Health, Happiness, Hamstrings readers do I have a FABULOUS program to tell you about. Not only will this program make your life a little easier (at least in my opinion) and healthier, but the research findings are quite interesting.
As you know, from previous posts, I have been working with TheMotherhood and was thrilled to participate in a program with Healthy Choice. Healthy Choice has conducted a 30-day study where participants replaced 10 meals per week with a Healthy Choice meal for either lunch or dinner. They have found, as part of a reduced calorie diet, eating Healthy Choice prepared meals can lead to more energy and feeling healthier. Other findings from the study that peeked my interest include:
- Participants in the study lost an average of six pounds and trimmed their waistlines by about one inch. Improved the quality of their overall diets by increasing dietary fiber, reducing saturated fat intake by 50 percent and consuming 30 percent less cholesterol and sodium.
- As Americans look for ways to make simple, positive changes to their diets, incorporating a ready-to-eat, pre-portioned healthy option, such as Healthy Choice, is a simple way to be more healthy conscious, lose weight and improve quality of life.
- Portion control is key to successful weight loss. Healthy Choice takes the guess work out of this fundamental fact. With 70 varieties that are fewer than 400 calories you are provided with positive nutrients such as whole grains, fiber, protein and antioxidants.
- Brands with “healthy” in their name are held to a higher nutrition standard by the FDA. Healthy Choice is the only major brand in its category that can all 100% of its products “healthy” as defined by the FDA. This means each meal must be:
- Low in fat
- Low in saturated fat
- Controlled in sodium and cholesterol
- Supply at least 10% of the daily value for three beneficial nutrients (calcium, protein, fiber, iron, vitamin A or C)
We were then asked about three healthy choices our families have made for a healthy lifestyle. The three that we have implemented include:
- One meatless meal a week: Every week we have one meal that is all vegetarian based. One thing that has been fun about this choice is the new things we have tried. I have come to love tofu and my daughter now adores beets. When we go to the famers market I challenge myself to try one new vegetable or use a vegetable in a different way. I love asking the farmer for suggestions.
- Since the weather has finally nice my daughter and I take a walk, however long or short, after dinner. It has become a tradition and she runs to her car (the little push toy car) after she eats and chants “outside, outside” after she eats her dinner.
- We are starting to bring lunch instead of getting it out. Thank goodness for Healthy Choice. This is where this study comes in and makes my life easier.
The review:
Healthy Choice gave us the opportunity to review two Healthy Choice meals. I tried the following meals:
Golden Roasted Turkey Breast:
The meal was VERY flavorful. How fun…..Thanksgiving in May. I really liked the green beans which were perfectly cooked. Kind of silly, but I was so happy to know I had the dessert waiting. LOVED the portion control aspect of the meal. The cranberries in stuffing made me smile. On to dessert, which was tasty. It was a nice compliment to the dish especially since there were cranberries in the stuffing. I actually went and got a spoon to finish the sides of the try for the dessert. My ONLY complaint was that there was less crumble than I hoped for, but I am a berry fan so it didn’t really bother me. Best of all……………..No guilt finishing and cleanup was a BREEZE!!!!! For a busy mommy that is key.
Honey Balsamic Chicken:
I could smell the aroma immediately which made me excited to dig in. I was thrilled that ALL the veggies stayed whole including the asparagus and tomatoes. The tomatoes really impressed me that they kept their shape. The sauce was nice and thick and there was enough left to dip the potatoes in. This was a VERY flavorful dish.
I will be purchasing both of these again. Nice thing about these Healthy Choice meals is they are pretty accessible. Make sure you pick some up to day and get your self on track. I know you will be happy you did especially since Healthy Choice makes it so easy.
Enjoy this beautiful day!!!!!
~Lauren
****I was compensated by Healthy Choice and TheMotherhood to do this post****
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