The Truth About Cholesterol

I am going to let you in on something shocking. Cholesterol is not the major culprit in heart disease. I know this may be hard to believe after all we have heard about the dangers of high cholesterol from our doctors, and the media. But the truth is, it is not the cholesterol levels themselves or the cholesterol containing foods that are the culprits in heart disease, it is those foods and any other thing that causes inflammation in your body that is the major cause of heart disease (as well as diabetes and high blood pressure).

So what is cholesterol and why do we need it?

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells. It's an important part of a healthy body because it's used to form cell membranes. Cholesterol also aids in the manufacture of bile (which helps digest fats), and is also important for the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E and K. It is the major precursor for the synthesis of vitamin D and of the various steroid hormones (which include cortisol and aldosterone in the adrenal glands, and the sex hormones progesterone, the various estrogens, testosterone, and derivatives ).

So how could something so good be so bad?

Cholesterol has been wrongly accused because upon inspection of the arteries of someone at risk for a heart attack, levels of cholesterol and plaque build up are very high. Cholesterol is actually being transported to tissues as part of an inflammatory response that is there to repair damage. It will only lodge itself onto the artery and cause plaque if the artery has become damaged. Inflammation in the artery is what causes this damage. In fact, it is now known that the coronary disease that causes heart attacks is now considered to be caused mostly from chronic inflammation.

To blame cholesterol for heart attacks would be the equivalent of blaming increased police security in a high crime area. It was not the police that caused the crime, they were just placed there in response to the crimes.

So a more important question to ask ourselves, is how do we decrease the amount of inflammation in our bodies so that cholesterol will not bind to our arteries?

We must decrease all of those things that we do that cause inflammation and increase things that decrease inflammation. First and foremost we must stay away from foods that cause inflammation in our bodies. Any food that causes a fast rise in blood insulin levels will quickly cause inflammation in the body. These foods are sugar, white breads, most dairy products and almost all packaged and processed foods. What does this leave you with? Fresh, wholesome foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean animal proteins, nuts, and lots and lots of water. Also, taking in lots of omega-3 rich foods will dramatically decrease inflammation in the body (salmon, organic eggs, walnuts and sardines).

What about your cholesterol medication?

Some may be thinking, it is just easier to take a pill and not have to change what I am eating. But you may want to think twice considering the side effects of statins (cholesterol lowering drugs). The most common side effects reported are fatigued, headaches, nausea and the most common of them all, severe muscular pains and muscular degeneration. If you remember that cholesterol is essential for the formation of cell membranes, taking a drug that is drastically lowering cholesterol may be causing membrane damage in neural and muscle tissue. Most people on statins complain of neck, back or leg pain.

Millions of Americans are now on cholesterol lowering drugs, but the number of people suffering from heart attacks and heart disease is only increasing. Let’s take a personal responsibility for our health and truly get to the root of the problem. Managing your diet and staying away from those foods that are causing an inflammatory response in your body is your first step to decreasing your chance of heart disease and heart attacks.

Now that you understand the effects of cholesterol on your body, learn more about how your diet affects your health here: 5 Essential Truths - yours for Free Here. You can also learn much more about losing weight, living healthy, and great food in The Diet Solution Program.

Valentine’s Day Food Choices that Rekindle the Flame

When Valentine’s Day rolls around, love is in the air. If you want love to be in the bedroom, choose dinner fare that will lead in that direction. Certain foods are known aphrodisiacs and can inspire romance.

What is an aphrodisiac? It is something that arouses our libido. It can be a scent, an image, or even a food. Eating that particular food will get the eater hot and bothered in a good way.

If that is the direction you are looking to go with your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, then look no further than the kitchen. They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. On February 14^th, we will wow his or her brain to turn on the rest of their body.

Here are some of the foods you might want to add to the menu on Valentine’s Day.

