25 Super Snacks 100 Calories or Less

• 1/2 cup slow-churned or double-churned ice cream
• 6 cups microwave popcorn (light)
• Mini quesadilla (1 oz grated low-fat cheddar cheese on corn tortilla that's folded in half & microwaved for 20 sec)
• Cottage cheese (1/2 cup) & slice of cantaloupe
• Cheese with crackers (1 slice of low-fat cheese w/3 whole grain crackers)
• 14 almonds
• 6 whole grain pretzel sticks
• Baked apple (with or without sprinkled cinnamon)
• Cheese stuffed pita (whole grain pita pocket with 1/2 oz part-skim ricotta cheese)
• Blueberry smoothie (blend 1/3 cup non-fat yogurt with 2/3 cup frozen blueberries and ice)
• 1/3 cup edamame
• 3/4 cup frozen mango cubes
• 8 lg baby carrots with 2 tablespoons of hummus
• 3/4 cup apple slices with thin spread of unsalted peanut butter on each slice (no more than 2 teaspoons total)
• Teaspoon sunflower seeds in 1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt drizzled with 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 medium baked potato with 1 tablespoon of salsa
• "FroYo" sandwich (2 tablespoons of non-fat frozen yogurt between 2 graham crackers)
• 20 raw or dry roasted pistachios
• Frozen banana pop (freeze half peeled banana on stick coated in 1 oz low-fat plain yogurt)
• 1 cup low-sodium tomato soup (not cream of tomato)
• 1/3 cup dry oat squares cereal
• 1 cup grapes
• Smoked salmon pinwheel (roll up 1 slice of smoked salmon/lox with 1 tablespoon low-fat cream cheese or use less cream cheese and have 2 pinwheels)
• 1 cup sliced jicama sticks & dip in salsa

7 Wonders of Water

1. Stay Slimmer With Water: Trying to lose weight? Water revs up metabolism and helps you feel full. Replace calorie-filled beverages with water, and drink a glass before meals to help you feel fuller. Drinking more water helps amp up metabolism - especially if your glass is icy cold. Your body must work to warm the water up, burning a few extra calories in the process.
2. Water Boosts Your Energy: If you're feeling drained and depleted, get a pick-me-up with water. Dehydration makes you feel tired. The right amount of water will help your heart pump your blood more effectively. And water can help your blood transport oxygen and other essential nutrients to your cells. 
3. Lower Stress With Water: About 70% to 80% of your brain tissue is water. If you're dehydrated, your body and your mind are stressed. If you're feeling thirsty, you're already a little dehydrated. To keep stress levels down, keep a glass of water at your desk or carry a sports bottle and sip regularly.
4. Build Muscle Tone With Water: Drinking water helps prevent muscle cramping and lubricates joints in the body. When you're well hydrated, you can exercise longer and stronger without "hitting the wall." 
5. Nourish Your Skin: Fine lines and wrinkles are deeper when you're dehydrated. Water is nature's own beauty cream. Drinking water hydrates skin cells and plumps them up, making your face look younger. It also flushes out impurities and improves circulation and blood flow, helping your skin glow.
6. Stay Regular With Water: Along with fiber, water is important for good digestion. Water helps dissolve waste particles and passes them smoothly through your digestive tract. If you're dehydrated, your body absorbs all the water, leaving your colon dry and making it more difficult to pass waste.
7. Water Reduces Kidney Stones: The rate of painful kidney stones is rising. One of the reasons could be because people -- including children -- aren't drinking enough water. Water dilutes the salts and minerals in your urine that form the solid crystals known as kidney stones. Kidney stones can't form in diluted urine, so reduce your risk with plenty of water!

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Most healthy adults get enough to drink by letting their thirst guide them.

But the exact amount you need depends on your size, level of activity, the weather, and your general health.

You may need more water if you exercise or sweat heavily. 

The American Heart Association's Components and Tips for a Healthy Diet

You can help fight heart disease by making healthy food choices on a daily basis.  The American Heart Association's Components and Tips for a Healthy Diet are listed below. 

You can find these dietary tips, and more information about heart health, by following the link below to the Go Red for Women Heart Health Guide.

https://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/documents/2015/Educational_Materials/2014_2015_WRD_Heart_Health_Guide.pdf

 Components of a Healthy Diet:

1. Vegetables and fruits are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber—and they’re low in calories.  Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may help you control your weight and blood pressure.

2. Unrefined whole-grain foods contain fiber.  As part of an overall healthy diet, dietary fiber helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may help you feel full, which may help you manage your weight.

3. Eat fish at least twice a week.  Recent research shows that eating oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, trout and herring) may help lower your risk of death from coronary artery disease. 

4. Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fats in your diet.  Aim to reduce saturated fat to no more than five-to-six percent of total calories. Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat.  Visit Heart.org to learn more about poultry and nuts recommendations.  Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.  Aim to each less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. 

