Hand Health

In a season, when germ-giving is the most prominent gift on the market, let us not forget to wash our hands. I’m just as guilty as the next person, but I, just as much as YOU, do not want to get catch any type of sickness.

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!

Life Assessment

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.

Discovery Health Quiz

Sugar in Everything

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.

Top 10 Holiday Dishes to Spice Things Up

Everyone fears weight gain when the holidays roll around. But you have to let loose and indulge a little if you really want to enjoy it. I’m not saying to eat a whole apple pie in one sitting, I’m just saying—have that large slice and put some heavy whip cream on top.
Here are some of my favorite holiday dishes, although some may not seem as conventional or run-of-the-mill, they are all delicious.


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.

Don't Shy from Pumpkin Pie

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.