eating healthier

we all want to make better choices when we dine out...but it's so hard.

i pull up to drive thru and i look at the prices and i just go cheap bc i honestly don't have enough good info to make good choices.

enter healthy dining finder...this site is pretty awesome.

they offer nutrition services, basic nutrition information and the criteria in which they get their information.

honestly, it's a fairly good way to learn quickly about what you can grab on the way out the door.
i searched by zip code and dollar amount and found a few items i hadn't thought of before that were actually good choices.

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on relish, i found some fast food drive thru choices that will make you smile:

Here are just a few lunch choices in the 300 to 400 calorie range:

Burger King® BK Veggie without mayo
McDonald's® kid's hamburger with sliced apples without dip
Burger King® TENDERGRILL Chicken Sandwich without sauce
Smoothie King® 20 oz. Angel Food or Light & Fluffy
Wendy’s® Caesar Chicken Salad with 1 packet Caesar dressing and croutons
KFC® Tender Roast® Sandwich or Honey BBQ
McDonald's® Fruit & Walnut snack and low-fat milk
McDonald's® Asian Salad with grilled chicken and low-fat sesame ginger dressing
Wendy's® Chili (large) with Cheddar cheese, no crackers
Panera® kid's Deli Ham (or Turkey or Roast Beef) without cheese and fruit cup

Need a few more calories? These options add up to 500 to 600 calories each:


Chick-Fil-A® Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich, Carrot & Raisin Salad and fruit cup
12" Subway® Turkey Breast, Ham, Roast Beef, Club® with low-fat mayonnaise
KFC® Tender Roast Chicken sandwich without sauce, corn on the cob (small) and BBQ baked beans
Wendy’s® Plain Baked Potato topped with small chili
Boston Market® quarter roasted white chicken (no skin or wing), green beans, steamed vegetables and new potatoes
Fazoli's® small Spaghetti with tomato or meat sauce and breadstick
KFC® Tender Roast chicken sandwich (without sauce), small corn on the cob and BBQ baked beans

well, there are a few choices out there, but education is the key...read up and then make good choices.  i know i am!

danyele @ a thorn among roses

sugar...is it bad!?

the american heart association is picking on me! i mean it. they are picking on me.
i know it's for my own good, but seriously? limit my sugar intake? it's not funny! it's hard...in fact, it's close to impossible!

according to a recent article in the wsj HERE, the AHA issued a statement this week that says "most women should limit their sugar intake to 100 calories, or about six teaspoons, a day; for men, the recommendation is 150 calories, or nine teaspoons."

seriously...good recommendation and i'm sure good for us, but have you seen the food we eat? it's not good...we have become a country {and i am} who eats our feelings. have a bad day? grab a cookie from paradise and what ails you fades. need to celebrate a straight a report card with your kiddo? head to cold stone for some "love it's" in a waffle cone.

so what can we do to determine the amount of sugar we take in....and then reduce it to a reasonalbe level? first, the labeling is not really conducive to what we are trying to do...they are measure in grams, not in calories, so grab those calulators! the FDA has a great link HERE to answer all your nutrition label questions.

the most reasonable step is making different and better choices.
not gonna lie...this is the hard part for me!!

dessert around our house is few and far between, but one of the fav's here is a parfait {everybody loves a parfait...from shrek? no?} any fresh fruit, or frozen you have on hand, mixed with non-fat vanilla yogurt and topped with a granola cereal. i promise you it's a crowd pleaser AND the yogurt can be frozen to do the whole "fake ice cream thing" too!

making better choices with the sugar thing...in rice and breads and beer and even in milk for us and our families! use brown rices and unrefined breads.

and don't just skip on over to eating salads...beware of the dressing monster! salad dressings are chocked full of sugars...i know! use can use a vinaigrette or a yogurt based dressing and seriously reduce the sugars! {everyone's fav, ranch is really not so great on the sugar front}.

i'm totally trying...and still learning, so let me know what you are doing to reduce the sugars in your life! please!!!!danyele @ a thorn among roses

stinking calories

i hate counting calories...so i just don't do it. the problem is that all the fast food establishments know i won't go to much effort to find out what's going into my bod, so i keep eating that seemingly healthy chicken sandwich thinking it's the best choice on the menu, when often times, it's not.

dietfacts.com is a fab site that lists thousands of restaurants and places you would potentially buy food...even the local 7 eleven and your gas station. or you can search brands for foods you make at home. if it's food, it's probably here. and i'm not gonna lie, it's not so good sometimes!

for instance, movie theater popcorn...you know you love it! and once you start eating, you can't stop. check this label, though:

i'm sorry...did you see that right??? a medium sized butter popcorn popped in coconut oil is 910 calories...holy fatness batman!!!

i tell the kids that knowledge is power, so i guess from now on i need to educate myself a little on my dining choices...soft or hard taco...beef or chicken, etc. there are lots of surprises in there.

forced to grab something quick...sometimes the salad isn't the best choice. crazy but true. the sesame chicken salad at mcdonald's with the low fat dressing is 440 calories while the bbq snack wrap is only 240 calories and if eaten with a bag of apple dippers and no caramel sauce at 35 calories, you are up on the game.

check out dietfacts.com and make informed food choices...and don't forget the drinks too!!

danyele @ a thorn among roses