may notice that sugar isn’t listed and this is great but be careful here because sugar comes in many forms. If any of the following ingredients are listed then the food you are eating isn’t sugar free. The best foods to consume are the ones that are unprocessed with the fewest amount of ingredients. Here are a list of ingredients that are synonymous with sugar:

  •  sucrose
  • fructose
  • maltose
  • dextrose
  • malto dextrin
  • hydrolized starch
  • invert sugar
  • corn syrup
  • honey
  • cane sugar
  • agave nectar
  • sugar beets
  • high-fructose corn sweetener
  • maple sugar
  • molasses

Frequent Travelling and Health/Nutrition Goals

If you travel quite often chances are you are eating out for most of your meals and not exercising as much as you normally would. Here are a few ways to stay on track with your exercise and nutrition plan so you don’t lose the momentum you have gained:

  • at your travel destination, try to choose a location to stay that is close to a gym and grocery store so you can get your workouts in and pick up some healthy food. If your hotel has a gym that is even better
  • choose a hotel room with a kitchenette so you can prepare your own meals
  • look at restaurant menus beforehand so you can pick the healthiest options
  • bring protein supplements, powdered vegetables, and homemade bars with you so you have healthy options no matter where you go

Staying on track while travelling can be challenging but some prep work before hand will help keep you focused and motivated!

To see 8 reasons why traveling is good for your health, check out this great article over at positivehealthwellness.com.

Nutrition Tip – The Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables

Increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables is important as they prevent malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies; they reduce the risk of many cancers, diabetes, and heart disease; and they balance out acids coming from proteins and grains and reduce osteoporosis risk. Also, the higher fiber intake improves blood sugar control, reduces appetite, and increases digestive health.