As promised by November 1st the Gracie’s Product Review site will be up and running.  Twice each week we will pick an item, provide a complete review and decide whether you should spend your hard earned money or not.

In addition we will look for the best price and shipping costs to help you save even more.  We intend to review primarily food/kitchen related items but also plan on looking at exercise and fitness programs that compliment the Mediterranean Diet/Lifestyle.

We have worked out some unique partnerships with online retailers and are looking forward to providing this service to our readership.

So be on the lookout for www.GraciesProductReviews.com as we help you stir the pot!

Over the weekend I shared with you 51 of my 101 Healthy Eating Tips.  These final 50 tips will contain some surprises, continue you journey into healthy eating and ring out directly from the Mediterranean Diet.

Eat Less, and Enjoy More

A lot of people multitask when they eat, such as watch TV, do homework, or job tasks. When this happens, people forget about the joys of eating. Plus, people are more likely to overeat when they don’t pay attention to their food.

 Make a Healthy Choice with Veggie Broth

There are many health benefits in vegetable broth over beef or chicken broth. First, a cup of veggie broth only has 15 calories. Next, veggie broth has the vitalizing ingredients that you would find in veggies.

 Enjoy Farm Fresh Foods

A lot of the produce at the regular grocery stands contains chemicals and pesticides to preserve them in transportation. When you buy from local farmers, you get produce at its peak form.  Support you local Farmers Market!

 Don’t Miss Out on Whole Fruit

Choose whole fruit instead of fruit juice. By choosing fruit juice, you are missing out on the most important parts of the fruit which are the pulp and skin. The skin of the fruit contains important nutrients while the pulp contains fiber.

 Read the Food Labels

Try to get into the habit of reading the food labels, so you can compare and contrast different foods. This will help you make wise health choices and limit the fat, sugar, and cholesterol in your diet.  This may add some time to your grocery shopping but it’s well worth it.

 Stop Eating Before You Are Stuffed

There is an old motherly saying to finish all of the food on your plate because there are starving children. In reality, this is not a good habit for health and weight loss. Instead, eat until you are no longer hungry.

 Eat Every 3-4 Hours

When you go for long periods without food (5+ hours), you are prone to gaining weight because glucose and a hormone insulin turns into fat. To avoid this, make sure to eat every 3-4 hours.

 Check Dietician Credentials

It is important to do your homework by checking the credentials of a dietician because anyone can call themselves a dietician. Also, the credentials vary within dieticians and nutritionists.  I’m not a dietician or a nutritionist, just a guy looking for healthy eating habits.

 Add Variety to Your Diet

Eating a single type of food can be fast and convenient, but you can’t get all of the essential minerals and vitamins from that single particular food. Mix it up, and add a variety of foods to your diet for optimal health.

 Look Out for Restaurant Portion-Sized Food

In this super-sized society, it is common to see large sizes served and advertised in food establishments. The portion size we want for good health is the palm of our hands. Instead, you can order the small size, or you can eat part of it and box it for later.

 Keep Desserts to a Minimum

It is great to celebrate and enjoy dessert, but it should be kept to a minimum. Desserts, such as a banana split, contain high amounts of sugar and fat that will sabotage diets.

Make Meals with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

There are many health benefits of using extra virgin olive oil. It lowers bad cholesterol levels, reduces hypertension (high-blood pressure), improves glycemic controls, and many more.  For cooking at high temperatures, olive oil is the best.

 Crunch up with Carrots

This crunchy powerfood has many health benefits which includes improved eyesight because of the beta-carotene and vitamin A. Also, the beta-carotene has anti-aging affects which creates beautiful skin.

 Support Your Immune System with Oranges

It is known that citrus fruits contain high-levels of vitamin C which is a vitamin that is important to maintaining a healthy immune system. Besides vitamin C, oranges are filled with antioxidants to help flush toxins.

 Protect Your Prostate with Tomatoes

Tomatoes help ward off certain cancers, especially prostate cancer. This is because the tomato has a compound called lycopene. Lycopene is found in the red pigment of the tomato, and this could be the reason for its cancer fighting effect.  Tomatoes are my new super food.

 Reduce Stress with Walnuts

Walnuts cannot make that huge term paper or stack of bills go away, but walnuts can reduce stress. Walnuts contain an acid called alpha-linolenic, which is known to protect the heart in times of stress.

 Digest Food Better with Yogurt

Yogurt contains active, good bacteria called probiotics. Probiotics help adjust the amount of microflora in the intestines, and it helps prevent digestive ailments such as ulcers, constipation, and colon cancer.

Pack Your Fridge with Snackable Vegetables

Vegetables are filled with essential vitamins and minerals to keep us energized throughout the day. Plus, veggies help prevent cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes, so pack your fridge with ready-to-snack vegetables.

 Add a Little Sunshine with Vitamin D

Vitamin D is often called the “sunshine vitamin” because it comes from the sun. If you are feeling gloomy during fall and winter seasons, it is most likely from vitamin D deficiency.

