Today I’m going to give you the final installment. But instead of listing recipes I’ve learned along the way or found online, I’m going to hook you up with some links to some awesome healthy snack recipe sites!

BE SURE TO BOOKMARK THIS PAGE to visit these links later. When you get cravings for snacks, just pull this page up and whip up a snack with healthy food in your pantry instead of hitting the drive through!

Kids’ Health.Org – Great overall site for health tips, facts, and other useful information for kids!

Family Education.Com – Great family information website. Very thorough. Check out their Food section!

AllRecipes.com – HUGE database of healthy food ideas and recipes!

Delish.com – Great site with tons of recipes, especially for the YOUNG’Ns!!!

FitnessMagazine.com – Fitness oriented online magazine, but has tons of healthy snack ideas as well!

So check these sites out, but be sure to stay tuned to my future blog articles for more tips and tricks from yours truly!

1.  “Gorp” a.k.a Trail Mix.  Make this tasty snack mix for on the go nutty snack action: Mix the following nuts together in whatever proportions suites your taste:

• Almonds
• Peanuts
• Cranberries (dried)
• Dates (dried)
• Chocolate chips (don’t over do this one

2.  Strawberry & Cream Cheese Sandwich: this little bad boy will ROCK your world.

• Whole wheat bread
• Reduced fat cream cheese (actually READ the nutritional info…as well all know “reduced fat” is thrown around willy-nilly a lot)
• Medium strawberries, sliced
• Honey (just a little bit!)

3.  Apple Chips: these make potato chips look and taste like crap! Healthy and crunchy…can’t go wrong here.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 4 Thinly sliced Granny Apples

Directions: Heat oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and apply to both sides of the apple slices. Put slices on the baking sheets and let bake for about 2 hours or until they’re crisp.

4.  Peanut Butter Banana Apple Snackers a.k.a. “Crack for Children”

Ingredients:

• 2 apples, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/4 banana, sliced up
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 14 blueberries – if you can afford these expensive little bad boys in today’s economy!

Directions: coat the top of each apple slice with peanut butter, then top with the bananas. Sprinkle the sugar & cinnamon on top. If you splurged on blueberries then slap those puppies on there any which-way seems best!

5.  Fruit Kabobs – awesome way to trick kids into eating fruit! It’s fun when it’s on a stick!

Ingredients:

• Kabob stick
• Melon balls
• Berries
• Pineapple chunks
• Apple chunks
• Sliced banana
• WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANT!

So that’s it for Part 2 of Taking a Crack at Healthy Snacks! Treat your family to some good quality food instead of letting them eat the same processed GARBAGE over and over.  Now check this page out tomorrow for Part 3, which will expand your healthy eating horizon EVEN FURTHER!

To transition yourself to regarding the phrase “healthy snacks” with something better than mild disgust, you have to reprogram your brain.  To do that you need to let your tongue experience the taste of some awesome snacks that also happen to be healthy, so that when you hear that something is “healthy” you don’t think about licking a cardboard box.

So to help you do that I am going to provide you with a ton of FREE healthy snack ideas over the next three days.  Be sure to bookmark this page and set a reminder to check back to print out each day’s list to stick on your fridge!

Here goes Part 1: ENJOY!

1.  Mix tuna fish with yoghurt and herbs of your choice (experiment…). Serve on whole wheat crackers or celery.

2. Un-buttered popcorn, flavored with herbs. Seriously: eat this enough and you’ll forget what buttered tastes like.

3. Sliced kiwi in cottage cheese

4.Healthy Yoghurt Parfait: Mix Greek Yoghurt with Fiber One cereal!

5.Homemade French Fries: spray no-calorie non-stick spray on a pan and bake sliced potatoes with salt and pepper on them.  Much better for you than McDonald’s fries…

6. Vegetable salsa: mix chopped up squash, eggland, zucchini, and tomatoes and dip slices of toasted whole-wheat bread in it…very delicious.