1. Oysters – these hard-shelled ocean beauties have long been used to initiate sexual desire. People who never even dared touch an oyster were looking to the slimy delights to help them turn on the charm. Oysters can be eaten in a number of ways from on the half shell to dipped and fried in batter. However you can get them down your gullet, they are said to be a natural aphrodisiac.

2. Chocolate – Over the last couple of years, everyone has been touting the amazing properties of chocolate. We aren’t just talking about any chocolate but dark chocolate. It contains the largest percentage of cacao and produces those “feel good” endorphins that make us ready for anything. Even the Aztec ruler, Montezuma, used to indulge in a drink made with cacao before spending the evening with his concubines.

3. Hot Peppers – Have you ever eaten something very hot and felt the warmth run through your body? The substance in hot foods like peppers and cayenne pepper is called capsaicin. It causes a thermogenic reaction in the body that speeds up the metabolism. Combine that with some chocolate and oysters (maybe not all together) and you could have an evening of love that is made to order.

4. Alcohol – Here we are specifically talking about wine and champagne. Some would argue that the reason that alcohol acts as an aphrodisiac is that it lowers our inhibitions. Even so, we wouldn’t do anything that we didn’t already have in our minds to do. The alcohol is a convenient excuse to have some fun. Let the bubbles tickle your nose and light a fire in your loins.

There are plenty of other things that act as aphrodisiacs, too. If a food gives you that “all over” good feeling, use it to get you in the mood on Valentine’s Day and every day of the year.

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Valentine’s Day Recipes

4 Foods for More Fat Loss

by Mike Roussell PhD(c)
http://www.warpspeedfatloss.com

What foods should I eat for maximum fat loss? This is a common question that I get from clients and friends. There is so much new information out there everyday "X food is now good for you but Y food is now bad." How can you possibly sort through all the junk science and sensational reporting to truly find out which foods will help you lose weight and which foods won't?

Let me help. Here's a look at foods that you should eat to maximize fat loss. These foods are listed in no particular order because they are all important.

1. Salmon - While salmon was once demonized by the fitness community in the 90's because of it's fat content (I actually saw it in an article about 'Foods to avoid for fat loss') we now know that the long chain omega-3 fats found in salmon are the best kind. Research has shown that these fats can actually help you burn more fat. Salmon also contains high levels of protein - it is really the perfect package.

2. Almonds - Almonds are a great fat loss snack. Almonds are extremely convenient, portable, and they have a long shelf life. You should keep a small bag of almonds at your desk, in your briefcase, or backpack as an emergency weight loss snack. Almonds contain fat, fiber, and protein - all of which will help curb your hunger. They are also low in carbohydrates and provide your body with energy while keeping your blood sugar levels under control.

3. Broccoli - Broccoli is a true superfood. From a health perspective they contain antioxidants and phytochemicals that have been shown to help fight cancer. There is also some evidence to suggest that another compounds found in broccoli, Calcium D-glucarate, can bind excess estrogen in the body. It is a low impact carb with a nice dose of fiber. You can buy is fresh or frozen (broccoli cuts or florets - go with the florets). The bottom line is Eat Broccoli Often.

4. Green Tea - Green tea is another powerful food, like broccoli, that will have huge impacts on your fat loss and health. Green tea can be an acquired taste for some people as if you let it steep to long (e.g. leave the tea bag in the water) it can be very bitter. You can drink it hot or cold (if you opt for cold you may need to add a little splenda). Green tea contains cancer fighting compounds, not to mention antioxidants, caffeine, and the fat burning powerhouse EGCG. Research has shown that the combination of caffeine and EGCG (which is naturally combined in green tea) can help burn extra fat. Drink 2-3 cups a day. In fact I'm drinking some right now!

There you have it four time tested and research proven foods to help you burn more fat. If you aren't eating (or drinking) all of these foods daily (or at least every couple days) then you are not doing everything possible to burn maximum fat. Add them to your diet, get healthier, and burn more fat.

