A Healthy Diet while Traveling

(This the third of 3 posts about healthy eating.)

Sticking to a healthy diet while traveling can be one of the most difficult things to do in your life. However, if you learn how to make smart choices, a healthy diet is really not that difficult. This is probably not the best time in which to start a healthy diet, but if you are currently making healthy choices in your foods already, modifying your diet slightly to accommodate travel is not as it first may seem.

If you are traveling by airplane, a healthy diet may have to include airplane food, which can often be poor for your health, depending on the selection. When you book your flight, ask about your food options ask if a vegetarian dish is available. Vegatarian dishes are sometimes more nutritional in this case, but it really depends on what they will be serving. If you can, eat a larger meal before your flight so that you don't have to eat the entire meal that is served to feel full.

When driving or taking a bus, you may be tempted to stop at fast food restaurants and eat the foods found there. Avoid this whenever possible! If you're on vacation, you may wish to splurge a tiny bit, but having fast food more than once during a week can really be bad for your health. If you must, choose the healthiest options available, like chicken breasts and diet soda.

Also, remember that you can take your own food when traveling. Carrying a loaf of whole-wheat bread or pita wraps, some lean lunchmeat, and low-fat cheese in a cooler is a great way to avoid high-fat and high-cholesterol junk food meals. These are much better choices and you'll save a lot of money as well. Call ahead to ask if there will be a refrigerator in your hotel room.

Lastly, make smart choices when you eat out. If you choose salads or pasta get the dressing on the side and ask about low-carb options. In fact, many places print these dieting options directly in the menu for the health-conscious people. Control your portions by ordering lunch menu sizes or splitting the meal in half and getting a doggie bag, and you'll be well on your way to healthy eating, even away from home.

Yes, eating healthy foods when you travel can be a challenge. However, your health is worth it. When you eat good foods, you will also fight illnesses that you are likely to encounter when traveling and be more alert so that you can enjoy your trip.

Healthy Eating at a Restaurant: Is it Possible?

(This is the second of 3 posts about healthy eating)

If you and your family love to eat at restaurants, you may think that this lifestyle is not good for a healthy diet. In many cases, you would be correct. However, you can still enjoy restaurants occasionally and maintain your healthy diet. Its all about making good food choices, which starts with learning about the nutrition you need to stay happy, physically healthy, mentally stable, and active.

When you pick up the menu, start by skipping over the drink section. Although you may be tempted to enjoy a beer or mixed beverage with your dinner, these usually have many empty calories, which is not good for your body. The exception to this rule when it comes to alcohol is wine, especially red wine, which can be fine if you have a single glass and can actually help prevent heart disease for some patients.

Also skip over the appetizer menu, unless it's to over a side salad. The appetizers at restaurants are usually high-fat foods that are not meant to fill you up and can in fact make you crave even more high fat foods. Examples of these are mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and wings. Instead, simply focus on your main course or, if you must indulge, share a single serving with the entire table of people.

When choosing your main dish, it is of course important that you look at the ingredients of the dish. Anything with cream sauces or high-fat meats should be avoided, and pass up the potatoes or onion rings. Instead over side dishes like vegetables or ask for jus the main course when possible.

Remember too that portion is everything. Order off of the lunch menu whenever you can, and ask for a doggie bag right away. Split your meal in half from the start so that you are not tempted to eat the entire thing, which is usually enough for two or three portions.

At the end of your meal, skip over the desert menu, just like you did with the appetizers. Again, you can share a single desert with the entire table if you feel compelled to order something, or split your portion in half. Many fancy desserts in restaurants have more calories than your entire meal, so keep this in mind before you flag down the waitress to put in an order! Of course, on special occasions, it's alright to cheat a little, but overall healthy eating requires lots of resisting temptation around you.

Just Say No: Healthy Eating and Peer Pressure

(This is the first of 3 posts about healthy eating.)

If you are on a diet or simply enjoying a healthy lifestyle, than you probably know that peer pressure to eat foods that are not good for you is a major part of your life. If you are worried about the food that goes into your mouth, don't worry-there are ways to overcome peer pressure. It simply takes a little know-how to get people off your back!

Parties are a major source of peer pressure, especially with alcohol. However, remember that alcohol contains hundreds of empties calories in just one drink. When you go to a party, people might be pressuring you to have a drink and relax, and it can be difficult to say no when they are constantly trying to convince you. Instead, offer to drive to a bar instead. This way, you re the designated driver, so people won't want you to drink and, in fact, they will probably be purchasing you water and maybe even helping to pay for your gas. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

Another time when you may feel pressured to eat is at work when the boss orders lunch for everyone at a meeting or when you have to visit a client. Instead of giving in to temptation, simply politely decline the food by letting your boss know in advance or order a meal that is healthy and split the portion in half so you have a meal for tomorrow's lunch as well.

