Activity Idea: Crostini Bar

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Stephanie Ronco

You guys, I just got the coolest request from longtime reader Pat Hunter.

Pat wrote…

I am working on a simple demo for a table I am planning on the topic of plant-based meals. I thought a crostini bar might be an inviting stop for customers. Everyone enjoys make-your-own bars. I would like to use a whole grain cracker, hummus, etc. Have you ever created a handout on this topic?

I haven’t made a handout on this particular topic, but today I want to share a bunch of strategies in this blog post.

Here’s everything you need to build a tasty and appealing crostini bar that’s also good for health!

The Bases:

Crostini make the most sense as the base for a crostini bar. For a nutrient boost, make sure that you’re slicing and toasting whole wheat bread or using pre-made crostini that highlight whole grains.

As Pat suggested, whole grain crackers are also a delightful base for the toppings, and in this day and age it might be wise to throw in some healthful gluten-free crackers as well.

Sliced cucumbers can also be good bases for the toppings in this bar if people are looking to go low-carb or get an extra veggie boost.

The Middles:

Plain hummus is a great topping for the next section of the crostini. Its mild flavor complements the toppings to follow, and its creamy texture makes it an effective “glue” for holding the toppings to the bases. Set out a few different flavors of hummus and let participants try their favorites.

Artichoke tapenade, olive tapenade, and red pepper tapenade are all also colorful and tasty options for the “middle” section of the crostini bar. Choose the options with the lowest sodium to keep your bar heart-healthy.

Finally, bean dip makes a great high-fiber addition to this crostini bar.

The Toppings:

Now let’s add some color! Sliced and diced raw vegetables are phenomenal toppings for a crostini bar. Plus, they add the necessary visual appeal and crunch that a topping should provide. Go for a mix of things like shredded carrots, halved grape tomatoes, ribboned cucumber (use a peeler to make thin ribbons), diced celery, sliced radishes, chopped bell peppers — really whatever is in season and looks appealing would be great at this part of the bar.

A shredded green salad with a light dressing can also be a great crostini topper. Consider ribbons of raw kale or chard, bulked up with shredded carrots or Brussels sprouts, then tossed with a bit of oil and fresh lemon juice.

You can also add steamed and sliced beets with goat cheese as a final option in the toppings section of your bar.

The Finishing Touches:

Salt, pepper, olive oil, citrus juice, fresh herbs, toasted and chopped/sliced nuts, and/or salad dressings can all add the perfect “finishing touch” to a crostini bar. Consider setting out a selection of those ingredients at the end of the bar for people to add to their creations before they eat them.

So, what do you think? Are you ready to build a crostini bar for your next presentation or event?

Top 10 Foods for Better Health

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Stephanie Ronco

A new study out of Boston suggests that focusing on 10 specific foods in your diet may cut the risk of premature death from diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease by almost half.

The author of the study, Renata Micha from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University says that about 45% of US deaths in 2012 could be traced to eating too little or too much of certain foods. Her study draws information from previous research done using National Health and Nutrition Examination surveys from 1999 to 2002 and 2009 to 2012. The researchers used food diaries of participants and found that 318,656 deaths out of 702,308 from stroke, heart disease, or type 2 diabetes were based on people eating too much or too little of the following 10 foods or food elements…

Too Much:

Sodium
Unprocessed red meat
Processed red meat (sausage, bacon, hot dogs)
Soybean and corn oil
Sugar-sweetened drinks

Too Little:

Fruits
Vegetables
Whole grains
Nuts and seeds
Seafood with omega-3 fatty acids

For example, consuming too much sodium was linked with 66,508 deaths. Poor nut and seed intake was associated with 59,374 deaths. Processed read meat intake was associated with 57,766 deaths, while 54,626 deaths were linked with inadequate fatty fish intake. Minimal vegetable and fruit intake was linked to 53,410 and 52,547 deaths, respectively. Sugar-sweetened drinks were tied to 51,695 deaths.

Demographics also made a difference. For example, men and women fared differently in the study. Women were less likely than men to die from poor diets and younger people were at higher risk than older individuals. Hispanics and blacks had higher risk than whites, and individuals with less education were at higher risk than more educated people.

