Lose Weight and Get Healthy at Work

If you're trying to slim down, then you've probably already established a support system of friends and family, and set up your environment (stocking your fridge with healthy foods, clearing cabinets of tempting treats, for example) to make weight loss a little easier. Both of these are important steps, but they don't quite cover all the bases because they overlook the place where most people spend a majority of their time—at work!

Your work environment can have a significant influence on whether or not you make healthful choices, and the ease with which you make them. Unfortunately, it often seems like the office is the place where healthy habits go to die—thanks to long hours spent behind a desk, and temptation (the communal candy dish, vending machine and happy hour) at every turn. But believe it or not, your workplace can actually provide the motivation to live healthier. Below are some tips on how to take charge and empower yourself, your colleagues, and your superiors to make your workplace a healthier place to be.

Step One: Find out about your company's wellness initiatives.
More and more companies are offering a variety of wellness programs to their employees; the thought is a healthy employee is a productive employee. These programs might range from events like walking challenges and health screenings to seminars delivered by health professionals. Many companies have also started offering regular workouts (like yoga or Pilates) right in the office while others partner up with local gyms to offer corporate discounts to  employees. Some companies even give their employees a fitness allowance, which can be used for gym memberships or fitness equipment. Unfortunately, many employees don't take advantage of these programs, either because they're not well-marketed and no one knows about them, or because people don't see the benefit. So your first step should be to find out what programs currently exist. Then get involved and encourage colleagues to participate, too. And finally, give the program directors feedback on what you'd like to see more of. If there isn't much going on in the way of wellness at your workplace, skip to the next step

Step Two: Start a wellness committee.
Workplace wellness can start with you! Whether there are programs currently offered or not, starting a group comprised of employees who value wellness and want to motivate others to do the same is a great way to empower yourself and the rest of your colleagues. The group's main objective should be to advocate for the types of events/programs that employees would like to see, and possibly even organizing these events and initiatives. The first step to forming such a committee is talking to your human resources director to see what the company polices are regarding forming a committee. Once you've received approval, you can begin to recruit people from around your company. (Try to make sure that every level of the company, including upper management, is represented on the committee so you can be certain that you're addressing the needs of all employees!) Then, write a letter from the group to upper management explaining how important wellness is to the employees, as well as how it can help decrease health-care costs, reduce absenteeism, and boost productivity in the long-term. Having the support of the head honchos will help generate significantly more participation in the events and support for initiatives that you decide to move forward with.

Step Three: Advocate for healthier eating options.
There are a number of things you can do to make it easier to eat more nutritiously at work. A few suggestions: If your office doesn't have a mini-kitchen area, talk to your supervisor about the possibility of setting one up. Or you could look into getting a mini-fridge for your desk or office so you can refrigerate home-made lunches and snacks. For catered meetings, suggest that healthy options be available; salad, fruit, lean protein sources (chicken and turkey in sandwiches, for instance), vegetable platters, and vegetable- or broth-based soups are all good suggestions. Talk to the cafeteria manager about adding healthier items to the menu and making nutrition information for foods served readily available. You can also speak to the person in charge of vending services about offering healthier vending machine options. Finally, consider finding a lunch swap partner. You bring a healthy lunch to share with a coworker one day, then he or she does it the next. It's a great way to try new lunches and also get a break from making lunch.

Step Four: Don't forget about the small things.
You've probably heard this before, but it's worth repeating: Be as active as you can during the workday. Take the stairs whenever possible. Walk to a coworker's office instead of emailing. You can even try to form a lunchtime or afternoon walking group.

Find Your Health Compass

The compass on my keychain might seem like more of a necessity for someone living in the wilderness as opposed to Manhattan, but I actually find myself using it quite often. Sure, most streets in Manhattan abide by a numerical system that runs east-west and north-south. But I've been known to get completely lost downtown, where the grid system no longer exists, or in Central Park, where lush trees don't serve as clear a landmark as the Empire State building does. I can always depend on MY compass to let me know which way is north, no matter where I am—and from there, I know the direction I need to go to get back on track.