Baby showers, weddings, birthday parties, and other special events can also wreak havoc on your diet, even if you are good at resisting temptation on your own. When someone hands you a piece of cake and won't take no for an answer, it can be difficult to know what to say! Here, little white lies might be appropriate. For instance, saying that your stomach was upset earlier in the day will convince a person that you don't want to eat at the moment or pretending to have a chocolate allergy will get people to allow you to enjoy the party without a hassle surrounding food.

Remember, however, that while refusing bad foods is fine, you should be eating good foods. If you do not, dangerous eating habits and disorders can develop, which will give you, your friends, and your doctor a real reason to worry. It's ok to say no to peer pressure, but don't say no to food in general!

GREEN TIPS TO SAVE YOU BUCKS

"Your Energy Diet" explains the why and how to "Go Green". You can get this free report by visiting our newsletter "For Your Wellbeing". While you are there, you can look over what we have to offer which we feel is very beneficial. And, it's free also.

Couch Potato Tip: For those of you with satellite or cable, may we suggest you check out theDiscovery Home Channel (now called The Green Channel). It's got several shows on "going green" which are informative and entertaining. AND it will help you join us in saving our world.

Gas Tip: The best time to buy gas for your car is as early as you can in the morning. During the night, the gas in the tanks at the gas station cools. This means that the gas volume will retract and you will get more actual gas than during the heat of the day when the gas expands. Its not a great difference; but at $4 bucks a gallon, we'll take any savings we can get.

Driving Tip: Remember the old axiom "you can drive 5 mph over the speed limit and the police won't bother you." Well, forget the police! TRY 5 MPH UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT! IT'S YOUR GAS TANK THAT COUNTS! With gas prices going up, you won't find us doing 70 mph these days. Matter of fact, we checked our car, and our miles per gallon start going down when we go over 59 mph. So if you are in SE Texas near Galveston, that slow moving red car in front of you doing 59 mph just might be us.

1955 Revisited. Change The Prices And It's Today!

We thought you would appreciate some of the comments made back in 1955. If you change the prices, you have TODAY! You see, we repeat, as a society, the same things. Wonder when we will wake up and do something rather than just make comments. By the way, these comments were made just 53 years ago. Read on and enjoy.


"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00."

"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one."

"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous."

"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?"

"If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."

"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage."

"Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls."

"I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL of DAMN in it."

"I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas ."

"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President."

"I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now."

"It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet."

"It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work."

"Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more, those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat."

"I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business."

"Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress."

"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on."

"There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend, it costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel."

"No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood." "If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it."

Know any friends who would get a kick out of these, pass this on! Be sure and send it to your kids and grandkids too!

No trees were harmed in the sending of this message, however, a significant number of electrons were.

Think First At The Beach

We are seeing more people at the beach this year since we are so close to Houston and more and more people are vacationing at the nearest beach. Vacation rental properties are making money and not just on weekends. But there are safeguards you need to take when at the beach.

Not every beach is safe when you consider the currents. Don't pick a spot near where streams and rivers empty into the ocean or lake. Don't disobey warning signs about currents.

Avoid (both in the water and on the shore) jelly fish, man of wars, and don't go in the water if you see red in the water. It could be "red tide". Also, be on the look out for sharks if you are in ocean waters.

Use lots of high rated sunscreen. Not only when you arrive, but also when you come out of the water. Women and girls need to cover all exposed skin especially when you are wearing bikinis. Most forget the thighs and feet. Beach wraps or long t-shirts are much better protection when not swimming.

Men and boys need to apply sunscreen to cover every portion of their bodies not covered by their sissy pants (you know, the current fashion of almost capri pants that are called swimwear). Make sure your back and feet are covered by sunscreen. Better yet, put on a t-shirt when not in the water.

Make sure you keep a watchful eye on the kids. Little tykes get involved with "strange" things at the beach which you may have missed or overlooked. This is not your back yard - don't trust them!

A little safety knowledge will certainly help you avoid the pitfalls of a beach vacation.

Crashing - Its Worse Than Being Hacked

WE CRASHED! Yup, the computer died and we were blacked out.

We thought that being hacked back in late January was bad. And, to a degree it was. But, we just went through a worse experience. Our computer crashing. That was unbelievable.

First, it's disbelief.

Then, it's WHAT DO WE DO?

Well, you then sit down, determine your options, make a plan, and take action.

We repaired, readjusted, revamped, and, finally, we are back up.

It has taken some time to put everything back together, and that has been a long, costly affair, but we are up again and are moving forward.

A word to the wise: back up your files on a regular basis and save the backups to disks or floppys that are off your computer. It just might be your cat that does the damage.

We'll be adding new posts soon.