• Stop drinking regular soda.
• Drink 100% fruit juice not presweetened fruit drinks and other highly sweetened drinks – switch to orange juice instead of fruit punch.
• Eat more naturally sweet fruit.
• Keep portion sizes of sweets moderate – ½ cup of ice cream instead of a soup bowl full, 2 cookies rather than a box, or a snack-size candy bar.
• Eat unsweetened or mildly sweetened cereals; aim for options with 6 or less grams of sugar per serving.
• Eat plain yogurt and plain, unsweetened milk.

We love to try new foods. Some are great. Some don’t measure up and some become staples in our kitchen. See what you think. 

The Gaslamp District of San Diego was named in the 1860s in reference to the gas fired street lamps common in that area. Gaslamp Popcorn  adopted the name to reflect a wholesome, simpler time with popcorn that is all natural, locally grown, and popped in small batches.

Gaslamp Popcorn was relaunched this spring and can be purchased online nationwide in three flavors: Kettle Corn Sweet and Salty, Cinnamon Caramel, and White Cheddar.

We tasted the Sweet and Salty flavor. The popcorn truly tasted fresh popped and the combination of sweet and salty, where neither taste dominated, was both pleasant and interesting. A 1-ounce serving equals 2 ¼ cups with 130 calories and 2 grams of fiber. Popcorn is naturally a whole grain and gluten free.

Eat beans, live longer. In a study of people in 5 different countries, those who ate beans regularly lived the longest. For every 1 ounce of beans eaten daily, their risk of death went down 8%.

Don’t fall for this myth! Rather than sobering you up, coffee makes it harder for people to realize they are drunk. When you drink too much alcohol, you feel tired and intoxicated. When you drink alcohol and chase it with caffeine, you feel awake and competent to handle situations, such as driving. You may feel alert but your brain and body is still alcohol impaired. Alcohol promotes a calming effect for caffeine jitters leaving you feeling more relaxed but less able to think clearly. Combing the two can initiate dangerous situations such as drunk driving.

We love to try new foods. Some are great. Some don’t measure up and some become staples in our kitchen. See what you think.

We were introduced to Australis Barramundi and highlighted the fillets more than 2 years ago. The company has expanded its product line and now features frozen, steamable entrées in 7 varieties – Seafood Teriyaki, Mediterranean Seafood, Seafood Veracruz, Rosemary Parmesan, Seafood Penne, Seafood Risotto and Seafood Pomodoro.

We tasted 3 varieties. Seafood Pomodoro is a combination of barramundi and shrimp in a tomato sauce with rigatoni pasta. Seafood Veracruz is barramundi and shrimp in a zesty sauce with olives and capers and long grain rice. Seafood Penne is barramundi, shrimp and scallops with vegetables in a lobster-seasoned cream sauce. Each one was excellent. The entrees can be steamed in the microwave in the inner paper pouch and are ready in seven minutes. Or they can be heated in the oven, again in the paper pouch. Oven cooking takes 40 to 45 minutes and this cooking method, in our opinion, showed no benefit to quality or taste over the microwave. Each package is 12 ounces and the label says it serves two. For two people these servings would be very modest unless accompanied by a salad and vegetables to flesh out a meal.

One serving of Seafood Penne, half the package or 6 ounces, had 230 calories, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 14 grams of protein and 480 milligrams of sodium.

One serving of Seafood Veracruz had 150 calories, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 11 grams of protein and 420 milligrams of sodium.

One serving of Seafood Penne had 250 calories, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 grams of protein and 520 milligrams of sodium.

For those who have never tried it – what is barramundi? It is a sustainable, farmed Asian seabass, with a white flesh and mild buttery flavor that is rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fats. Australis frozen barramundi is raised in central Vietnam. The company employs controlled fish farming practices and low density stocking that eliminates the needs for antibiotics to control disease. Barramundi is mercury-free and HACCP Certified for food safety. The HACCP system is a preventive approach to food borne illness at all stages of the food production chain.

Don’t fast to feast later. Skipping meals or waiting long period to eat actually causes you to eat larger amounts of food when you finally eat. Eating small amounts more often is a better approach.

Toddlers and preschool-aged children still have tiny tummies, so it’s important to feed them portion sizes that are appropriate for their age to teach healthy eating habits.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics lists these guidelines to help feed toddlers and preschoolers appropriate portion sizes:

• Start with a small serving size — always smaller than yours — and let your child ask for more food if still hungry.
• Try a tablespoon per year of age for each food served.
• Pay attention to your child’s signs of fullness, and remove food when your child begins playing with food or becoming restless.
• Don’t push the “clean plate club,” instead teach children to stop eating when they are full

We love to try new foods. Some are great. Some don’t measure up and some become staples in our kitchen. See what you think.