About the Author/More Info:
Warp Speed Fat Loss is a complete 28 day diet and training system crafted to help you lose 10,15, or 20lbs of body fat in just 28 day. To start losing weight fast visit http://www.warpspeedfatloss.com. Mike Roussell is a nutrition doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania. Mike's writings can be found in magazines such as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and Testosterone Nation. Mike specializes in fat loss nutrition and diets for busy men and women who need to lose weight fast without it interfering with their lives. Warp Speed Fat Loss http://www.warpspeedfatloss.com is a complete Done-for-You A-Z Fat Loss Blueprint that gives you exactly everything you need to eat to lose weight in record time.

Meal Planning: Save Time, Reduce Stress, Eat Healthy & Enjoy Your Family

The children are running around the kitchen. The dog is barking it at the door and dinner should have been on the table thirty minutes ago. It’s a common scenario in many households come dinner time.

The reason that most meal times don’t always go smoothly may because dinner the last thing on your mind and when it’s time to get food on the table, everything else goes haywire in your house.

We have all been there, but with a little bit of meal-planning, you can be serving up delicious meals the family will be glad to gather around the table for.

Meal planning can make it easy to get dinner on the table in no time on a busy night. Not only do you save time, but it’s economical too. You buy only what you need, avoid the drive-through line up and you can concentrate on using fresh ingredients – instead of prepackages items from the grocery store. Every mother should have a set way to plan all of their meals in advance for the week…it’s a true life-saver.

The first step to successful meal planning is to sit down before you head out to the grocery store for the week (or sign up for the affordable Dine Without Whine Menu Planning Service & they’ll make that plan for you) .

It is best to plan what food you will need to have on had before you head to the grocery store when planning the week’s meals. Meal planning will make good use of a well stocked pantry and will only need a regular amount of grocery shopping. By having your meals for the week planned out, you will be able to write a grocery list that you can stick to (Dine Without Whine actually puts your grocery list together for you too). This will help you to save money by keeping you from not buying extra food that you will not use.

As you plan your week’s meals, make sure that you think about ways you can cook once and make two meals out of it. It’s easy to do a lot of cooking on the weekends so that you can do minimum cooking on busy week days. You can grill up chicken breasts on Sunday and use them in pasta on one night and then in fajitas another night. There are many ways that you can reuse the cooking from one night to make the next meal that much easier.

Meal planning can also help to cut down on your prep time in the kitchen when you are cooking. By knowing the meals that you are going to cook in advance, you can wash and cut vegetables when you bring them home from the grocery store. The simple act of pre-measuring the vegetables that you would need for a meal will cut out a lot of additional cooking time.

To be successful with your meal planning, you will want to take into account a lot of factors when you plan your meals for the week. One of the most important things to keep in mind is your weekly schedule of evening activities. The nights when your family has many activities planned are not the evenings to make meals that take along time to prepare. It will be those nights that you will want to use the meals that use the food that you already prepared on the weekends.

Meal planning is a skill that will take some getting used to. The first couple of times that you attempt to plan out your meals for the week, you will have some missteps along the way. After awhile it will become second nature to plan all of your meals in advance and you will wonder why you did not start to do it sooner.

To make your meal planning a whole lot easier, sign up for you 1 ¢ no-risk trial at Dine Without Whine. You and your hungry family will be glad you did.

How to Get Your Child to Eat More Raw Foods

You know that raw food such as fruits and vegetables are good for you, your nutrition and body, but how can you teach your children how to eat them?  You want your child to pick an apple or carrot over a candy bar or gummy bear, so you need to start the process at a young age.  Your child also needs to be aware of the importance of what they are eating.

One way to get those raw, unprocessed foods into your child’s tummy is to grow them!  That can be fun for the entire family from the digging of the earth to giving them water to watching them grow.  This entire process can also be a green learning tool to teach your child about environmental awareness and his or her responsibility to their environment.

