HYDRATION- continued…

OK, the answer is… women need about 80 fl oz of water daily and men need 110 fl oz. Thanks to all those who took the poll! Now, a short nutrition lesson:

Healthy physical activity is largely dependent on staying properly hydrated and, believe it or not, it is very often underestimated.

HYDRATION TIPS

*Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day. Pay attention to how much you are consuming. A poland springs sports bottle contains about 24 ounces (or 3 cups). So women need about 3 bottles daily and men need about 4.

*The easiest way to determine if you are well hydrated is by looking at the color of your urine. A pale yellow color (lemonade) means you are well hydrated. Dark colored urine (apple juice) indicates dehydration.

*Keep in mind that you do not necessarily have to feel thirsty to be dehydrated. Some people rarely get thirsty at all during the day. Therefore, try to monitor how much fluid you are getting throughout the day in order to meet you fluid goal.

*Try to drink  a glass of water 15-30 minutes before each meal.

AND, believe it or not, once you get into the habit of drinking throughout the day and meeting your fluid goal, it will start to come naturally!

Hydration

Hello Foodies! Today I’d like to address our first topic in Exercise- HYDRATION.

Well start by finding out how knowledgeable you all are on this topic. Please take the poll below:

The answer coming shortly…

Health Tip #1

Use your dinner plate as a guide to a balanced meal. fill one half the plate with vegetable, one quarter with whole grains and one quarter with lean meat, chicken, fish, beans or tofu.

Vegan Chili

Ingredients

1 package Ground Round (found at most health food stores)

1 can kidney beans

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic, chopped

1 carrot, 1/2 bell pepper and 1 stalk celery, chopped

1- 16 oz can tomato sauce

salt, pepper and oregano to taste

Preparation: Sauté onion. Add garlic. Add Ground Round and sauté. Add carrot, bell pepper and celery. Add tomato sauce, kidney beans and spices. Cook for 30 minutes covered. Serve over brown rice. Enjoy!

Portion Control

Good Morning Health Foodies!

Our lesson of the day, and first lesson of all will be on portion control… Why?

Portion control is the single most basic, yet essential way to keep our bodies healthy. How much food do we really need?

Believe it or not, its not nearly as much as we think we need. Click HERE to use the MayoClinic’s really simple calorie intake calculator to determine how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.

This seems like a no brainer, BUT in order to lose weight you must expend more calories than you consume. THAT’S IT. Simple as that.

Now back to portion control. In order to keep our calorie intake at appropriate levels, you need to pay attention to your portion sizes. But that doesnt mean that you need to count calories throughout the day. Once you learn to eye ball these things, you will be able to determine how much you are eating at each meal. Many people dont take into account that the more they eat of a certain food, the more calories they are consuming. SO…

Back to our original question: How much  food do we really need?

Dear Readers…

To all of you out there who are committed to health, but wont sacrifice your love for food – WELCOME!

Health Foodie is a place where like minded individuals of all ages can come to learn about nutrition, talk about food, and share ideas all at the same time!

You can look forward to some of my favorite recipes, restaurant reviews, weekly nutrition guides as well as exercise tips and inspirations.

And for all of you with kids, this will be a place where you can learn how to teach your kids healthy eating in a way they will enjoy!

Thanks for joining me…

xo

Margaux