Healthy Eating for Busy Families on a Budget

+ Tips and tricks to make home cooked meals a snap

Make over your fast food!

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Fast food is often very calorie dense and has very few vitamins and minerals.

Fast Food Facts:

Calories

Fast food is usually loaded with fat. The fats that are in fast food are often saturated and/or trans fat. Both of these fats have been shown to contribute to heart disease and obesity.

Fast foods often have a lot of sodium in them to help enhance flavor and to increase shelf life. A diet high in sodium can lead to high blood pressure, in turn causing damage to arteries and some organs .

Fat

Sodium

Making healthy choices on the go.

Fast Food Make Over Order Smart while Dining Out

• Swap French fries for fruit or a salad • Look for baked, grilled, steamed or fresh

• Skip the fountain drink and ask for a o These indicate that fewer calories (i.e. cup for water fat) were added during cooking

• Instead of a soda and chips at a • Avoid menu items with smothered, fried, and convenience store, look for low fat creamy in the name/description. milk and fresh fruit

o This indicates that these foods will be higher in calories and fat.

Pre-portioning snack foods, fruits, and vegetables can help control portions and eliminated waste.

Planning, pre-portioning and freezing are the keys to eating healthy on the go and making home cooked meals a snap.

Plan • On a day off plan meals for

the week (or two)

• Think about meals you can make and freeze for later (i.e. soups)

• Make a list and go grocery shopping

• Make any meals that can be made in advance o i.e. Lasagna (freeze until use)

Pre-Portion • Pre portion any snack foods

(chips, crackers, nuts) • Cut up and pre-portion

fruits and vegetables o Washed, cut and pre-

portioned fruits and vegetables are a quick and easy snack to grab

o Fewer fruit and vegetables are wasted when they are ‘ready to eat’.

My Plate My plate is a resource that is free for the community developed by the USDA. My Plate can be used to learn about good nutrition and eating a balanced diet.

Check it out at: choosemyplate.gov

Freeze • Make double portions of foods

that freeze well. o Freeze the leftovers in containers

(single or family sized).

• Make “kits”

o Pre cut vegetables and place in Ziploc bags for a stir fry kit

§ Place sauce and meat of choice into smaller bags, slip into vegetable bag and freeze for an all in one stir-fry kit.

The USDA recommends: • ¼ of your plate to be whole

grains

• ¼ of your plate to be a lean meat • ½ of your plate to be a variety of

fruits and vegetables.

• Include one low fat dairy per meal

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