The yogurt section of the dairy case seems to grow each time you visit the store. Either brands are expanding, Chobani or new brands are being introduced, Müller.

Chobani was the first brand we highlighted in New In The Market in 2010. It was at the start of the Greek yogurt craze. Greek yogurt has gone from a novelty to a grocery store staple and Chobani has grown as well. Currently, Chobani is still available as traditional Greek yogurt in both 0% fat and 2% fat varieties with an every-expanding group of flavors. Pear and Banana were introduced in early 2013.

Chobani now offers Bite – yogurt as a snack in 3.5 ounce cups. Each flavor – Fig with Orange Zest, Caramel with Pineapple, Coffee with Dark Chocolate Chips, and Raspberry with Dark Chocolate Chips – has 8 grams of protein, 100 milligrams of calcium and 100 calories. Bite became available nationally in early 2013.

In the late spring Chobani debuted Flip, pairing Greek yogurt with a flavor punch packaged as a side-car that can be easily flipped into the yogurt. Each Flip is 5.3 ounces with 150 milligrams of calcium. The calories vary by flavor.

• Vanilla Golden Crunch – 150 calories
• Strawberry Sunrise – 160 calories
• Almond Coco Loco – 230 calories
• Key Line Crumble – 170 calories
• Honey Beenana – 150 calories
• Raspberry Choco Fix – 165 calories

Chobani Champions for kids are now available in tubes (2.25 ounce) in four flavors: Rockin; Blueberry, Jammin’ Strawberry, Chillin’ Cherry and Swirlin’ Strawberry Banana. Each flavor has 70 calories and 60 milligrams of calcium.

All of the new varieties are kosher certified (OU) and contain live active cultures.

Müller a leading yogurt brand in Europe and is now being launched in the U.S. by Quaker. Three varieties are available: Müller Corner, Müller Greek Corner and Müller FrütUp.

Müller Corner comes in a two-part, 5.3-ounce container with lowfat yogurt paired with fruit toppings or a crunchy cereal mix-in. There are six flavors:

• Strawberry – 140 calories and 150 milligrams of calcium
• Blueberry – 140 calories and 150 milligrams of calcium
• Crunchy Granola – 210 calories and 200 milligrams of calcium
• Choco Balls – 210 calories and 200 milligrams of calcium
• Choco Flakes – 220 calories and 200 milligrams of calcium
• Crispy Crunch – 200 calories and 200 milligrams of calcium

Müller Greek Corner is also packaged in a two-part, 5.3-ounce container with lowfat Greek yogurt paired with toppings. There are 4 flavors:

• Caramelized Almond – 220 calories and 250 milligrams of calcium
• Strawberry – 150 calories and 250 milligrams of calcium
• Blackberry & Raspberry – 140 calories and 250 milligrams of calcium
• Honeyed Apricot – 130 calories and 250 milligrams of calcium

FrütUp has a creamy lowfat yogurt topped with a layer of fruit mousse. The 5.3-ounce container is 67% yogurt and 33% fruit mousse. There are 6 flavors.

• Peach Passion Fruit, Splendid Strawberry, and Blueberry Bliss each have 140 calories and 150 milligrams of calcium
• Radiant Raspberry, Very Cherry, and Luscious Lemon each have 150 calories and 150 milligrams of calcium

Our 3-year old taster loved the Radiant Raspberry choice and one of our adult tasters thought the Luscious Lemon was a great substitute for his beloved lemon meringue pie minus the crust.

None of the Müller yogurt flavors have preservatives or artificial sweeteners and they all contain active live yogurt cultures. All are K kosher certified by an independent rabbi.

Keep moving. You burn approximately 100 calories for every mile you walk, 170 calories for a half hour of doubles tennis, and 200 calories for a half hour of moderate aerobic exercise, such as dancing.

Walk, Walk, Walk. Or you can ride a bike, skateboard, and ski or use in-line skates. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you move each day. Researchers refer to this as active transportation or human-powered movement. As a population, the US has the lowest rate of active transportation in the world. Less than 25% of Americans walk continuously for 10 minutes in a typical week. We need to think about adding activity into our day.

Get off the bus one stop early and walk to the office. Park at the end of the parking lot and take one lap around the perimeter before shopping. Take the dog for a long walk. Push the baby in a stroller. Take the kids bide riding. Go bowling instead of the movies.

We need to make a conscious effort to get moving each day.