Now, McDonald’s serves a range of high-quality foods that can fit into a balanced diet. Their nutritional facts, ingredients, food exchanges and food allergen information are now in their website. This is at least for Montgomery County, Maryland, New York City, and Philadelphia metro areas.

Their popular menu items featuring the following nutrition information can be viewed:

* Nutrition facts
* Ingredients
* Food exchanges
* Happy Meals
* Mighty Kids Meals

Mc Donald’ has consolidated all allergen information for people concerned about food allergies, into the ingredient statement for each menu item. This is now one current source of information.

Plan your family’s meals. If your family is already eating healthy–by taking the daily recommended portions of vegetables, fruits, grains, meats, dairy, and fats, well and good! Otherwise, if your family is like many other families, take heed. Parents and families today are extremely busy and live stressful lives, such that it is very difficult for them to prepare the family’s food the healthy way, with well-balanced meals everyday. Then thee is also the need for daily exercise.

The good news is that it is never too late to start. If you do not have perfect fitness or eating, you can start NOW. It is important to:

1. Start the day off with the family breakfast;
2. Do not change meals drastically, make one or two changes, then slowly add to them;
3. Be sure that the choices you make will work for your family’s lifestyle; and
4. Involve the whole family in the process.

You’ll see–it is FUN!

‘Tis the season… to blow the diet away?

With holiday parties cramming your calendar, you’re tempted to bash your keep-fit goals on the backseat. And let the holiday mood carry you away for now. But it’s possible to stay healthy while enjoying the holidays. Here are some tips:

1. Keep doing your fitness routine. This can, not only help help you burn those extra calories from parties, but also reduce the holiday stress.

2. Eat a light snack before going to a party. This way, you don’t attack the food when you get there.

3. Go easy on the alcohol. One regular 12-ounce beer has 150 calories; a 12-ounce light beer 100 calories. A 6-ounce glass of red wine has 128 calories, while a flute of champagne has 163 calories. Iced water and diet soda are better alternatives.

4. Do not fall for the “social eating” trap, which is feeling you have to eat everything because, well, you came here to eat! Instead, select the food you really want, arrange them on a plate, and eat slowly, enjoying every bite. Staying away from the buffet table helps reduce the temptation to eat more.

5. Don’t overdo it. Do not over-indulge; conversely, do not over-deprive yourself. The key is moderation. Allow yourself to enjoy the party. And if you over-eat today, that’s okay. Tomorrow, pick up the dumbbells and start anew!

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Kids love spaghetti, and you should too. Studies have shown that the major ingredient of spaghetti – tomato sauce – helps fight cancer. If you eat 10 or more tablespoons of tomato sauce per week, you significantly decrease the risk of developing cancers such as prostate and breast cancer. Now that’s delicious news!

The active ingredient in tomato products is lycopene, a carotenoid that has antioxidant properties. Lycopene becomes more readily available for absorption by the body when tomato products are cooked.

Aside from the powerful tomato sauce, you may add more antioxidant boost with vegetables like broccoli, to go with your spaghetti sauce.

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One of the benefits of stretching is that it reduces the risk of injuries. Stretching needs to be done properly in order maximize its benefits. Here are some tips on stretching:

1. Stretch slowly and gently. Avoid bouncing, and stretch only to the point when you feel mild tension on the muscle. If you feel pain, slightly release the stretch. Over-stretching will lead to small tears in muscle fibers.

2. Hold a stretch for 15 – 20 seconds. Repeat two to three times on each side.

3. Relax and breathe regularly. Do not hold your breath while stretching.

4. Stretch by muscle groups. You can start with your legs and gradually go up your body. It will take about ten to fifteen minutes to stretch the major muscle groups.

Read Part 1 – Stretching: Why is it Important?

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Stretching is one aspect of a fitness regimen that some neglect. Warm-up and stretching exercises done at the start and end of a workout are just as important as the rest of the workout.

Stretching improves flexibility. And with good flexibility comes good posture. By promoting muscular balance, stretching helps prevent injury during physical activity. When we stretch after a workout, we are increasing the flow of blood and oxygen to our muscles. This helps to significantly reduce muscle soreness.

Keep these benefits of stretching in mind. And on your next workout, don’t skip, but savor the stretching exercises.

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Writing articles for a living sometimes make you drink and eat the weirdest things. In order to research and write more, you have to be awake; and you know what that means…yes, coffee multiple mugs of it. Caffeine is supposedly a writer’s drug of choice. However, it isn’t healthy. One more problem it causes is that once you’re done, you can hardly fall asleep. And when that happens to you, you tend to feel hungry.

Luckily, we found an article just right for anyone who has the same problems as the ones listed above. Here are the tips:

Sleepy but need to be awake?
Eat dark green salads, chopped veggies, a and some walnuts. Carbs in the veggies will provide energy and walnuts provide omega-3s, thus helping brain recovery after sleep.

Can’t sleep?
Microwave a potato, eat some brown rice, or toast a muffin. The carbs and sugar affects your serotonin levels, allowing your eyes to finally droop down naturally.

Hungry but on a diet?
Eat lean turkey, rice, or egg-white omelet. Lean protein and some calories will help burn the calaroies while you sleep.

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Proper information and awareness on weight management will save you a lot of time and effort, and will definitely benefit your health. Nowadays, a lot of fitness centers have been claiming that you can lose so and so amount of weight in a very short period. Others even have money back guarantees.

The question is do you want an easy and fast weight loss program, or do you want to lose and maintain weight at the healthy levels?

Here are some of the weight loss myths that are surprisingly still being followed by a lot of people.

Myth: Some healthy foods, like celery and grapefruit, can burn fat.
Fact: There are no such foods that can burn fat. Some foods only stimulates your body’s metabolism.

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Every time I catch a cold, people advise me to do water therapy instead of relying on medicines and antibiotics. Several articles and online materials encourage water therapy as a daily regimen to maintain good health and avoid certain diseases.

Water therapy is a form of alternative medicine where an individual drinks around 1.5 liters of water upon rising in the morning. This amount of water may be partially taken in within a few minutes’ interval. Some people react to this negatively, saying it is uncomfortable for the gut to take in too much water, but those who have been practicing it confirm that the body will eventually adjust to the regimen.

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