The Wonderful World of Lemons

Lemons are nature's sour patches.

Sometimes we tend to forget the health benefits that our sour friends have as well as the many recipes we can make with this citrus fruit.

Some Health Benefits of Lemons:

• Helps with the digestive system. 
• Drinking a glass of warm lemon water after a big meal will help in digestion because of lemons act as a natural cleanser of the body. So next time you go a little to far on your cheat day, make sure to have a big mug full of warm lemon water.

• Provides a great number of vital vitamins.
• Lemons are a great source of Vitamin C which are known to help fight against the formation of cancer. 

• Aids in clearing up complexion.
• The wonderful Vitamin C that is present in lemons also aid in the formation of collagen which is an important part of your skin. Drinking a warm glass or lemon water also helps with this aspect.

• Helps with the consumption of Iron.
• Vitamin C helps the body to absorb Iron easily.

Quick Tips: Squeeze lemons on anything from spinach to tilapia to even grilled steak to get an extra boost of Vitamin C and Flavor!

Eating Healthy in the Cafeteria

In the spirit of school starting, I thought it would be a great time to discuss cafe food. We all know it, freshman year we all loved it, sophomore year we all hated it, and junior and senior year we all missed it when we moved off of campus (only because it was free).

We all know cafe food is not always the most appetizing or the most healthiest, but we continue to indulge anyway. We just trick ourselves into thinking our greasy pizza slice with a side of even greasier deep fried french fries and large root beer float (all in which we get 2nds and 3rds) are just apart of the normal college diet.

But, not to worry! I’m going to give you some healthy eating tips I used to follow when I would go eat in the cafe. If you want to prevent that freshman 15 from turning into sophomore 20, just follow along.

Tip 1: I would only allow myself to drink one glass of juice each day. This was a way to ensure that I drank tons of water rather than indulging in the unlimited flow of Hawaiian Punch.

Tip 2: I would go for the grilled options instead of fried. For obvious reasons, grilled is always healthier than fried. (I’m not counting my pile of french fries or those days where fried shrimp was being served and I would get 2nds. Don’t judge, I’m a work in progress.)

Tip 3: I limited myself to dessert only on the weekends. With the unlimited amount of dessert from donuts, ice cream, cake, cupcakes, and more it's hard not to go overboard, which is why I had to put a limit on these sugary things.

Tip 4: I aimed at eating two out of three meals from the salad bar. The salad bar had multiple salad options from the base to the toppings as well as different soup options.

Tip 5: I made sure to practice portion control. You have to be careful not to always go back for that fifth plate of nachos or a plate stacked to the ceiling just because you can.

Tip 6: I always went for the whole grain, low fat, gluten free options. Most universities offer these options in their cafeterias due to their diversified student body.

I know it's hard to stay strong when their is a smargage board of unlimited food just waiting for you, but remember not to overindulge and you’ll be just fine! We will get through the cafeteria temptations together.

-LisaLenora

The Health Benefits of Being a Dancer

Since I was 4 years old, I have been a dancer. It is something that I enjoy and take very seriously. I have been trained in ballet, tap, and my favorite styles of dancing, hip hop and jazz. I have always danced because of my passion and love of self expression through the art, but I never thought much about the health benefits. As I sat back and talked to my current, college dance team at Michigan State University, I realized there are many health benefits that comes with the art/sport.

First off, you should know you don’t have to be a trained dancer to get enjoy the benefits of dancing.

1. Dancing can help you lose weight. Dancing requires the movement of your entire body in different ways. By constantly moving around, you are exercising your body and in turn, burning calories.

2. Dancing helps with your balance and posture. Almost every move, especially in ballet, requires good posture and constant movement. There are also stretched that dancers do specifically geared toward improving balance. This in return will help your posture and balance even when you are out of the dance studio. I have many people ask me if I am a dancer because I have great posture.

3. Dancing increases muscular strength. There are various dance moves that works the muscles repeatedly and helps build them.

4. Dancing increases flexibility. There are multiple stretches that dancers do to prepare themselves for shows. These stretches over time can credibly increase flexibility.

5. Dance improves the condition of the heart. Dancing can raise your heart and breathing rates because it is is very active. It increases your heart’s exercising by using burning calories.

6. Dance helps you sleep better. During a vigorous session of dancing, your body is being exercised and getting tired out, in return you will sleep great while your body is resting!

Now that you know some of the benefits of dancing, make sure you go out there and explore dance class options. And if you attend Michigan State University, make sure to check out MSU Urban Dreams Dance Team!

-LisaLenora

Guilt Free Midnight Snacks

We’ve all been there. Laying in our beds Friday night watching Golden Girls reruns, when suddenly the clock strikes midnight! And as if we are under some type of curse, we began craving all types of junk food to go along with out tv binge. Most of the time when this happens, we are just eating because we’re bored or we see a food commercial that tricks us into thinking we are hungry. If you’re anything like me sometimes you can fight off the curse of the midnight snack and sometimes you ransack your kitchen for anything edible.

