Green Options » meals

Eating for Energy - 5 Helpful Foods

Amy Bell — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:28:23 +0000

The foods we eat have a direct impact on our overall energy.

Think about how you feel after having certain foods.

A greasy fast food meal more than likely leaves you tired, sluggish, and possibly feeling guilty, while a meal full of complex carbohydrates, healthy protein and fats, and fresh fruits and vegetables leaves a person feeling satisfied and energized.

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10 Foods to Prevent Cancer

Amy Bell — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 23:55:13 +0000

Every year more than 500,000 people die from cancer in the United States alone.

Many researchers and cancer specialists believe that up to 60% of those deaths can be prevented if Americans adopt healthier lifestyles.

According to Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute,

“The easiest and least expensive way to reduce your risk for cancer is just by eating a healthy diet.”

Here is an overview of ten important cancer fighting foods to include in your diet on a regular basis:

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Children’s Eating Habits Depend On Their Parents

Amy Bell — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:34:06 +0000

Parents have a tremendous influence over how their children eat.

To emphasize this, researchers at Saint Louis University have determined that families who eat out often are more likely to skimp on fresh fruits and vegetables compared to those who eat more meals at home.

After focusing their study on young families in southeastern Missouri, it was found that close to 73% of parents don’t consume the minimum recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day.

Researchers also discovered that families who eat out frequently are less likely to have fresh produce on hand at home.

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Misinformation Fosters Tooth Decay

Sonya — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:44:19 +0000

Many parents and caregivers are uninformed that routine practices like providing healthy snacks and sharing utensils may increase their child’s risk of developing cavities, according to a new survey.

The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), a leader in children’s oral health.

It found U.S. parents and caregivers are uninformed about cavity-causing bacteria and teeth-friendly snacks. One result showed 96% of U.S. adults with children under 12 years old in their household thought a cracker was better for children’s teeth than a piece of caramel. Starches, however, can also cause cavities like sugars, and caramels dissolve more quickly from the mouth than crackers.

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Family Meals Create Better Eating Habits

Amy Bell — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:57:01 +0000

According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, eating together as a family during adolescence is associated with lasting positive effects on dietary quality in young adulthood.

Students surveyed as teenagers were surveyed again at twenty years old to determine the long term effects of eating family meals. Researchers found that eating family meals together during childhood resulted in adults who ate more fruits and vegetables, and drank less soft drinks.

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Top 10 Eco-Best Seafood

Sonya — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:58:29 +0000

Many eco-conscious families struggle with buying seafood that is both healthy for themselves and the environment.

“Choosing eco-friendly seafood is not only good for the oceans, it’s good for your family too,” says Katharine Burnham, spokesperson for the Environmental Defense Fund.

So what exactly is eco-friendly seafood? Anchovies are the Eco-Best Seafood, according to the Environmental Defense Fund’s research. In its health facts, the fund says anchovies are high in heart-healthy omega-3s and have low contaminant levels.

Anchovies can be safely eaten by adults and children for more than four meals per month, research indicates. They have “short life spans and reproduce quickly (and) are resilient to fishing pressure and remain plentiful.”

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Greening School Lunches: Part Two

Amy Bell — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:43:39 +0000

So now that you have everything you need to send your child off to school with a greener lunch, what do you put into that eco friendly lunchbox? There are cookbooks out there focusing entirely on kids lunches. (Try Vegan Lunch Box.) Or, you can come up with fun ideas on your own. Here are a few suggestions and recipes to get you started…

Wraps- If you kids are getting tired of the same old sandwiches, try layering their favorite sandwich fillings onto a whole wheat tortilla. Roll it up and cut into bite size pinwheels.

Soup- During the winter months heat soup and pour it into a thermos, don’t forget to include a spoon!

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Greening School Lunches: Part One

Amy Bell — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:05:05 +0000

Remember the school lunches from back in the days of your youth? Playing the guessing game was a daily occurrence. Was that mound of goop macaroni and cheese? Or maybe tater tot casserole? You would think that by now things have changed in the lunchroom, but have they?

In public schools all over the United States children are at the mercy of the National School Lunch Program. The NSLP was started back in 1946, with the purpose of providing affordable nutritious meals to kids. Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful that this program provides lunches to children no matter what their family’s financial situation is, but the quality of the food being served is very questionable. (In the 1980’s the Reagan Administration declared ketchup a vegetable for use in school lunches.) According to a 1993 survey, the USDA found the nutritional quality of most school lunches to be mediocre at best. In this day and age, with childhood obesity at an all time high, and overly processed foods being the norm, is “mediocre” good enough for our children?

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Thrifty Thursdays: Tips for Eating Green on Little ‘Green’

Megan Prusynski — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:30:33 +0000

With the holidays approaching and the economy on the downturn, I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels the pinch in my wallet. There’s not much you can do to lower rent or mortgage, utility bills, or car payments, so your food budget will likely be what gets cut back. If the thought of eating nothing but rice and beans for your holiday meals scares you, don’t worry! You can trim your food budget while still eating well and keeping it green. In fact, there are many ways to lower your grocery bill while helping the planet out at the same time.

Following are some of the ways I’ve tampered my food spending, but please comment with your money (and earth) saving ideas!

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