HELLOOOO HUMMASSSSS

Hey guys, I know I talked about hummus and pita as being a great snack in a post a while back, and that still is true, buuuttttt... I have been eating that almost every day for a snack so I wanted something new. Now I love hummus so I did not want to cut that out of my diet because the oils in it and the protein are good for me, so instead I decided to get rid of the pita bread and swap it out for some veggies!!! Baby carrots and cucumber slices are great for dipping in hummus. Both baby carrots and cucumber are super low calories but are packed with a lot of vitamins! Eating them with hummus gives you even more benefits. Hummus is often times made with chickpeas. Chickpeas have no saturated fat and even better... no cholesterol. They are great because they aid in improving blood sugar levels and help fight cholesterol. Also, like i mentioned, they are high in protein.Also, Tahini is usually found in hummus, which is a sesame paste that is also a great source of protein and calcium, and even better, the fat contained in tahini is mainly unsaturated fat. As for other ingredients, olive oil is a good one. It is one of the more healthy of oils, containing mostly monosaturated fat. Olive oil helps the body's heart remain healthy and also aids in regulating cholesterol levels.

nutritional information about hummus from this site: http://mideastfood.about.com/od/hummusrecipes/a/humus_caloric.htm

New Year's Resolutions!

Alright, so it is officially 2010 and as of yesterday I started a new semester. I can already tell this is going to be a long and hard semester, so I will really have to focus on being healthy and make sure that just because I am pushed on time that I do not let my nutrition/health slide away from me. Like most people I have made new years resolutions, and at first they were quite ridiculous and I failed within the first week, so now I have adjusted them to be a bit more realistic. Here are my resolutions regarding health and nutrition:

#1. No white bread! Only eat carbs that are whole wheat/multigrain etc as to keep myself from consuming empty carbs!

#2. Always have either fruits or vegetables with every meal.

#3. Smaller portions!! Eat half of what I would normally consume in the dining halls.

#4. Only 1-2 deserts per week. (this will be tough)

#5. Limit 1 soda per week!

#6. Walk to class as much as possible even though it is freezing here!

#7. Sign up for work out classes at the Rec center and don't miss a class!

And those are the only ones I can come up with at the moment. We will see how it goes. And I will find some healthy things in the dining courts that will fit these resolutions and get back to you.