HEALTHY FAMILY MAKEOVER WITH FAMILY CIRCLE
Family Circle Magazine Food Editor on Year-Long Project to Make-Over A Family’s Eating and Exercise Habits
and How You Can Do It Too
April 21st, 2011- Food Editor of Family Circle, Regina Ragone, has taken on her toughest and most-extensive assignment yet. She’s embarked on a year-long endeavor called, “Healthy Family 2011,” wherein she committed to work with one family to make-over their poor eating and physical activity habits.
“Despite awesome advances in nutritional science, exercise physiology and food production; we are still struggling to make healthy choices. Our jam-packed work schedules and increasingly fast-paced lifestyles have hindered our ability to live healthy and physically active lives. So we embarked on a yearlong soup-to-nuts nutrition makeover (with some fitness advice thrown in for good measure!) with a typical family— one just like yours, with busy parents, busy kids and all of the usual issues that get in the way of healthy eating.”
Now, three months in, Ragone reports on what’s working and how we can incorporate some of these successful tactics in our own homes:
We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies show that kids who eat breakfast do better in school, and adults who eat breakfast feel better and perform better at work. A quick and easy option to ensure that your family is getting a great start to the day is with cereal, and a great choice for families who are also watching their wallet is Malt-O-Meal cereals which are not only delicious, but they cost 30% less than other brands! They have many cereal varieties that are high in fiber, low in sodium and contain 44g of whole grains per serving - an important factor in heart health and maintaining a healthy weight. Also, they produce all of their cereal in bags, which means they skip all the unnecessary packaging that comes with putting cereal in a bag and THEN putting that bag in a box so they’re eco-friendly too.
Kids and adults alike love to snack and unfortunately we usually reach for things like chips or cookies so you want to make sure your pantry is stocked with healthy options, and watch the portion sizes. Pirate’s Booty is a great snack because they’re baked, so they have half the fat and less calories than fried chips and they have no trans fats. And since they’re made from puffed rice and corn, they’re naturally gluten free.
Snack time is also a great way to add in extra fruits and veggies so make sure you have plenty of quick, easy and portable snacks like apple slices, carrot sticks, celery, dried fruits or low fat cheese so that you snack smart. And if you portion them out into snack-size baggies or containers, that’s even better
Drinking soda can be a hard habit for families to break, it’s just a habit, and there are lots of tasty options out there that are much healthier. One family-friendly option that we love is R. W. Knudsen Family Spritzers. They’re actually made from all-natural fruit juice and sparkling water-that’s it! No added sugar or artificial flavorings at all! The refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial ingredients in traditional soda is so harmful so making the switch to these juice spritzers can really improve the overall health of your family. Plus the brand is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year proving that families have been turning to these for years. They’re also very refreshing so perfect for spring and summer.
Whether it’s for your kids’ lunches or your own, sandwiches have always been a lunchtime favorite. However, between the processed deli meats and enriched breads, even if you think you’re making a healthy choice, you may not be.
One way to give the standard sandwich a fresh, wholesome boost is to switch up your bread. Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats thin rolls are just 100-calories and an excellent source of fiber (5g per roll), making them a good foundation for everyday healthy eating. They come in three varieties – Soft 100% Whole Wheat, Whole Grain White and 7 Grain – all of which are hearth-baked for a soft delicious taste.
Also exciting is new Goldfish™ Sandwich Bread from Pepperidge Farm. Kids will love the familiar Goldfish shape, and with 3 grams of fiber per roll, along with essential vitamins and minerals and no high-fructose corn syrup, this wholesome bread is sure to be a hit with kids and parents alike!
In terms of deli meats, always look for nitrate-free, organic, free-range meats and also consider meatless options a few days a week as well.
For more on the Family Circle Health Family Initiative, and see how your family can get healthy in 2011, check out the latest issue of Family Circle on stands now, or go to www.familycircle.com
About the Talent: Regina Ragone, R.D., Food Director for Family Circle, brings more than twenty years of nutrition expertise to the magazine. Regina has extensive top tier national media experience including The TODAY Show and Good Morning America Health. Regina has dedicated her career to educating people on the many benefits of eating healthy foods, and is the author of Win the Fat War cookbook and Decadent Diabetic Desserts and co-author of Meals that Heal. Regina also served as the test kitchen director for Ladies Home Journal, food editor for both Weight Watchers magazine and the Weight Watchers Publishing Group and as a nutritionist for Family Circle magazine.