When children are very young and not introduced to synthetic ingredients full of preservatives, they will grow to enjoy raw, unprocessed foods better.  One mother who stuck to her child’s raw and unprocessed diet from breast milk to home-made baby food was not surprised when her child turned away and wouldn’t eat the sugar-laden cake bought by her grandmother.  So in essence, a child can “learn” to eat what is best simply by satisfying their taste buds at a very young age and continuing the process through every snack and meal.

If your teenager suffers from acne or a weight problem you can tell them that studies have shown that eating raw and unprocessed food can give them healthier skin and help with their weight loss.  Be creative when you have discussions with your teenagers; you already know they may disagree but when they see how your body is reacting to the diet they may steadily improve their eating habits.  Another way is to join up with a close neighbor who is also interested in a healthy raw food diet and has teenagers too.  Get your families together to play games and enjoy raw snacks made of fruits, spices, nuts, dates and honey.  Make your raw dishes creatively!  A normal and healthy green salad can turn into a clown’s face with mangos and strawberries.  You can use cucumbers and carrots to invent other fun characters or faces.

Discuss the importance of a raw, unprocessed diet. Again, begin at a young age and tell your children that cooked foods can lose their precious enzymes that help them digest their food and can lose their nutritional value.  A raw carrot will be much healthier than a cooked one. If you do this gradually and in a fun yet informative way, your child will learn to love a raw food diet.  With a staggering 14% of our teenagers overweight, a number that has doubled since 1970, if you put a little effort in teaching your child and making them understand what they put in their body is as important as the green living you do everyday, they will soon pick the carrot over the candy bar.  Actually it may even be possible these days to convince your teenager that eating raw, unprocessed foods is the trendy thing to do.

Finally, check with your school’s cafeteria manager and explain how your child enjoys a healthy raw, unprocessed food diet.  Most school dieticians will be happy to help you encourage healthy choices.  Give the dietician a gift of fruits and vegetables from your garden and offer to teach a raw food diet seminar for both students and parents.  Before you know it, your child will be reaping the benefits of a raw diet and liking it!

Eat Well and Get Healthy

Eat well to feel well. Sounds like a pretty simple formula doesn't it?

I firmly believe people continue to underestimate the vital importance of proper nutrition. If you want to look a certain way, you have to eat a certain way, it really is that simple. Especially if building lean muscle mass is your goal. If you want lean and strong muscles, then you have to feed your body lots of high-quality nutrients. This is best accomplished through a steady influx of high quality food.

It is best to eat at least 4 and as many as 6 meals per day. Of course, these meals should be well balanced and spread evenly throughout the day.

It’s best to determine your daily caloric intake that is geared toward yours physique goals. Then take that number and divide it by your number of meals. This should give you the amount of calories that you should be consuming in each meal. No matter what the newest diet’s say, it’s always boils down to calories in and calories out that determines wither you gain weight or lose weight.

To eat well structure your meals around high quality protein like eggs, fish, chicken, turkey, lean beef, skim milk and protein powders. Try to get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of weight, even closer to 2 grams per pound if you want maximum muscle in minimum time.

Make sure to get enough healthy fat, such as olive oil, fish oil, flaxseed oil, and canola oil. These have tremendous benefits from healthy brain and organ function to controlling cholesterol levels,maintaining joint health and will help you lose weight. It is also important for muscle growth and insulin sensitivity..

Now when you first decide to get healthy, it is challenging to eat 4- 6 healthy meals per day. This is why you should take advantage of the many protein powders, meal replacements and protein bars on the market. Quick low calorie meals in minutes. Or can make your own smoothies in your blender. If you don't have a blender, get one!, they are invaluable for quick nutrition.

