Happy Birthday M.I.S.S. Healthy Bites!
Raise up your glasses and make a toast because March is here! While I’m all giddy for Women’s History Month and all of the ladies that M.I.S.S. will be featuring, I’m equally excited because it’s Nutrition Month as well!
And….(drum roll please), it’s the column’s 1st birthday!
One year ago, M.I.S.S. understood that a woman’s lifestyle should also include healthy living so this column was launched. What started out as “Nutrition Facts” has turned into “Healthy Bites”, little morsels of ways to get on the healthy path. From nutrition to fitness and even lifestyle modifications, I’ve been delighted to give a little taste to you about how to keep your body looking good and feeling great. Every week, I get inspired by seasonal foods, current events, and the random national fill-in-the-blank days, and try to cook up something that will hopefully inspire you to do the same.
So, to celebrate, I’m going to say that it’s ok to have your cake and eat it too! During special times, you deserve something special, so there’s no need to hold yourself back. As long as overindulging in something as sweet and tantalizing as cake isn’t an everyday occurrence, then why not give yourself a little something good?
Actually, as I write this, I’m thinking of all that I have indulged in the past year. Red velvet cake on my birthday, cookies and cream ice cream cake for my daughter’s birthday, lava cake for that night on the town, and I’m sure I’m purposely forgetting about the other times I turned to sweets to celebrate. But don’t worry, if you’re not trying to give in to the temptation, even it if is for a special occasion, you can have cake that won’t make you feel as guilty.
Try these tips to bake a healthier cake:
- Add fruits or veggies. Smash up some bananas and add it to the mixture for some good flavor and more potassium to help those muscles out. Carrot cakes are usually a popular flavor, but they also can be loaded with too much sugar. Try using applesauce to sweeten the cake instead of loads of sugar, and you’ll also find it makes it moist. Fruits can make a delicious filling, so use something fresh and in season to fill in the gap between cakes.
- Pass on the frosting. For some, the frosting is what makes the cake, but if you don’t need it, don’t eat it. Try lightly dusting with powdered sugar if you need a little sweetness on the outside.
- Cut the serving in half. Sometimes, if another person serves you some cake, they can be quite generous in the serving size. Eat less than what you originally had your eye one, and you won’t be regretting it as much.
- Make it moist. Use yogurt in your mix to give it some protein and a moist texture.
- Make half your grains whole. Substitute some of the flour with whole wheat flour for more fiber for your digestive system.
I hope you have been taking a healthy bite every week, and even if you can’t commit so some of the tips, as long as you’re soaking up the information, then that’s all you need. Sometimes, with modifying something as simple yet important as your diet, it can take awhile to make it a lifestyle change.
Have you made any changes in your diet or ways of living? Please share with us so we can applaud each other on our efforts. Or, on the flip side, is there that special something that you eat to celebrate? It’s ok to divulge in what you indulge in!
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