Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.

Tip # 5

Have a well stocked pantry.

To reiterate planning is paramount for preparing quick healthy meals, particularly dinner. It is difficult to make nutritious foods without a well-stocked pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. Knowing the contents of your kitchen helps to streamlines meal preparation. A well-stocked kitchen doesn’t mean every meal is made from scratch. Frozen seafood, store-bought roasted chicken, and pre-cut and frozen fruits and vegetables are convenient to have on hand for dinners in a pinch.

Take advantage of tried and true techniques to set your busy lifestyle up for successful eating. You will thank me when instead of the mass produced, nutritionally void, drive through fare you are eating delicious, homemade delicacies that you can feel proud of.

Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.

Tip # 4

Fill your freezer.

Think of things that freeze well such as casseroles, stews, soups and beans. Side dishes also freeze well, particularly grains and breads. “Freezing has revolutionized my eating. There are evenings when I get home and don’t even want to think of dinner much less cook it. On these nights I am so thankful for defrost” says Lisa. “I am still eating great healthy food that I know what the ingredients are yet it’s fast and easy.” To freeze like Lisa figure out how much of a one-pot meal you need to feed your family for one dinner, and then make a double sized quantity and freeze enough for meals to come. Be sure to label the container with its contents because even though it is today’s favorite a month from now the contents will be forgotten.

Stay tuned for tip #5!

Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.

Tip # 3

Cook once and eat twice.

Disguise last night’s leftovers. For example, if you have chicken one night, use the leftovers to make chicken enchiladas or chicken Caesar salad the next. Similarly, if you make grilled steak one night, try steak fajitas the next. When making meals increase the amount of protein and grains that you make so they will last two nights instead of one. Have plain rice one night and then the next night transform your leftover grain into a grain salad.

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs for tips 4-5!

Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.

Tip # 2

What’s for dinner?

Do you know what you are having for dinner tonight? Fewer than 30 percent of Americans know by 4 p.m. Yet planning ahead doesn’t take that long and it can relieve stress during a busy work week. Here’s one example of how it can work. Sunday morning, sit down with paper, pen and your favorite cookbook or cooking magazine. Think about what’s in your pantry, what your family likes to eat, look at how many nights you will be able to cook dinner and how many require a different solution. Then plan out the week’s worth of menus. At the same time, write out your grocery list. Post the list of menus on the refrigerator or bulletin board and then the inevitable what’s for dinner question is solved. Keep your grocery and recipe list on the computer. That way, you can rotate weekly menus every month or two. This means that once you have eight weeks of menus, you’re set for the rest of the year!

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs for tips 3-5!

Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.

Kimberly is a nurses assistant with two children ages 8 and 10. She puts in a number of hours of work in her home before heading to her job. The 33-year-old describes her home as “organized chaos.” She usually doesn’t have a lot of time for meal preparation. Both of her children are on soccer teams, so there’s homework and practices after school, which leaves little time for well-planned meals. Does this sound familiar?

I know it is hard to believe that summer is over and school is starting again. Where did the time go? It feels like barbeques and late night walks were just beginning. Now the sun is setting earlier and our schedules are going to be shifting to include school activities. Whether it’s working, caring for kids, running errands, going to school, getting exercise, volunteering, or some combination of the above, we are all busy. Often we know ways in which we could eat healthier but feel like we don’t have the time. While getting into the swing of your new fall schedule prioritize ways to set yourself up for success for healthy eating.

The good news is that sitting down to a home cooked meal even on the busiest of days, is possible. With a little pre-planning and preparation, you can maintain a healthy diet while keeping your active schedule. Here are simple, realistic tips to promote eating healthily with a busy life.

Tip # 1

Breakfast for dinner?

A great dinner option is breakfast, especially the all might egg. They can be scrambled, fried, made into an omelet, quiche or frittata. Eggs are quick and easy to make, a great protein source and a wonderful way to incorporate vegetables.

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs for tips 2-5!

By Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.

As with any nutritional deficiencies looking at your digestive function is essential. You could be having the best diet on the planet but if you are not digesting well you may not be adequately absorbing the nutrients from food. Another issue is that if your digestive system is impaired symptoms may be reactions or sensitivities to certain foods. Work with your health care provider to see what treatment may work best for your particular situation. Remember to listen to your body because if you don’t hear the whispers it might need to yell.

By Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N

Not only palm readers can get insight about you from your hands. You can observe a lot about your nutritional status as well as your future.  Do you have hang nails, inflamed cuticles or cracking at the tips of your fingers? This could be a sign of needing more zinc, vitamin C, folate or protein. Need a DEXA scan? If you want to know about your bone density look at your nails because they are made of minerals like your bones.  If your nails have a flat angle or are spooned you might need more iron. If they are soft and don’t grow with the vigor you would like it could be due to mineral deficiencies. If your nails have  horizontal or vertical ridges consider more B vitamins and minerals. You may notice that B vitamins come up repeatedly. This is partially due to the fact that B vitamins get used up when under stress. Do you have white spots on your nails? This can be a sign of excess sugar or zinc deficiency. If your nails are brittle and split this can be an indication of mineral deficiencies and too much refined sugar.

By Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.

Got a poker face? Even the best poker face can provide information about your nutrition. There is a lot of money spent on topical skin care products.  Working on skin from the inside out often provides effective long term results. For example acne which torments many is often a sign of too much refined sugar, inadequate zinc, EFA’s, or vitamin A. Scales & scabbiness in the folds of the nose and behind ears can be an indicator of a B vitamin deficiency. Is your skin greasy and scaly? If so this can be a B2 deficiency.  As you can see EFA’s are a repeat offender. We can tell part of the reason why through the name essential fatty acids. These types of fats are essential for every cell in our body and it is essential that they come from the diet. So opt for the wild salmon or grass fed meat.

By Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.

Do you feel like an alligator? Dry skin can indicate a deficiency of EFA’s, vitamin A, E or biotin. Eczema can be a sign of a zinc or EFA deficiency. If your skin is parchment-like meaning that when it is pinched it forms a tent that is slow to drop back, this could be a sign of dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance. Have you been prescribed medication for follicular hyperkeratosis, small red bumps on the back of your arms? This could be helped with vitamin A, B, zinc, or EFA’s. Remember doctors are not required to have nutrition courses. Do you have small red spots all over your body? These are called petechiae which are pinpoint hemorrhages and can be a sign of vitamin C deficiency. If you bruise easily more vitamin K, C or bioflavonoids could be to your benefit.

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs for tips 3-5!

Jennifer Adler M.S., C.N.

Step # 4 Culinary snapshot

The way we eat is often an accurate indicator of how we are living our lives, reflecting what we value. It is the cadence in which we move through life. This has been eye opening for many of my more rigid clients who realized that it wasn’t just their diet that was strict and controlled. Those adjectives had seeped into other areas of their lives as well. One helpful question each of us can ask ourselves when choosing food is: what is our intention behind the nutrition that we select? Are we eating healthy foods out of a fear of disease, fat or guilt, rather than a love of life?

The food we choose to eat is often a reflection of our life at that time and the way we see ourselves. Paying attention to our food choices (and what motivates them) has the opportunity to provide valuable insight and possibly facilitate change. Our food selections and the way we see ourselves is not a static state. The food we eat will naturally change as we change. Thus, as our food selections change so will our lives, but the intention behind our choices is vital.