Nutritional supplements have definitely gone mainstream. They definitely make it easier on our quest to get healthy. Everyone, from the weekend warrior to Olympic athletes realize the importance of supplementing their diets. Combined with a balanced approach to healthy living, you can harness the power of eating well to keep you looking and feeling well…

Learn the "The Truth On Fat Loss, How To Finally Lose That Beer Belly" in this FREE report from Sean Barker at http://dadfitness.rxsportz.com. Sean is a Certified Personal Trainer and a proud and busy Dad. Sean has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years and have appeared in High Performance Muscle Magazine, been on health and fitness radio shows and was selected as a sponsored athlete by one of the top supplement nutrition companies in the world. His popular Dad Fitness fat loss workouts have helped thousands of Dads around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 3 hours per week. For more information on the Dad Fitness workouts that will help you burn fat without spending hours in the gym, visit http://dadfitness.rxsportz.com

Healthy Valentine’s Meal Ideas

Everyone used to look forward to Valentine’s Day. They got to eat sweets from their sweetie. We are trying to be a bit more health conscious these days so that holidays won’t show in our bodies. If you want to indulge in a sweet treat on Valentine’s Day, make room for it with a healthier meal.

It is not too hard to sneak in a few healthy additions to the meal that your loved ones won’t mind at all. Whether it is a romantic dinner for two, family dinner, or a couples’ dinner party, employ some savvy to come up with a leaner meal.

Start off with a healthy snack that everyone can eat while dinner is baking. Instead of cookies and candies, put out a tray of veggies and fruit. The vegetables can be jazzed up with a vegetable cream cheese or Ranch dressing. For the fruit, use flavored fruit dip. Yogurt flavors like strawberry, peach, or blueberry work well also as a dip.

Get rid of the hot wings for appetizers and opt instead for chicken chunks breaded with Shake-n-Bake or regular breadcrumbs. Cubing boneless, skinless chicken breasts and rolling them in batter saves a lot of calories. Serve them with hot pepper sauce or regular hot sauce and your metabolism will rev up from the heat.

Toss a salad to go with dinner. Instead of store bought croutons on the top, use cubed pieces of wheat bread. Wash them with a little butter or reduced fat margarine and pop them into the oven to bake. They still add crunch to the salad with less fat than regular croutons. Even better would be to sprinkle the salad with shelled sunflower seeds to add crunch.

Soups are a great way to hide lots of vegetables for those who don’t take a shine to them. for Valentine’s Day, serve a simple soup like potato, vegetable, chicken noodle, or tomato. What soup you serve will depend on the meal. The point is that soup helps to fill you up without eating a lot of it.

Now for the meal. It is hard to eat healthy sometimes, especially if there is a holiday celebration going on. Well, Valentine’s Day is no different. Stick with recipes that use lean cuts of beef, pork, or chicken. Seafood can also be used.

Opt for lower fat ingredients in your recipes. If the main course recipe calls for heavy cream, substitute with half and half or light cream. Substitute margarine with butter. Avoid using too much salt. Use saltless seasonings to add flavor to the meal.

Let your healthy meals extend to Valentine’s Day. After all, we are supposed to show love to those who mean the world to us. Keep their heart healthy.

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Shopping Directory & Free Online Recipes
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How To Tweak Recipes For More Nutrition

So, you’re doing your best to feed your family a whole foods diet. Great. The problem is, most of your cookbooks feature recipes that are less than healthy. Do you throw them all out?

That’s not necessary. With a few tweaks you can dramatically improve the healthfulness of your recipes. Just keep the following tips in mind.

1)    Replace white with brown

If your recipes call for white flour, replace it with whole grain flour. For muffins and breads, it will be necessary for you to add more liquid to the recipe. If replacing all of the white flour with whole grain makes the final product too heavy, buy whole wheat pastry flour at the health food store, or experiment with alternative grains like spelt, oat, buckwheat and other flours.

The same goes for pasta and rice. Use brown rice instead of white to put more fiber and vitamins in the finished product. Since brown rice takes twice as long to cook, you may have to steam it before adding it to casseroles and other dishes in order not to overcook the other ingredients. You will also have to add more liquid to the recipe to compensate.

