It goes without saying that a nutritious diet is essential for anyone looking to get in shape, lose weight, or simply improve their overall health. Eating patterns that give your body enough of the vitamins and minerals it needs and stay within your recommended daily calorie intake have been proven to boost overall health and well-being. Anyone can implement a more healthful diet into their lifestyles with some time and effort.

The one of the biggest obstacles, however, to eating better is finding healthy foods and recipes that are not chocked full of substances considered more harmful to your health like saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugar. If a recipe is high in those substances or too calorie-dense, you should think twice. It can also be discouraging when you consider giving up your favorite dishes.

Even you come across a delicious recipe that is not necessarily healthful, though, there are plenty of cooking substitutes to use in place of other ingredients. Here are some of the most common substation items for baking or cooking recipes:

1.  Whole Wheat White Flour – Use whole wheat flour when baking instead of all-purpose white flour that has been processed. Whole wheat flour, and whole grains in general, have more fiber that will help to keep you full and reduce cravings throughout the day. Whole grains are also more nutritious.

2.  Unsweetened Applesauce – When a recipe calls for sugar, try using unsweetened applesauce instead. Using applesauce for baked goods like bread and muffins will cut down on saturated fat and calories while increasing the fiber content. You can also try any fruit puree or some natural sweeteners like honey, fruit juice concentrate, or Stevia instead of granulated sugar.

3.  Plain Greek Yogurt – Mayonnaise and sour cream are loaded with calories and saturated fat. Try low-fat or non-fat plain Greek yogurt in their place. Greek yogurt contains healthful probiotics for your gut and lots of protein. Be sure to check the labels, though, because many kinds of Greek yogurt are full of added sugars.

4.  Avocado and Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Try using avocado in place of either oil or butter. Avocados are high in monounsaturated fats, and these types of fats have been shown to reduce the risk for heart disease and help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Extra-virgin olive oil is also a healthier substitute for other types of cooking oils. Extra-virgin olive oil can be used for sautéing, and it can serve as a great alternative for creamy salad dressings that are high in saturated fat.

5.  Ground Turkey – Red meats like beef and pork are high in fat content and have been linked to all kinds of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Try using ground turkey instead or consider vegetarian substitutions like tofu or vegetarian ground beef crumbles.

When looking at recipes, either online or ones given to you, it is always important to look at their nutrition facts first. If they are not provided, there are several recipe analyzers that can provide this information. Moreover, using more healthful cooking substitutes can help you eat better and still enjoy your favorite food combinations.

The post Healthy Cooking Substitutes appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Social media is at it once more, helping us better our lives by linking us with others. Pinterest began as an idea grapevine turned into an organization and planning giant. Countless people have planned weddings, anniversary parties, and baby showers using Pinterest and now we are using the site to attain weight loss goals and live fitter lives. There is even a new diet book on the market The Pinterest Diet: How to Pin Your Way Thin, written by Mitzi Dulan, Registered Dietician. In her book, she suggests using Pinterest to create a vision board of your goals  by creating boards such as Most Satisfying Foods, Workout Plans Board, Daily Inspiration Board, In-The-Know, and Favorite Products. Pinterest is the ultimate social media site for planning your healthy life.

Pinterest offers the power to look for recipes, inspirational and motivational quotes, workouts, and merchandise such as exercise clothes as well as the ability to hold all of the ideas organized in a single spot. It is a replacement for the age-old vision board that many of us pinned to our wall to keep ourselves focused on a goal.  This site allows you to digitally pin pictures of your dream body or inspirational sayings to keep your actions in check.

Pinterest has something for everyone! Searching for a recipe that is Vegan, Paleo, or Gluten-free? Check out this delicious looking Healthy Chocolate Cake recipe by iFOODreal @http://www.pinterest.com/pin/195273333817500880/

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 10; Amount Per Serving = 1 slice; Calories: 265.8; Total Fat: 13.0 g; Cholesterol: 37.2 mg; Sodium: 211.1 mg; Total Carbs: 37.5 g; Sugars: 17.3 g; Dietary Fiber: 4.5 g; Protein: 5.3 g; WW Points+: 8

or check out this Mashed Cauliflower recipe by Healthy Recipes @http://www.pinterest.com/pin/89016530108918303/.

