If you want to beat the midafternoon slump, start first thing in the morning with a good-quality breakfast. (We lecture our kids about it, but how often do we take our own advice?) Most women should be eating about 300 to 400 calories for breakfast, and most men, about 500, says Sandon. Instead of coffee and half a Danish, try these options:
"You need carbs to get your day going," says Sandon. "The brain and muscles function best with carbohydrates to fuel them. And we know from other research that adding some protein to the carbs seems to boost concentration levels as well. You feel better, mentally and physically, when you've had a meal that combines carbs and protein."
Sufficiently fueled by breakfast, you might feel like it's OK to skip lunch or "just grab a salad" because you don't have time or are trying to lose weight. "That's a huge mistake people make at lunch -- just having a salad with lettuce and a few vegetables," says Sandon. "They don't have protein with the salad, and then again they find themselves crashing in the midafternoon."
So if you're cruising through the salad bar at lunchtime, top the greens with some diced egg, beans or chickpeas, turkey breast, or cubed chicken to give yourself that protein fix. Or smear some peanut butter on your celery sticks.
And avoid lunches that are heavy in fat; they take longer to digest and sit in your stomach, feeling heavy longer. "That gives you a sense of low energy," Sandon says. "The calories may be there to provide fuel, but the feeling of fullness leads you to feel sluggish."
But what if it's too late to prevent the energy slump? You chugged down a latte for breakfast, ate a skimpy salad for lunch, and now you're drooping over your afternoon reports. What can you do for a quick energy boost? Resist the temptation to hit the vending machines for a Diet Coke and a Snickers. Instead, try Sandon's three-part solution:
Another option: shed some light on the subject. A study published in 2006 found that brief (about 20 minutes) exposure to a bright white light increased alertness and boosted the brain's responses." Melatonin can't be produced in the presence of bright light," Breus tells WebMD. "If you know you usually feel sleepy around 2:30 or 3 p.m., go out for a walk around 2:15."
What about closing your door and taking a nap? It's tempting. "Catnaps are great -- unless you have insomnia. There's evidence now showing that the last time you were asleep affects how long it takes you to fall asleep at night," says Breus. But if you aren't struggling to sleep at night, a quick catnap can help with that energy crash midafternoon. Just don't sleep too long! The length of the nap will determine how good you feel. About 20 minutes works quite well, but much longer than that and you will wake up feeling terrible."
http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/afternoon-energy-boosters
How do you eat a nutritious diet while keeping your grocery budget low? The good news is that cheap food isn't necessarily unhealthy food. You can cut food costs by eating more meals at home, and by making sure they feature some of the healthiest foods from your supermarket - foods like whole grains, vegetables, and beans. Luckily, many of these foods cost less than $2 per package.
A 2-pound bag of brown rice, for example, sells for less than $2 and cooks up into about 20 side servings -- that's just 10 cents a serving. Talk about nutrition on the cheap! Check out the list below for more examples.
Prices may vary based on the store, location, and time of year.
1. Brown Rice
Great for: Side dishes, rice salads, fried rice, casseroles, soups, and stews.
What's a serving? 1/4cup dry rice.
Price per serving: 10 cents. A 2-pound bag costs about $1.99 (on sale) and contains 20 servings.
Nutrition info per serving: 170 calories, 2 grams fiber, and 4 grams protein.
2. Whole-Wheat or Multigrain Pasta
Great for: Hot and cold pasta dishes.
What's a serving? 2 ounces of dried pasta. A serving for most people translates into about 2 ounces of dried pasta, which means you get about 7 servings in one of these boxes or bags.
Price per serving? About 28 cents. You can get a 13-16 ounce box or bag of dried pasta for about $1.79 to $1.99 (on sale)
Nutrition info per serving: About 190 calories, 9 grams protein, and 4 grams fiber.
3. 100% Whole-Wheat Bread
Great for: Hot and cold sandwiches, bread stuffing, bread pudding, and breakfast strata.
What's a serving? 2 slices. Labels usually list a serving as 1 slice of bread (about 40 grams per slice) but for our purposes, we'll use the amount you'd use to make a sandwich: 2 slices.
Price per serving: About 31 cents. You can get a 24-ounce loaf of whole-wheat bread for about $1.99 (on sale). Each loaf has about 17 slices, or 8 servings of 2 slices each.
Nutrition info per serving (2 slices): About 180 calories, 8 grams protein, and 6 grams fiber.