Thankfully there are many whole grain pastas available on the market now. These have a delicious nutty flavor and add a nice mouth feel to the recipe. Be sure to cook these pastas “al dente” for best results.

2)    Watch your fats

Many older cookbooks feature margarine and canola oils in recipes. These are inferior to higher quality fats such as organic butter (especially from pasture raised, grass fed cows), flax, coconut and olive oil. Fake fats contain hydrogenated oils and an unhealthy ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids. Ideally your balance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 should be one to one. Eating too many cheap salad oils such as canola and soy and margarine may explain the rise of such diseases as asthma, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune and other diseases because they lead to inflammation in the body.

Replacing these inferior fats with higher quality, nutritive fats is one easy way to help your family eat healthier without them really noticing it.

3)    Cut the sugar

You can often cut the sweetener in a dessert or snack recipe by one third to one half without sacrificing the taste too much. The next time you make homemade cookies for the kids, reduce the sugar by one third and see if they notice. Replacing white flour with Sucanat (dried cane syrup) or Rapadura is also a way to reduce the refined sweeteners. Honey, brown rice syrup and agave nectar are also superior to white sugar because they have some vitamins and minerals to fortify the body. Honey in particular is good for your immune system and contains important enzymes.

4)    Make mine grassfed

There is still much debate about whether vegetarian diets are superior to omnivorous but one thing is sure: where your meat and animal products come from is very important. Pasture raised, grassfed animals are far healthier and leaner than their factory farmed peers. Eggs from free roaming chickens are tastier and much more nutritious than conventional as well. All pastured animal products have more vitamin A and D and healthy essential fatty acids as well as less bad cholesterol. 

Make an effort to locate local farms and buy your meat from people committed to feeding their animals their native diets and treating them humanely. You may find that you spend a little more money but not much, especially since you’ll likely be buying your meat in bulk. It’s worth the small investment. The taste can’t be beat either.

Making Sense of Healthy Eating Advice

There many different diets and food trends being touted as the best for optimal health and it is hard to keep it all straight. Every week it seems that a new book is released by some expert that contradicts what you thought you already knew. In more mainstream conversation you might hear about the Atkins diet or the South Beach Diet and begin to think that diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates is the best way to go. In alternative health circles you might hear about the benefits of vegetarian or vegan diets, whole foods diets, or raw foods diets. So which one, if any, is for you? Are these diets also healthy for the whole family, including kids?

In truth there is something beneficial to all of these diets in some way. The good results had by many shows that these particular diets addressed some dietary deficiency they had. This does not mean you will get the same results they did but by taking a look all the various healthy diets and eating advice out there you may start to piece together a plan that works for you. You should take a look at all them and see what makes sense and what would best fit your lifestyle and health goals. Whenever you are trying any new eating pan or diet it is incredibly important to listen to what your body is telling you. Keep a journal and evaluate how you feel, how your skin and fingernails look, weight losses, digestive issues you may have, and daily energy levels.

Vegetarian, Vegan, and Raw Food Diets

Vegetarians follow a rather strict diet eat a diet based upon plant foods (vegetables, fruits, beans, and grains). They eat no animal flesh or meat but they may eat small quantities of   animal byproducts such as eggs, dairy, or honey. Lacto-ovo vegetarians for instance will eat a veggie based diet along with diary and eggs. Lacto vegetarians that will eat dairy but they will not eat eggs. They have many political and personal reasons for eating this way but health is no small part of it.

Vegans follow a much stricter plant based diet. They eat no animal products at all. Proponents of both of these eating styles often believe that plant based foods help them defend against disease and illness. Meat products may harbor bacteria and parasites that can harm the body. Vegetarian and vegans diets are low in fat, high in fiber, and very nutrient dense. Their diet is a far cry from the high fat, high sugar, junk food diets so widespread today.

The raw foods diet generally includes vegetarian/vegan foods but goes a step beyond and also eliminates cooked and processed foods. Raw diet devotees believe that raw, living foods still have life giving enzymes that are almost always destroyed during processing and cooking. They believe that living bodies need living foods for optimum health and that cooked foods are essentially dead foods.

