Healthy Eating Ideas

Have You Eaten Breakfast This Morning????

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, however most people tend to skip this meal. As a teacher, coach and part-time waitress I find meal prep really helps me to keep a healthy diet and especially in the morning. One of my favorite breakfast meal preps in Egg Muffin Cups! These mini muffins I can prep and package on a Sunday and take to school each day and reheat! Here is the one of my favorite recipes!!! ENJOY!!!!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Start by chopping some veggies: red pepper, green pepper, yellow onion, mushrooms, and baby spinach! I like chopping everything pretty small, because I'm not a fan of big chunks, but the size of veggie is up to you! Now mince some garlic and crack some eggs! I used 4 whole eggs and 4 egg whites. Whisk the eggs together in a large four cup measuring cup and set aside. I like whisking the eggs in the measuring cup, because it makes pouring the mixture into the muffin tin easier later on!
2. Now, heat a non stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in olive oil. Then add in the red pepper, green pepper, yellow onion, and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 5-7 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. Add in spinach and mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes. In the last 30 seconds, add in minced garlic.
3. Taste and re-season with salt if necessary!
   
4. Pour the cooked veggies into the whisked eggs. Stir to combine. If you like, you could even add in a little hot sauce.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a muffin pan with cooking spray.
6. Pour the egg/veggie mixture evenly into the muffin pan. You'll have enough for all 12 muffin slots!
7. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the tops are firm to the touch or if an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, before removing! Serve immediately or let finish cooling on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for no longer than 4 days. You can, however, store these individually in the freezer! To thaw, remove from the freezer the night before and store in the refrigerator. Then just pop it in the microwave in the morning until warm.

NOTES

Calories are for one muffin, so eat up and serve this with a side of toast, your morning coffee, yogurt, etc!

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Serving size: 1 muffin Calories: 48 Fat: 2.7 Protein: 3.7

Portion Distortion

What is the difference between portion and a serving??

Portions: is the amount of food that you choose to eat for a meal or snack. It can be big or small, you decide.

Serving: is a measured amount of food or drink, such as one slice of bread or one cup (eight ounces) of milk.

Over the past 20 years portion sizes have changed. Have you ever noticed when you go out to eat the portions are on the larger side? Sometimes the entree can feed 2-3 people. These portions sizes have changed the way we think of "normal" serving sizes. This is called Portion Distortion. 

It is very important to refer to nutrition food labels to control your food intake. Also be familiar with appropriate portion sizes for your diet!  This guide shows your how your hand can help you identify portions. 

Food Inc.

Do you really know where your food is coming from??? 

I find when I ask students where their food comes from they immediately respond with an animal (chow, chicken, fish) or plant (tree or grown in ground). It is often forgotten the process from the animal or plant to our plates. In class we will be watching the video Food Inc.

Description of Food Inc. 

The current method of raw food production is largely a response to the growth of the fast food industry since the 1950s. The production of food overall has more drastically changed since that time than the several thousand years prior. Controlled primarily by a handful of multinational corporations, the global food production business - with an emphasis on the business - has as its unwritten goals production of large quantities of food at low direct inputs (most often subsidized) resulting in enormous profits, which in turn results in greater control of the global supply of food sources within these few companies. Health and safety (of the food itself, of the animals produced themselves, of the workers on the assembly lines, and of the consumers actually eating the food) are often overlooked by the companies, and are often overlooked by government in an effort to provide cheap food regardless of these negative consequences. Many of the changes are based on advancements in science and technology, but often have negative side effects. The products made have been shown in several studies to enlarge male sexual organs and increase male breast size. The answer that the companies have come up with is to throw more science at the problems to bandage the issues but not the root causes. The global food supply may be in crisis with lack of biodiversity, but can be changed on the demand side of the equation. 

How is your diet??????

The Food Label

The Food Label 

A panel found on a package of food which contains a variety of information about the nutritional value of the food item. There are many pieces of information which are standard on most food labels, including serving size, number of calories, grams of fat, included nutrients, and a list of ingredients. This information helps people who are trying to restrict their intake of fat, sodium, sugar, or other ingredients, or those individuals who are trying to get enough of the healthy nutrients such as calcium or Vitamin C. The label provides each item with its approximate percent daily value, generally based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The 6 important parts of the Food Label 

1. Serving size
2. Calories
3. Identify nutrients you should limit: Total Fat (saturated and trans) Cholesterol, Sodium, Carbohydrate
4. Identify nutrients you need to get enough of in your diet: Vitamins, Minerals 
5. Footnote: This contains the percent daily values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs, 
6. Daily Values: 5% or less is considered low in a Nutrient. 20% or more is considered high in a nutrient. 

MyPlate Web Quest

Are you familiar with the Plate????

Nutrition no longer uses a food pyramid it is now a plate. We are now going to get familiar with the MyPlate website and all the cool nutrition tracking tools.

1. The website: Choosemyplate.gov
2. Click on MyPlate
3. Go to each of the 5 food groups and write down how much is recommended daily for you.

Answers for 14-18 Girls and Boys recommended daily values:

Girls 
Fruits: 1 1/2 Cups
Vegetables: 2 1/2 Cups
Grains: 6 ounces
Protein: 5 ounces
Dairy: 3 Cups

Boys
Fruits: 2 Cups
Vegetables: 3 Cups
Grains: 8 Ounces
Protein: 6 1/2 Ounces
Dairy: 3 Cups

6 Essential Nutrients

Today's main focus is the 6 Essential Nutrients.

MyPlate.gov is broken down into 5 Food Groups:

-Dairy
-Vegetables
-Fruits
-Proteins
-Grains

From those 5 Food groups the body obtains Essential Nutrients including:

- Water
- Fats
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Protein
- Carbohydrates

We will follow be viewing a PowerPoint and completing a Guided Study Guide.