5. Keep your intake of sugar to no more than half of your daily discretionary calories allowance.  For most American women, that’s no more than 100 calories per day, or about 6 teaspoons of sugar.

6. Keep saturated fat to less than 7 percent of energy; use red meat sparingly and choose lean or extra-lean cuts.

Tips for a Healthy Diet:

• Eat slowly, take smaller portions and avoid “seconds.”

• Cook foods in ways that do not add saturated or trans fat, 

 like baking, boiling, broiling, grilling, roasting or stewing.

• When you really crave a high-calorie food, 

eat a small amount and forget about it, instead of 

resisting until you give in and gorge. 

 Find a healthy alternative to satisfy your 

craving. If you’re craving something sweet, 

 try slicing into fresh fruits and yogurt. 

STAY HEALTHY!!!!

22 Ways to Stay on Track

1. Drink plenty of water or other calorie-free beverages
2. Be choosy about nighttime snacks
3. Enjoy your favorite foods (in moderation)
4. Eat several mini meals during the day (4-5)
5. Eat protein at every meal
6. Spice it up (foods loaded with flavor will stimulate your taste buds which helps satisfy you so you won't eat as much)
7. Stock your kitchen with healthy, convenient foods
8. Order children's portions at restaurants
9. Swap a cup of pasta for a cup of vegetables
10. Always eat breakfast
11. Include fiber in your diet (25g for women and 38g for men or 14g per 1000 calories)
12. Clean the cupboards of fattening foods
13. Lose weight slowly (1-2 lbs/wk)
14. Weigh yourself once a week
15. Get enough sleep (ideally 8 hrs/night)
16. Understand portion sizes
17. Eat more foods and vegetables
18. Limit alcohol to weekends (1/day for women and 2/day for men)
19. Chew sugarless gum
20. Keep a food diary
21. Celebrate success but not with food
22. Get help from family and friends

10 Ways to Stop Stress Now

10 Ways to Put Stress in Its Place

How you handle stress makes a big difference in how you feel.  It might even help your blood pressure, blood sugar level, and the rest of you.  Use these calming strategies to stop stress ASAP.

1. Break out the bubble gum: Next time you’re at the end of your rope, unwrap a stick of gum.  According to studies, chewing gum lowers anxiety and eases stress.  Some researchers think the rhythmic act of chewing may improve blood flow to your brain, while others believe the smell and taste help you relax.
2. Get outside: Spending time outdoors, even close to home, is linked to better well-being.  You're in a natural setting, and you're usually doing something active, like walking or hiking.  Even a few minutes can make a difference in how you feel.
3. Smile Like You Mean It: Don’t roll your eyes the next time someone advises you to “grin and bear it.”  In times of tension, keeping a smile on your face – especially a genuine smile that’s formed by the muscles around your eyes as well as your mouth – reduces your body’s stress responses, even if you don’t feel happy.  Smiling also helps lower heart rates faster once your stressful situation ends.
4. Sniff Some Lavender: Certain scents like lavender may soothe.  In one study, nurses who pinned small vials of lavender oil to their clothes felt their stress ease, while nurses who didn’t felt more stressed.  Lavender may intensify the effect of some painkillers and anti-anxiety medications, so if you’re taking either, check with your doctor before use.
5. Tune In: Heading into a stressful situation? Music can help you calm down. In one study, people had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol when they listened to a recording of Latin choral music before doing something stressful (like doing math out loud or giving a speech) than when they listened to a recording of rippling water.  (Wondering what that choral piece was, music fans? TryMiserere by Gregorio Allegri.)
6. Reboot Your Breath: Feeling less stressed is as close as your next breath. Focusing on your breath curbs your body’s “fight or flight” reaction to pressure or fear, and it pulls your attention away from negative thoughts. Sit comfortably in a quiet place. Breathe in slowly through your nose, letting your chest and lower belly rise and your abdomen expand. Breathe out just as slowly, repeating a word or phrase that helps you relax. To reap the most benefit, repeat for at least 10 minutes.
7. Be Kind to Yourself: We all have a constant stream of thoughts running through our heads, and sometimes what we tell ourselves isn’t so nice. Staying positive and using compassionate self-talk will help you calm down and get a better grip on the situation. Talk to yourself in the same gentle, encouraging way you’d help a friend in need. “Everything will be OK,” for instance, or "I'll figure out how to handle this."
8. Write Your Stress Away: Jotting down your thoughts can be a great emotional outlet.  Once they're on paper, you can start working out a plan to resolve them. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer pen and notebook, a phone app, or a file on your laptop.  The important thing is that you’re honest about your feelings.
9. Tell a Friend: When you’re feeling overwhelmed, seek out the company of a friend or loved one.  Have a friend who’s dealing with the same worries as you?  Even more reason to open up.  You'll both feel less alone.
10. Get Moving: When you work up a sweat, you improve your mood, clear your head, and take a break from whatever is stressing you out.  Whether you like a long walk or an intense workout at the gym, you’ll feel uplifted afterward.