A Whole Foods Diet

The whole foods diet is also called a Macrobiotic diet, which long life in Greek. This regime is based upon eating grains as the main source of dietary nutrition and supplementing with other healthy foods such as vegetables, beans, fermented soy, nuts, seaweed, fish, and fruits. This way of eating strongly discourages eating refined sugars and processed foods. In fact the whole idea is to eat unprocessed or “whole” foods. These are foods that have not been tampered with or altered in ways that may have adversely affected their health benefits. Whole foods fans strive to eat the freshest foods they can because fresh food is at its nutritional peak. It is for this reason they also prefer to eat local and seasonal foods that are grown close to their homes.

A good balanced diet may follow one of these ideals to the letter or it may be blend of several different theories. All of them are better than the Standard American Diet (SAD) of junk food and overly processed foods. With a little experimentation you may just find an eating plan that works for your whole family.

Healthy Frugal Eating – A Contradiction?

Nowadays more people than ever are concerned with saving money on their grocery budget. It seems that every week you grocery shop, prices have gone up. What’s sobering is that often, the cheapest food has marginal nutritional value.

The good news is that with a little more time spent on careful meal planning and shopping, you can eat a healthy diet without going over your food budget. Here are some tips that are working for many families:

1)    Focus on foods that provide maximum nutritional value for less dough

One of the ways frugal moms have managed to put healthy meals on the table is by building menus around food items that provide maximum nutritional bang for the buck.

Some of these foods are potatoes, rice, beans, sweet potatoes, leafy greens and other vegetables. These foods can be cooked in many different ways and are very inexpensive.

Invest in a good vegetarian cookbook and you will find dozens of ways to prepare beans and rice, for example, without getting bored. The humble potato is still dirt cheap but can be cooked a hundred different ways and is highly nutritious.

2)    Menu planning

Flying by the seat of your pants in the kitchen is one quick way to blow your food budget.

Take the time to sit down once a week and plan out your menu. You may want to do this after finding out what’s on sale at your local grocery store and what you already have in your pantry and refrigerator.

Always take a quick inventory of what you already have on hand and seeing what ingredients you can add to those items to make more meals before planning your menu. It’s a good idea to plan one “leftover” night a week also.

3)    Eat less

This tip might sound odd, but since most adults in America could stand to lose a few pounds, simply eating less could very well be a strategy to help you save money on food.

Why not try using a smaller plate (like a child’s size or salad plate instead of a dinner plate) and filling it only half full? Eat slowly and stop eating when you still have room in your stomach.

The Okinawans, who live to a ripe old age and enjoy good health in their golden years, have a practice of eating until they are 80% full. This habit is one reason experts say they are so healthy and how they manage to stay thin.

4)    Keep it at home

One bad habit that can easily mess up the food budget is eating out. Even if you don’t eat an entire meal out, how often do you buy a snack for a cranky child, or a water for yourself when you’re hot and thirsty after a shopping excursion?

Get into the habit of always carrying a reusable bottle of water in your car. A container full of nuts and dried fruit or homemade granola can also keep you from blowing money on overpriced, wasteful snacks that are wrapped in too much packaging.

5)    Waste not

Our Grandparent’s generation viewed wastefulness as a sin. While none of use would want to go back to the days of forcing a child to “clean their plate”, perhaps we could do with a bit of that waste not, want not philosophy in our modern times.

Experts say that the average family (4 people) wastes over 120 pounds of food each year. Some of this is due to bad habits and poor planning. Learn how to use leftover bits of food creatively. The Tightwad Gazette series of books has lots of ideas, or simply search Google.

One suggestion you will find is to keep containers in your freezer for leftover bits of meat, veggies and grains. When the containers are full you can defrost and put them into soups, casseroles or muffin mixes. Get creative and avoid waste and put more money back into your pocket.