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6 Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget

Shopping for fresh foods and preparing healthful meals for your family is often thought of as an expensive way to live. This belief has many Americans turning to fast food, which in turn contributes to our worldwide obesity epidemic. The truth is, a healthy, balanced diet doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it can be more cost effective to prepare homemade, nutritious meals than it is to go out to eat or buy pre-packaged meals, especially if you follow our 6 simple tips for eating healthy on a budget:

Eat less animal protein – It’s important to buy meat organic and local if possible, however this can be expensive. Try saving meat dishes for special occasions, or limit them to once or twice a week. Instead, add plenty of cheaper protein sources to your diet like eggs, tofu, or beans.

How Spreading Germs to Your Kids Prevents Allergies

Most parents work to keep their little ones germ free – wiping their noses, washing their hands before they eat, and rinsing off the apple slice that fell on the floor. But might it actually be healthier to expose your kids to some dirt and germs? According to a new study in Sweden, yes.

Results from the study indicated that children whose parents cleaned pacifiers by licking them developed fewer allergies than children whose parents rinsed or boiled them. They also had fewer incidences of eczema, fewer signs of asthma, and smaller amounts of a specific type of white blood cell that increase in response to allergies.

The conclusion: exposure to a parent’s saliva may help boost a child’s developing immune system. While the study couldn’t prove that pacifier licking was what specifically caused fewer allergies, that practice may be an indication of parents who are more relaxed about exposing their children to germs in general.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a Healthier Margarita

This weekend is Cinco de Mayo! It’s time to break out the sombreros and guacamole for a fiesta with family and friends. If you’re looking for a festive drink to serve this year that won’t leave you feeling guilty, we’ve got you covered. This watermelon margarita promises to be a crowd-pleasing cocktail. It’s refreshing, light and fruity with just the right kick!

Serving children at your party too? Just omit the alcohol and top off the blended drink with a splash of seltzer water for a fizzy watermelon cooler.

Watermelon Margaritas

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

2 teaspoons large crystal salt such as Kosher Salt
1 lime wedge
3 1/2 cups cubed seeded watermelon
1/2 cup tequila
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur)
Fresh Mint (for garnish)

Preparation

Place 2 teaspoons salt in a saucer. Rub the rims of 6 glasses with 1 lime wedge; spin rim of each glass in salt to coat. Set prepared glasses aside.

3 Healthy Habits to Manage Hormone Imbalance

You wake up sweating at 2am, get overly emotional around your cycle, and notice that your periods are not as regular as they have been for the past few months. Symptoms like these are especially common for women in their 40s, but no matter your age, they may be a sign that you’re hormonally imbalanced. But you might wonder: is the imbalance because you’re hitting menopause early, or is it caused by stress?

Of course, you should speak with your health care professional and get tested for imbalances so that you know for sure. Whether you’ve reached “the change” or not, there are certain healthy habits you can adopt to help smooth out your hormonal fluctuations.

IIN guest speaker and author of Accidently Overweight, Dr. Libby Weaver says that many of the changes women experience as they get older can be regulated or even reversed by looking at the whole picture and changing specific habits.

Here are 3 healthy habits that you can adopt:

Clean out the toxins

6 Foods for Healthy Skin, Hair and Nails

The appearance of our skin, hair, and nails is one of the best indicators of our overall health. But many of us spend a ton of time and money attempting to enhance our beauty from the outside in. Sure, some products can help treat some of your beauty concerns such as frizzy hair, brittle nails, or skin blemishes, but it’s not a permanent fix. According to Integrative Nutrition’s guest speaker, and integrative medicine expert, Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. the root of healthy skin, hair, and nail health is proper nutrition.

Research shows that a balanced, whole foods diet, rich in antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals such as, zinc, biotin, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, C, and B can help improve the health and appearance of your skin, hair, and nails.

Here are 6 rejuvenating foods that will enhance beauty from the inside out:

Announcing the Winner of IIN’s Transformation Video Challenge

We asked several students and graduates to create videos about their personal Integrative Nutrition transformation journeys. And last week, we invited you to help select the most inspiring story.