The last time I used my compass I started thinking about the things in my life that act as my "health compass," the things that point me back to usual healthy routine when I find myself out of my comfort zone like when I'm traveling or off track due to stress and an over-packed scheduled. The more I thought about this, the more I liked the idea of having a health compass, or rather several health compasses. Here are a few of the things that I came up with that always guide me back to where I want to be. What are some of yours?

1. Standard grocery list. If you're having trouble maneuvering your way through meals and snacks because life is busy or you're simply not home as much because of work or events, stocking up on tried-and-true healthy basics can help you see your direction right away. I have a grocery list of basics that includes things like whole-grain bread, hummus, raw and frozen veggies, peanut butter, fresh and frozen fruit, veggie burgers, low-fat plain yogurt, and nonfat milk (or almond milk). This list, which consists of my dozen or so must-haves, serves as a powerful reminder of the direction I want to go with my eating habits.

2. Go-to recipes. I keep a binder of nutritious recipes in my kitchen. It includes hand-written recipes I've gotten from friends as well as pages torn from my favorite health magazines. I also dedicated a folder on my computer to my favorites recipes that I find online or friends email me. A quick look through my binder and electronic folder reminds me of the healthful cooking I like to do and the delicious flavors I love to eat when I start to feel bored or uninspired in the kitchen.

3. Health-related web sites and magazines. Reading about how other people met their health or weight goals, seeing pictures of nutritious meals or videos of workouts, and reading inspiring stories of people tackling mountain climbs or bike races all remind me of the direction I'd like to go. Pick up a magazine to read at the gym, or log onto a site like TheBestLife.com, which features a supportive community and loads of informative articles, when you might be tempted to snack.

4. An enjoyable exercise. Feeling my heart pumping and my leg muscles working on a brisk, long walk reminds me very quickly that I feel great when I'm moving on a regular basis. The instant mood-boost I get from a challenging walk points me firmly in the direction of my health goals and reminds me how nice it is to feel wonderful. This feeling is especially inspiring when I've been stressed and have put my healthy eating and exercise routine on hold.

Making YOU a Priority

Whenever you take a flight, the emergency instructions include the tip to first put on your oxygen mask (should it drop) before assisting your kids or other family members. After all, how could you ever help the people around you if you're oxygen deprived? This idea of taking care of yourself first so you can be a better support for the people around you translates to every aspect of life. In other words, you have to be at least a little selfish to be a great caregiver. Here are some of our favorite ways to be selfish so you can be selfless.

Put yourself first: Leave the kids with a sitter so you can hit the gym
Why it's not-so-selfish: You know the feeling you have after you finish a workout? You're ready to take on the world—calm, cool, collected, and able to accomplish anything. Simply put, getting to the gym on a regular basis makes you feel great, which means you'll be better able to help the kids with their homework, play board games, or just lounge around and be silly with the family when you get back. Remind your family that while it might seem like you're taking away from precious family time when you hit the gym, you're actually increasing the quality of the time you do spend with them, even if it's a little shorter. Or, get a two-for-one bonus by planning family activities, such as family hikes, walks, or bike rides, so you get in a workout and spend some quality time with the gang.
 
Put yourself first: Quit your "job" as a short-order cook so you can create family dinners that fit into your healthful eating plan
Why it's not-so-selfish: You know the drill—your daughter wants honey mustard chicken, your son wants a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and your husband just wants anything right away. While it's important to offer a variety of wholesome foods, cooking up three or more versions of dinner each night not only zaps your time and energy, but it also makes it more likely that there will be leftovers around that don't fit into your eating plan. For instance, do you really want the fried chicken fingers you made your son sitting around tempting you? Eating a healthful diet is something that spans all age groups—so as long as you offer a variety of tasty, nutritious fare (one entrée and a few sides), expect your entire family to eat the same dinner.

