Best of 2014

It's time to sit back, relax, and take a minute to look through the 11 best Food and Health blog posts of 2014 ...Top Post #11: Gain Control of Your Blood SugarJust in time for Diabetes Month in November, this post offered information from a top tried-and-true handout. With a guide to controlling blood sugar and keeping it from fluctuating wildly, it's hard to beat Gain Control of Your Blood Sugar when it comes to great resources for clients with diabetes. The post covered ways to start small, yet think long term, and it also featured progress tracking ideas, ways to choose healthful foods, strategies for controlling portions, and plenty of great food and exercise habits.Top Post #10: Stop Stress Eating TodayThis one lays out tons of options to help people cope with stress without overeating. By focusing on finding reasonable alternatives that have nothing to do with food, trying options that are special for them, and taking steps to manage stress, your clients can make stress eating a thing of the past. The whole guide and a free handout are available in the post Stop Stress Eating Today.Top Post #9: Holiday Vegetable WreathsThere's still time to try this creative way to add vegetables to your holiday table! The post, Holiday Vegetable Wreaths, offers a bunch of beautiful salad wreaths, including...

• Holiday Salad Wreath
• Warm Potato Salad Wreath
• Holiday Fruit Wreath

It also features an idea for cute fruit tapas, along with a free handout and a guide to the newest fruit and vegetable posters. What's not to love?Top Post #8: 12 Simple Portion Control TipsFree handout anyone? This guide to portion control will help your clients make healthful choices when it comes to balanced portions.  12 Simple Portion Control Tips also features a guide to portion control tools that will make teaching lessons about portion control easier, making them both more engaging and twice as memorable. And the tips are fun and creative. Check it out!Top Post #7: Free Resolution Calendar for the New YearWhat better way to start off the New Year than with a great calendar full of healthful habits? With built-in goal suggestions and a variety of activities, this calendar has something for everyone, and it's ready for 2015! So if this is the first you've heard of the Free Resolution Calendar for the New Year, visit the post and get your copy today!Top Post #6: Free Handout: Set Achievable GoalsWhile we're talking about starting the new year off on the right foot, it's the perfect time to mention the post Free Handout: Set Achievable Goals. This post features a guide to identifying and discarding unrealistic goals, a close look at what makes a goal both healthful and achievable, and tons of sample goals for inspiration. It's a classic.Top Post #5: Dietitian's CleanseAre your clients clamoring for cleanses? (Even though most cleanses are unhealthful and some are even dangerous)! Want an alternative to unhealthful, unbalanced cleanses? The Dietitian’s Cleanse is your answer. This approach to healthful eating is based on MyPlate and was inspired by an idea from Lenore Shamah, MS, RD, CDN. This top post offers ways to implement a cleanse that still manages to be balanced and healthful, so give it (and the free handout that comes with it) a read today.Top Post #4: 12 Salad PresentationsThis is the post that will bring new life into your salad recipes and cooking demonstrations. Take tips and tricks learned from years of advanced culinary study and a career in the restaurant industry and use them to liven up the salads that you offer your clients and family. The intended audience for 12 Salad Presentations is professionals who teach cooking demos, food service managers, dietary managers, dietitians, home economists, teachers and even aspiring culinarians. That said, anyone who wants to make a better looking dish in their kitchen would benefit too.Top Post #3: How to Make an Engaging Nutrition PosterTalk about a post that is close to my heart! Creating engaging and memorable nutrition posters is one of my very favorite things in the whole world. That's one of the reasons I wrote How to Make an Engaging Nutrition Poster, so that I could share the fun with you. The post covers ways to craft eye-catching health posters and displays, so if you haven't already tried out the techniques, now is the time!Top Post #2: USDA School Snack Guide – Smart Snack List for Parents, Teachers and School Foodservice DirectorsThis post is a doozy! It lays out the following...

• The New USDA School Snack Guidelines
• Snack Inspiration
  • Homemade
  • Packaged Snacks
• A Free Snacking Handout

Take a look today!Top Post #1: 5 Fast and Easy Cooking Demonstration IdeasIt's really no surprise that this incredible post was the most popular thing on our blog in 2014. I mean, what's not to love? The tips are simple, they're easy to implement, and offering inspired cooking demonstrations has a wide range of applications in the health education field. 5 Fast and Easy Cooking Demonstration Ideas outlines great ideas for demonstrating recipes for Banana Nut Oatmeal, Breakfast Sandwiches, Winter Green Super Soup, Carrot Ginger Salad, and Cherry Apple Skillet Pie. Each one outlines what to do a few days before the demo, then a few hours before the demo, then during the demo. It also has some tips that will make everything easier and more engaging, along with a guide to ways to take each demonstration a step or two farther.So which post was your favorite this year?Let's get ready to move into the new year! Here are some great nutrition and health education materials for 2015...