We can’t thank you enough for taking the time to watch the authentic and heartfelt stories submitted by the top five finalists.

So now, after receiving more than 1,000 votes, we’re thrilled to announce the winner!

The winner is…Maria Jose Flaque!

Maria’s transformation story is one of discovery and wellbeing. After years spent sick and overmedicated, she found her remedy when she enrolled at IIN.

The Health Coach Training Program taught Maria how to take care of her body, live a healthier lifestyle, and establish a career she’s excited about every day.

10 Healthy School Lunch Recipes

It’s no secret that the food served in most school cafeterias is not healthy. When our children are presented with options like pizza or French fries at lunch time, it’s difficult to know if they are getting enough of the nutrients they need while at school.

Here at Integrative Nutrition, we are very passionate about reforming school lunches. We’ve partnered with a number of different charities, including Wellness in the Schools, to help bring fresh food and healthy meals into school cafeterias. In fact, we recently donated to the Earth Day Network’s Healthy School Initiative to encourage greener, healthier environments in schools!

While we are still fighting for more fresh vegetables and less processed foods in cafeterias, there is another way that you can ensure that your children are eating nutritious midday meals. Packing lunch for your child doesn’t have to be too time consuming, and we’ve got some great kid-friendly healthy recipes for you to try out!

You’re Invited: See Integrative Nutrition Live This Sunday

We accomplish amazing things on our own, but as a community, we can truly change the world!

You’ve heard so much about our passionate community, our mission, and our cutting-edge curriculum. We’re thrilled to now offer you an exclusive chance to experience firsthand the incredible energy, enthusiasm, and buzz of Integrative Nutrition’s live events.

This invite-only conference is usually reserved for current students, but anyone can tune in this Sunday, May 5, 2013 via Live Stream to hear directly from Joshua Rosenthal, Integrative Nutrition’s Founder, Director, and Primary Teacher; nutritionist Kari Gans, featured on the Dr. Oz Show and Good Morning America; Dan Buettner, founder of Blue Zones; and more!

What: Access to select sessions of Integrative Nutrition’s live conference
When: Sunday, May 5, 2013
Where: Anywhere you have Internet access – on your computer of mobile device
Who: The Integrative Nutrition community and YOU!
How: Register here for all the details

A Homemade Version of Your Favorite Take Out Dish

Sometimes, after a long day all you want to do is relax on the couch with a plate of your favorite take out meal. Unfortunately, this isn’t a healthy or budget friendly habit to pick up. Next time you find yourself craving something quick and delicious, instead of calling the Chinese restaurant down the street, whip up a batch of this (Un)Fried “Rice” Quinoa from 2007 grad Arielle Fierman. This dish is quick to make and it’s a great healthy alternative to take out.

(Un)Fried “Rice” Quinoa

INGREDIENTS:
1 box quinoa (beige, red or multi-colored) (approx 2 cups quinoa, 4 cups water)
3 eggs (farm-fresh)
1 cup frozen peas (thaw by rinsing under water)
1 red pepper (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped, sliced or julienned)
2 scallions (chopped)
1 white onion (chopped)
1 tbs Sesame Oil (or olive oil or butter to cook eggs)
3 tbs Toasted Sesame Oil (to taste)
4 tbsp Tamari (wheat-free + great alternative to soy sauce) (to taste)
2 tbsp Sesame seeds (optional)
Sea Salt
Pepper (white or black)

The Great Egg Controversy: Healthy or Not?

There are few foods more controversial than the incredible, edible egg. As real nutritional powerhouses, eggs are high in choline, which enhances brain function; the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which fight disease; and high-quality protein. There is even evidence that egg consumption may protect against breast cancer.

Yet eggs are also high in cholesterol, and for decades, doctors advised people to limit their egg consumption in order to prevent heart disease. But when research showed that dietary cholesterol impacts LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol far less than previously thought, the American Heart Association changed its tune in 2000. Current guidelines now allow for one egg a day for healthy adults.

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Watermelon Margaritas

(Un)Fried “Rice” Quinoa

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