Put yourself first: Skip the fast food lunch outing with co-workers
Why it's not-so-selfish: While it may seem like getting out of the office to socialize with co-workers does your body good, the fast food meal you'll be eating will likely cancel out all of those benefits. For instance, a greasy-burger-and-fries meal would leave you feeling sleepy, groggy, bloated, and/or moody. On the other hand, if you were to bring your own healthful, well-balanced lunch with appropriate calories, you'd feel refreshed and energized. To get a healthy lunch and the benefits of some office bonding, ask a co-worker to do a lunch-share with you. Every other day, you each make enough lunch for two, and then dine together. This works as long as you're both on the same page, nutritionally speaking. Or, you could tag along with co-workers who are grabbing fast food... but eat your own lunch. You'll still get the social interaction, but you'll feel much better and be more productive when you get back to the office.

Put yourself first: Turn down an invite to spend time at home
Why it's not-so-selfish: If you're feeling frazzled by the pile of laundry in your closet, the sink full of dirty dishes, and the unpaid utility bills stacked up on the kitchen table, you're probably not going to fully enjoy a night out. Instead, saying "no" to an invitation and using the time to get yourself organized can help you make free up time for, and thoroughly enjoy, the events you do attend. So if you have happy hour plans with friends on Tuesday, your child's soccer game on Thursday, family dinners every other weeknight, and a barbecue on Sunday, you might want to pass on the invitation to go to brunch with a friend on Saturday. Just be honest with her and reschedule for a slower week that works for you both. Resisting the urge to over-schedule yourself will help bring back balance to your life. Remember, free time is important, too. In fact, you may actually want to schedule in some free time each day, just as you would any other appointment.

In the Kitchen with Sidra: A Berry Healthy Breakfast

I love when one season transitions into the next, not for the change in weather or wardrobe, but because of all the new foods that become available. For instance, last week marked not only the official start of summer, but also the arrival of blueberries at my local farmers market.
 
Like other fruit and vegetables, blueberries are low in calories and rich in vitamins. But these little blue orbs have set themselves apart from the rest of the pack because they're positively loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants. And I love the unique sweet and sour flavor of blueberries! In fact, I was so excited to find them during my last trip to the market, that I ended up buying four pints!

That may seem like a lot of blueberries, but I've had no problem working my way through them. I realized that my last five breakfasts have been centered around blueberries. Sunday after returning home from the farmers market, I made whole-grain blueberry pancakes that I also topped with fresh blueberries, Bestlife Buttery Spread and a drop of maple syrup. On Monday, I had Irish oatmeal topped with fresh blueberries. Tuesday was a homemade granola with more fresh blueberries. Wednesday I made Blueberry Bran Muffins. And today, I started the day with a Blueberry Almond Smoothie (see recipe below). Unfortunately I'm all out of blueberries—time to go buy some more.


Blueberry Almond Smoothie
Makes 1 serving

Prep time: 3 minutes
Total time: 3 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup almond milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons almond butter

Directions
Make sure all ingredients are cold before starting. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Serve.

Nutritional Information
1 serving
Calories: 325
Protein: 7 g
Carbohydrate: 28 g
Dietary Fiber: 6 g
Sugars: 16 g
Total Fat: 22 g
Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
Cholesterol: 0  mg
Calcium: 284 mg
Sodium: 287 mg 

Facebook Profile: Quinoa

Hometown: I'm originally from the Andes in South America, but I'm now also grown in Canada and Colorado.

Birthday: I was cultivated between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago by the Incas, who called me the "mother seed."

Family Members: I'm closely related to spinach and chard.

Personal Information

Bio: I'm a grain-like crop that's not very well known. In fact, most people fall into one of two camps: Those who've never heard of me and those who can't pronounce my name; for the record, it's  keen-wa. I have a slightly nutty taste with a fluffy yet crunchy texture. My flavor is subtle, so I work well with a variety of different seasonings.

Fans: I'm popular with people who are looking to take care of their ticker because I'm rich in minerals, like copper and magnesium, that are good for the heart. I'm also gluten-free, so those who have celiac disease or are intolerant can enjoy eating me. 

