Melissa's Blog

Written By UIC Dietetic Intern Alexis D’Ascenzo      Now that most schools are out for summer that means most children will be playing outside for longer durations. In order to ensure your child is staying adequately energized and hydrated, limit serving juice boxes and soda as they have minimal nutritional value. Instead, serve them a smoothie as it is a great alternative for a healthy snack or meal replacement! Smoothies are packed with fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and omega-3 fatty acids), and most importantly, energy for your children to be physically active this summer! Hydration...

  This Father’s Day, Sunday, June 15th, treat Dad to the gift of health by serving a nutrient dense meal packed with protein, moderate fat (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat), and lower carbohydrates. This meal will provide your father and family with a lot of flavor, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The benefits of eating a clean, healthy meal with macronutrient levels such as these will help optimize your health, minimize your risk of chronic disease, and aid weight loss. Eating healthy does not mean eating bland; instead it can mean eating fresh, wholesome foods with flavor that are packed with nutrition. Enjoy...

The beauty of clean eating is that it is suitable for the whole family to follow; and when you’ve got the whole family on board, it will be much easier! By feeding your kids the right foods, you can avoid the sudden outbursts of energy and the expected aftermath of the energy crash. Eating clean foods doesn’t have to be boring – quite often they are a lot more colorful and their fresh appearance will make them look much more attractive! Try some of these fun ideas to help keep your kids healthy and satisfied when they get home from...

In the midst of an increasingly health conscious world, diets are born, and just as fast as they spring up, many of these same diets die out. But there is a diet that was born thousands and thousands of years ago, died, and is now making its way back into modern times. What diet, you may wonder, am I talking about? It is the diet of our ancestors from the Paleolithic era, also known as the paleo diet. So what’s all the rave about this diet? Why would anyone want to eat like a caveman in the year 2014?  The...

  Congratulations if you’re currently working your way through the detox or just want to stay on your clean eating plan.  This weekend, we’ll be watching the Super Bowl, or at least the commercials – and we still want you detoxers and clean eaters to be able to enjoy the celebrations as well as eating detox friendly treats!  If you’re on the shake/smoothie part of the detox, make sure that you still drink them and remember, even though these recommended recipes are detox friendly, you should still be eating a controlled amount!  Another tip, have your smoothie or shake before...