Resist the Temptation! by Katie Faiver 10/28/2009
 If you love to bake, but also love to taste test during the process, you may end up eating more than you intended. I’m not saying an occasional taste here and there is really bad for you, but you might want to think twice before you lick the entire bowl of double-fudge chocolate chip brownie batter clean. Any person who bakes or cooks wants to get the recipe just right. Beware, though, that there is a difference between checking the correct proportions of ingredients and devouring the cookie dough simply because it’s calling out to you. Here’s a fun fact: gum suppresses hunger. Instead of binging on raw goods while preparing your treats, try chewing on a piece of sugarless gum. Get sick of the bubble-gum flavor before you put the pan in the oven? Spit it out and try spearmint, or cinnamon, or winterfresh…there are plenty of other flavors. By preventing yourself from eating a pound of batter, you will probably find yourself baking the amount the recipe calls for and have enough to share with friends! The Lactose Free Lifestyle by Chelsea Fuchs 10/23/2009
 Living dairy-free is not as difficult as it used to be. Fortunately, for those people (myself included), who are lactose intolerant and unable to digest the sugar found in milk products, there are a myriad of other healthy dairy-free options available. Lactaid milk and calcium fortified soy-milk are great options to use as a milk substitute. Most coffee shops on campus offer soy-milk, but be warned. While soy is a wonderful alternative to regular milk because of its high protein content, some coffee shops, such as Starbucks, only offer flavored soy-milks, which can have a high sugar content. The hardest thing about the commitment to a lactose free lifestyle is...  Frozen yogurt has become synonymous with a healthy dessert, a no guilt treat. Frozen yogurt shops have popped up all over the Ann Arbor campus and students are euphoric. A nonfat, tasty, and perceivably beneficial delicacy is hard to turn down. But what individuals sometimes don’t realize is that this “guiltless” pleasure is often loaded with sugar and may not even have enough of the beneficial bacteria to be deemed healthful. An ounce of frozen yogurt allegedly yields between 22-29 calories. Let’s put this in perspective. The smallest portion available is often about 5 oz., amounting to approximately 110-145 calories. This sounds miniscule, but let’s be honest, with Amer’s new self-serve style, you are more than likely to take a much larger portion. Then, consider the toppings. It’s great if you choose fresh fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, bananas, or kiwi, but if you go for the sauces and candy garnishes, the calories can really add up...  Human beings consume, on average, 2000 calories daily. Some people obsess over this and do everything they can to make sure they don’t exceed this numerical limit. Did you know, however, that this daily number varies based on your weight, height, and daily physical activity? Instead of measuring out your fruit loops and milk and looking on the Food Label to try to figure out how many calories are in your breakfast, go to www.mypyramidtracker.gov and have them figure it out for you! Keep track throughout the day by adding your meals and snacks as you go. Not only will you be able to figure out how many calories you’ve eaten that day, but you can also see if you’re feeding your body enough nutrients. You simply have to enter your food intake and physical activity, and MyPyramidTracker will tell you if you’re eating the proper types of foods and number of calories, according to your energy and exercise levels. In addition to a thorough analysis of your food intake, MyPyramidTracker also offers other health information for you to view whenever you please. See their ‘Diet and Health Information’ page for diet and health related links, like Cancer, Diabetes, Cholesterol, Women’s Health and more. Also, check out the ‘Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion’ page for dietary guidelines and MyPyramid for Kids, as well as tips and helpful information on overall health. References: Healthy Snacks on the Run! by Arielle Mellen 10/02/2009
 As a college student, it is often difficult to find the time to schedule in a full meal. Reaching a point of constant starvation and an inability to satiate, you’ll undoubtedly grab everything in sight. Most likely, what you grab won’t be a bag of dried fruit or a bunch of strawberries. Typically a bag of chips or a box of cookies is our default. In other words, processed foods. And worse, their high salt, sugar, and fat content make us crave these comfort foods all the more. Binge eating is the formal description, but we all experience the late night snack or eat rapidly in a hurry. That’s why I’m proposing a few tricks to thwart the inescapable hunger pang: Create your own trail mix: sunflower & pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, peanuts, and raisins. I find that... Stick To The Perimeter by Arielle Mellen 09/30/2009
 First of all, word to the wise, NEVER go to the supermarket on an empty stomach…unless you plan to purchase every food item in the store! Dieticians have lately been giving tips on how to choose the “healthiest” and freshest items in a supermarket. The one that should be most obvious to us (but one that we neglect to consider) is only buying what is located on the perimeter of the store. Here lie our fresh fruits and vegetables along with meats and calcium-rich dairy products. There are no additives or processed foods. Basically, it’s a way to avoid all the packaged foods that contain trans fats and an unending list of ingredients that most have never heard of. As a rule of thumb, if the package lists greater than 5 ingredients, put it down and walk away. Your body will thank you. Reference:  Ever wonder what all the hype is about with the Mediterranean Diet? Well, in a cinch, it’s widely known for the utilization of olive oil, a gold mine of healthy (monounsaturated) fats. Primarily, the Mediterranean lifestyle calls for a drizzle of olive oil over a salad, fish, meat, or pasta (whole wheat of course!)—You name it. Olive oil can be found in various grades. The four main types, from best to worst, consist of extra virgin, virgin, pure, and extra light. These are all extracted through the pressing and crushing of olives, but the distinctions are discerned from the levels of acidity and the amount of pressing involved. Extra virgin olive oil is chemically unaltered, has the lowest acidity, and has a high content of... Healthy Living by Kelly Montgomery 09/21/2009
 One extremely important reason to eat food, besides to devour and enjoy every flavor food offers, is to absorb the nutritional value that is necessary for us to survive. A balanced diet and frequent exercise together are the best ways to keep you in shape, and enjoying what you actually want to eat. There’s nothing wrong with eating that piece of cake, or homemade cookie once in awhile; everyone deserves a special treat. But it is important to learn the nutritional information that different foods offer in order to stay healthy. This section in Wolverine CuiZine will cover food and its nutritional value and impact on our bodies. When the clock rolls around 3 o’clock in the morning on Friday and Saturday nights, where are the healthiest places to take care of that pizza craving or that huge appetite for a burrito? Caloric information will be discussed and addressed so we Wolverines can be as healthy as possible. Although nutritional information is important to learn and accept, sometimes we do not want to come to terms with the fact our favorite foods may be extremely bad for you. Fun facts, such as dark chocolate is good for your heart and more healthy than milk chocolate, are more than welcome to be discovered and discussed. Eating food should be fun too! Between creativity and different writing styles, this section should be something interesting and fun to learn and read about. There is always something new to learn about food. We are now in the age group when our food may not necessarily be prepared for us each night by our parents. Making sure that a healthy eating habit is maintained is essential! I’m looking forward to discussing ideas to write about and learn more about food and our bodies!!  MMMM decadent chocolate. Most of my life was spent devouring milk chocolate until I tasted dark chocolate in Greece. Although Greece is not necessarily known for their different types of chocolate, it opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of darker chocolates. At first, its bitter taste was somewhat overwhelming, but as I continued to indulge in my first dark chocolate bar, I ended up loving its bittersweet flavor. Since then, I would never choose milk chocolate over dark again! Besides the fact that my taste buds have officially crossed over to the “dark side”, there are many different health benefits that dark chocolate offers. Eating a small piece of dark chocolate each day lowers blood pressure and cholesterol! Chocolate still has a high calorie count, so although extremely tempting, people should steer clear from enjoying an entire bar. Who would have thought... | Recipes to chew on:
Foodie, n. A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food.  CategoriesArchivesAuthors |
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