Favorite Activities: I love being used in place of most grains as a side dish, in a soup or served cold as a salad. Be sure to let me soak in cool water or rinse me thoroughly before cooking to remove my bitter coating (called saponin). Once rinsed, I can be cooked in about 15 minutes.

Favorite Facts: I'm actually seed (not a grain), but because I cook like a grain and can be substituted for other grains in most recipes, I'm usually referred to as a grain.

Our Healthy Must-Have of the Week: Coffee

This week's must-have will be welcome news for all you coffee lovers—and according to the stats, there are quite a lot of you! Americans consume more than 400 million cups of the stuff per day! In fact, coffee is the second most widely traded commodity in the world, after oil. Whatever your reason for sipping—that jolt of caffeine, the unique flavor, the ritual and experience surrounding drinking it, or a combination of these things—there's one thing we can all agree on: Coffee is a drink that's in demand.  

Unfortunately, many java lovers feel guilty about their habit because of studies that suggested coffee may be bad for the bones, increase blood pressure, or cause anxiety. As a dietitian, I often hear clients say "I'm working on cutting out my last vice, coffee." But the latest research shows that if you currently drink coffee, you can probably continue to sip safely—in moderation, of course. If you're a coffee drinker like me, here's what you should know.  

Coffee Perks
The emerging health benefits of coffee are plentiful. An analysis in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who drink three to four cups of coffee a day are 25 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drink fewer than two cups. Additional studies have linked coffee consumption with a lower risk for colon, mouth, throat, esophageal and endometrial cancers. And coffee drinkers are also less likely to have cavities, gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Experts suspect that many of these health benefits can be attributed to antioxidant compounds in coffee called phenols. One in particular, chlorogenic acid, may play a role in the prevention of diabetes and Parkinson's Disease. Not to mention, a little bit of java can also help boost your energy level and help you carry out daily tasks (like answering those morning emails or getting in a morning workout) with more ease, a result of the drink's caffeine content.
 
More isn't necessarily better when it comes to coffee, and this is particularly true for certain groups of people. If you're pregnant, the caffeine in coffee may increase the risk of miscarriage and therefore should be limited to a cup a day for healthy women, according to most experts (check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet). And you should steer clear of it if you have preeclampsia, a form of high blood pressure during pregnancy. In fact, anyone with high blood pressure or heart disease should ask their doctor how much coffee they can safely have, as caffeine can temporarily raise blood pressure. It's also important to recognize that individual reactions to coffee and caffeine can differ. While one person can drink six cups of coffee and not feel jittery, another might drink just one cup and feel the effects. Too much caffeine can irritate your gut and disrupt sleep. (There's about 130 to 150 mg of caffeine in one regular size cup; a tall coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts can have nearly double that.)

How Do You Take It?
What you pour or stir into your coffee can make a big difference in how healthy your cup is. For example, drinking coffee with fat-free or one percent milk will add a bit of calcium (40 mg per two tablespoons) to your diet, which studies show can offset any calcium you may lose because of caffeine. Whole milk or cream, on the other hand, contain saturated fat, which can increase LDL (bad) cholesterol. Sugar and other toppings (like caramel and whipped cream) can also add lots of calories, which can contribute to weight gain. For instance, frozen coffee drinks with whipped cream can cost you more than 500 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat! Stick with nonfat lattes or coffee with fat-free milk (or one percent milk or a calcium-fortified soymilk or almond milk, which are both a little higher in total fat), and if you use sugar, opt for no more than 1 teaspoon (which adds 16 calories) per cup.

The Rookie Diaries: A Tale of Two Diets—Which Has More Sodium?

We've been hearing that salt is a bad guy in our diets for decades—it's even one of Bob's four "Foods to Watch out for." The white stuff has been linked to high blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular disease. In fact, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports that 100,000 lives could be saved by simply reducing our sodium intake. The IOM is so concerned, that a month ago they petitioned the FDA to impose limits on how much salt food companies and restaurants could add to their products (experts say most salt comes from food eaten outside the home and in processed foods, not from the salt shakers on our table—though my own experiment, below, didn't exactly bear that out).

