Avoid Pumpkin Overload With These 6 Michigan Fall Fruits and Veggies
It’s almost fall and you know what that means…pumpkin flavored everything! If you’re not a pumpkin fan though, fear not, a plentiful variety of fall produce are also in season.
A Healthier Michigan
Tips for a Healthier (and Safe) Halloween
Halloween can be a fun time of year for kids and parents alike. As families gear up for parties, trick-or-treating and spooky fun, the Healthier Michigan team has some tips and recipes to make one of the season’s not-so-healthy holidays a little healthier. Enjoy candy in moderation. Kids collect thousands of calories worth of treats on Halloween, not to mention all the sugar.…
Need Quick, Healthy Halloween Treats? We’ve Got Spooky, Fun Recipes Here!
Halloween is creeping up, which means that soon your little ones will be running around your neighborhood, decked out in costumes and collecting as much candy as possible! While you probably don’t need to cook anything super sweet this week—trick-or-treating will keep your little ones stocked with sugary goodies—you may want something a little healthier to enjoy that’s still in…
Is Your Halloween Face Paint Safe?
If you’re using face paint to add to your look this Halloween, it’s important to make sure you’re choosing the right products to avoid any harmful effects or skin reactions. So how do you know if your face paint is safe? The key is using only professional grade cosmetic products. This time of year, stores tend to sell face paint kits that…
Halloween Costumes: Dress Up For Spooky-Yet-Safe Fun
Halloween is a chance for kids to put on creative costumes and pretend to be something else for the night. But whether your little one is dressing up as a pretty princess or frightening ghost, you’ll want to make sure they stay safe. And that’s where these tips come in. They’ll ensure your kids trick-or-treat without putting themselves at risk.…
Pear and Roasted Fall Vegetables with Green Tahini Dressing
This recipe is a great way to take advantage of abundant fall produce. It’s packed with healthy ingredients such as Brussels sprouts, pears, butternut squash, bell peppers, mushrooms and more. Brussels sprouts contain more than 100 percent of your daily vitamin C needs and are surprisingly high in protein. Pears are considered one of the highest-fiber fruits, with an average…
5 Steps to Getting Your Best Night’s Rest in Your 50s, 60s, 70s and Beyond
Have you recently gone from sleeping soundly all night long to tossing and turning? There’s a reason: As people get older, they tend to have more trouble falling asleep and staying asleep (even though seniors need the same amount of sleep as other adults). This change could be due to a number of reasons such as medications, illnesses, stress over big changes in…
Overnight Oats with Raspberry and Cherry Chia Jam
Breakfast may be known as the most important meal of the day, but more often than not, we are missing out. Based on a recent poll, 53 percent of Americans miss breakfast at least once a week. And from that, 12 percent do not even bother to eat breakfast. Overnight oats can help make eating breakfast easier and can save time in your…
Fall Harvest Underdogs You Didn’t Realize Were Michigan-Grown
When it comes to Michigan produce, it can sometimes feel like cherries, apples and blueberries get all the glory. But those three are just the tip of the grown-in-Michigan iceberg. There are, in fact, loads of other less obvious fruits and vegetables to be found here—especially this time of year. Here are three in-season fruits to help expand your taste…
6 Foolproof Ways to Work Out Before 6 AM
It’s 5:30 AM. Your alarm clock is sounding off relentlessly and you are one giant, toasty cinnamon bun in bed. The absolute last thing you want to do is get up and dive into a workout…but you should! Research and testimonials show that working out before breakfast sets the tone for the day and reinforces a healthy schedule over time. Most people think they can’t handle morning…
Back to School Parenting Hacks
By: Grace Derocha, registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator and certified health coach at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Despite their best effort to prepare for the back-to-school season, more than 50 percent of parents admit it doesn’t go as planned. Thankfully, small changes in daily routines can make great time-savers and allow the family to practice healthy habits without the…
Tips for Managing Stress When You’re at College
More than 80 percent of college students reported feeling overwhelmed by their workload in 2016. Chronic stress can be a catalyst for depression, anxiety and mood disorders—serious problems that together are ranked number one among the top five national health conditions contributing to poor health in nearly every county of every state in the U.S. By prioritizing physical and mental health throughout the school…
How to Help Your Child Make Healthy Eating Choices at School
School cafeterias give children the opportunity to become independent eaters at an early age. While it’s a great way to try new foods, it also means parents are unable to control what and how much a child consumes. Thankfully, USDA’s regulations assist children in making better decisions by requiring cafeterias to offer more fruit, vegetables and whole grains while limiting sodium,…
What to Expect During Back-to-School Check-Ups
A yearly physical exam by your family physician or pediatrician is an important part of your child’s health care. As children get older, back to school check-ups are sometimes the only visit kids and teenagers have with their doctor every year. An annual check-up gives the physician a chance to give the child a thorough physical examination. It also presents…
Celebrate Kids Eat Right Month
August is Kids Eat Right Month, founded by The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to emphasize ways to help kids eat right and be more active. It’s no surprise that attention is being placed on children’s eating habits after the news has been filled with headlines about the current childhood obesity trends. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 17%…