Total time: 20 minutes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 medium cauliflower (1 pound trimmed)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Wash the cauliflower,towel dry, trim outer leaves and cut into florets, or just into chunks. Place in a microwave-safe bowl, add a tablespoon of water to the bottom of the bowl, cover with a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high around 10 minutes, until very tender.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.

3. When the cauliflower is done, carefully remove it from the microwave (bowl and plate will be hot and steam will escape) and transfer to the food processor. Add the remaining ingredients. Process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition per Serving

Calories 102.9; Total Fat 7.5 g; Saturated Fat 4.6 g; Sodium 407.8 mg; Potassium 350.9 mg; Total Carbohydrate 6.3 g; Dietary Fiber 2.8 g; Sugars 0.0 g; Protein 4.4 g

Health and wellness websites are also jumping on the bandwagon. You can follow sites on Pinterest such as POPSUGAR Fitness, Holistic Ebony, and Health.com. Following these sites can lead you to information that you might not otherwise find when searching on your own. You can search and pin exercises from gym routines to 8 minutes at home at routines. There are even exercise routines for the couch potato to follow during the commercials of your favorite television show.

Pinterest is the ultimate social site to connect ideas as well as people. There is no limit to the number of ideas found and once you start searching it can be difficult to stop. Just Remember to put all those newly found  ideas to use and start living healthier today.

Reference

Dulan, M. (2014, 01 19). How Pinterest can help you lose weight and get fit. Retrieved from Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/01/19/how-pinterest-can-help-lose-weight-and-get-fit/

The post The Pinterest Diet: Pin your way to a healthier you appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Women are picky about men. We are selective about men, but willing to eat any meat-like substance cooked by a teenager at the local drive-through. It is time for us to start applying the high standards we have for men to food. According to Candice Kumai, “Just like men, food can be held to various standards, and yours should be top notch.” Candice’s new cookbook, Cook Yourself Sexy, will show you how to raise the bar for the food in your life.

Cook yourself Sexy is a surprising new cookbook written by Candice Kumai, who is a former model trained at Le Cordon Blue California Cooking School. This new cookbook teaches women to revolutionize how they look at dieting and promises that with this new way of looking at food, “You don’t lose the taste, but you will lose a dress size.” That was a promise that I had to take her up on. The first recipe that jumped off the pages at me was Candice’s Gone Bananas Chocolate Oatmeal. This breakfast is a deliciously creamy combination of peanut butter, chocolate and healthy oatmeal that my kids cannot get enough of. It is on a regular rotation in my kitchen now.

As Moms, we start out parenting focusing on healthy food during pregnancy, but we quickly move to eating whatever comes from a drive through while taxiing kids from school to lessons and athletics. Cook Yourself Sexy can help Moms get back that skinny jean feeling through delectable healthy eating and living right. Candice’s book focuses on portion size, water, and fresh ingredients. There are no pills, starvation or gimmicks involved, and these are realistic changes that can be applied at home.

To get you started, here is a recipe for Mac and Cheese that is to die for: 

Dreamy Butternut Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Makes 6 servings

443 calories, 5 g fat, 16 g protein, 6 g fiber per serving 

Mac ‘n’ Cheese

2 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, halved, and seeded, then quartered and sliced into triangles

6 garlic cloves

1 thyme sprig

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

2 cups chicken stock, or vegetable stock (vegan)

1 pound small elbow macaroni or mini shells

2 tablespoons grated Gruyere

Herbed Breadcrumb Topping

¾ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 garlic cloves

¼ teaspoon sea salt

To make the Mac ‘n’ Cheese:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large saucepan, add the butternut squash, garlic cloves, thyme sprig, unsweetened almond milk, and stock. Cook until the butternut squash is fork-tender. Remove the sprig of thyme.

2. Place the squash mixture in a food processor or blender and puree until velvety smooth.

3. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in salted water until it is al dente (semi firm). Drain and rinse with cool water.

4. Spread out the macaroni in a lightly greased 13-inch x 9-inch pan. Pour the squash puree over the noodles.

To make the breadcrumbs and bake:

1. Combine all the ingredients for the herbed breadcrumb topping.

2. Cover the mac ‘n’ cheese with foil, place in the oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and evenly spread the breadcrumb topping and Gruyere cheese over the top. Transfer to the broiler and broil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

This recipe has been excerpted from Cook Yourself Sexy.

The post Cook Yourself Sexy! appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.