 List Lean Cut Meats on Your Grocery List

Purchasing lean cut meats, such as lamb, sirloin steaks, and chicken, give you valuable proteins without the excess fat. When needed, you should trim off any visible fat and skin before cooking.

 Substitute Your White Flour For Whole Wheat Flour

Basically, white flour is the wheat plant without the brown casing due to the process of refining, and the brown casing holds a lot of the important nutrients. One big difference between white and whole wheat flour is the fiber content, which whole-wheat has the most fiber.  I’m a big fan of whole wheat pasta as well.

 Plan Meals as a Family

There are many benefits to planning meals as a family. Planning meals as a family allows for more family time, and it is cheaper than ordering food. Plus, it is a healthier option because the cook gets to control the ingredients and portion sizes.  Do you believe that this is a tip, it should be a common practice!

 Use Avocados as Healthy Fat Source

Avocados are high in monounsaturated fat, which is known to lower bad cholesterol. It is great to substitute mayonnaise, cream cheese, and butter in sandwiches with slices of avocado.

 Boost Cancer-Fighting Enzymes with Cabbage

There are many cancer-fighting properties that inhibit tumor growth in cabbage which are lupeol, sinigrin, indole-3-carbinol (I3C), and sulforaphane. These properties have shown the same effects as chemotherapy.

 Find Motivation with Spinach

Spinach is high in Vitamin K which promotes proper brain function and a healthy nervous system. Spinach also keeps harmful oxidation away from the brain.

 Improve Concentration with Eggs

Eat some eggs before that big exam or long work day! Eggs contain choline in the yolk. Choline helps regulate the brain and nervous system, which in turn aids with concentration and memory.

Swap Soda for Water

Soda is filled with refined sugar and empty calories which could put on more pounds on the body and induces that “sugar crash” feeling. Water, on the other hand, flushes out toxins from body and lowers fasting glucose levels.  If sugar was a new product it would have a hard time getting governmental approval.

3,500 Calories = 1 Pound of Body Weight

When you are logging your daily food and calorie intake, keep this conversion in mind: 3,500 calories equals 1 pound of body weight. Keeping this in mind will help you gauge whether to increase or lower your calorie intake depending on your health goal.

 Spice Up Your Meals

Try to incorporate hot spices such as cayenne, black pepper, and paprika in your foods. There are many health benefits to spicy foods such as improved mood, decreases insomnia, maintains cardiovascular system, and prevents cancer.

 Enhance Muscle with Protein Bars

Forget the vending machine, and pack protein bars for snacks. One of the biggest advantage of protein bars is their convenience. Plus, these bars enhance lean muscle because of their high protein content.

Burn Calories by Drinking Ice Water

Supplement ice water with your workouts because drinking a glass of ice water burns 25 calories versus 16 calories per glass of room temperature water.

Switch to Low-Fat Dairy Products

Switching from whole milk products to low-fat decrease obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders. Low-fat milk has very little fat compared to whole milk products.

Avoid Eating Fruits After a Meal

Fruits contain simple sugars which is easily digested, but eating fruits after a meal will allow those simple sugars to get stuck in the digestive tract. This results in deterioration and bloating.  I start my day off with fruits.

 Never Smoke After a Meal

There are studies that show smoking after a meal is 10 times worse than normal smoking. Smoking after a meal increases irritable bowel syndrome and colitis.  Just say NO to smoking.

 Brighten Your Skin with Lemon

Add a little lemon to your favorite facial or body scrub. The citric acid found in lemon is an alpha hydroxy acid that helps dissolve dead skin on your body.

 Lower Blood Pressure with Mushrooms

Mushrooms help lower blood pressure because of a compound found in them called lentinan. Mushrooms are also high in calcium and vitamin B, and they are low in fat and calories.

 Calm Stress with Strawberries

When you are feeling stressed, ditch the chocolate bar and eat some strawberries. Strawberries have natural fructose, and natural fructose does not give you that immediate high that is followed by an immediate low.

 Use Lemons and Herbs to Spice It Up

Replacing salt with lemon and herbs to flavor foods will help cut down on sodium intake. Food may seem bland without salt. It may take 2-3 weeks for our taste buds to adjust to less salty taste because we are accustomed to salty foods.

 Pack Your Meals with Fiber

Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes are all examples of high-fiber food. Packing your meals with fiber will help you lose weight and prevent from overeating.

Reap the Benefits from Organic Food

Incorporate organic produce, dairy, and meat products into your diet to lessen the exposure to pesticides. There are studies that show overexposure to pesticides can contribute to neurological impairments.

Split Your Meal with a Friend

In this “super-sized” world, it is common for food establishments to serve large portions. By splitting a meal with a friend, you are demonstrating portion control and saving money.

 Stay Smart and Smiling: Avoid Processed Foods

There are studies that show that processed foods are the worst IQ foods because they are filled with high-fructose corn syrup, aspartame, and other chemicals. Not only that, people are more prone to depression with a high processed food diet. SMILE!

 Stick to the 5 Ingredient Rule

Avoid food products that contain more than 5 ingredients. If it contains more than 5 ingredients, it is most likely high-processed. Some examples of food items that have 5 or less ingredients are popcorn, apple sauce, whole wheat pasta, and cheese.

