Chill Out

There’s nothing like a refreshing drink to quench your thirst during a hot Texas summer day. Health.com has given us 8 Cold Drinks for Your Cooler and they all look delicious. From the Raspberry Lemonade to the Hibiscus Tea with Peaches these are healthy beverages that are easy to make.

I’m just disappointed they didn’t include the classic Arnold Palmer…

Arnold Palmer making an Arnold Palmer



Here's the recipe for the Berry-Lime Liquado pictured above, click on the link for all the others:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups strawberries
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 cup ice
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons agave nectar or sugar
Garnish: fresh mint

Preparation
Purée strawberries and blueberries in a blender. Place in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, and strain juice into bowl; discard seeds and pulp. Rinse blender, pour in juice and blend with 1 cup ice, 1 cup water, lime juice, and agave nectar or sugar. Serve over ice, and garnish with mint.

Calories: 294 (approximate)


What’s your favorite summer drink?

Follow Us and Win a Shuffle

Want a new IPod Shuffle? Houston DINEs will be giving away 2 IPod Shuffles for followers of this blog. Once we reach 100 followers we will throw everyone’s name in a hat and pick a winner. We’ll do the same after we reach 200 followers.

Click on the Follow link on the right side of the page to follow Houston DINEs and have a chance to win an IPod Shuffle!  The Shuffle is the perfect way to play your favorite tunes during a calorie burning workout or stay up to date with health tips via podcasts. 

What’s Your Favorite Junk Food?

If you live in Texas the chances are that it is a good old fashioned corn dog. At least according to Health.com who just released their list of the 50 Fattiest Foods in the nation. So the next time you’re at the State Fair you might want to double check the nutritional contents of the Fletcher’s Corn Dog. It checks in at hefty 19 grams of fat.

But that’s nothing compared to Pennsylvania’s Philly Cheesesteak (up to 45 grams of fat) or Illinois’s Deep Dish Pizza (40 grams of fat for just one serving of the tomato and cheese pie).

Click here to see all 50 states.

So do you have any favorites from the list?

Umm…how many calories are you about to eat?

What has more calories, the Wendy’s Mandarin Chicken Salad or Church’s Chicken Fried Chicken?

Test your skills with our Calorie Count Quiz. Click on the link to take the quiz; the answers are on page 2 so no peeking until you’re done!

Calorie Count Quiz

Houston DINEs Helps Kids Hula for Health

Last Friday at the Alief Community Center, Houston DINEs and American Heart volunteers teamed up with Marathon Oil on their annual Let’s Just Play Day Carnival. The Houston DINEs staff talked to over 2,000 children about the importance of health, nutrition and physical activity. The field day was open to all children that attend the City of Houston’s Parks and Recreation Center summer camps.

Each participant was able to hula hoop or jump rope to burn calories and promote physical activity. In Texas, over two-thirds of the children recently failed the state’s physical fitness exam. The Let’s Just Play kids proved that they loved and needed physical education and that with constant exercise they would be in tip top shape. On average, a person burns about 7 calories when he/she hula hoops for 60 seconds. Collectively we burned around 2000 calories!!

Although the event was geared toward children, people of all ages participated and a variety of talents were on display. Some children were able to hula hoop with as many as eight hoops at once. Many could spin them on their arms and some even on their neck. One contestant was able to spin the hula hoop nonstop for 23 minutes. She received the informal title of Houston DINEs Super Hooper!

All in all we had an action packed day; proving that exercise can and should be fun!  What type of excercise do you prefer and when was the last time you hula-hooped?

Houston DINEs Gets Media Exposure-Updated

The Houston DINEs educational campaign is generating some buzz around Houston. This educational effort led by the American Heart Association is dedicated to improving awareness when dining out. We believe consumers should be armed with nutritional content when they go to order their meal so they can make informed decisions on what they’re putting in their body.

Yesterday former contestants of NBC’s The Biggest Loser spoke with Outlook Houston along with the Houston DINEs team. Victoria and Cherita Andrews shared stories from appearing on the hit NBC show and talked about their weight loss journey. Houston DINEs Community Advocate Nancy Thorne and personal trainer Calvin Lawson also spoke about the need for sound nutrition and regular exercise to maintain good health.

Outlook Houston is Channel 39's half-hour Community Relations program focusing on issues and needs facing the community. The show is hosted by Yolanda Green.

Update: Video of the interview has now been posted on KIAH’s website. Check it out! http://www.39online.com/community/

But we weren’t done there. Members from the American Heart Association and Texas Heart Institute met with the Houston Chronicle as Houston’s largest periodical is planning a story about Houston DINEs in the near future. But in the meantime the Chronicle’s medical blog has already  written a story:

"Eating out? How many calories will you, your family or dining partners consume at the restaurant? At McDonald's, nutritional information comes on the sandwich box or wrapper — but that's after you've chosen the food and paid Ronald McDonald. And that's too late, said Meghan Allen….click here for the rest of the story.