Since us college folk don’t have our parents in our apartment/dorm to tell us “you don’t need to eat this late!” It can be hard to indulge at midnight while staying discipline.

Here are a couple of snacks that you can enjoy while binge watching netflix at midnight without feeling guilt (in moderation of course).

• Frozen grapes (they taste just like candy!)
• Greek yogurt, fruit, and honey
• Whole wheat tortilla chips and salsa
• Baked sweet potato drizzled with honey
• Veggies and homemade ranch from greek yogurt
• Mini tuna or turkey and cheese whole wheat cracker sandwiches
• Butterless popcorn seasoned with garlic (or your favorite low sodium seasonings)
• Pretzel sticks
• Dark chocolate bar (75% cocoa or more)
• Sliced cucumbers and season salt
• Carrots and hummus (any vegetable goes great with hummus)
• Bowl of Kashi or any healthy brand of cereal and almond milk
• Almonds, salt-less peanuts, sunflower seeds, and or pumpkin seeds

-Lisa Lenora

Healthy Microwaveable Frozen Food Under 350 Calories

While its always great to know we have the cafeteria to rely on, sometimes we just aren’t feeling the food being served today.

Luckily for us college students, there are frozen, microwave friendly meals that we can stock up on in our dorms.

These are not your normal, boring, unappetizing tv dinners.

Not only are these meal delicious, but they are healthy! Here are a list of dorm room friendly frozen meals. (Prices according to Walmart in Lansing, Michigan)

BREAKFAST

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Ham and Cheese Scramble

180 calories

$2.82

Special K Flatbread Breakfast Sandwich (Egg with Vegetables and Pepper Jack Cheese)

180 calories

$5.28 for 4 sandwiches

Amy’s Tofu Scramble with Hash Browns and Vegetables

320 calories

$3.52

Jimmy Dean Delights Turkey Sausage Breakfast Bowl

240 calories

$2.48

Special K Flatbread Breakfast Sandwich (Ham, Egg, and Pepper Jack Cheese)

200 calories

$5.28 for 4 sandwiches

DINNER

Lean Cusine Tortilla Crusted Fish

300 calories

$2.50

Lean Cuisin Cheese Ravioli

250 calories

$2.00

Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Cheese

340 Calories

$2.00

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Chicken and Potatoes

250 calories

$2.50

Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Enchiladas Sulza

290 calories

$2.00

Lean Cuisine Alfredo Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

290 calories

$2.00

Healthy Choice Lemon Pepper Fish

310 calories

$2.50

Now its your turn to explore the frozen food section. Go ahead, young one spread your wings and fly into the world of microwavable goodies.

-LisaLenora

Bubble Soccer with Lettuce Live Well in Lansing

If you attended our Bubble Soccer game last Sunday, August 9, then most likely you just experienced the best day of your life!

And if you didn't attend, its probably because you don't know what bubble soccer is. But not to worry, that's what we're here for!

According to bubble-soccer.us, the sport is "very beneficial for health, because heart and lung function greatly increased wear on the action after loading large bubble soccer ball will be awkward, so in order to be sensitive to dodge and shoot the ball to score, these actions will need to spend more than usual energy and endurance"

It is also said that you can burn up to 476 calories per hour, according to coach.ninemsn.com.

You are also well protected within the suit, do no fear of getting hurt. Of course, you cannot at ANY TIME take off your suit while on the field. (But you will look hilarious!)

Our bubble soccer event went great! It was held at Hope Sports Complex, in Lansing. 

We had about 170 people attend, both children and adults. We played soccer 5 vs. 5 and our entire bodies, except for our legs were safely enclosed by a large inflatable ball.

In case you missed out on this event, there is no need to cry. You can go on nationalbubblesoccer.com and find a team in the city nearest to you. Also make sure to check out lettucelivewell.org for more fun, healthy events coming up.

Healthy Uses for Greek Yogurt

We have all been seeing and hearing about the wonders of Greek yogurt on tv and from friends. If you're anything like myself, you want to know what's all the commotion about.

Here are some of the health benefits of Greek yogurt according to usnews.com:

• Helps with the digestive system because of the probiotics it contains.
• Helps control high blood pressure because it is a source of many vitamins believed to help.
• Helps with weight management because it's high in protein and causes you to feel more full.
• Helps with bone health because it provides ton of calcium, protein, magnesium, and potassium.

Once I found out the glorious wonders of Greek yogurt I decided to look into all the ways I can use it. You can easily replace mayo with it as well as use it in these recipes:

Marinade for vegetables, seafood, and meat:

1 ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of chili powder

2 tablespoon of garlic powder

2 teaspoons of Ms. Dash Seasoning

2 teaspoons of salt

Ranch dressing:

1 cup of plain Greek yogurt

1 pack of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning

Alfredo sauce:

¾ cup of plain greek yogurt

1 ½ teaspoon of garlic powder

2 tablespoons of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter

½ cup of milk

½ cup of parmesan cheese

Honey fruit yogurt:

1 cup of plain Greek yogurt

½ cup of honey

½ cup of your favorite fruit