Healthy Eating for Busy Families on a Budget
+ Tips and tricks to make home cooked meals a snap
Make over your fast food!
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Fast food is often very calorie dense and has very few vitamins and minerals.
Fast Food Facts:
Calories
Fast food is usually loaded with fat. The fats that are in fast food are often saturated and/or trans fat. Both of these fats have been shown to contribute to heart disease and obesity.
Fast foods often have a lot of sodium in them to help enhance flavor and to increase shelf life. A diet high in sodium can lead to high blood pressure, in turn causing damage to arteries and some organs .
Fat
Sodium
Making healthy choices on the go.
Fast Food Make Over Order Smart while Dining Out
• Swap French fries for fruit or a salad • Look for baked, grilled, steamed or fresh
• Skip the fountain drink and ask for a o These indicate that fewer calories (i.e. cup for water fat) were added during cooking
• Instead of a soda and chips at a • Avoid menu items with smothered, fried, and convenience store, look for low fat creamy in the name/description. milk and fresh fruit
o This indicates that these foods will be higher in calories and fat.
Pre-portioning snack foods, fruits, and vegetables can help control portions and eliminated waste.
Planning, pre-portioning and freezing are the keys to eating healthy on the go and making home cooked meals a snap.
Plan • On a day off plan meals for
the week (or two)
• Think about meals you can make and freeze for later (i.e. soups)
• Make a list and go grocery shopping
• Make any meals that can be made in advance o i.e. Lasagna (freeze until use)
Pre-Portion • Pre portion any snack foods
(chips, crackers, nuts) • Cut up and pre-portion
fruits and vegetables o Washed, cut and pre-
portioned fruits and vegetables are a quick and easy snack to grab
o Fewer fruit and vegetables are wasted when they are ‘ready to eat’.
My Plate My plate is a resource that is free for the community developed by the USDA. My Plate can be used to learn about good nutrition and eating a balanced diet.
Check it out at: choosemyplate.gov
Freeze • Make double portions of foods
that freeze well. o Freeze the leftovers in containers
(single or family sized).
• Make “kits”
o Pre cut vegetables and place in Ziploc bags for a stir fry kit
§ Place sauce and meat of choice into smaller bags, slip into vegetable bag and freeze for an all in one stir-fry kit.
The USDA recommends: • ¼ of your plate to be whole
grains
• ¼ of your plate to be a lean meat • ½ of your plate to be a variety of
fruits and vegetables.
• Include one low fat dairy per meal
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