Keep an eye out for Houston DINEs this month. Many other medical, health and fitness publications have called us requesting media interviews. If you see them, post comments here or tweet us at @HoustonDINES.

American Heart Association Launches Houston DINEs

A Dining Information & Nutrition Education Campaign to inform Houstonians about healthy eating habits while dining out

HOUSTON, Texas – The American Heart Association is pleased to announce the launch of the Houston DINEs campaign. Houston DINEs is a local education and awareness campaign to provide dining information and nutrition education to all Houstonians.

The increasing number of meals being eaten outside of the home has reached an all time high and since foods eaten away from the home are typically served in large portion sizes and are higher in energy density compared to meals eaten at home, it is extremely important that Houstonians are well informed about what they are eating.

The American Heart Association wants to empower consumers by encouraging them to ask questions about the calories they consume. This will increase the ability of consumers to make informed choices in the food and beverages they purchase in restaurants.

“Today more than ever, it is important for consumers to be informed of what they are putting into their bodies when dining out. Especially with the large percentage of meals being eaten out of the home in recent years,” said Joel Romo, Houston DINEs Community Advocate for the American Heart Association.

Research has proved that individuals who regularly consume their meals outside of the home have an increase in body weight / percentage body fat. “Adverse health consequences such as Type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity have emerged,” said Dr. James T. Willerson, President, Houston Division Board of American Heart Association. “Our nation is facing an obesity epidemic, and providing nutrition and education information to consumers while dining out can help decrease these effects,” said Willerson.

What is Houston DINEs?

THE SITUATION

Our nation is facing an increasingly dire obesity epidemic. The number of meals people eat outside of the home has reached an all-time high. Between 1977-78 and 1994-96, the percent of food consumed away from home increased from 18 percent to 32 percent of total calories.i Consumer spending on food purchased for consumption outside of the home has increased from approximately 26 percent of their total food budget in 1976 to 46 percent in 2004.ii Yet people typically underestimate the calories in the foods they eat.iii Foods eaten away from home typically are served in large portion sizes and are higher in energy density compared to food eaten at home.iv Adverse health consequences such as Type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity have emerged.v

Research has documented a positive association between eating out and body weight/percentage of body fat.vi The American Heart Association supports consumers making healthier food choices. However, to do so in restaurants requires that consumers have accurate, sufficient information provided in a usable format at the point of sale. We feel that today, more than ever, it is more important for consumers to have adequate information at point of purchase to make healthful choices.

OUR PROJECT:

“Houston DINEs” is a local education and awareness campaign to provide dining information and nutrition education to all Houstonians. The American Heart Association wants to empower consumers by encouraging them to ask questions about the calories they consume. This will increase the ability of consumers to make informed choices in the food and beverages they purchase in restaurants.

- Knowing the caloric content while dining out is important for the prevention of obesity.

- Restaurants should provide calorie information in the same way that other companies are required to provide information on the fuel-efficiency of cars, what clothes are made of, and energy and water consumption of certain home appliances.

- All restaurants should provide point-of-purchase nutrition information, which could help reduce obesity by promoting the introduction of healthier menu options.


For more information, contact:

Ar’Sheill Sinclair
Community Outreach Director
American Heart Association
South Central Affiliate
10060 Buffalo Speedway
Houston, TX 77054
(713) 610-5000
t-arsheill.sinclair@heart.org


Nancy Thorne
Community Advocate
American Heart Association
South Central Affiliate
10060 Buffalo Speedway
Houston, TX 77054
(713) 466-8683
t-nancy.thorne@heart.org

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i Guthrie JF, Lin BH, Frazao E. Role of food prepared away from home in the American diet, 1977-78 versus 1994-96; changes and consequencecs. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2002; 34:140-150.

ii Wootan M & Osborn M (2006) Availability of nutrition information from chain restaurants in the United States. American Journal of Preventative Medicine 30: 266–8.
iii Burton, S., Creyer, EH, Kees, J., Huggins, K. Attacking the obesity epidemic: the potential health benefits of providing nutrition information in restaurants. American Journal of Public Health. 2006; 96:1669-1675.
iv Nielsen SJ, Popkin BM. Patterns and trends in food portion sizes, 1977-1998. JAMA. 2003; 289; 450-453.
v Lichtenstein AH, Appel LJ, Brands M, Carnethon M, Daniels S, Franch HA, Franklin B, Kris-Etherton P, Harris WS, Howard B, Karanja N, Lefevre M, Rudel L, Sacks F, Van Horn L, Winston M, Wylie-Rosett J. Diet and lifestyle recommendations revision 2006, Circulation. 2006; 114: 82-96.
vi Wootan M & Osborn M (2006) Availability of nutrition information from chain restaurants in the United States. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 30: 266–8.