If you don’t read the labels you won’t know what you are putting in your body. But what does all that mean? Learn about portion size, calorie counts and nutrients from Lee and Carol.

Plus you’ll learn why it’s important to read the labels ahd how companies fool you with those big words and hide ingredients you are trying to stay away from. Tune in and you will become a label expert.

Related Photos

Please enjoy this guest post by fellow colleague Tanya Stroh

We should all strive to eat healthier. A lot has been written about how we should eat only organically grown foods. We have all heard about the benefits, but what exactly is Organic? Experts define Organic food/farming as ‘food that has been grown, raised and transported without chemicals, pesticides, hormones, fertilizers, or other additives on land or in soil that conforms to the standards of the organic certification board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.’ WebMD advises not to confuse “free-range,” “hormone free” or “natural” with Organic and be sure to look for the Organic Seal which means the food is grown according to USDA standards. The one great drawback to foods that bear the above labels is that they can cost as much as double the price of conventionally grown foods. So how do we eat healthy on a budget?

Start with the basics; keep it fresh, whole grains are best, avoid processed foods and eat lots of fruit and veggies. When you are tempted to grab the fast food “2 for $5” deal because it seems cheaper and easier than eating healthy give one or two of the below solutions a try.

1. Having a game plan is essential, plan your meals and snacks for the week, then make up your grocery store list. It is easy to save money and to avoid impulse buys, even if they are healthy, when you stick to your list and purchase only what you are going to eat.

2. Buy in bulk; in this case I am referring to anything that is not prepackaged. Not just produce, but also foods like seeds, nuts, grains, cheeses, rice and even pasta. This kind of bulk purchasing saves money because you are not paying extra for someone else to measure, pick, package and wrap it up. You also have control of the amount and the quality of the food you select. For fruits and veggies, always opt for whole and uncut, not only are they less expensive but they tend to be fresher, contain more essential nutrients and last longer.

3. Buying organic, as I mentioned earlier, is pricey, so only purchase it when necessary. The following is a list from WebMD of foods that are less susceptible to pesticide residue; papayas, broccoli, cabbage, bananas, kiwi, peas, asparagus, mangos, pineapples, corn, avocados & onions. Whether you are eating organic or conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, always wash ALL of them under running water, even if you are not eating the skin. It is also a good idea to scrub them with a vegetable brush.

4. Fresh produce is always less expensive when it is in season. Local farmers markets are a great source for in season foods. When possible preserve, can, jar or freeze fresh fruits and vegetables.

5. Frozen food is a great money saving alternative. Some experts even go so far as to say that frozen food has as much if not more nutritional value then fresh because it is picked and immediately flash frozen and packaged. Save even more when you stock up during a sale.

With just a little planning you can eat healthy on a budget. I would love to hear your money saving tips for healthy eating!

Be Fit, Be Healthy, Be Happy! ~ Tanya

Workout for a Fitter, Healthier You, it’s easy @ tanyastroh.com

Tanya Stroh, B.S., NSCA, ACE

Tanya is the founder and creator of Tanya Stroh Training Solutions, an on-line, fitness and personal training website, featuring uniquely, individualized workouts and the proprietary software technology, TS Trax. Tanya’s philosophy has always been that exercise along with a healthy diet & lifestyle produce the best results. Tanya’s clients, ranging in age from 12 to over 70 years old, have successfully improved and achieved their health and fitness goals because of her highly individualized approach to fitness. And now with Tanya Stroh Training Solutions so can YOU!

Tanya has dual national certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE). She also holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Education/Physical Education from West Chester University.

As a contributing writer, Tanya is the fitness expert for the “Chester County Women’s Journal” and has provided fitness articles to Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong.com. She is a regularly featured fitness guest on the radio show “Mission Nutrition” which airs live and on-line. With her passion for fitness, Tanya has also spoken at numerous charity events including; cruiser weight boxer champion, Steve Cunningham’s Kids Camp.

Related Photos

Local Hospitals Work to Give Stroke Survivors Hope for a Better Tomorrow.

In honor of Stroke Awareness Month, our guests tonight will be Susan Zimmermann RN, BSN, CNRN, of Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Kennesaw and coordinator for the Georgia Stroke Professional Alliance committee; Stroke Coordinator Karen Seagraves along with Alvin Dunlop Stroke Survivor.

We will be talking about Stroke Awareness Month and what it means, stroke signs and symptoms and Risk factors, how Wellstar Kennestone collaborated with Grady Hospital’s Stroke Center to save Alvin’s life and finally how the Georgia Stroke Professional Alliance committee is working hard to promote stroke awareness in Georgia.

You simply cannot miss this special episode at a special time.

Related Photos

You don’t have to be a nutritionist to know that we need to make fruits and vegetables a corner of a healthy diet. However, if you really want to reap their benefits, eat them while their in season.

The Value of Eating Seasonally

One benefit of eating in-season fruits and veggies is that you don’t have to lighten your wallet while trying lower your weight. That’s right, it’s usually cheaper to eat in-season foods because they don’t have to travel thousands of miles to get to you.

Which brings us to another benefit: more nutrition. When your produce takes more time to get to the grocer, it loses some of its nutritional value. It’s also going to be tastier and fresher if you get it closer to its picked date.

Lastly, when you eat fruits and vegetables by the season you are getting a wider variety of nutrients. That’s not to say that foods that aren’t in season should absolutely be eliminated from your shopping list, of course.