7. Banana & Yoghurt Smoothie – you can also mis in any other fruit to add flavor to this tasty breakfast supplment.

8. Spicy hummus – slice up some cilantro and put into hummus…use as a dip for vegetables or whole-wheat crackers.

9. Sun dried tomato and artichoke heart dip – YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.  AS SOON AS IT HITS YOUR LIPS YOU’LL THINK THAT YOU DIED.  Obviously I am somewhat biased towards this one.

10. And finally at number 10: sliced apple with peanut butter.  This one is particularly awesome for the afternoon, giving you a dose of protein and fiber all in one delicious shot to the mouth!

Now remember, you are retraining your brain and tongue to associate “healthy snacks” with “tasty”. So quit forcing yourself to eat bran muffins and make the extra effort to create some tasty little morsels! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s batch of healthy snack ideas…

We all hear that our modern food choices have TOO MUCH SODIUM in them.  Anyone with half an inkling of healthy eating knowledge would tell you that we, as Americans, have way too much sodium in our food and that we should limit our intake as much as possible.  After reading up on this exciting topic I learned that sodium is just like anything else: we need it, but in moderation. So don’t get carried away just yet before your little salt-limiting plan BACKFIRES on you.

Let me titillate your mind (yes, for the record, I used the word “titillate”) with some FUN sodium facts:

• The Institute of Medicine, which establishes our national dietary guidelines, recommends that adults ages 19-50 should eat no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, which is about a teaspoon of salt.
• HOWEVER: Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers determined that adults take BETWEEN 2,000 and 4,000 mg of sodium per day.

See a conflict here? One institution, meaning the ONE that we listen to, is saying to take LESS THAN 2,300 mg….which implies that if you take ZERO or 2,299 mg of sodium per day then GREAT!  The other…a school named after the Hulk Hogan of math geniuses sets the minimum at 2,000 mg!   That’s a pretty big deal for the healthy eating community.  Let’s clear this bad boy up once and for all…

First of all, what does sodium do? Its a metallic element that allows nerve impulses and muscle contractions to occur.  Sounds kind of important.  Sodium helps maintain blood volume and aids the old kidneys in determining how much water to release via your urine.  So you can see how the blanket statement of “reduce sodium intake” can be harmful to the uneducated…

Yes, sodium has negative effects: having too much in your system can cause high blood pressure.

So how do we arrive at the sacred middle ground? Don’t think too hard…your brain does it for you! Researchers have determined that our taste buds are attuned to salt so that we can seek out foods that contain sodium in an effort to get the right amount.  Studies across 30 countries found that sodium intake was about the same: an average of 3,700 mg per day.

What does this mean? It means don’t over think it, Einstein. If you crave salty foods, you are probably a little bit lacking in sodium intake for the day. If you are thirsty, you should probably cut back on sodium and chug some agua.

Myth #1: To drop weight as fast as possible, you should restrict the maximum amount of calories.

Truth: Losing more than 1-2 pounds a week is unhealthy.  Fine tune your calorie intake to gradually lose weight.

Myth #2: All fat is bad.

Truth: Saturated fat is harmful, however unsaturated fat (found in fish, nuts, sunflower seeds, and olive oils) actually reduces your overall cholesterol and provides essential nutrients.

Myth #3: By not adding extra salt to your food, you can limit your sodium intake to the right level.

Truth: Many foods come loaded with salt already, read the label! Try to limit your intake to 2,400 mg per day.

Myth #4: To get a slim figure, just cut out all carbohydrates.

Truth: If you eat less than 130 g of carbohydrates you run the risk of building up ketones in your blood. Ketones are partially-broken down fats. A buildup of these can make your body produce uric acid, which can lead to GOUT and KIDNEY STONES.  How scary is that?

Myth #5: Eating celery actually BURNS calories.

No food actually burns calories.  The only thing that can affect this is caffeine, which can increase your metabolism, which means the RATE at which you burn calories is faster.

Myth #6: Going “vegetarian”will make you lose weight and be healthier.

Truth: While vegetarians typically are leaner and healthier than the average population, they can still make similar bad food choices with high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks.

Myth #7: Cholesterol is bad.

