clean eating Archives - Be Well Solutions

Building a Healthy Salad

Salads are the image of "health food". When we think "I'm going to eat healthily", we often default to salads. Although, when we don't build a well-balanced salad, we might end up overeating at snacks or later meals. The salad could be loaded with salt and fat and we feel as sluggish as if we had consumed a burger! In between these two extremes is a salad that will help us sustain energy, without yearning for more or feeling too tired to keep moving. This can be a great option if we make a great plan! As fresh vegetable season is around the corner, here is a guide for creating optimal salad combinations. Plate Method: this encourages a balanced meal with lean proteins, dairy/non-dairy alternatives, vegetables/fruits, grains, and heart-healthy fats. Salads incorporating most, or all, of these in recommended [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate wellness, nutrition, recipe, salad, vegetable|

Fact or Fiction: Debunking Nutrition Myths

Myth: You can’t get enough protein unless you consume meat. False. Protein is in a variety of foods besides meat and poultry including nuts, peanut butter, beans, lentils, quinoa, eggs, soy (tofu, edamame, and soy milk), and dairy products (milk, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt). While you are planning your meals for the week, think of ways that you can add plant-based protein sources to your favorite dishes. For example, instead of adding chicken to your salad, use no sodium-added garbanzo beans. Not only will the beans add protein, but they are also a good source of fiber, which can help with weight management. Myth: Fruit is too high in sugar so I should avoid it. False. There are two types of sugar: natural sugar and added sugar. Fruit contains natural sugar as well as many beneficial nutrients like fiber, [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate wellness, nutrition, nutrition fads, nutrition myths|

Added Sugar- How Much is Too Much?

You might be surprised to hear that most Americans (including teenagers and children) consume about 17 teaspoons of added sugar each day. Too much added sugar can lead to increased health risks including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Added sugar contains calories, but no additional nutrition. With the lack of vitamins and minerals it’s important to limit your intake of added sugar. Let’s take a closer to look to discover how you can reduce your intake of added sugar. Different names for added sugar Added sugar comes in many forms including, but not limited to, maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, coconut sugar, evaporated cane syrup, agave nectar, maltose, dextrose, and malt syrup. Regardless of which type of added sugar you use, you want to limit your intake. Finding added sugar in foods [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate wellness, label reading, sugar|

Building a Balanced Lunchbox

Steps to Build a Healthy Lunchbox When filling up your children’s lunch box, make sure to include a variety of different foods. Half of their lunch should consist of fruits and vegetables, a quarter should be protein, and a quarter should be whole grains. It is important for children to consume a variety of nutrients because they play an important role in growth and development. Follow these 5 easy steps to build your child a balanced lunch! Tips and tricks to get your kids to eat their packed lunch: Get them involved! Encourage your kids to get involved with the planning and preparing of their school lunches. Teach them the importance of nutrition while making it fun and interactive! Write a note! Slip a handwritten note into their lunchbox. These notes can be a picture, story, memory, silly joke, or [...]

Tags: bento box, clean eating, corporate wellness, eating clean, lunch, lunch time, lunchbox, lunchtime, nutrition, sack lunch|

Make a Hydration Station

Make a Hydration Station in your Fridge! All the good-for-you foods are packed with water: fruits and vegetables. We get most of our hydration from drinking fluids, but about 20% of our hydration needs are met by the food we eat. Prepare fruits and vegetables once or twice a week to keep in the fridge. Wash and slice (if needed) and put in snack-size containers. When someone in the house wants a snack, they can quickly grab good nutrition and hydration. Some fruits and vegetables have a higher water content than others. The following is a list of produce picks with high water content. Pick a variety of fruits and vegetables from the list below to create great nutrition for your Hydration Station: Fruit Vegetables Apples Cucumber Watermelon Tomato Peaches Celery Strawberries Zucchini Cantaloupe Bell pepper Oranges Cauliflower Grapefruit [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate wellness, dehydration, fluids, hydration, nutrition|

