How to Keep Hot Chocolate Milk Healthy

Hot chocolate milk is a tasty treat. But can it actually be good for you? Here are some tips for keeping hot chocolate milk healthy.

Think Skim

The best thing you can do to increase the healthiness of your hot chocolate milk is to use a skim milk version. An 8 oz glass of whole chocolate milk contains 210 calories, compared with 170 calories for the same amount made with 2% fat milk and 160 for a comparable glass of skim chocolate milk. Why waste 50 calories on fat when you can have a delicious glass of skim chocolate milk that will not taste noticeably different?

Make It Yourself

Another tip to make your hot chocolate milk healthier is to mix it yourself, rather than buying it ready made. The reasoning behind this is that you can control what type of chocolate you put in, and also the amount. Begin with skim milk, and then add a bit of cocoa powder (which is low in fat) or chocolate syrup. Taste, and if it’s not sufficiently chocolaty for you, add a bit more until you reach the ideal concentration.

This is an excellent plan for mixing hot chocolate milk for children as well, because you can “wean” them off of the rich, overly chocolaty versions often sold in stores.

Hot chocolate milk is delicious and can be healthy. It’s an excellent source of calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus. With a bit of effort, you can make healthy hot chocolate milk in your own kitchen.

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How to Make a Chocolate Milk Protein Drink

Choosing the ingredients to make a chocolate milk drink with protein offers several options, though really, only two are absolutely necessary: chocolate milk and a protein substance. However, chocolate milk combined with different flavored protein powder supplements along with peanut butter, fresh or frozen fruits, and other ingredients provide those who are looking to lose weight and gain muscle a healthy meal replacement and a great post workout option.

The Process

After selecting the simple base ingredients of chocolate milk and a protein supplement of choice, the next step involves the physical mixing process. Protein supplements which come in powder form are often fast dissolving, easy to mix substances. Therefore, by adding a serving of the protein powder along with a cup of milk into some sort of bottle with a lid, one can shake the mixture until the desired thickness becomes reached. By adding more chocolate milk and less protein, the drink will lack thickness, and the opposite will leave the mixture thicker.

The Ingredients

Protein powder supplements are offered in several flavors, including the traditional chocolate and vanilla choices. Chocolate milk has a naturally sweet taste, but by adding more flavor with one of the protein supplements available at most nutrition and pharmaceutical stores, several different drink styles may be created. Over time, standard recipes for protein drinks, commonly referred to as shakes, have surfaced. Doing a search through nutrition books may lead to new ideas and personal discoveries for the perfect chocolate milk protein drink.

Quick Tips and Ideas

Try the basic combination of chocolate milk plus a chocolate flavored protein powder. Try adding peanut butter to that basic mixture after it becomes old or too boring. Experiment with different flavored protein powders, or add a fresh flavor by using the blender for a chocolate milk, chocolate protein, frozen strawberry, and ice shake. For those who are on strict diets, this one could turn out tasting like an ice cream flurry.

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How to Make Chocolate Milk Healthy and Tasty

Chocolate milk is a healthy treat whose appeal crosses generations. But many people balk at putting sugary syrup or powder into their body, even in chocolate form. If you are one of those people, here we look at how to make chocolate milk more healthy.

Choose Wisely

Chocolate milk, in general, is not an unhealthy drink. A serving of chocolate milk contains more nutrition and fewer sugars than even a single cup of apple juice. You can use little tricks to make your chocolate milk even healthier. For instance, it is up to you how much chocolate syrup or powder you put in your drink. The less syrup, the less sugar. Find out precisely how much chocolate you or your kids need to be satisfied. You may find it’s less than the recommended amount. You could also choose sugar free syrup or powder. Sugar free versions are available for most  popular chocolate mixes, including Hersheys and Nesquik.

The Milk

By now you’ve probably noticed just how many different varieties of milk you can get at the store: low fat, no fat, full fat, vitamin fortified, soy based or rice based. You can choose the best milk for your needs. Fat free, Vitamin D fortified milk can be the base of a thin but non-fattening chocolate milk. Soy or rice based milks are an excellent vegan option for chocolate milk. But remember, two percent isn’t going to do you much damage, either, and full percent milk can be a real treat for special occasions. All these milks help you get the protein, calcium and vitamins recommended by the Food and Drug Administration.