Truth: Cholesterol is complex. Cholesterol in food is broken down in your body and is reassembled in the blood stream at the optimal amount in order to transport glucose.  So if you eat a lot of refined carbs and have high levels of glucose, your body will keep excess cholesterol on hand to transport it. THIS is bad.

Myth #8: Following a strict meal plan is the best way to lose weight and stay healthy.

Truth: Being flexible with your eating habits is the best method for being healthy.  For example, timing your sugar/carb intake to be right after your workout.

Myth #9: Chocolate is bad for you.

Truth: Commercial chocolate bars contain more sugar than the actual beneficial ingredient: cacao. Cacao is packed with antioxidants.  Avoid milk chocolate and buy dark, and you have yourself a superfood (treat yourself up to 3 times a week!)

Myth #10: Soy is an awesome protein substitute.

Truth: Soy products and tofu aren’t terrible, but keep in mind the high-temperature processing in aluminum vats and acid washes required to process soy beans.  This means that they contain decently high levels of carcinogens.  Do your research and keep soy intake at a reasonable level.

There you have it. That’s TEN more healthy eating myths BUSTED by yours truly.  There are hundreds more, but I think I’ll leave that up to you.  So today’s lesson: don’t believe the hype.  Get yourself some knowledge, son.

Myth #1: Bread, pasta, and rice raise your insulin levels and cause you to gain weight.

Truth: Making these foods off-limits to yourself is denying your body carbohydrates, which are used by your body to create insulin, which in turn helps convert carbohydrates into usable energy.  The key is not to eat too much!

Myth #2: Always choose “low fat” or “fat free”.

Truth: These phrases can be misleading as a lot of times the product will still have the same number of calories as the regular version. The difference might be because sugar was used to repeat flavor lost when fat was removed.

Myth #3: Skipping breakfast will help reduce the amount of calories you take in each day, making you slimmer.

Truth: By eating breakfast you are kick-starting your metabolism.  If you don’t eat a sufficient breakfast then by the time you DO eat (lunch), your body will frantically store your lunch as energy for future use AKA fat.

Myth #4: Dairy makes you fat.

Truth: Dairy contains the hormone calcitriol, which helps conserve calcium for stronger bones while at the same time telling fat cells to convert less sugar to fat while burning more body fat.

Myth #5: If it’s brown then it’s whole grain.

Truth: Check the ingredients! Make sure whole grains actually are listed as the top ingredient.  You want this because the extra fiber makes you feel full.

You can see now how important it is to know what how to separate truth from fiction! The typical phrases people throw around like “fat is bad” and “just skip breakfast to lose weight, you’re not hungry in the morning anyway” are said out of ignorance, not out of knowledge.  Don’t be like them. Arm yourself with the facts!

Tomorrow I will destroy TEN more healthy eating tips! Stay tuned…

Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.  ~Mark Twain

The second half of a man’s life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.  ~Feodor Dostoevski

If Dostoevski is right, then apparently the second half of my life will consist of watching Shark Week while cursing like a sailor and cracking my knuckles.  Doesn’t bode well for me, but it can for you! Change your habits now so that your future self will thank you.  So you’ve already completed the first step, which is replacing a daily unhealthy snack with a healthy one.  This habit change requires that you make sure you have two things: 1) the access to healthy food and 2) the desire to always choose it over your old go-to.  Make this change every day and soon it won’t feel weird to bust out an apple instead of heading down to the vending machine for some chips.

As promised, I am going to give you 10 easy changes to your routine that will leave you feeling, looking, and living healthier in the long run:

1.  Take the stairs. Ever notice in an airport how escalators are jam-packed with people slowly waiting for it to carry them to the top, while the stairs next to them are almost completely empty? It always baffled me why after sitting in a metal tube for several hours barely able to move that people wouldn’t want to stretch their legs and walk up a couple flights of steps.  Think of all times you are faced with the choice of stairs versus escalators or elevators in your life, then think of how many steps per year this would add up to…you’ll be surprised at the extra calories you’ll burn by just adjusting this simple choice presented to you all the time.

2.  Replace ONE unhealthy drink per day with water. I’m not asking you to abandon all sodas, shakes, and mocha-frappa-schlappa-chino’s from your day.  I’m suggesting that you replace ONE of these per day with a glass of water.  This will cut out at least 100 calories a day (calories that are devoid of nutrients, too!)