Here are some great in-season choices for May:

Asparagus - With warmer weather comes crisp green asparagus. Lightly steamed, they make a healthy and tasty addition to your meal. Or maybe a Chilled Asparagus Soup with Lemon Pesto sounds more appetizing.

Snow Peas - This vegetable is perfect in a stir fry, but is also a nice change of pace on top of your salad.

Salad Greens – If snow peas in your salad sounded like a good idea, you’re in luck, because salad greens such as spinach and watercress are in season this month.

Collard Greens - This southern favorite doesn’t have to be boiled with fatty ham hock (though that is tasty). Try it roasted in peppers or in your homemade pasta sauce.

Now it’s on to the sweet fruits that are now in season:

Mango – While most people have heard of mangoes, they don’t get placed in your grocery cart as often as apples and oranges. Let’s change that this month so you can get a fruit that is not only tasty and different, but also packed with essential antioxidants, vitamin C and beta carotene.

Honeydew - Honeydew is great straight-up, but try something a little different with a Watermelon Honeydew Kabob.

Related Photos

National Women’s Health Week – It’s Your Time! This weeklong observance focuses on helping women to get more exercise, eat better, avoid risky behaviors and in general just live healthier.
I will have as my special guest, Director of the Office on Women’s Health, Dr. Nancy Lee. She will share with us all about this great initiative.

Also joining the show will be Sandra Bowden, a nursing administration Director at the Christus St. Michael Health System, she was able to participate in a new technology, On Call (SOC), which provides on-call emergency consults for stroke and other neurological conditions via telemedicine. She will tell us all about her experience and how her doctor was able to proceed with a diagnosis without even touching her. Don’t miss it!

Related Photos

I’m sure that you’ve heard how expensive it is to eat healthy. Really?? Well, I’ve got some great news for you, you can eat healthier than you’re doing right now AND save a boatload of money. How? Couponing!

I know, I felt the same way, until I started watching Extreme Couponing, TLC’s new hit show and I had an epiphany. If these women could save 70%-95% or more on their grocery bill using coupons, I could do it too. So, I tried it, right after I watched the first show. And you know what? It worked. I actually saved over $100 on my grocery bill! Boy did that feel great!

It Takes Time

I’m not going to kid you, it does take time. You have to find the coupons, cut them out, download them, match them to store savings, organize them and then use them. All in all, I would say that I spent about 4 hours the first weekend getting everything together.

The Plan

I had to create a plan of attack in using the coupons, or I wasn’t going to be saving anything. I signed up for the free store cards, wellness card and shopper cards that were specific to each establishment. This is important because some stores only give you discounts if you have and use their cards. Yes, they are a way to track who spends what where, but nothing is really free, so get the cards.

Then, I had to sit down with the store sales papers and go online to each store’s website and see exactly what was on sale and when the sale expired.

Finally, I matched my coupons with the store sales and specials and I was ready to roll.

Secrets to Easy Couponing: MyFoxATLANTA.com

Don’t Lose Your Mind

Remember, just because you have a coupon, doesn’t mean you have to use it or that you even want to purchase that product. One of the things that I admire most about the women in couponing is that they purchase products that they actually use. That was one of the main reasons that I didn’t coupon before, I mistakenly thought that you had to buy only the stuff that you might not even want or need. What I learned was that there are thousands of coupons out there that are worth millions of dollars and the manufacturers WANT you to use them. If they didn’t, why on earth would they create those coupons in the first place? It’s really a form of creating brand loyalty, but that is a whole other lesson.

Couponing with the Frugal Gals: MyFoxATLANTA.com

Eating Healthy

Regarding eating healthy on the cheap, you now have the choice to use coupons on products that are actually good for you. The trick is to be able to buy the perishable items that live on the outer perimeter of the store by following these steps:

1. Contact the dairy, meat and fruit industry and ask them to send you coupons
2. Create overages from purchasing multiples of other products that you do have coupons for
3. Rack up store credit to use on non-couponed items

These three steps are available to you if you just work your coupons. For instance, I received a $5 store giftcard for purchasing toilet tissue and detergent together at Target. I had coupons for both items, so I saved even more, then I took the giftcard and applied it to a new transaction. It just takes some time and diligence and you’ll be singing the praises of couponing before you know it.

TIPS AND HINTS from MyFoxAtlanta.com

• Plan on spending a good chunk of time getting started. It takes time to sign up for Facebook coupons and individual store programs, special savings websites, and so on. Once you’re in the groove, it shouldn’t take as much time.
• All the shoppers we spoke to mentioned that the grocery store sales operate on six or eight-week cycles, so if you want to buy certain products only when they’re on sale, you need to stock six to eight-week supplies. That means collecting multiple coupons for the same products.
• Look for coupons everywhere. One of our experts, Carol Smith, mentioned that she’s gotten an Oscar Meyer bacon coupon at a gas station in the past. You just have to be on the lookout. You’ll find coupons on Facebook, as well as on individual store websites, and you can sign up for their mailing lists.
• Check to see if your grocery store will match sales prices from other stores. Also, find out if they’ll take other stores’ coupons. Basically, just make sure you know the store’s policies.
• Be VERY organized when you get to the checkout or you’ll drive all the other shoppers (and your checkout person) crazy.

Related Photos