Pudding “Smoothie”

There are some non-traditional ways to make chocolate milk healthy, without store bought syrups. One way to cut the fat and calories in a serving of chocolate milk is to get out the blender. Sugar free chocolate pudding can help you whip up a thick and rich chocolate milk. That same endless “set time” that drove you mad as a child is your friend when it comes to a creamy, low calorie drink. Simply add three cups of low fat milk and a small package of sugar free chocolate pudding mix to your blender. You can add more milk or less chocolate depending on your taste. Blend with a few ice cubes, and you’ve got yourself a cool, rich chocolate drink.

Ovaltine

Then there are some very traditional ways to make your chocolate milk more healthy. Ovaltine, the chocolate milk powder so popular in the 1950s, is still around and is still packing a vitamin punch. Ovaltine powder is infused with nutrition. When combined with milk, Ovaltine offers an adult an average quarter percent of the RDA for most vitamins and minerals. This includes iron, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and harder to get minerals like zinc and copper. It does contain sugar, but no fat, and only 170 calories per glass when combined with fat free milk. All that healthy stuff does come through in the taste, but just a little. Kids usually don’t even notice. Mostly Ovaltine is just a tasty, healthy option for chocolate milk.

There are many ways to drink chocolate milk. You can choose low fat and low sugar in your ingredients, or powder that is loaded with vitamins. However you do it, let chocolate milk and all the nutrition that comes with it be a part of your healthy diet.

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Healthy Easter Dinner Ideas

The name of the game when it comes to healthy Easter Dinner fare is Springtime. Choose light and fresh spring dishes, even if it means neglecting old heavy and preserved standards.

The Meat of It

Ham is the traditional meat of choice for Easter. However, it may not be your choice for a healthy diet. There are many options to replace or modify ham in your Easter dinner. If you  love ham, try reducing the amount. A spring stew made with ham, apples and potatoes will greatly reduce the fat and sodium that ham by itself adds to your diet. Another option is to go with a less fattening meat altogether. Try roasted salmon with lemon and dill sauce, or individual game hens stuffed with wild rice for all your guests. Be creative with your holiday meats. Keep satisfaction and flavor, but lose the calories.

Vegetables Front and Center

If you’re trying to change your eating habits to a healthier model, vegetables should be a big part of that change. There is no reason meat should be the focus of your holiday meal with all the fresh and delicious vegetables available year round. Let the centerpiece of your meal be a broccoli and goat cheese souffle, or a mushroom and leek galette. Maybe a flavorful and creamy spinach quiche, made with low fat soft cheeses and half the egg yolks. The options are endless to improve the quality of your holiday meal if you think outside the traditional Easter “basket”.

The unhealthy attributes of your holiday meal come from what you make it with. Fatty meats, heavy creams and cheeses and loads of sugar for dessert all spell disaster for a healthy diet. It’s important to understand that even if these foods are what you’re used to, they aren’t necessary for a good meal. Don’t be afraid to modify, and don’t be afraid to try something entirely new. Easter dinner is what you make of it.

Original Link: http://www.3fatchicks.com/healthy-easter-dinner-ideas/

The Tastiest Vegan Protein Bars

There are many vegan protein bars on the market, but few have what it takes to rival the sugar laden non-vegan bar taste. Veganism does not allow the ingestion of any food derived from animals. This includes honey. Many vegan products take some getting used to, and often fall short when it comes to taste. Many choices come across as bland, dry, non-sweet concoctions that can easily send a vegan wannabe straight back to a conventional diet. It’s basically trial and error for each person that requires his or her own dietary likes and dislikes. There are two bars that have received high marks in the vegan community for not only taste but also consistency, texture and overall health benefits.

Organic Food Bar

This product comes in many flavors with one being vegan. It is moist, chewy, sweet and chock full of some impressive ingredients that include organic almond butter, agave nectar (derived from the blue agave plant often used in place of honey), organic dates, organic raisins, organic sesame seeds, organic sprouts and flax seed. The protein output is a whopping 14 grams (as much as two ounces of beef), 10 percent of iron and calcium and it weighs in at 300 calories. The energy from this vegan protein bar is steady and non-crashing, which basically means that you won’t spike and crash like you would from eating a bar high in sugar and fat.

Real Green Bars

This bar is a fantastic choice for on the run snacking. It is made entirely of fruits and vegetables and has a sweet, chewy taste you can simply feel as it does your body good. Incorporating broccoli, carrots and spinach with apples, strawberries and/or lemons, this bar comes in at 2 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, 400 milligrams of potassium and 14 percent of vitamin C packed into a minuscule 160 calories. This bar will surely give you a quick and easy protein energy boost.

