Using Technology as a Health Tool: RDtipoftheday's Top 3 Healthy Recipe Websites

We live in a world of apps and smart phones. The Internet is literally at our fingertips. Let’s use these tools to help us make better lifestyle choices and eat healthier.  We use the Internet daily. I am constantly browsing the Internet to find new recipes. Some of my favorites recipe websites include:

1) Pinterest

    I love searching for recipes, trying new recipes, and tweaking recipes to be healthier. Be a knowledgeable consumer. Not all recipes on Pinterest are healthy; however, many recipes are healthy or can be altered to be a healthier recipe.

My favorite kid-friendly websites include:

2) KidsEatRight.org

• August 2014 was the first Kids Eat Right Month sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This website has a ton of tools and helpful information on making healthy eating choices for you and your family.

• August 2015 was the second annual Kids Eat Right Month sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Check out the tips for healthy eating for kids of all ages:
• 8 Tips for Healthy Eating Healthy Eating on a Budget
• 4 Steps to be a Healthy Role Model
• 3 Tips for Getting Kids in the Kitchen and Eating Healthy

3) ChooseMyPlate.gov

• This website has a ton of information! It has games, the “plate model” for building healthy plates, information about portion sizes of food, and recipes.

4) Choosemyplate.gov/kids/Recipes.html

• This page features recipes made by kids! It is amazing what some peer inspiration can do to help motivate or challenge your kids to try a new recipe. Here's the link for the Healthy Lunchtime ChallengeCookbook 2013.
• This website features 54 winning recipes from America’s junior chefs. It features a recipe from each US state and territory. It features information about each kid chef and an appetizing picture with each recipe. You can download the PDF for a free cookbook!
• RDtipoftheday's Family Fun Idea: This recipe book is a great opportunity to teach cultural foods, geography, or expose your family to new flavors. Have a family “dine in night” themed for each state or dish.

For more tips for healthy eating, follow RDtipoftheday on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

August Favorites Roundup

Thank you for all of the love this month! August has been a busy month for me as I finish preparing for Fall classes and finish some consultation work. If you missed any of the posts this month, here are the top five favorite posts you visited this month. Enjoy!

Five Things You Should Know About Becoming a Registered Dietitian

How Do I Build a Healthy Plate

8 Tips for Eating Healthy on a Budget

Recipe for Green Chips

What Can Dietitians Do: A to Z

Let me know if there are any nutrition-related topics you would like to know more about. Please comment below. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Kids Eat Right 2015 Roundup

Happy Kids Eat Right Month! As a pediatric registered dietitian (RD), I often get asked many questions about feeding children in a healthy way. This month we discussed many topics about healthy eating with a focus on teaching children how to eat healthy. Luckily, these principles can be applied to children of all ages (including adults who are kids at heart)! 

Here are 3 easy steps to promote healthy eating for you and your children.

1) Purchase healthy foods.
If you want to eat healthy, you need healthy food options. Want to know more? Here are 8 tips for healthy eating on a budget.

2) Prepare healthy meals.
You have the healthy foods. How do you make a meal? I love the MyPlate model for building a healthy plate. Here are 3 tips for building a healthy meal. 



3) Cook with your kids.
Teach your kids life skills. Everyone needs to know how to cook to survive. Cooking at home provides so many opportunities to learn. You learn about where food comes from, flavor combinations, and cooking techniques. You experience different textures and flavors. You learn budgeting and math skills (adding, subtracting, time, and fractions). You also learn that working on something produces great results. If the results aren't great on your first attempt, you learn resilience, patience, and perseverance. It can be said that everything you need to know you can learn in the kitchen. 

4) Be a role model.
If you want your kids to eat healthy, show them how. Role model eating healthy meals and snacks. Encourage your kids to be active. Even better, go outside with them! Be an encourager by role modeling. Be a teacher and show them how it's done!

I hope you've enjoyed this month learning more about healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Kids Eat Right Month: 3 Steps to Healthy Eating

Happy Kids Eat Right Month! As a pediatric registered dietitian (RD), I often get asked many questions about feeding children in a healthy way. This month we will discuss many topics about healthy eating with a focus on teaching children how to eat healthy. Luckily, these principles can be applied to children of all ages (including adults who are kids at heart)!

So, the most common question I get is "How do I get my child to eat healthy?". We will discuss several strategies to eat health. So to start, we need to offer healthy options. We can do this in a few simple steps.

1) Have healthy options available.
We discussed 8 tips for eating healthy on a budget earlier this month. This is a simple step that is vital. You have to have healthy options available to eat them. If you fill your fridge, freezer, and pantry with healthy options, you will make a healthy choice by default. Remove the temptation of high calorie and high fat foods by not buying them. If they are not in your home, they are not a temptation.

2) Cook a healthy meal. Have your family, including children, help you in the kitchen.
Cooking meals take time. You can have your roommate, friends, spouse, or your children help you in the kitchen. When we are involved in the cooking, we are more willing and more likely to try the foods. The same is true for children. If they are familiar with a food, they are more likely to try the food.
It is important to make a safety a priority in the kitchen. So, here are some tips for age-appropriate kitchen tasks.

Cooking Skills by Age

• 6-7 years - crack eggs, measure dry ingredients, shuck corn on the cob
• 8-9 years - open cans, whisk ingredients (like scrambled eggs), juice lemons and limes
• 10 years and older - be a sous chef and slice or chop ingredients, boil pasta, use the microwave, bake food in the oven

*Parents, remember to supervise kids at all times in the kitchen.

3) Build a healthy plate.
You've purchased healthy foods. How do you make them appetizing? Use the MyPlate method to build a healthy meal. You can also check out my quick and easy recipe for green chips to help encourage increase intake of vegetables.


