Any healthy eating plan is not complete without some great healthy snacks included. Everyone wants a snack now and then, but the key is to make those snacks healthy and nutritious as well as delicious. In addition to that they need to be enjoyed without a feeling of guilt.

The following are 7 healthy eating snacks:

> A piece of fresh fruit, like an apple, orange or banana always makes a great snack.  Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter or on the coffee table for easy access and it will also encourage to whole family to eat healthier.

> 2 rice cakes topped with low fat cottage cheese and pineapple.

> 2 small or 1 standard warmed pita bread filled with a mixture of salad leaves, cucumber, thinly sliced tomatoes, salad onions and a sprinkling of pepper. Tasty, healthy and very filling.

> Some of the tastiest and easiest fresh vegetable snacks include baby carrots or carrot slices, bite size vegetables such as broccoli florets, radishes and green peppers, fresh vegetable juice and fresh vegetable salads.

> Mix ½ cup smoked salmon trimmings with 1-2 tablespoons cream cheese or yogurt. Add 1 tsp finely chopped capers if desired, spread on wholegrain bread.

> Try using bagels, pita bread or tortilla shells with a tasty filling like chopped chicken mixed in low fat yoghurt with salad leaves and thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber.

> A small handful of unsalted nuts and a small handful of raisins mixed together.

Replacing all those unhealthy snacks with healthier alternatives is one of the best ways to keep snack cravings from sidetracking your healthy eating goals.

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It is quite natural for any child to dislike new kind of food right away. It may take 10 or more tries getting a child to accept a new food. It is essential for parents to behave patiently if you want your child to eat right and healthy. For overall growth and development, parents should offer kids foods from each of the food group.

Some ways to develop your child’s healthy approach towards eating

- Cut down on the amount of fat in your family’s diet. Include low fat dairy products, lean meat, fat free cereals or breads.

- Avoid restricting sweets or desserts. Fat, salt, sugar have a moderate place in our diet. Don’t curb them completely. Just teach your child to take small portions of it.

- Make or keep wide variety of healthy foods ready at home to be eaten as snacks. Do allow occasional indulgence of chips, colas and cookies.

- Eating slowly helps to detect hunger and fullness better. Encourage your child to eat slowly.

- Eating meals together with family helps children. Meal time with family can be pleasant with free flowing, light hearted conversations about the day, etc.

- Activities like shopping for food and preparing meals are fun time for children. Both, parents and children learn about each other’s food preferences and enjoy the time spent together.

- Eating meals and watching TV at same time makes it difficult to pay attention to the hunger and may lead to overeating.

- Sending children to bed without eating food may give them the impression that they will have to go hungry. So they may try to eat whenever they get a chance. Avoid using food as punishment.

- If your kid is having lunch at school, find out more about the lunch program. If you pack your child’s food include variety of foods. While dining out, pick healthier items.

- If you as parents eat healthy nutritious food, your child tends to learn and pick up similar eating habits. Set a good example by eating variety of nutritious foods and snacks. Teaching your child healthy eating practices early in life will help develop an approach to eating food with right attitude.

Ever made a New Year’s Resolution only to be disappointed in yourself and back to your old habits by February? We’ve all been there!

We make a pact with ourselves to live a healthy lifestyle because we know that good eating habits will enhance our lives. Nobody doubts the ability of healthy eating habits to improve our health but not many have the will power to make the changes needed to create a new lifestyle unless they have help.

You can change your eating habits and have a healthier lifestyle without having to wreck your social status or have your friends turn and run. The biggest reason why people fail and don’t stick to this New Year’s resolution is that they expect to change overnight and become perfect. If you set your goals to high and make unrealistic expectations, you are setting yourself up to fail.

Here are some practice tips for eating healthy and forming good eating habits:

1. Tell Your Family and Friends

Plan a family night of making smoothies and let everyone know they are in for a fun night. Let them know why you are doing this. Tell them that everyone needs to have more fruits and vegetables in their diets. This will get everyone involved in a whole lifestyle change.

Don’t try doing it alone because you feel if you tell and then do your late night run to McDonald’s they will consider you to be a failure. You just might be pleased and surprised. Your family and friends will have respect for what you are working to accomplish and will be able to support you and hold you accountable.

Maybe get your husband to start doing the grocery shopping and have children start dinner – Miracles do happen.

2. Do everything you can to avoid the fast food restaurants in the beginning. It starts with small steps and the first one you may need to do is start cooking meals at home instead of resorting to a fast food restaurant. If we do go out to eat, we can make healthier choices from the menu.

It is very important when you make the decision to eat with health in mind that you avoid your triggers.

It is nearly impossible to change your eating habits when you visit a fast food joint often. The smell, the golden arches are all triggers that will dissolve your resolution to eat healthier. It is not a lack of will power that drives you to order a “Big Mac” and fries, much of the taste and aroma of American fast foods are chemically manufactured to elicit both emotional and physical responses.

Even just getting a smell of a McDonald’s burger causes you to feel hunger even when you’ve just finished eating. Everything that’s gone into their advertising is designed to make you associate the fast food with good times and great eating.

3. Take Small Steps: Poor eating habits are just as much an addiction as smoking or drinking. It is pounded into our subconscious our entire lives, and we fight it everyday. It may be the lack of time, or the social value it promises without having to slave in the kitchen that drives us to eat this type of food, but we have developed these types of eating habits to make our lives easier. The reality is they do more harm than good.