Original Link: http://www.3fatchicks.com/the-tastiest-vegan-protein-bars/

How to Avoid Fattening Movie Snacks

There are several ways to avoid fattening movie snacks without taking away from the fantastic movie-going experience.  Unfortunately, most movie-goers don’t realize that there is even a need to do so.

1,800 calories. That’s about a day’s worth of calories for most of us, even if we’re not trying to lose weight. What else is 1,800 calories? That large buttered popcorn and soda combo at your local movie theater. Add on a box of your favorite candy for about 900 more calories plus a refill on your soda, and besides a slightly sick feeling, you’ll get almost two days’ worth of calories in less than two hours of screen time.

Just Say ‘No’

A small buttered popcorn and diet drink can’t be too bad, right? Wrong. It’s still going to set you back around 900 calories. With the average weight-loss diet promoting a 1400 to 1600 daily caloric intake, that’s more than a meal. Who can stop at a small size anyway? The next size up is always twice as big and only 50 cents more. Why is that? Because the food is cheap and awful. It costs the movie houses pennies to produce. The best strategy when entering a movie theater is to breathe in that hot buttery smell, and say to yourself, “Isn’t that nice. I’m going to save myself a bit of money and continue with my healthy lifestyle.”

If You Just Can’t Say ‘No’

For many of us, snacking our way through a good movie is part of the movie-going experience. If we don’t hear the rattle of a candy wrapper or the crunch of our popcorn in our ears, it just isn’t a trip to the movies. In this case, going to the movies should be a very occasional treat while on a mission of weight-loss. It’s also best to go just after a healthy and filling meal, so that movie snacks are just snacks and not a very bad meal replacement.

Sneak Your Own Food

Let’s face it, if movie theaters began offering healthy alternatives at their concession stands, no one would buy them. Besides the $6 bottles of water, there is usually nothing on the menu that would qualify as a light bite. There may be big signs posted at the entrance that no outside food or drinks are permitted, but for the sake of your health, be an outlaw. Smuggle in your favorite healthy snack, and then play stupid if you get caught. Also, realize that movie eating is mindless eating. It doesn’t matter much what the food tastes like so long as it’s crunchy and in little pieces. Although pretzels, cheerios and dried fruit may not quite hit the spot, it’s a good compromise when compared with the alternatives.

Become a Kid Again

If you haven’t planned your smuggling properly, or just can’t stand the thought of not hitting the concession stand for some movie snacks, a Kid’s combo is the only reasonable solution. With a small scoop of popcorn, a tiny drink and usually a little baggie of chewy fruit snacks, it’s just enough to give you that taste of the movies without completely blowing the whole thing. Be sure to opt for a diet soda, and take your little race car box of goodies proudly into the theater knowing that you’re one step closer to living life in balance.

Original Link: http://www.3fatchicks.com/how-to-avoid-fattening-movie-snacks/

Is Low Fat Chocolate Milk Bad for Your Diet?

Chocolate milk contains healthy fats, protein and low glycemic carbohydrates. Believing that the naturally sweet drink, especially in the low fat variety, hinders a healthy diet plan sounds odd after knowing the nutritional content.

Debate

Natural low fat chocolate milk with no additives and substitutes usually contains all of the same vitamins and minerals as plain or other chocolate milks in other fat content varieties. The main debate involves the sugar content of chocolate milk, and the process by which the sugars block nutrient absorption. People feel that milk serves as a calcium source, but by drinking the chocolate variety, the calcium practically becomes cancelled out because it cannot be absorbed. Others believe sugars in chocolate milk generally add more calories. The bottom line of the milk debate relates to the other foods consumed in a diet. One food choice does not make or break a diet, but rather slightly or majorly hinders the effectiveness of the diet on the human body.

Consideration

A glass of low fat chocolate milk has valuable nutrients, along with a sweet taste that attracts many people to drink it frequently. Consider limiting the consumption of the drink if your diet targets weight loss. The frequent consumption of any product moderately high in sugars can impair the effects of the rest of an otherwise smart diet. On the other hand, one glass of chocolate milk as a treat, or as the base of a healthy protein shake, will never completely reverse the effects of a good diet, regardless of the physical goal.

Original Link: http://www.3fatchicks.com/is-low-fat-chocolate-milk-bad-for-your-diet/