Stay tuned all this month for more on healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Kids Eat Right: 8 Healthy Lunch Ideas

I was interviewed to provide tips for healthy eating with children for Kids Eat Right Month. For more information on how to give your kids a healthy start, here are 8 Healthy Lunch Ideas, using MyPlate to build a healthy school lunches, and tips for teaching your kids about fueling themselves in a healthy way with meals and snacks.

Stay tuned all this month for more on healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Kids Eat Right Month: Green Chips

Happy Kids Eat Right Month! As a pediatric registered dietitian (RD), I often get asked many questions about feeding children in a healthy way. This month we will discuss many topics about healthy eating with a focus on teaching children how to eat healthy. Luckily, these principles can be applied to children of all ages (including adults who are kids at heart)!

So, the most common question I get is "How do I get my child to eat healthy?". Today, I have an easy recipe that might just get your child to try Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are a member of the cabbage family, that's why they look like mini cabbages. Brussels sprouts are high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A; they are low in calories and fat.

You may have grown up with mushy, smelly Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts have a mineral, sulfur, in them. If you over-cook this vegetable, there can be an odor. I happen to love Brussels sprouts. I love a crispy, roasted vegetable, which is how I came up with this simply, quick recipe.

For children, I think marketing is important for fruits and vegetables. We can make eating fruits and veggies fun by incorporating colors or giving dishes fun names. For grown-ups, I would call this roasted Brussels sprouts. For kids, we could name this green chips or Hulk chips (if your child is an Avengers fan). Here's the recipe.

Green Chips or Roasted Brussels Sprouts
8 oz Brussels sprouts
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Wash and trim your Brussels sprouts. Cut Brussels sprouts in half and trim the woody end. Separate leaves. Toss in olive oil and place in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. After 15-20 minutes, turn the Brussels sprouts and salt them. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes until caramelized.

The leaves of the Brussels sprouts get caramelized and crispy. They turn into mini green chips. These are so delicious! Try them; I think you'll like it. Enjoy!

Stay tuned all this month for more on healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Kids Eat Right Month: How Do I Make a Healthy Meal?

Happy Kids Eat Right Month! As a pediatric registered dietitian (RD), I often get asked many questions about feeding children in a healthy way. This month we will discuss many topics about healthy eating with a focus on teaching children how to eat healthy. Luckily, these principles can be applied to children of all ages (including adults who are kids at heart)!

So, the most common question I get is "How do I get my child to eat healthy?". We will discuss several strategies to eat health. So to start, we need to offer healthy options. We can do this in a few simple steps.

1) Purchase healthy foods. 
Bring your child to the grocery store. This is an opportunity to teach and familiarize your children with different types of foods. Have your child select a few new foods they want to try. This way your child has a choice. The choice becomes which healthy choice they want to try instead of if they will or won't try a food.

2) Grow healthy foods.
If you have the opportunity, grow your own food or herbs. This is a great opportunity to teach your kids responsibility and where food comes from. If your kids have invested time into growing foods, they are more likely to try them.

3) Build a healthy plate.
ChooseMyPlate.gov is a fantastic resource. It is available in English and Spanish. It is a free resource. There is great information about kid portions and how to build a healthy plate.
Start by filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. I encourage at least three different food groups per meal. Check out MyPlate for more information on age-appropriate portion sizes.

Stay tuned all this month for more on healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Five Tips to Eat More Fruits & Vegetables

Happy National Nutrition Month! Each day this week, we will focus on one healthy habit to work on. We are taking small steps to big results!

Today, we are discussing a healthy habit, which is . . . eating more fruits and veggies! We know that fruits and vegetables are important. I'm sure you've been told to eat more fruits or vegetables in your lifetime. But, why is it important? 

Importance of Eating Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients. Every color in fruits and vegetables represents a different micronutrient, vitamin or mineral, that helps nourish your body. Fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of fiber. Fiber serves many purposes including: filling us up (satiety), aiding in regularity of bowel movements, and fiber can help lower cholesterol.

How can I eat more fruits and veggies?
1) Aim for 5 a Day
How can you reach a goal you haven't set? It's impossible. So, let's set a more specific goal and eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

2) Fill half of your plate with fruits or vegetables
I love the MyPlate model of building a healthy plate. You simply take your plate and fill half of it with fruits and vegetables. One serving of fresh fruit is about the size of your fist or a tennis ball. One serving of leafy vegetables is 1 cup. One serving of sliced fruit or cooked vegetables is 1/2 cup. If you fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, you will usually get 2 servings of fruits or vegetables per meal. If you eat 3 meals per day and have 2 servings of fruits or vegetables per meal, you will succeed (or maybe even exceed) your goal of getting five servings of fruits and vegetables per day!!

3) Choose a fruit or vegetable as a snack
Many fruits and vegetables are perfectly packaged to transport and eat on the go. Think about apples, bananas, carrots, celery, cuties, Mandarin oranges, and satsumas. One of my cousins would carry around a tomato and eat in as a snack.

4) Eat the Rainbow
As we discussed earlier, every different color in food provides us with different nutrients. So, challenge yourself to eat different colors and make a beautiful, nutritious plate.

5) Try a New Food
In my experience as a registered dietitian (RD), the most common reason I hear people do not eat fruits or vegetables is because they don't like the taste. Our taste preferences change over time, so I would encourage you to try a food you've had before and cook it differently. Challenge yourself to try a new food!


I hope you enjoyed these 5 tips on how to eat more fruits and vegetables. I hope you learned a little something. And, I hope you apply these simple steps to your life. Remember, small changes can produce big results. For more information on healthy eating, you might enjoy these posts on fiber, cholesterol, and healthy fats.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter . You can subscribe to this blog, RDtipoftheday.blogspot.com, through BlogLovin.