3. Park your car at the far end of the lot. Force yourself to walk further.  You’ll reduce your chances of dings to your paint job too!

4. Replace white bread with whole grain wheat bread.Trust me…it tastes better any way.

5. Do easy exercises on commercial breaks. All that couch time adds up. Break up your down time with jumping jacks, calf lifts, stretching, situps, and pushups (if you’re really motivated).  Don’t go crazy, just remember that all of the little efforts you do add up.

6. Eat at least one raw vegetable a day. Make it a daily checklist item: eat one serving of raw carrots, broccoli, or celery a day.  View it as a rite of passage for you…once its over you can enjoy other food!

7. Cut one TV show out per day. Do you really need to watch that re-run of Full House? Replacing 30 mins a day of TV adds up to 182.5 HOURS a year! Think of what you could accomplish in that time to improve your health.

8. Leave the serving dishes on the counter instead of the table. Research shows that you will be less likely to get seconds this way.

9. Talk the dog for a walk. Fido will thank you. Your body will thank you. Your wife/husband will thank you. The neighborhood WON’T thank you unless you pick up his crap though. Just a little FYI for ya.

10. Cut one dessert out. Do you REALLY need a dessert for lunch AND dinner? C’mon, you’re grown up now. Cut one out and the next will be all that more tasty.

Of course doing all 10 of these changes seem like a lot. So PICK ONE that you think you can handle and integrate it into your daily routine. When you no longer have to think about it, pick another, then another, etc.  In the long run you’ll be one habit-forming son of a gun.

Think about it: If I sit on the couch and dig in to a gallon of cold, sweet, flavorful cookie-dough ice cream while watching TV for 8 hours instead of going outside (Hey, sue me, it was Shark Week) then what happens? In the short term I am happy as a pig in mud.  I am comfortable, content, and my tongue is LOVING it. What happens in the long term? I become physically weaker, fatter, and less healthy.  I am lacking in Vitamin D from not getting sunshine.  My wife eventually finds me unattractive and leaves me for the mailman, who plays volleyball on the beach in his spare time instead of watching great white sharks rip the living CRAP out of seals. MAN, I LOVE SHARK WEEK. Sorry.

So let’s flip this equation on its head.  Instead of sitting on the couch watching the greatest cinematic endeavor ever known to mankind that is Shark Week, I decide to eat a can of tuna fish and a huge handful of raw carrots.  When I’m done eating I walk down to the pool and swim laps for a while (after waiting 30 mins of course).  Short term: I am craving some sweet, cold ice cream. The tuna and carrots taste barely adequate.  Swimming is less fun than watching shark week.  Long term: I am lean, healthy, and I feel great.  My wife doesn’t even NOTICE the mailman because I’m a chiseled STUD.

See how this works? Doing the hard thing now means life will be easy later. This Master Your Life series will consist a lot of simple short-term changes you can make to see some dramatic long term results.

Just to whet your appetite, I’m going to give you your FIRST task of the week. Your mission: replace one unhealthy snack per day with these healthy alternatives:

Unsalted pretzels
Applesauce
Low-fat yogurt with fruit
Unbuttered and unsalted popcorn
Broccoli, carrots, or cherry tomatoes with dip or low-fat yogurt
Grapes
Apple slices with peanut butter
Raisins
Nuts
Graham crackers
Gingersnap cookies
Low- or reduced-fat string cheese
Baked whole-grain tortilla chips with salsa
Whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk

Do this daily until it becomes a habit.  Check in tomorrow for Master Your Life: Part 2…where I’ll reveal 10 easy changes to your routine that will shed pounds and leave you feeling healthier and happier in the long run.  Now, turn off Shark Week and GO OUTSIDE!

Today, I am going to give you some TIPS for buying organic food.  Its important to go to the store or healthy vending machine armed with information before any food purchase. After all, its affecting two things that dominate our lives: the wallet and the body.