 Wait 20 to 30 Minutes for a Second Helping

It is best to wait 20-30 minutes between servings because that is the amount of time it takes for your brain to register that your body is full. Then, your second serving will most likely be small because you know that you are full.

Feel Guilt Free with Mustard

Mustard is fat-free with less than 5 calories per serving. Mustard can be used in a lot of things, such as sandwiches, salads, and marinades. It also comes in different flavors. Spread a little mustard over salmon before putting it in the oven.

 Indulge in Dark Chocolate Covered Bananas

Dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants and flavonoids, and bananas are rich in potassium and fiber. Together, they make a great pair.

 Go Healthy and Choose Asian

Why is Asian food considered the healthiest in the world? It is because the main component is rice or noodles accompanied with soy, fish, beans, and nuts as protein sources. Meat and poultry are often used sparingly in these dishes.

Make Your Own Instead of Buying in Boxes

There are many benefits of making your own food, and the big reason is you know what is in your food. Plus, you are in control of your food, and it is easier to keep track of your calories.

 Allow Yourself Cheat Meals or Snacks

The sense of deprivation is a big factor on why diets fail. Allowing yourself two cheat meals per week will decrease that sense of deprivation.  I like this tip!

Keep Saturated Fat to a Minimum

A diet high in saturated fat could lead to obesity, high-blood pressure, cancer, and other heart disease. It is recommended to keep saturated fat no more than 7% of calorie intake

There you have it a total of 101 tips for healthy eating.  Even if you just starting out with 20% of these tips, I’m sure you will start feeling better and notice the pounds slipping away.

Buon Appitito!

It seems recently that among health circles Italian food has gotten a bad rep.  Many people feel that the carbohydrates in pasta are a big factor with weight gain and should be avoided.   However, this idea that pasta will make you fat is largely unfounded.  A diet of Italian food, especially from the Mediterranean is actually very healthy and will keep you looking and feeling great as long as you know what Italian food to eat and how to properly prepare it.

A great example of the fact that Italian food will not make you fat is in Sophia Loren.  She told the world in her book that she grew up on spaghetti and ate it constantly.  She says that it is not the pasta that makes you fat; it’s what you put on top of it.  People who gain weight eating Italian food typically do so not because of the pasta, but because of creamy sauces like Alfredo sauce and tend to eat too large a portion.  Italian food from the Mediterranean doesn’t rely on rich, thick sauces and uses olive oil instead of butter, making it very healthy.

Linguine with Porcini mushrooms

It all starts with the ingredients you keep.  For good, healthy Italian food you want to make sure you stock the kitchen with quality pasta, olive oil, garlic, onions, lean meat, fish, and seafood.  For seasoning you will want some herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley.  You’ll want to stay away from a lot of cheese and perhaps only get a little grated Parmesan to top your favorite Italian food dishes.  The creamy and cheesy Italian food dishes are the ones you’re going to want to stay away from to keep a healthy diet.

There are several different light Italian food meals that you can prepare with these simple ingredients.  Try this Italian food classic, pasta with tomato sauce.  You can use any type of pasta you want and you might want to try livening it up with variety.  Italian food is not just  about spaghetti. Here’s the 101 lesson.

Boil the pasta in water with salt.  Make sure you don’t overcook the pasta.  You want it to be firm, yet tender (al Dente).  The most common mistake made in making Italian food is making mushy pasta.  Be sure not to rinse the pasta off with water after you finished boiling.  That will reduce the starch, which is needed to hold the sauce.  Rinsing will also make your sauce watery.

For the sauce itself, simply chop up some garlic, an onion, and some canned quality tomatoes from Italy.  Take a tablespoon of your favorite olive oil and sauté both the garlic and onions until they are soft.  Once that is done add the tomatoes and cook until all the ingredients are blended together well.  To top it off add your favorite herbs such as parsley, oregano, or basil.  Try different combinations of herbs, fresh is always best.  There is no definitive herbs for Italian food so experiment and give your sauce your own signature flavor.

Serve this sauce over your hot pasta and if you want put a little sprinkle of Parmesan on it.  This is a simple Italian food dish that stands on its own and you won’t need to eat bread or anything else with it.  This is a great example of how healthy Italian food is supposed to be, light and fresh.

Feel free to try different variations on this recipe.  Italian food is full of a variety of pastas and recipes that can keep you satisfied and healthy as long as you stay away from the heavy sauces and creams.  Visit any specialty food shop or our marketplace and look for pasta varieties that are different not just your typical cuts.

My son calls these Bow Ties

Growing up we had a pasta dish twice a week.  Mom would put up a pot of  sauce (gravy) on the weekend and it would serve both the Sunday meal and one night during the week.  She went out of her way to find different pasta cuts, but my favorite was Fussili or as we called it “Curly Spaghetti.”

So don’t get turned off to Pasta, stick to the basics and you will find that a healthy Italian Diet is great tasting, will help you lose weight and have you feeling better as well.  Buon Appitito

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