• How to Read a Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Definitions

They have numerous guides that includes topics such as party planning, olive oil uses, and pairing food with wine.  I always check out their website periodically and see what new items they are selling.  Enjoy!

The three different body types are classified as mesomorph, ectomorph, and endomorph.  The break down of these three is easy to classify:

*Mesomorphs make it look easy.

*Ectomorphs have all the fun.

*Endomorphs are the bottom of the food chain.

Why? You may ask.  Although not as dramatic as I have made it seem, these three body types differ greatly from one to the next.  The mesomorph gains muscle easily and distributes fat evenly over their body, the ectomorph is the slim person who can never seem to gain weight, and the endomorph gains weight easily.  To give you a better sense of the disparities between each and a more detailed definition, below are definitions from dummies.com.

* “A mesomorph (or meso, for short) can be defined in one word: muscular. If you’re a meso, your body type is usually the envy of all gym rats because you can increase your muscle size quickly and easily. The well-developed, rectangular shapes of mesomorphs are representative of their thick bones and muscles. (Before you get too excited about this perfect form, keep in mind that being a meso may also mean you have poor flexibility.) If you are a characteristic mesomorph, you have a well-defined chest and shoulders that are both larger and broader than your waistline. Your abdomen is taut and your hips are generally the same width as your shoulders. Your buttocks, thighs, and calves are all toned and defined.

Cardiovascular disease can be a primary threat to an overweight meso, so if you fit into that category, your best method of prevention is to maintain a healthy diet and a balanced exercise regime. Remember that your heart is a muscle, too, and the best way to keep it fit is to perform cardiovascular activities.

Craving physical activity and constantly seeking action, the mesomorph makes a great athlete.

*A one-word description for the ectomorph body type (or ecto, for short) is slim. If you’re an ecto, mesomorphs and endomorphs usually don’t want to stand next to you. It’s not that ectomorphs aren’t personable, it’s just that you’re probably a tall, slender individual who has trouble gaining weight (oh darn!). As you may have guessed, the perfect example of an ecto is a fashion model.

An ectomorph is relatively linear in shape with a delicate build, narrow hips and pelvis, and long arms and legs. As an ecto, your muscle and bone outlines are usually visible (especially if you are an extremely thin ecto), and you normally have less fat and muscle mass than people with other body types. Remember, though, that you probably don’t have all the features of a characteristic endomorph, but a blend of features from more than one body type.

*A one-word description of the endomorph body type (or endo, for short) is curvy. The soft, flowing curves of an endo are similar to that of an hourglass in more ways than one. And wouldn’t you know it; the sands of an hourglass tend to settle in its bottom half just like the fat in the body. Comparatively, if you’re an endomorph, your body fat may have a tendency to settle into the lower regions of your body, predominantly the lower abdomen, hips, and thighs, rather than being distributed evenly throughout your body. Keep in mind, though, that most endomorphs don’t have all the features of characteristic endomorph, but a blend of features from other body types as well.

An endomorph body typically has the capacity for high fat storage, and unfortunately puts fat on pretty easily. Although all body types are susceptible to excessive weight gain, as an endomorph, you are more inclined to become obese. The majority of your body weight is either centered in the middle of your body or in your hip and buttocks regions. A metaphor frequently used to describe an endomorph body type is pear-shaped. A pear resembles a body that has more weight in the lower region, like the hips and thighs, than the upper portion of the body. Structurally, as an endo, you have small to medium bones, limbs that are shorter in relation to your trunk, and musculature that is not well defined.”

Jello With Fruit:

Peanut Butter Bars:
All you need is peanut butter, honey, and uncooked oatmeal.  It’s a great snack and it’s healthy too.  To make a batch of them into protein bars, just add a tad more honey and then some protein powder.  Recipe.

Cucumber Ribbon Salad:
Thin strips of cucumber with some rice vinegar, honey and sesame seed oil.  Vegetables in thin or small amounts with lots of flavor are always easy to get kids to eat.  If all else fails, tell them it’s green spaghetti or something equally as creative.  Recipe.

Homemade Fruit Juice Bars:
Every kids likes ice cream and popsicles.  Using a juicer or a blender, make a pulp-like substance out of your fruit of choice and place it in popsicle molds, and then simply place in freezer.

Apples With Peanut Butter:
Slice apples and give them peanut butter to dip it in.  This is a great alternative to caramel, which is full of fructose syrup and artificial sweetener.  Peanut butter is actually a great dip for lots of fruits and veggies, like: bananas, celery, and carrots.

