Healthy Lifestyle Balance on Vacation

Some of us vacation alone but most of have some arranging to do with family and friends. Have a family talk well before the vacation to discuss such issues as:

a. What did we like about our last vacation? What were the problems? Make a specific plan for what you will do on this vacation, including pleasures other than food and drink.

b. Discuss how you will handle food and eating out. How often will we eat out? What types of restaurants will we choose? Are there low-fat/calorie options for you? Can we split entrees or desserts? If eating in (e.g., if renting a beach house), will we have tempting high-fat/calorie foods like cookies, candy and cake in the house? If so, can they be stored out of sight and separate from other foods? Can family members agree to eat these foods only when eating out?

c. Can we find a fun way to all be physically active this vacation? Examples: bike riding, mountain climbing, hiking, walking on the beach, bird watching, golfing (walking the course), etc.

d. Get the family to agree not to nag you about what you eat or your activity plan.

e. Talk about positive ways your family can help (for example, praising you when you are sticking to your low fat food plan, going on walks with you, helping you out so that you don’t get too tired or stressed).
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Healthy Eating on a Budget

1. Don’t shop hungry. If you shop when you are hungry, you are more likely to buy more than you need and possibly buy less healthy items that appeal to you at that moment.


2. Try to go grocery shopping without children. Stores put foods that many children like such as candy and sugary cereal where they can see and reach them. These foods are often advertised with characters that appeal to children. If you must bring children, grocery shopping can be a great way to teach them about food and nutrition (and colors, math, reading!)


3. Check out heart healthy recipes from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help you plan your meals and shopping list at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/index.htm#recipes, or see my previous post on healthy recipies ( June 12, 2009).

Healthy Eating on a Budget

Other Related Websites on Healthy Eating on a Budget:

Eating Healthy on a Budget
http://nutritionservices.upmc.com/NutritionArticles/Habits/Budget.htm

Eating Healthy on a Budget
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=511

Eating Healthy on a Budget: Shopping and Menu Ideas
http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/pdfs/PatientEd/Materials/PDFDocs/nut-diet/nut-other/EatingHealthyBudget.pdf

Emergency $45 menu - feed 4 for a week! www.hillbillyhousewife.com/

USDA 2000 calorie menu plan www.mypyramid.gov/tips_resources/menus.html

Health Information: http://coach4health.blogspot.com/

Stretching Your Food Dollars
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fcd/nutrition/ewfl/module_03/

Nifty & Thrifty Spark Team ( Community Message Board for Saving Money and Buying Healthy Food) http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individual.asp?gid=8011

Club Mom www.clubmom.com/display/232857

Healthy Eating on a Budget

1. Assemble snacks at home in small baggies using foods such as nuts and seeds, dried whole grain cereal, low fat cheese, dried fruit, fresh vegetables and fruits, rather than buying less healthy, more expensive prepackaged and processed snacks. Serve water, or low fat or fat free milk instead of calorically sweetened beverages. For more ideas on healthier snacks, try: http://www.nojunkfood.org/vendors/healthy_snack_list.html.
   
2. Cook once, eat twice. Serve moderate portions of meals, avoid seconds, and freeze leftovers to enjoy later. This will help you save money and calories!
   
3. Do "batch cooking" when the food budget and time allow. Cook large amounts of spaghetti sauce, divide it into family-size portions and freeze promptly for later in the month.

Healthy Eating on a Budget

• Buy milk (low fat or fat free) in the largest containers you can handle before it spoils (gallon or ½ gallon). Milk sold at convenience stores usually costs more than at supermarkets. (Fat-free dry milk is an inexpensive back-up choice for using milk in recipes.)
• Buy a whole chicken and cut it up into parts instead of buying pre-cut chicken (breast, wings, thighs, legs). Remove the skin before cooking or serving.
• Stock up on sale items of healthier foods that you may be able to use in a timely manner. Buy canned, frozen, or packaged foods in bulk for quality and value, but serve appropriate portions within estimated calorie needs. Buy produce, lean meats, and low fat or fat free milk and milk products in bulk amounts that you can eat before they spoil (refer to http://www.checkyourhealth.org/nutrition/portiondistortion/pd_movies.htm for more information on appropriate portion sizes).
• Use your food budget wisely. If you spend $7 on lunch 5 days a week for a year, you will spend a total of $1,820. You can save money and calories by bringing a healthier brown bag lunch from home.

Healthy Eating on a Budget

• Sign up for your grocer’s bonus/discount card for additional savings.
• Try store brands. The most costly brands are typically placed at eye level. Store brands that may be cheaper and are just as good are often placed higher or lower on the shelf.
  
• Comparison shop for healthier brands. Read the Nutrition Facts Label. Learn how to find serving sizes and the per serving amounts of calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, sugars, protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals. For more information on the Nutrition Facts Label go to: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html.

Healthy Eating on a Budget

• 
  Use the unit price and the Nutrition Facts Label to compare similar foods. The unit price tells you the cost per ounce, pound, or pint, so you’ll know which brand and size are best to buy. Look for it on the shelf sticker below the product. Then, read the Nutrition Facts Label to be sure that you are getting the healthiest option at the lowest cost. Click on these Food Label resources from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): http://www.csfan.fda.gov/~ear/hwm/labelman.html and http://www.csfan.fda.gov/~acrobat/nutractds.pdf.
• 
  No matter what the form – fresh, frozen, canned, dried, juice – all varieties of fruits and vegetables count toward your daily recommendation. Choose fruits without added sugar or syrups and vegetables without added salt, butter, or cream sauces. Although 100% fruit or vegetable juice counts towards your daily recommendation, the majority of the total daily amount of fruit and vegetables should come from whole fruits and vegetables to help you get enough fiber. Click on http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/ for more information.
  
• Buy in-season fruits and vegetables. Use local farmer’s markets when possible – the foods are fresher and usually cost the same, if not less, because you are buying direct from the farmer.

Healthy Eating on a Budget

With tough times, comes all sorts of information on saving money. Over the next few days, I'll give some tips on saving money, while at the same time eating healthy.

Let's start:

1. Make a plan and stick to it. With a little planning, you can get most of your groceries for the week in one trip, which will save a lot of time. And, the fewer trips to the store, the less likely you will be to buy unnecessary items. There are a variety of website to help you plan meals, like: http://www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/MealPlanner/en_intro.htm.
2. Review store ads and clip coupons for healthier items such as skinless chicken breasts, lean cuts of meat or ground beef, fruit (fresh, frozen, or canned in its own juice), vegetables (fresh, frozen without added fat, or canned without added sodium), whole grain breads and cereals, and low fat or fat free milk and milk products.
3. Check your cupboards and refrigerator for items that you can use and then plan to use them, instead of making another shopping trip.