1.  Look for farmer’s markets.   When I think of farmer’s markets I think of two words: cheap and fresh.  I live in Southern California and went to one the other day where I bought a cucumber the size of  a loaf of bread for $0.75! And remember: its a market. This means you can easily barter for bulk discounts. So don’t be scared and get yourself a killer deal on some killer tomatoes, dudes and dudettes!

2.  Bulk up when they’re IN SEASON.  One way to alleviate cost while at the same time getting the freshest possible fruits and vegetables is to become knowledgeable about when the seasons are for your favorite crops.  Here is a handy tool for seeing what is in season in your area for any month!

3.  Buy preserved when they’re NOT in season.  There’s nothing wrong with buying canned, dried, or frozen organic fruits and vegetables when they’re not in season.  In the winter, switch it up to canned organic tomatoes and eat frozen berries (side note: mix frozen berries with bananas and orange juice in a blender first thing when you wake up. It will ROCK YOUR WORLD.)

4. Shop online. That’s right, for organic food! The shipping costs won’t necessarily kill you when you do a little digging and get a good deal.  Check out the Organic Consumer Association’s  Green People Directory.

5. Grow your own. Whenever you grow or make something yourself, doesn’t it taste better just based on that knowledge? I brew my own beer and other people smile politely while secretly wishing they’d have chugged some straight-up vinegar instead, but to me it tastes golden because I remember how long it took to get that batch ready.  Check out Seeds of Change to order seeds, and read this guide on how to start a basic garden.

6.  Transition into buying organic slowly.  Start by replacing one or two of the foods you buy regularly with its organic equivalent.  Shop around and see if you can find prices that aren’t way higher than what you were paying for your non-organic foods.  As you start to replace the foods in your pantry and refrigerator with organic versions, keep track of how it is affecting your monthly food budget.  Don’t sell the farm converting everything to organic, but keep in mind the long term benefits of eating organic: both on your family’s health care costs and on your environmental impact.

So now you know more about organic food and how to be an expert at shopping for it.  Don’t just buy organic willy-nilly. Educate yourself! Make smart food choices for you and your family, and you’ll reap the benefits in the long run.  One last point I must make is that just because its organic, doesn’t necessarily mean its healthier than other food.  Eating a pound of bread grown from organic wheat versus eating a pound of conventionally grown broccoli isn’t going to be healthier.  Keep it all in perspective and arm yourself with knowledge. Remember, small changes today can equal HUGE changes in the future.

Difference between conventional farming & organic farming:

Organic farming: The growing and processing of agricultural products (meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy) while encouraging water and soil conservation and pollution reduction.

1. Natural fertilizer is used, such as manure or compost.
2. Beneficial insects and birds are used and instead of spraying insecticides, mating disruption techniques and traps are used.
3. To manage weeds: crops are rotated, weeds are pulled by hand, or mulch is used to manage weeds.
4. Animals are given organic feed and they have access to the outdoors. To reduce disease: rotational grazing, clean housing and a balanced diet are implemented.

Conventional Farming: The growing and processing of agricultural products (meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy) using methods that get the maximum output out of land and animals.

1. Chemical fertilizers are used to promote growth in plants.
2. Insecticides are sprayed to reduce pests.
3. Chemical herbicides are used to manage weeds.
4. Animals are given antibiotics, growth hormones, and medications to prevent disease and spur growth.

CONGRATULATIONS! You now know more than probably 80% of people who buy organic because it’s popular but don’t really know why it’s better.

Because organic is such a booming market, many companies throw around the word “organic” in order to attract customers like Hulk Hogan used to throw his enemies around in the ring: with complete disregard for their health!

Here’s what it takes to get that coveted USDA stamp o’ approval:

• 100 percent organic. Products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.
• Organic. Products that are at least 95 percent organic.
• Made with organic ingredients. These are products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The organic seal can’t be used on these packages.

So the bottom line is: READ THE LABEL. Don’t you want to know what you are putting in your body? Making the choice to buy organic involves a little digging on your part.

Tomorrow I will reveal BUYING tips for when you are faced with the myriad of organic food choices at your grocery store or vending machine.  So bookmark this page and check back in to become an organic buying SUPERSTAR!