Blog Posts by SparkPeople.com

Buckwheat

By Chef Meg Galvin, Healthy Cooking Expert at SparkPeople.com

Just like the boy of the same name would say, buckwheat is o-tay! I recently became a big fan of the triangular grain that is growing in popularity. Buckwheat is actually not part of the wheat family, which means it is gluten free. It also provides eight amino acids, plus plenty of fiber and protein.

To learn more about this unfamiliar, trendy grain, I phoned my agriculture expert. He is actually on my speed dial under "Daddy."

Turns out, my dad has been growing buckwheat for years, which was a surprise for me. I know the farm and its fields well, and he has never mentioned buckwheat! Part of the reason I had never heard of the harvest was that my family does not harvest the crop. My Dad grows it as a source of food for the deer and doves that call our farm home as well. Buckwheat, as my Dad explained, is a short crop that does not require pesticides or fertilizers. Because it is a short crop, meaning that the

Kids eating healthy.
By Jen Mueller for SparkPeople

I've blogged about my kids' diets many times in the past. I try hard to provide them with good, wholesome meals. Fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean meats are the norm in my house. My kids have treats, but in moderation, so overall, I feel pretty good about how they eat. Interestingly, I can't say that my or my husband's diet lives up to quite the same standard. According to a new online poll, we're not alone.

My kids get vegetables with lunch and dinner every day. If they want seconds of their meal, they have to finish their veggies first. I do eat vegetables with dinner every day, but with lunch, not so much. My kids drink organic milk, but my husband drinks regular. He doesn't care either way, so I buy him regular to save money. My kids get "dessert" on occasion, but it's usually just on the weekends. It's not unusual for my husband and I to eat something sweet after the kids go to bed, whether it's the weekend or not. My husband

Woman in labor.

Why is it that some women experience a labor that lasts two hours when others are in labor for 14 hours? How do some women go natural despite the potential intense pain involved? Why do some women tear when others do not?

Is there a way to ease the delivery process? Research says YES - through exercise, especially routines involving the pelvic floor.

In a recent study cited in the British Medical Journal, researchers noted that of the 300 women studied, those who did intensive pelvic floor/kegel exercises in the last few months of pregnancy had an easier time giving birth. Most affected was the second stage of labor-- the pushing stage-- where the study found that women who had done the exercises were less likely to spend prolonged time. Having a shorter pushing stage is extremely beneficial, since a longer pushing phase can lead to a tear or episiotomy, as well as increased chances for bleeding or requiring Cesarean delivery.

Kegel Exercises

It's been known

Go ahead. Eat the vegan cookie dough.

By Stepfanie Romine, author of "Easy Vegan Meals by SparkPeople: The No-Stress, No-Guilt Way to Reap The Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet"

1. You can eat cookie dough and cake batter without fear of salmonella. (Just don't double dip or ruin your dinner!)
2. Less saturated fat and virtually no cholesterol. Plants contain no dietary cholesterol, and saturated fats are found primarily in tropical plants, so your consumption will noticeably decrease.
3. Vegan protein is much cheaper than animal protein! Beans, tofu, and even tempeh are often $3 or less a pound. Even fancy vegan "sausages" cost less than $5 for four links, each of which has enough protein to be two servings.
4. If you have food allergies, you can avoid half of top food allergens. Four of the top eight food allergens (milk, eggs, fish and shellfish) are not vegan, and they must be listed on labels. (On the flipside, many vegan products contain nuts, so if you're allergic, read labels

This Southern sandwich gets slimmed down!
By Chef Meg Galvin, Healthy Cooking Expert at SparkPeople.com

My slimmed-down version of the Hot Brown takes away most of the salt and fat but leaves you with that wonderful familiar taste of the South.

Minutes to Prepare: 5
Minutes to Cook: 25
Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 4
Calories: 304.9
Total Fat: 10.3 g
Cholesterol: 35.6 mg
Sodium: 590.6 mg
Total Carbs: 24.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.9 g
Protein: 29.0 g

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Smart Balance butter
1 tablespoon flour
8 ounces nonfat milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
pinch white pepper
2 tablespoons reduced-fat Swiss cheese
2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted and cut into quarters
3 slices turkey bacon
2 Roma tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
4 ounces (about 5 cups) baby spinach
4 ounces (about 1 cup) mushrooms
4 ounces turkey breast, sliced
6 slices reduced-sodium deli ham


Directions

The secret to perfect boiled eggs? Don't boil them!

By Chef Meg Galvin, Healthy Cooking Expert at SparkPeople.com

Freshness is key, except when simmering eggs. OK, I can now hear everyone talking to their computers. "What? Is she crazy? What is a simmered egg, and why would a chef not want to use fresh eggs?"

Well, I'm not crazy, at least not at this moment, according to my family.

Boiled eggs is a misnomer; the best boiled eggs are simmered gently then steeped to keep them tender, not rubbery.

A simmered egg is what we know colloquially as a boiled egg. Do you often try to boil eggs and end up with cracked shells and a mess in your pot? Rapid boiling will crack the eggs in the cooking water before they are set. A simmer keeps the eggs in the shell until you're ready for the two to part ways.

Speaking of eggs and eggshells, a slightly older egg will peel much easier than its fresher counterpart.

Not only does boiling an egg often damage the shell, but it often causes that unsightly gray-green

Katy lost 90 pounds after adopting a vegan diet.
by SparkPeople.com member Katy Montgomery

March 20 is the annual Meatout, which organizers call "the world's largest grassroots diet education campaign." Thousands of volunteers in 25 countries will educate their friends, families and communities and distribute vegan food samples to 30,000 people. They'll emphasize the benefits of a meat-free, dairy-free way of life - for animals, your health and the planet.

I'm on board with that. Today I want to talk about how I lost 90 pounds by becoming a vegan, which has helped me gain self-esteem, take pride in the no-harm "impact" of my diet, and even become a kick boxer.

I was overweight for as long as I can remember. I never really thought about the food I was eating and how it was expanding my waistline. My parents never said anything about me being overweight, which was a blessing and a curse. I always felt loved no matter what size I was, but I also never really learned about nutrition or how much I should be eating. I tried to

Fitness schedule
By Nicole Nichols, Managing Editor and Fitness Expert at SparkPeople

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog and subsequently led a special SparkPeople LIVE! Meeting on the topic of designing your perfect workout plan.The information I shared (how intensely and frequently you should do cardio and strength training throughout the week) is important and was well received, but really, it's just the tip of the iceberg.

I've given you the basic rundown of how much exercise you need to reach your goals, but next comes the hard part: How the heck do you fit it all into your schedule? And maybe even more importantly, how can you do all that exercise and still have a life outside of the gym?

That, my friends, is the million dollar question. Like many things in weight loss and in life, most of us know what to do, but that doesn't mean that we really know how to put that knowledge into practice. Lack of time is the biggest hurdle we face when trying to fit in exercise. And now I'm