Keep the Party Going! Food Safety

The air is warmer, the sun is shining, and cookouts are quickly approaching. Did you know that approximately 1 in 6 Americans get sick from foodborne illnesses each year. So, don’t commit these party fouls with these common food safety mistakes this summer. Keep the party in the yard and not running to the restroom! Mistake 1: Washing your meat before cooking. Wash your hands, not meat or poultry. Washing meat or poultry can spread germs to countertops and other items in your kitchen like fruit, which can make you ill. Washing your hands not only keeps you safe but protects your guests as well. A study found that “only 5 percent of people who used the bathroom washed their hands long enough to kill the germs that can cause infections.” Grab that soap and be sure to wash [...]

Tags: barbecue, barbeque, bbq, clean eating, cookout, corporate wellness, food safety|

Nutrition and Mental Health

Eating healthy can help us to look and feel our best physically. But little is discussed about how the food we eat can affect our mental health. Eating a diet rich in nutritious foods can help us to feel more alert and think clearly. Well-balanced meals and snacks can also help us to concentrate and improve attention span. On the other hand, eating a diet high in unhealthy foods can affect our brain in a negative way. An inadequate diet can lead to fatigue, impair decision making skills, and slow down reaction time. A poor diet can aggravate or lead to stress and depression. Stress and Depression It has been shown that sugar and processed foods can cause inflammation throughout our bodies. Chronic inflammation can contribute to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. According to the Academy of [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate welllness, mental health, nutrition|

Flavors of the Season: Spring Produce

Fruits and vegetables can be enjoyed all year round. In season fruits and vegetables are usually more affordable and make great additions to meals and snacks. Spring offers a variety of fruits and veggies including apricots, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, celery, collard greens, kiwi, pineapple, spinach, strawberries, etc. Produce has many health benefits but unfortunately most people are not meeting the recommended five servings of fruits and veggies each day. In fact, research has found that, “just 1 in 10 adults meet the federal fruit or vegetable recommendations.” Not only are fruits and vegetables delicious but having a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. Reflect on your habits. Where can you add an additional serving of produce? Can you add a piece of fruit as a [...]

Tags: asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, clean eating, corporate wellness, fruit, nutrition, pineapple, produce, vegetables|

Nutrition Review of Meal-Kit Delivery Programs

Lock us down and Americans will eat it up. Literally! While in quarantine many of us ate like bears preparing for hibernation. More time at home to cook and limited access to grocery stores spawned an explosion of meal-kit delivery programs. Our lead dietitian tried several of them to assess the nutritional value of these “healthy, convenient meals”. Overall, we found these options to be heavy in salt and fat, and low on produce portions. The meals seemed to be kept at a low price-point by substituting processed foods for fruits and vegetables. In several the produce seemed more of a garnish. Upon closer review of each program, we often found that choices classified as “healthy” seemed to have had a very loose definition of health. For example, Marley Spoon has no information on the site as to the [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate wellness, dietitian, hello fresh, marley spoon, MEAL-KIT DELIVERY, nutirtion, nutrition review, nutritionist, purple carrot, review, sunbasket|

Cooking With Fresh Herbs

Skip the salt shaker and start adding flavor to your home cooked meals with the help of fresh herbs. Herbs are a delicious and health conscious way to add life to dull dishes, without packing on the sodium from salt. Some of the world’s most renowned chefs swear these versatile leaves are the secret to a perfect dish. Coming in a variety of forms and flavors, herbs are sure to bring delight with every bite. Follow our guide to use more in your own kitchen. With these tips, your friends and family will think you’re a top chef! Basil This clover-like herb is one of the most popular in the United States. Basil comes in a variety of different forms with the most popular being sweet Italian and Thai purple. Adding basil to your dishes will give it a [...]

Tags: basil, chives, cilantro, clean eating, cooking, corporate wellness, dill, heart healthy, heart month, herbs, mint, nutrition, parsley, recipe, rosemary|