When faced with choosing proper portion sizes, remember you have one of the most useful tools right at your fingertips – actually, ATTATCHED to your fingertips!

Your hand is a great measuring device, and it goes with you everywhere. With a little preliminary experimenting, you’ll never be caught unprepared again. Read more →

That cute little bag of goodies just can’t seem bad, but it packs a punch with calories and sugar, especially when we typically can’t have just one.  Wonder how much that Halloween staple staring at you in the kitchen really has with those excess calories?

If the only way you’re able to stomach your veggies is with a tasty salad dressing, then it’s definitely a do! However, there are some things that you should remember:

Almost all salad dressings have their fair share of sodium – be mindful.

Almost all salad dressings have fat – just remember some have more unsaturated fat (think oily dressings) and some have more saturated fat (think creamy dressings).

The typical serving size is two tablespoons – ignoring the serving size just negates all the good things you are doing for your body by eating veggies in the first place.

So, two ways to make sure you’re sticking to your allotted serving size:

Put your salad in a container with the recommended serving size and toss until it’s all mixed together (and evenly coated).

Get your dressing on the side and coat your fork with it before each bite (trust me – you’d be surprised how well this one works).

On June 2nd, the First Lady helped to unveil the federal government’s new “food icon”, MyPlate, to serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices. It’s a simple graphic representation of the 2010 Guidelines for Healthy Americans, and the replacement for the Food Guide Pyramid (the USDA’s 1992 food icon) and/or MyPyramid (the USDA’s 2005 food icon).

The Guidelines main messages include:

Balance Calories

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains

Foods to Reduce

• Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower
  numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

To quote the press release, “As Americans are experiencing epidemic rates of overweight and obesity, the online resources and tools [which can be found on ChooseMyPlate.gov] can empower people to make healthier food choices for themselves, their families, and their children.” Additionally, later this year, USDA will unveil an exciting “go-to” online tool that consumers can use to personalize and manage their dietary and physical activity choices – a perfect compliment to any weight loss program!!