So how much is too much? According to the IOM, most of us should cap our intake at 2,300 mg a day (about 1 teaspoon), the amount that The Best Life Diet recommends as well. But the average person consumes 3,400 mg to 4,000 mg!

To check my own consumption, I tracked my intake for two days: On Day 1, I ate mostly home-cooked meals; on Day 2, I ate out or cooked using mostly processed products. Read on to see what I learned.

DAY 1
Breakfast
1 cup cooked steel-cut oatmeal (266 calories, 2 mg sodium), pinch of salt (150 mg sodium), ¼ cup blueberries (21 calories, 1 mg sodium) and 2 cups coffee (4 calories, 10 mg sodium), each with ¼ cup one-percent milk (55 calories, 63 mg sodium)
Calories: 346
Sodium: 226 mg

Lunch
Gazpacho: 3 small tomatoes (33 calories, 9 mg sodium), 1 cucumber (24 calories, 4 mg sodium), ½ bell pepper (12 calories, 2 mg sodium), ¼ red onion (7 calories, 1 mg sodium), 1 tablespoon olive oil (119 calories, 0 mg sodium), 1/4 teaspoon salt (581 mg) and 1 slice Rudi's Organic Bakery bread (90 calories, 180 mg sodium) with 1 ounce Parmesan (111 calories, 454 mg sodium) and 1 cup store-bought lemonade (120 calories, 0 mg sodium)
Calories: 516
Sodium: 1,231 mg

Snack
¼ cup salted pumpkin seeds (169 calories, 232 mg sodium) and 1 peach (58 calories, 0 mg sodium)
Calories: 227
Sodium: 232 mg

Dinner
4 spears grilled asparagus (12 calories, 0 mg sodium), ½ zucchini (33 calories, 16 mg sodium), ¼ onion (7 calories, 1 mg sodium) cooked in 1 teaspoon olive oil (40 calories, 0 mg sodium) and 1/2 teaspoon salt (1162 mg sodium) with 6 ounces grilled chicken (284 calories, 192 mg sodium) marinated in 1 tablespoon mustard (32 calories, 57 mg sodium), juice of ½ lemon (8 calories, 0 mg sodium), 1 teaspoon olive oil (40 calories, 0 mg sodium), 1/4 teaspoon salt (581 mg) and 5 ounces white wine (119 calories, 0 mg sodium)
Calories: 575
Sodium: 2,009 mg

Dessert
1 ounce dark chocolate (168 calories, 0 mg sodium)
Calories: 168
Sodium: 0 mg

TOTAL CALORIES: 1,832
TOTAL SODIUM: 3,698 mg


DAY 2
Breakfast
2/3 cup Nature's Path Organic Whole O's cereal (110 calories, 115 mg sodium) with ½ cup soymilk (50 calories, 68 mg sodium) and 1 slice Rudi's Organic Bakery toast (90 calories, 180 mg sodium) with ½ teaspoon butter (34 calories, 27 mg sodium) and 2 cups coffee (4 calories, 10 mg sodium), each with 1/4 cup one-percent milk (55 calories, 63 mg sodium)
Calories: 343
Sodium: 463 mg

Lunch
Pret a Manger Avocado and Herb Wrap (461 calories, 627 mg sodium) with 1 Coke (140 calories, 45 mg sodium)
Calories: 601
Sodium: 672 mg

Snack
¼ cup salted pistachios (174 calories, 125 mg sodium)
Calories: 174
Sodium: 125 mg

Dinner
Amy's frozen individual cheese pizza (420 calories, 720 mg sodium) served with a salad made with 1 cup lettuce (4 calories, 7 mg sodium), 1 sliced tomato (11 calories, 3 mg sodium), 5 olives (35 calories, 375 mg), 1 teaspoon olive oil (40 calories, 0 mg sodium), 1 teaspoon vinegar (1 calorie, 0 mg sodium), and a pinch of salt (155 mg sodium)
Calories: 511
Sodium: 1,260 mg

Dessert
1 mini original Pinkberry frozen yogurt with chocolate chips (190 calories, 50 mg sodium)
Calories: 190
Sodium: 50 mg

TOTAL CALORIES: 1,819
TOTAL SODIUM: 2,570 mg

The results: I'm getting way too much sodium—regardless of whether I cook at home or rely on take-out or packaged foods! The most sobering discovery is that I'm a bigger offender than the food companies when it comes to salting up my food. I had NO idea that a measly ½ teaspoon of table salt contains 1,162 mg of sodium—that's nearly 2/3 of my day's limit!

