List 3 Wishes and Resolve to Make Them Come True

One of our daughter's favorite songs when she was little was from the Disney movie Cinderella. In her three year old voice, she would walk around singing, a dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep. Many of us make New Year's wishes instead of New Year's resolutions. What about you?

9 Ways to Save when Dining Out

Dining out is a fun way to socialize with friends or relax after a hectic day. Unfortunately, it can be the first thing to go when our budgets tighten. Here are 9 money saving strategies to help you stretch your dollar.

Recession Eating: How You Could Save $180 a Month in Groceries

According to the U.S. Food Cost Average Report for October 2008, a family of four with two elementary age children can cut about $180 per month from their grocery bill simply by adopting some lower cost shopping habits.

Over the last few weeks we have looked at different ways to save money on food during a recession. We have learned that we can save money by planning ahead, cooking and eating at home, and moving away from soda.

Did you know that you can save money AND still include higher nutrient items in your diet? Here are some shopping strategies to help cut your budget while maintaining a nutrient rich pantry.

Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas for the Whole Family

Sometimes coming up with unique ideas for your family can be the hardest part of gift giving during the holiday season.
Perhaps some of these family gift ideas will help making your gift list less stress filled this year.

Recession Eating: Save Money by Moving Away from Soda

Have you ever looked at your grocery bill to see how much you spend on soda or diet soda each trip? Take a look and then multiply that number by the number of times you shop each month. Now take that amount and multiply it by 12 to give you a ball park figure of how much you spend on soda/diet soda each year. Are you surprised by the number? Are there options to save you some money?

Recession Eating: Save Money by Cooking and Eating at Home

Busy and hectic lives cause many people to rely on processed and ready-to-serve foods or eating out as the way to quickly get a meal together for their family. The costs of these types of meals tend to be high and the nutrition many times is inferior to home cooked alternatives. Tough financial times require many of us to dig down and find creative ways to continue living our life to the fullest.

You have heard that increased intake of processed foods and eating out have a negative affect on weight and health. These types of foods also have a negative affect on your budget when it is tight. Purchasing less processed and ready to serve foods and eating out less in favor of making more foods from scratch can be a great start to stretching your food budget further. Do you know how to make the switch?

Recession Eating: Save Money by Planning Ahead

Impulse buying at the grocery store is a big problem for many of us. Not only does it sabotage our efforts to eat right, it also sabotages our budget as well. The unstable economy and holiday season provide great motivation for smarter grocery shopping to save money. Do you know how?

Nutrition 101: How Smart is the New 'Smart Choices' Program

A new voluntary "front-of-package" nutrition labeling system called the Smart Choices Program was introduced at last month's Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association). And, to compound confusion, this isn't the only label you'll soon see on food in supermarkets. So what is the Smart Choices Program and how can it help you?

Nutrition 101: There's a New Super Food in Town!

Move over green tea and red wine, there is a new antioxidant-rich super food that's becoming more and more popular. The pomegranate used to be nothing more than a seasonal novelty--even though it is a fruit that has been around for centuries, as referenced in Persephone, Homer's Odyssey and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Over the last few years, however, there have been more and more products containing pomegranate popping up on store shelves. You can find pomegranate flavor or scent in everything from hand soap and body wash to ice cream and lollipops. So what is a pomegranate?

Nutrition 101: Cranberries – Full of Health Benefits or Just a Holiday Tradition?

As holiday time approaches, many of us will be planning our menus for the dinner table. Cranberries are a favorite in many families. Have you ever wondered whether cranberries are as nutritious as some say or if they are just part of the tradition? Let's take a closer look and find out.

What Are GE Foods, and What Do They Offer?

Genes are the blueprints of every part of an organism. Foods that have had foreign genes inserted into their genetic codes are called genetically engineered or bio engineered foods. Genetic Engineering can be done to plants, animals or microorganisms. According to the FDA, "genetically engineered foods must adhere to the same high standards of safety under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that apply to more traditional food products."

Where do you find genetically engineered foods?

How Misleading is the Term 'Processed Food'?

We hear over and over that we should cut back on processed foods to have a more healthful diet. On the surface that sounds good but is that really accurate? When you review a time line of How America Grew related to food trends over the last 50 years in America, it is easy to see that processed foods were a central part of the growth. The FDA terms processed food as "any food other than a raw agricultural commodity and includes any raw agricultural commodity that has been subject to processing, such as canning, cooking, freezing, dehydration, or milling."

The last time I checked, staples like bread and soy milk are processed foods since I can't really make a sandwich out of a pile of grain or drink soy beans. The process of turning wheat into bread is about an eight step process while turning soy beans into soy milk takes about 12 steps.

So are these the types of processed foods I should be limiting?

Consider the Source: If It’s Made from Corn, What’s the Big Deal?

Previously Stepfanie blogged about the new corn syrup ads released by the Corn Refiners Association, which we're seeing as the CRA attempts to make over the public image of high fructose corn syrup. So I thought it would be worthwhile to take a closer look at the main messages in these commercials.

The main messages are:

• High fructose corn syrup is made from corn
  
• Has no artificial ingredients
  
• Provides the same calories as sugar
  
• Is OK to eat in moderation
  
• Has been endorsed by the American Medical Association and the Food and Drug Administration.

Before You Bite: Is Pasture Raised Beef Nutritionally Worth the Price?

I was raised on a farm in the Midwest. We had a creek running through our 10 acres of pasture. The water brought hours of summer fun in addition to providing hydration for our animals as they grazed in the field. I showed horses for years as part of 4-H and enjoyed fresh beef thanks to the cow we would raise and butcher each year.

A recent conversation with Coach Nicole regarding grass-fed beef made me curious about how we raised our livestock. As I took a closer look at what those practices might have meant nutritionally for me and my family, I was surprised by what I found. Read on to learn what I discovered.

Nutrition 101: How a Fat-Free Diet is Keeping You from Getting the Most from Your Food

Dietitians and health professionals have known for a long time that a certain amount of healthy fats are necessary in the diet. We regularly hear in the media about The Mega Benefits of Omega-3's. I have blogged previously about including Omega 9’s in your diet.

At the same time we hear about the importance of healthy fats, many people are told to limit fat intake as part of their plan for Eating for a Healthy Heart. So if you are selecting healthy fats, how much is enough and why?