Hit the Road!

 Summer is here for most school children and many of you may be planning family vacations. 

Here is an article with a great list of smart snacks to pack...

Ah, road trips: You stare at the road all day, eating candy out of boredom and downing coffee to stay alert. Upon reaching your destination, you feel jittery and bloated. This is no way to start your vacation! It's easy to grab candy and soda at a gas station, but with a little planning, you can snack the smart way on a road trip and arrive at your destination feeling energized.

Pack Sensible Snacks

Don't rely on empty calories to power your road trip. Instead, pack snacks that will fuel you with protein, fiber and healthy carbohydrates. Here are some good grab-and-go options:

• Unsalted nuts
• Pre-washed fruit like apples, pears, bananas and grapes
• Dried fruit
• Pre-cut raw veggies
• Whole-grain crackers or pretzels
• Plain popcorn
• Peanut butter

Pre-portion snacks into single-serving bags before you leave home. Never bring a big bag of chips, crackers or other snack food on the road—it's too easy to snack by the handful.
A cooler is another great option—just be sure to keep the cooler temperature under 40°F. "Use ice packs to keep the cooler cool," says Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Spokesperson Judy Caplan, MS, RDN. "Start with everything already refrigerated or frozen so it stays cool longer." Pack the following items:

• Reduced-fat cheese sticks or slices
• Reduced-sodium deli turkey sandwiches or wraps
• Individual containers of low-fat or fat-free yogurt
• Low-fat dip, hummus or guacamole to eat with veggies or whole-grain chips

Steer Clear of Sweet and Salty Eats

Keep your energy up with healthy snacks. "If you want something sweet, try a piece of dark chocolate with fruit or a small handful of almonds," says Caplan.
Also avoid high-fat and high-sodium food on road trips. High-fat food may make you feel sluggish, while high-sodium food can make you thirsty (leading to frequent bathroom breaks). "Usually if you're going to be eating meals out while traveling, they'll be high in sodium," says Caplan. "You'll want to balance that out with low-sodium snacks."

Stay Hydrated

When on the road, try drinking fizzy seltzer water, or water with a little flavor added that's still low in calories. Another option? Add a slice or two of a lemon or lime to regular water and drink up!
"If you drink a lot of coffee, cola or other drinks with caffeine on the road, you'll arrive at your destination buzzed and might have trouble sleeping," warns Caplan. "Instead, pack a thermos of ice water or tea with sprigs of mint, slices of lemon or cucumber. It's really refreshing when you've been sitting in a car for a long time."

Keep Tabs on Portion Size

Portion sizes still count when you're traveling. Learn how to read a nutrition facts label to defend yourself against road trip weight gain.
Finally, put your smart phone to work. Many diet and nutrition apps supply portion and nutrition information when you're on the move.
 

 (From EatRight.org)

 

Just one daily soda....

 

Do you have 'just one soda' a day and think that 's ok? 

Maybe you should read this...SODA

Well...the link doesn't want to work for me, so here is article: 

Just one daily soda can raise diabetes risk, study finds

By Rachael Rettner
MyHealthNewsDaily
Drinking just one 12-ounce soda a day may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, a new study from Europe suggests.
In the study, people who drank a 12-ounce sugar-sweetened soda daily were 18 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes over a 16-year period compared with those who did not consume soda. And people who drank two sodas daily were 18 percent more likely to have a stroke than those who drank one; those who drank three sodas daily saw the same risk increase compared with those who drank two, and so on.
The results held even after the researchers took into account risk factors for Type 2 diabetes such as age and physical activity levels, body mass index (BMI) and the total daily calorie intake.
The findings agree with earlier studies in the United States, which found daily soda consumption increased the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 25 percent.
However, the study found only an association, and cannot prove soda consumption causes Type 2 diabetes. It's possible other factors not accounted for by the study influenced the disease risk. In addition, participants answered questions about their diet just once at the study's start, and it's possible they changed their diets over time, the researchers said.
The researchers analyzed information from about 12,000 people who developed Type 2 diabetes between 1991 and 2007, and a randomly selected group of about 15,000 people, most of whom did not develop diabetes. All participants were taking part in a larger study looking into the interaction between diet, environmental factors and the risk of cancer and chronic diseases conducted in eight European countries.
People who drank one or more glasses of sugar-sweetened soda a day were about 30 percent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those who drank less than one glass a month.
Because the link between sugar-sweetened soda and Type 2 diabetes was independent of BMI (an indicator of obesity level) and calorie intake, this finding suggests that other factors, such as the spike in blood sugar people experience when they drink soda, may play a role in the risk, the researchers said.

People who drank diet soda were also at increased risk for developing Type 2 diabetes during the study compared with those who drank no soda. However, when the researchers took into account participants' BMI and total energy intake, the increased risk disappeared. This finding suggests that the link between diet soda and diabetes risk was driven by participants' weight: People who are obese, and thus already at risk for Type 2 diabetes, tend to report higher consumption of diet drinks.
Healthy food choices (such as eating plenty of fruits and vegetables), daily exercise and weight loss can help prevent Type 2 diabetes, or slow the progress of the disease in those with prediabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The new study is published today (April 24) in the journal Diabetologia.

  

Battle of the Breads

Why is whole-grain bread healthier than white bread?

Bread is made out of flour that comes from grain kernels — usually wheat. A grain kernel has three parts: the bran, the endosperm, and the germ (so called because it's the part of the kernel that germinates into a new plant).
Whole grains contain all parts of the grain kernel. But refined grains, like the flour used to make white bread, have had the fiber-dense bran and the nutrient-rich germ processed out, leaving only the starchy endosperm. This means that refined grain is not as rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin E, magnesium, and zinc.
Some flour and bread manufacturers "enrich" their bread by adding extra vitamins back in. But it's still better to eat whole grains. The fiber and protein from the bran and germ provide a more constant source of energy, which will keep you going long after the energy from refined grains is gone. The fiber in the bran can also mean whole-grain breads help people feel full longer, preventing overeating.
If you're buying packaged bread in the supermarket, be sure the label says "whole grain" or "whole wheat."

(From this article)