The good news is that some of my favorite foods are low in sodium—my breakfast cereal, one-percent milk, Pinkberry (yay!), chicken and many of Pret a Manger's sandwiches (though not the one I ate on Day 2). Plus, I have control in my kitchen, and can opt for low-sodium, reduced-sodium or no-salt-added versions of  popular food items whenever possible. (Tip: Unsure whether a product has too much sodium? A good rule is to ditch it if it has more sodium per serving than it does calories.)

And cutting back on salt doesn't mean cutting back on taste. For instance, vinegar is a great way to enhance the flavor of any dish, from salad dressings to sauces. And the addition of fresh and dried herbs allow you to dial down the sodium. Another tip from The Best Life's own Sidra Foreman: Don't add salt while cooking. Instead, do it right before you eat—the salt will taste more intense and you'll need less. Finally, if I lower my salt intake gradually, I won't even notice the difference! Research shows that when participants lowered their salt intake by 25 percent, bit by bit over a six-week period, they didn't notice when a product had less sodium in it.

Let me know if you have any tips for dialing down the sodium in your diet without losing the flavor!

The Rookie Diaries: Grill Your Way Slim and Healthy

This weekend, the smells and sounds of a successful picnic (laughter, music, barbecue smoke) will mark the unofficial beginning of summer. There's something so ritualistic about firing up the grill, getting together with friends and feasting on grilled fare and cold drinks in the open air. So why not make this Memorial Day weekend celebration a kick-off to a healthier diet, as well? No, you don't have to give up the grill—or the meat—to eat healthier. In fact, there are a number of ways to prep your food and use your grill to benefit your body! First, grilling has one thing going for it other cooking methods don't: It allows the fat to drip off of your meat, versus sautéing and frying, where your dinner basks in (and absorbs) the grease. And though studies do show that some types of grilled and fried meat are associated with an increase in HCAs—cancer-causing compounds that are formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures or for a long time—you can still have a diet-friendly and healthy grilled meal if you follow some basic guidelines (see below).

I'm a grilling virgin, myself. But last week, when a friend gifted me a M.iGrill from Gastar—a small, tabletop gas grill that is ideal for beginners—I had the perfect excuse to get grillin'. I chose a seasonally appropriate Best Life recipe—Steak Wrap with Grilled Onions and Peppers (I adjusted the original recipe for grilling)—as my inaugural dish, and succeeded in grilling myself a restaurant-quality dinner without singeing my eyebrows or crisping the meat beyond recognition (OK, I did set a wooden skewer on fire, but what's a good cookout without a little drama?). Below, the recipe and seven things I learned as a newbie that anyone, amateur or veteran, can take advantage of:

1. When in doubt, go for gas. If you're a total beginner (and not a natural-born fire starter), choose a gas grill over a charcoal grill. Yes, I, too, love the smoky taste that comes from a charcoal-grilled steak, but it's much easier to adjust the temperature of a gas grill. Because higher temps are associated with higher levels of HCAs, you want to keep the grill set to medium or, at the most, medium high—this is a cinch with a gas grill. Also, gas grills are SO much easier to light (mine did so with a flick of a switch). So unless you feel the need to "play with fire" in your backyard and get all down and dirty with the coals, go with the gas.

2. Trim the fat. Before you slap one on the barbie, trim any excess fat off of steaks and poultry and remove the skin from fish and chicken. Not only are you cutting calories and saturated fat for a slimmer dinner, but you're lowering the risk of flare-ups (flames loves grease!).