Deaths from cardiovascular disease decreased by 25% between the two survey periods because of improvements in dietary habits such as eating more polyunsaturated fats, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits, and fewer sugar-sweetened drinks.

Consumers can reduce their risk for chronic disease by adopting one dietary habit at a time (such as eating fatty fish twice per week or choosing water over sweetened beverages) and then moving on to another positive habit once they’ve mastered the first. This helps build confidence and motivate people to continue building healthful eating patterns to reduce their risk of chronic disease.

By Lisa Andrews, MED, RD, LD

References:

Micha, Renata, PhD, Penalvo Jose, PhD, Cudhea PhD, et. al. Association Between Dietary Factors and Mortality From Heart Disease, Stroke, and Type 2 Diabetes in the United States. JAMA. 2017;317(9):912-924
Mueller, Noel T., PhD, MPH, Appel, Lawrence J. Attributing Death to Diet Precision Counts. JAMA. 2017;317(9):908-909.

3 Activity Ideas to Make Every Bite Count

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Stephanie Ronco

New wristbands have hit the store and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Check out these great reminders to help your clients build a healthful eating pattern:

The thing I love about wristbands is that they are present every day. You can get the reminder whether your motivation is waxing or waning, and their placement on the wrist ensures that wristbands don’t get overlooked. The eye-catching color of these particular wristbands is an added bonus.

Today I want to celebrate the debut of these wristbands by featuring 3 activities that bring home the message that it’s important to make every bite count. These wristbands can be used as prizes for achievement and/or participation.

Activity #1: Word Cloud

Give each participant a blank sheet of paper and some colored pens or pencils. Have everyone write “Make Every Bite Count” in large letters in the middle of the page. Then, working individually, have each student write down words that can inspire them to make every bite count. Recommend varying the font size based on that idea’s importance to each student.

Once everyone has created their word clouds, reconvene the group and discuss what they wrote. You can either collect their papers and turn them into a display, or create a larger word cloud on a piece of posterboard with everyone’s suggestions.

Make Every Bite Count Wristband 8" Adult - 20 pack - with forks

$26.00 ~~$25.00~~

Add to Cart

Activity #2: Bite Buffet

Have each person bring in enough bite-size portions of their favorite healthful snack for each other member of the group to try. (Discuss food allergies and aversions before introducing this activity). As people snack, discuss what makes each food healthful. How does a single bite play into a larger eating pattern?

Activity #3: Bedazzle the Band

Distribute one Make Every Bite Count wristband to each person, along with a few colorful sharpies. Discuss the key topics addressed in this page, highlighting MyPlate’s encouragement to make small changes and remember that every food and drink you consume matters.

Have people decorate their wristbands with images of healthful foods and drinks or other reminders that every bite is important, keeping attention focused on the central premise highlighted on the band itself. This can be done in a group setting or individually at home.

And here are a few more wristbands for your perusal…

Eating Mindfully in 3 Steps

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Stephanie Ronco

Mindful eating is a great way to build healthy habits and a balanced relationship with food. To help make eating mindfully more appealing and accessible to your clients, I’ve created a brand new poster and handout set: A Guide to Mindful Eating.

Today, I’d like to preview the handout that comes with the poster. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Mindful Eating

People often follow food and diet rules that they believe will help them reach their health goals. These rules might be what to eat based on cave men or avoid a food group like carbohydrates. All of this can become overwhelming. Recently, a new buzzword has entered the diet world: mindful eating.

Mindful eating, also called intuitive eating, happens when people consume food while staying aware of their hunger and without passing judgement on the food or the act of eating. When practicing mindful eating, eaters listen to internal hunger and satiety cues. Sound nutrition information becomes a guideline for food choices, but food is selected based on hunger levels, nutritional needs, and existing illnesses or allergies.

Step 1: Recognize hunger cues and the feeling of satiety. Hunger can have both physical and psychological sensations. One may feel an emptiness or a hollow fee ling in the gut, restlessness, the inability to focus, irritability, or fatigue. Satiety should feel more comfortable than hunger. Satiety is the feeling of being full but it does not mean being stuffed from over eating or trying to clean your plate.