Changing your eating habits doesn’t have to mean you have to give up everything you love, or that you need to do all or nothing. The best we can do is to take a slow, steady approach to revamping our eating habits. Little steps that we can follow everyday. Sometimes small substitutions of healthy foods for those we know are unhealthy add up to a good start toward health.

If you have a problem with constipation, which option would you choose to remedy the situation?

Over The Counter (OTC) laxative drugs, enemas or purgatives?
Colon hydrotherapy?
Oxygen-based colon cleansers?
Herbal colon cleansers?

OTC laxative drugs usually take about eight to twelve hours to work their way through your system. They are usually taken with warm water the night before so that you experience results by morning. Colon Hydrotherapy needs to be conducted by a skilled technician using highly sterilized equipment. Oxygen-based colon cleansers (which use the oxidation process to “loosen” matter) may work for many, but they do not contain fiber which science has established, as necessary for optimal colon health1. All three of these methods cleanse only the colon—with no viable result on overall health. They do not help to enhance the performance of other eliminatory organs such as the liver, the kidneys, and skin.

Experts say herbal colon cleansers are the better choice because they aid the body in performing the elimination process naturally. They also help to support immune health because they help to maintain a balanced microflora2. Because they are herbal, these colon cleansers are not under the direct supervision of the FDA, but consumers who do their homework will recognize strong natural ingredients and be able to choose a reliable, quality product manufactured by a GMP-certified company.

When making your choice of a colon cleanser, remember these safety tips.

Don’t Become Dehydrated: The body loses fluids when using over–the-counter stimulant laxative drugs and purgatives. These colon cleansers work by absorbing water from the body. This could upset the balance of potassium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorous in the body and can affect the function of vital organs. Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration when using any colon cleanser.

Avoid Addictive Colon Cleansers: Some colon cleansing methods simply purge the body of accumulated waste without engaging the peristaltic muscles of the colon (the muscles used to move food along the digestive tract, and ultimately to disposal). Prolonged use of such colon cleansers causes peristaltic muscles to lose their natural ability to contract leading to greater dependence on laxative drugs. There are a growing number of people who use laxative drugs as a means to lose weight. This is not safe and can present a number of health risks.

Don’t Wash Out Good Bacteria: Prolonged use of OTC laxative drugs and colon hydrotherapy treatment can lead to a weakened immune system since such treatments wash out necessary bacteria and the protective mucus lining. Good bacteria are needed to produce certain nutrients, immune cells and to maintain the colon health. 2

Consult your Doctor: If you suffer from frequent bouts of constipation or diarrhea you should consult your doctor who may want to perform a thorough examination. Ask your doctor about taking a colon cleansing product that adequately suits your needs.

Pregnant and Nursing Women are advised not to wait until after nursing before taking any medications since certain ingredients could harm or adversely affect baby’s delicate health. Such women should consult their doctors before taking any type of medication.

Allergen Sensitivities: Always check if the product contains gluten or other allergens that could trigger a reaction. Many colon cleansers are gluten free and allergen sensitive. Check for these and consult your doctor before taking any colon cleanser.

Colon Cleansing and Prescription Medicine: If you are taking prescription medicine, you should consult with your doctor before starting a colon cleanser program. Ingredients found in certain colon cleansers could effect, react with or dilute the efficacy of the prescription drug.

Medical Conditions: If you are suffering from diabetes do not use laxatives which could contain dextrose, fructose or sucrose–ingredients found in many natural laxatives. If you are suffering from an inflamed appendix or have a fever, or are suffering from vomiting, nausea, or other maladies or health disorders, it is advisable that you do not use a colon cleanser unless it is recommended by your doctor.

Safety for Children: Colon cleansers are not intended for children. Do not administer a colon cleanse product to your child without consulting your doctor first. Keep colon cleansers and other medicines away from the reach of children. Many laxative drugs come in the form of chocolates or flavored syrups which can be very tempting to children.

Proper Storage: Many colon cleansers require you to store them in a cool, dry place or keep them refrigerated. Read the instructions on the label and follow through on them for efficacy of ingredients.

Follow Instructions Carefully: There are colon cleansing programs that require restrictions on your diet. Some may even require you to fast. Others simply require you to drink 8 glasses of water. Read through all instructions carefully and follow them closely. Colon cleansing products will also include contraindications on the labels. Be careful to check if any of contraindications apply to your particular situation. Again,—it is important that you consult your doctor before choosing a colon cleansing method.

Safety is vital when choosing a colon cleansing product. A reliable, trusted manufacturer will ensure a quality product with ingredients that are safe for your body. Study the ingredients and how they work in the body. Many herbs have been studied extensively in recent research studies. The main aim of colon cleansing is not only to provide safe and immediate relief from constipation, but to aid in regulating your system for natural cleansing and elimination of waste.. Nutritional colon cleansing can help to strengthen the functions of the eliminatory organs, thus supporting optimal general health.

References:

Vopr Pitan. 1998 ;(1):39-42. Dietary fibers in diet therapy. PMID: 9606867 Infection and Immunity. 1973 July; 8(1): 30-35. Effect of Colon Flora and Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Growth In Vitro of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae. Department of Medicine, The Medical College of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129.