3. Marinate your meat. Not only does it improve the flavor of your beef, chicken or fish, but it also reduces the amount of HCAs that form, research shows. What should you use in your marinade? Antioxidant-rich herbs and spices, such as mint, parsley, oregano and rosemary, are associated with a reduction in HCAs. So are honey, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, onion and cider vinegar! Yum! Marinate your meat for at least 40 minutes to gain the maximum benefits. For this recipe, I marinated the steak in parsley, cider vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil overnight for ultra flavor.

4. Cook it to medium—not well. This is a toughie for me. I LOVE crispy, charred meat. And I get queasy at the sight of any red in my steak. But the research is clear on this—the more done the meat, the higher the amounts of carcinogens. Boo! Of course, you want to cook your meat long enough and well enough to kill any bacteria, such as e.coli. So medium is, well, a happy medium. How can you tell if it's medium? Glad you asked…

5. …Use a meat thermometer. This is critical, because the color of meat isn't an accurate gauge of doneness. You want the internal temperature of steak at its thickest point to reach a minimum of 145 degrees for medium rare and no higher than 160 for medium. (Hamburgers and pork should reach 160 and chicken 165.)

6. Grill more veggies than meat. If you're not a veggie lover, then the grill is your best friend. Grilling produce will give it that smoky, almost meaty flavor and—best of all—no HCAs form when veggies or fruit are grilled. A little spritz of olive or canola oil and a dash of salt is all it takes to make grilled corn, zucchini, peppers, even Brussels sprouts taste heavenly. The onions and zucchini I grilled for this recipe (I swapped the bell peppers for zucchini because I'm not a bell pepper fan) tasted AMAZING on their own.

7. Keep it covered. It's fun to watch your food sizzle, but keeping your grill cover on while cooking will reduce the chance of flame flare-ups and help seal in the flavor. Safe and delicious!

Steak Wrap with Grilled Onions and Peppers
Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
Marinade
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley and Italian parsley
[Note: You can also add honey, garlic, lemon or any herbs to this mix.]

16 ounces eye round steak whole
1 large sweet onion, sliced
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 sweet bell peppers, red, orange or yellow sliced in half seeds removed (or substitute zucchini, cut into ¼-inch slices, as I did.)
4 multi grain Flatout Flatbreads
8 teaspoons spicy brown mustard, such as Gulden's

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix marinade ingredients and place in a shallow dish. Add meat, and if it's not covered by marinade, stir often. Let meat marinate at room temperature for 40 minutes while you prepare other ingredients, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.

2. Lightly coat onions with cooking spray.  Set grill to medium; once hot, cook onions and peppers (or zucchini) until grill marks are on each side and both are tender, 3 to 5 minutes on each side.

3. Drain meat and place on grill for 3 minutes. Flip and grill on the other side. Using a meat thermometer, test the meat. The thermometer should reach between 145 and 160 degrees for a medium-rare to medium steak. Remove the meat from the grill. Slice the steak and peppers (or zucchini).

4. Spread 2 teaspoons mustard on each Flatout Flatbread. Distribute meat-pepper (or zucchini) mixture evenly between the 4 flatbreads. Roll and serve.

Nutritional Information
1 serving
Calories: 427
Protein: 37 g
Carbohydrates: 28 g
Fiber: 10 g
Total Fat: 20 g
Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
Cholesterol: 54 mg
Calcium: 53 mg
Sodium: 618 mg

Our Healthy Must-Have of the Week: Eggs

For a food that was once a diet don't, eggs sure have made a comeback. And with good reason: Eggs are the complete nutrition package. They're inexpensive, packed with important nutrients, low in calories, and extremely versatile. Here are the top five reasons why eggs are a must-have in my refrigerator:

1. They're packed with protein. Eggs are a good source of high-quality protein, with about 6.5 grams of protein per large egg. Research shows that protein can increase the satisfaction you feel not only during your meal, but also after it's over. Starting the day with eggs at breakfast has been shown to help control calorie intake for the rest of the day. My favorite simple egg breakfast is a fried egg (using cooking spray or a teaspoon of olive oil), a slice of low-fat cheese, tomato, and sauteed onions on a whole-wheat English muffin.