After watching an episode of Dr. Oz, I was surprise to find out the following:

1. Use a rich oil-based moisturizer during winter months:
* Well this one made sense because I have experienced this myself. I ALWAYS have to use thicker and heavier moisturizers during the winter to keep my face and skin from feeling itchy and having dry patches.2. Chocolate is helpful for the skin:
* This one was refreshing to find out. I absolutely love chocolate and have even more reason to eat it now. Of course, dark chocolate is always a healthier choice.

3. Oatmeal is beneficial to dry skin:
* I know oatmeal is good for your heart and a good source of fiber. But it’s great that it is also good for dry skin.

4. Egg yolk is helpful for healthy skin:
* Scrambled eggs, over-easy eggs, omelets, and eggs benedict are all top-notch breakfast food for me.

5. Do not use a cleanser with deodorants:
* Lots of cleansers with deodorants have an alcohol base that dries out the skin. Think about it. Perfumes don’t moisturize your skin, so putting a perfume-like substance in your lotion, isn’t going to provide deep moisture for you.

6. White wine is harmful for healthy skin:
* This revelation is by far the most disappointing. Why does white wine have to live in the shadows of red wine? White wine just tastes better than red anyhow.

Make Sure to Wash Hands:

• Before meals.
• After petting animals or picking up their waste.
• After touching a sick person.
• After sneezing into your hands or dealing with any bodily fluids.
• After going to the bathroom (This one should really be a no-brainer. It’s disgusting when you don’t).
• If you aren’t able to get to a restroom, keep a pocket-sized hand sanitizer around for a quick squirt-and-go solution.

Hot Spots for Germs:
Phones: Whether that be with a cord, cordless, or your cell phone. I’m pretty sure you use some type of phone on a daily basis and everyday you touch it there are new germs added.

Door knobs/handles: This one is just squirming with germs because people use this daily to get in and out of offices, rooms, bathrooms, and the like. You never know where everyone elses’ hands have been, so wash your hands frequently!

Discovery Health has a set of quizzes made to assess and measure how well you handle and live your life on a daily basis. Not only about nutrition and eating habits, the quizzes also deal with mental health, physical health, and lots of other topics as well. I took some quizzes myself and was surprised on how i scored.

Only one word of advice when preparing for the quiz: Get a pen and paper handy, for jotting down your answers.

P.S. Obviously you shouldn’t take the quiz as an absolute authority, because everyone is made different and has different needs in their life. But generally speaking, Discovery Health knows what they are talking about and they have a balanced approach to what lifestyle you should be leading. If you notice, the questions aren’t definite black and white situations where you either eat donuts all day or only vegetables 24/7, like lots of phony quizzes that you get out of something like Cosmo.

Added sugars are everywhere! What the majority of the public doesn’t realize is that, many popular foods, condiments, and drinks hold a surprising amount of added sugar. Things you wouldn’t even think of have an extra dose of sugar.

Baked beans.
If you really think about it, they are pretty sweet. The maple-colored beans on the can get their color from all that extra molasses-like artificial sweetener. Only one cup is about 15 grams of sugar. One gram of sugar is 4 calories. So if you do the math, it can all add up very quickly if you have extra helpings.
BBQ Sauce.
The kind bought at the supermarket has the ultimate syrupy sweetness. The typical store brand, KC Masterpiece has 12 grams of sugar for every 2 tablespoons…and chances are you will be using more than the serving size if you are using it as a dip. The best is to make your own–adding a hickory flavor or some extra chili will reduce your need for that extra sugar.

Ketchup.
God knows I love ketchup to death. But just remember, next time you are drenching that french fry in ketchup that your dip has up to 40 grams of extra sugar.

Granola Bars.
Many people think that ANY granola bar is a healthy, alternative snack. Truth is, many of these granola bars have so much sugar, that it defeats the purpose of being labeled (ahem…misconceived) as an exemplary form of nutritious food. The kind I like to buy is Kashi cereal bars—they taste great and use ingredients like evaporated cane sugar and dried fruit to add an element

Flavored Alcoholic Drinks.
Flavored drinks are a combination of hard liquor and some type of juice or mixer. What do juice and mixers have? Lots of sugar. Look at even the most basic cranberry juice: It can carry up to 35 grams of sugar per serving.

10. When eating/serving dip, use pita chips instead of tortilla chips. They taste scrumptious and are usually baked. Plus, they serve as an alternative to all the boring tortilla chips you’ve had over the years. And if you’re feeling up to challenge the status-quo in dips, perhaps you’ll try it with some humus as well.

