Butternut Chicken Stew

This is the perfect meal to warm up this season. Winter squash of any kind—butternut, acorn, kabocha, delicata—is a great complex carbohydrate to include in our diet. For one cup of butternut squash, you get about 3g of fiber, 16g of carbs and a great source of vitamin A and vitamin C at 63 calories. That’s a lot of nutrition for that much energy! Winter squash is also lower carb than potatoes for the same serving size, but it has a similar texture, making it a great choice for those who are watching their blood sugar. —Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, community nutrition educator, Tevis Center for Wellness 

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Mediterranean Salad

It’s a new year, and we’re all looking for a fresh (and refreshing) start! Nothing is quite as refreshing as a crispy crunchy cold wedge salad with a healthy twist. Blue cheese dressing is tasty, but it’s typically made with heavy cream and mayonnaise, making it high in saturated fat and not the most physically nourishing choice. This recipe has a Mediterranean alternative, made with heart-healthy olive oil and tahini.

The Mediterranean diet is known for its many health benefits, such as its anti-inflammatory qualities and positive effects regarding heart health and even cognitive well-being. If you’re looking for some easy nutrition guidelines to start 2024, Mediterranean is a good place to go.

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Healthy Choices for the Holiday Season

When the cold weather comes whooshing in, suddenly there are endless cookies, cakes, candies and mouth-watering traditional foods in abundance all around us. Sometimes it can be difficult to make healthy choices or stick to a plan.

Here are four tips to help guide you through this holiday season:
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Mindful Eating Through the Holidays

In a normal year, stress, depression and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to weight gain. Unfortunately, this year’s events may make it more difficult to maintain health. During the holidays, high caloric foods and drinks are readily available, so how can we be mindful of our intake to prevent weight gain?

Here are five ways to stay focused:

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Chocolate & Healthy Eating

My friend gave me a plaque that read, “Chocolate comes from cocoa, which comes out of a tree. That makes it a plant. Therefore, chocolate counts as a salad.”

While that may be a stretch, it begs the question … how does chocolate fit into a healthy eating plan?

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