2. They're good any time of day.Though they're most commonly eaten at breakfast, eggs work just as well as a satisfying lunch or quick and delicious dinner. Slice and serve hard-boiled eggs on whole-wheat toast spread with hummus and tomato for a hearty breakfast or lunch; eat one whole for a speedy snack; or make egg salad using a combination of light mayo and yogurt for a sandwich filling for lunch or a quick dinner. For a family dinner, a veggie frittata is perfect! Simply mix veggies and cheese into a combination of whole eggs and/or liquid egg whites, like Best Life approved Better'n Eggs or All Whites.

3. They're portion-controlled. A hard-boiled egg is a naturally portion-controlled snack. At just 70 to 80 calories per egg, it makes a quick and convenient snack that comes in its own package, and is easily paired with a variety of other foods. For instance, pair with baby carrots and hummus for a hunger-fighting snack.

4. They boost brain power. Eggs are one of the top food sources of choline, a nutrient crucial for healthy brain function. One egg supplies 125 milligrams, or about 30 percent of your daily needs (adults 19 and older need 425 mg each day). Choline is especially important for pregnant and breastfeeding women (they need 450 milligrams per day); choline helps prevent birth defects and provides nursing babies with enough dietary choline.

5. They protect your pumper. Eggs do contain cholesterol (about 200 milligrams per egg), which is the primary reason they were once shunned. But we now know that dietary cholesterol doesn't raise your body's cholesterol level as much as other dietary fats (like saturated and trans fats) do. Still, the American Heart Association recommends eating no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day. Egg whites don't contain any of the cholesterol, so pairing one egg with additional egg whites is a great way to get the nutrients in the yolk without going overboard on cholesterol.

Our Healthy Must-Have of the Week: Silk Almond Milk

I've always been pretty adventurous when it comes to trying milk alternatives—I've sampled soy, rice, almond, whole-grain, coconut, and hemp milk. I enjoy some more than others, but I'm always willing to try them all. Unfortunately, I haven't found a milk alternative that quite lives up to the neutral flavor of cow's milk, or its versatility. And none of the milk alternatives, except for soymilk, have passed my tea test.

What's my tea test? It's a highly non-scientific way that I rate milk alternatives. It consists of me pouring the milk alternative into my tea or coffee and then sipping away. Cow's milk—I use either fat-free or one percent—imparts a creamy texture into tea and coffee. When you pour it in, the beverage is instantly lighter in color and smoother in flavor. Finding a milk alternative that can do this is a real score for me because I like variety and I have fun experimenting with different flavors and consistencies. (It can be even more important if you're lactose intolerance and need a milk-like ingredient but can't drink the real thing.) Up until a few weeks ago, I hadn't found a milk alternative that passed the tea test as well as soymilk.

Enter Silk Pure Almond Original Almondmilk. In a word...wowsa! This stuff is rich, creamy, neutral in flavor, and really holds up to the tea test. Ever since I tasted a sample at a food show two months ago, I've kept my fridge stocked with the stuff. (You can find it at most grocery stores nationwide; it costs about $3 to $4 per half gallon.) I use it in tea and coffee, but I've also used it in soup recipes in place of cream, heated it with a little cinnamon as an after-dinner treat, and mixed it with tahini and berries for a delicious smoothie.

Aside from the taste and versatility, Silk Pure Almond Original Almondmilk also offers a number of health perks. It's fortified with as much calcium and vitamin D as cow's milk and because it's made from almonds, it also contains vitamin E. If you depend on your milk as a source of protein, then it's best to stick with cow or soymilk; almond milk has only 1 gram of protein per 8 ounces versus 8 grams for fat-free cow's milk and 6 or 7 grams for soymilk, depending on the variety you choose. But, if you're like me and look to milk (and milk alternatives) to provide calcium and vitamin D as well as to lighten up tea and coffee, make soups creamier, and create rich smoothies, then Silk's new almond milk is a great way to add some variety to your diet.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!