9. Homemade stuffing. The pre-made kind you buy in the box works, if you want a ho-hum evening, but if you really want to enjoy it make it from scratch. Spice up homemade stuffing with ground meat, cranberries, and tiny pieces of fresh orange. All your guests will appreciate the extra time you spent in the kitchen.

8. Mochi ice cream balls. My house has always been a hodge-podge of different desserts for the holidays, but this is a great addition to all those extra creamy and rich desserts. Have a mochi ball in between desserts and it’ll clean your palate a bit for the next ultra indulgent slice of cheesecake you’re about to eat. Plus, it tastes delicious and comes in a variety of flavors. The ones at Trader Joe’s come in mango, green tea, and strawberry.

7. Red skin potato salad. Loaded with sour cream and dill, this side dish is always the first to run out.

6. Sweet potato casserole. I have never liked sweet potatoes until I had it in this form. That is how good it is. It consists of boiled and mashed sweet potatoes covered in butter, pecans, and brown sugar. Then, it’s baked in the oven. You’ll never pass up a second helping.

5. Honey Ham. The best I’ve had is the kind from The HoneyBaked Ham Company. But then again, no one (not even myself) has tried to make this from scratch. I would tear pieces off for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The edges are always a tad crispy from the baked honey glaze.

4. Fried Rice. A well-made fried rice always makes my mouth water. The kind my mother makes incorporates: beef strips, chicken bites, and shrimp cut into little cubes. Add some soy sauce, green onion, and peas and I could eat three bowls full.

3. Chocolate Coconut Bars. It’s like a shortbread cookie with a chocolate macaroon on top! A different version of this consists of coconut flakes and melted chocolate mixed into a ball with graham cracker crumbles. It’s an easy recipe, and great to give as a gift idea.

2. Chocolate covered pretzels with M&Ms. This is probably the easiest thing to make, and you wouldn’t believe how much better chocolate covered pretzels taste, when they have M&Ms attached.

1. Rice Pudding. Creamy, refreshing, and just the perfect touch of cinnamon—this is a great dish to make during the holidays. I prefer it chilled, but you can also heat it up and enjoy. My recommendation is to always sprinkle on a little powered cinnamon before eating.

I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of pumpkin pies, especially with Thanksgiving having just passed. When everyone is trying to watch their waistlines, there here is some great news:

you don’t have to feel guilty for eating that extra slice of pie.

Of course the whip cream and extra buttery crust aren’t the most health conscious options, but the pie filling is actually good for you. Who would have known? (Well actually lots of people do…humor me). Pumpkin contains vitamins and minerals that help promote immunity, development, and even help reduce the risk of heart disease. Alpha and beta-carotene (found in carrots) help to lower the risk of heart disease because they prevent cholesterol build-up in the arteries. Pumpkin pie also has great vitamins and minerals like: fiber, magnesium, vitamin C and E, and potassium.

It’s really simple to make pumpkin pie too. With pre-made pie crusts at the store and canned pumpkin pie mix, it takes minimal effort to make a pumpkin pie. Here is a quick and easy recipe, when you need to fulfill that craving:

I like using Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Mix and Recipe:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Olive oil is a great source of monounsaturated fat. (Saturated fat is “bad fat” while unsaturated fat is “good fat”). It has multiple health benefits, and is a fantastic oil to use when cooking meals. Not only does olive oil have a unique flavor, but it also is the only vegetable oil that can be consumed freshly pressed. Olive oil does not need to be highly processed, or even processed at all. This brings me to my next point: the different types of olive oils available.

Extra Virgin: It is the highest quality olive oil because it is the least processed and is taken from the first pressing of the olives.

Virgin: Many people do not know the difference between virgin and extra virgin. The difference is that virgin is taken from the second pressing, not the first pressing (as with extra virgin).

Pure: As a lesser grade of olive oil, it combines refined oil (processed oil) and some extra virgin olive oil.

Olive oil can reduce cholesterol and colon cancer. People that take roughly 2 tablespoons a day have been shown to have lower levels of cholesterol.

Extra Virgin olive oil is also a great source of antioxidants, like Vitamin E. Antioxidants are great for bodily processes and can also be found in leafy green vegetables, and certain fruits.

When storing olive oil, make sure to keep in a cool and dark place. (Storing it in direct sunlight and heat causes the olive oil to go bad).