Step 2: Put your food on a plate and sit down to eat. This will help you balance your meals, avoid over eating, and enjoy the flavor of your food. It helps you feel satiated and keeps you from eating on the run. It also helps you see how much you are eating instead of eating what food manufacturers and restaurants dictate for portions.

Step 3: Savor the flavor of your food. Think about the flavors in your meals and enjoy them. This will help you refocus after a busy day and enjoy your meals.

Mindful eating does take practice, but it’s actually an innate technique. Consider a newborn. When she is hungry, she sends a signal that it is time to eat (crying). When she is satiated, she will stop eating. Over time, we may lose this skill as external factors come into play. The “clean plate club,” eating with family at a set time, or various diet rules can all contribute to a loss of this skill. The good news is that people can return to mindful eating and take the focus away from food and external cues. This offers an opportunity to focus on a more joyful and healthy life. When people begin to listen to their bodies, eating becomes a form of self-care. It can restore food to its original function: a source of nourishment.

It’s time to get back to basics, ditch the rules, use sound nutrition as a guideline, and truly listen to what our bodies need. It’s time for mindful eating.

By Beth Rosen, MS, RD, CDN

Did you like it? Here’s a free copy of the printable mindful eating handout!

And here are some other great resources, just for you!

Mindful Eating PowerPoint Show

$49.00

Add to Cart

Mindful Eating Poster - Guide to Mindful Eating

$22.75 ~~$25.50~~

Add to Cart

Mediterranean Diet Poster 18x24

$22.75 ~~$25.50~~

Add to Cart

MyPlate 9 Food Photos FREE plus 7 Lessons Learned During Our Shoot

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Admin

Here is a sample gallery of our best MyPlate images. Use them in your blog or other project. You can link to them directly or download for your site – just link back to this page and indicate they are copyrighted by Food and Health Communications, Inc. Click contact us below to make inquiries, comments or requests. We love to hear from you!!

If you are looking for more healthy food photos, check out our new photo store: http://healthyfoodphotos.com

7 fun lessons were learned about MyPlate and its food groups during our photography project:

LOTS of choices are given for each food group.
- For vegetables you can have whole, chopped, cooked, frozen, canned, dried, raw, mashed or leafy.
- For fruits you can have whole, chopped, cooked, frozen or pureed. 100% juice counts, too.
- Protein lists meat, poultry, seafood, soy alternatives, nuts, seeds, nut butters and eggs.
- And milk specifies fluid milk, dairy desserts, yogurt, hard cheese and processed cheese.
- Grain choices are very delicious: wheat, oats, corn, barley, rice and others. Quinoa is a great “other” that cooks quickly and looks like cous cous on a plate.
The serving sizes are easy to follow but they don’t always match what manufacturers put in packages and on food labels.
- For example, 1 cup of yogurt is a serving but most containers of yogurt are only 5 to 6 ounces. Some of them contain a significant amount of sugar so if you double them to get to a cup, you might eat too many calories. It is better to buy plain yogurt and add real fruit
- It takes 3 slices of processed cheese to make 2 ounces. We always thought it was 2.
- It takes 2 slices of hard cheese to make 1.5 ounces.
- Some protein items weigh close to 5 ounces so you would not get variety if you ate one of them as your daily requirement. A full sized chicken breast or steak will often weigh more than 5 ounces if eaten as packaged. Save money and cut them up! We love our photo showing one serving of each type of protein. It looks like a tapas bar.
- Peanut butter jars list 2 tablespoons but you only need 1 to make a serving for the MyPlate protein group recommendations.
5 ounces of protein doesn’t look like much. It is the amount recommended for one day for most people. If you weigh an ounce of meat, fish or poultry on a scale it is about the size of a big gum ball. 3 ounces is about the size of a smart phone (who uses a deck of cards anymore anyway?) and one ounce of nuts covers a bread and butter plate.
The whole grains are really beautiful when you assemble them side by side. The photo above can be used for a fun guessing game and lesson about grains.
The dairy group specifically says that butter, cream and cream cheese are not considered a dairy serving because they don’t have a lot of calcium. We note that whipped cream in the can is a great accompaniment to fruit instead of ice cream. Although frozen desserts are allowed in the calcium group. You can’t get too excited too quickly about that, though, because deeper in the recommendations you will find that discretionary calories for most people are around 100 to 150 calories which is just about a half cup of ice cream and all added sugars must be fit into that amount.
Soy milk is now allowed but the market is zooming faster than the USDA can keep up with it. You can also use calcium fortified almond milk, rice milk or flax milk and get the same nutrients. The alternative milks are not as high in protein although they are often lower in calories, sugar and sodium. And they are higher in calcium and B12.
Don’t be afraid to play with your food! This “make half the plate fruits and veggies” photo is our favorite:

These photos are being used in a new upcoming video and a current CD.

If you are looking for more healthy food photos, check out our new photo store: http://healthyfoodphotos.com

New Activity Idea: What’s the Real Cost?

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

Interactive Activity Ideas Week continues! If you missed the first installment, check out the posts on the Food and Health blog. Today, we’re going to talk about the real cost of food…

Activity #2: What’s the Real Cost?

Grab a bag or two of apples and potatoes before your presentation. While you’re at the store, pick up a container of apple pop tarts and a big bag of potato chips.

Photocopy the Nutrition Facts labels from your purchases or copy the relevant information from each item onto a blackboard or chalkboard that everyone can see.

Once your participants arrive, divide them into groups and have them calculate the cost per ounce of all the foods you bought.

After everyone has calculated the cost per ounce of each item, have them all return to their seats and share their findings. Which foods were more expensive? Which were cheaper? Was this a surprise, or was it expected? What do the results mean when it comes to shopping healthfully on a budget?

Activity Debrief:

Many people don’t realize the cost per ounce of the foods they buy. Whole foods are nutrient powerhouses, full of fiber and other keys to a healthful diet. Proving that they aren’t necessarily going to break the bank can make them more appealing and accessible to your clients.

If you would like to take this activity even further, you can talk about the healthcare costs associated with things like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. How does the food they eat play a role? What is the cost of good nutrition?

The fun isn’t over yet! There are more interactive ideas on the way!

Communicating Food for Health Professional Newsletter

MyPlate Handout Stack

3 Steps for a Healthful Life Banner

Meeting Friends in California

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Stephanie Ronco

Isn’t it funny, the connections you make?

A few weeks ago, I was in California. My son and I were touring his new college campus (UC Davis, woo!) and I posted about our adventures on Facebook. Imagine my surprise when Communicating Food for Health subscriber and longtime Nutrition Education Store customer Laurie Kamagawachi contacted me and said that she was just around the corner. I just knew we had to meet up.

Laurie is amazing. She is a clinical dietitian that really practices what she preaches. During our visit, I learned that Laurie has completed 41 marathons. Can you believe that?! I was totally wowed.

It’s always great to meet a customer, and Laurie was the epitome of charm and enthusiasm. In addition to using her Communicating Food for Health membership for many years, she’s also downloaded a ton of health and wellness PowerPoint shows. It was such fun to see her get excited about the tools that my team and I have created.

Laurie is retired now, but that isn’t stopping her from going out in the community and making a difference. She teaches wellness classes and she’s studying culinary art. Her explorations of the latter have fanned her enthusiasm for the fun and creative food ideas we feature on Food and Health and in the Nutrition Education Store. She’s been putting those lessons and tips to good use, both in her classes and in her everyday life.

It was such a treat to get to catch up with Laurie. Isn’t it funny, the connections you make?

By Judy Doherty, PC II and Founder of Food and Health Communications, Inc

PS: Like us on Facebook — that’s how Laurie and I connected.

Are you a fan of the nutrition education resources we create? Check out this week’s top sellers!

Communicating Food for Health Resource Membership

Eat to Excel with Phytoman

12 Lessons of Wellness and Weight Loss Program

And don’t forget to visit our amazing clipart database! Download this week’s featured piece of clipart for free today!

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Related Posts

Cart