4. Whole-Wheat Flour (stone-ground)
Great for: Breakfast recipes like pancakes and waffles, plusall baking recipes (use half whole wheat flour and half white flour), including breads, muffins, cakes, and cookies.
What's a serving? 1/2 cup.
Price per serving: About 6 cents. A 5-pound bag of whole-wheat flour, which sells for about $1.99 to $2.50, contains about 37 servings (1/2 cup each) of flour.
Nutrition info per serving: 180 calories, 8 grams protein, and 7 grams fiber (1.2 of which is soluble fiber).
5. Oats (Old-Fashioned or Quick)
Great for: Hot or cold cereal, granola, crumb toppings for desserts, and muffins.
What's a serving? 1/2 cup dry oats.
Price per serving: 19 cents. An 18-ounce container or oats costs around $2.29 (on sale) and each container contains about 13 servings (if 1/2-cup of dry oats is a serving).
Nutrition info per serving: 140 calories, 4 grams fiber, and 5 grams protein.
6. Frozen Vegetables
Great for: Side dishes, casseroles, and stews.
What's a serving? 1 cup
Price per serving: Around 25 cents. Frozen vegetables come in 12-ounce to 24-ounce bags that cost anywhere from $1.75 to $2.25 and contain 6-8 cups, depending on the vegetable and the size of the bag. You can buy a bag of frozen organic green beans at Trader Joe's for $1.79. A bag of petite peas will cost you $1.19, and a 16-ounce bag of frozen chopped spinach costs $1.29.
Nutrition info per serving: A 1-cup serving of frozen mixed vegetables (classic mix) has 82 calories, 6 grams fiber, 4 grams protein, 115% of the Daily Value for Vitamin A, 8% Daily Value for Vitamin C, and 7% Daily Value for potassium.
7. Potato (Russet)
Great for: Baked potatoes, breakfast potatoes, salads, casseroles, and stews.
What's a serving? 1 medium or large baked potato.
Price per serving: About 23 cents per potato. You can buy a 5-pound bag of Russet potatoes for around $2.39 (on sale), and a bag contains 11-13 potatoes.
Nutrition info per serving (one medium size potato): 168 calories, 3 grams fiber, 5 grams protein, 20% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, 10% Daily Value for Iron, and 25% Daily Value for potassium.
8. Fresh Bagged Spinach
Great for: Quick salads,egg dishes, casseroles, soups, and stews.
What's a serving? If you use it for a main-dish salad, about 4 cups makes a serving. If you saute it and add to an omelet, or use it for a side salad, about 2 cups is a serving.
Price per serving: 66 cents for a 4-cup serving; 33 cents for a 2-cup serving. A bag (9 ounces) of washed and ready spinach leaves sells for about $1.99.
Nutrition info per serving: 4-cup serving contains 20 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 160% Daily Value for vitamin A, 40% Daily Value for vitamin C, 8% Daily Value for calcium, and 40% Daily Value for folic acid.
9. Canned Refried Beans
Great for: Burritos, nachos, dips, enchiladas, or a quick side dish.
What's a serving? Each can has about 3.5 (1/2-cup) servings.
Price per serving: About 36 cents. You can buy a 15-ounce can for about $1.25 on sale. Options range from No-Fat Zesty Salsa to Vegetarian.
Nutrition info per serving: About 120 calories (for the vegetarian type), 7 grams protein, 7 grams fiber, 4% Daily Value for calcium and 15% Daily Value for Iron.
10. Canned Tuna (solid white albacore or chunk light in water)
Great for: Sandwiches, casseroles, several types of salads, and to serve with crackers.
What's a serving? A 6-ounce can contains around 2 servings
Price per serving: About 62 cents. You can buy a 6-ounce can for about $1.25, or a 12-ounce can for about $2.57.
Nutrition info per serving: About 500 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids (0.5 gram), 70 calories, and 13 grams of protein.
11. Canned or Jarred Marinara Sauce
Great for: Pasta dishes, pizza, casseroles,appetizers,Italian sandwiches, and stews.
What's a serving? 1/2 cup.
Price per serving: About 30 cents. You can buy a 28-ounce can of Tuscano Marinara sauce at Trader Joe's for $1.79.
Nutrition info per serving: A serving of Tuscano Marinara has 80 calories, 3 grams fiber, 10% Daily Value for vitamin A, and 20% for vitamin C.
12. Whole Wheat Pita Bread
Great for: Making pizzas, flatbread appetizers, and hot or cold sandwiches.
What's a serving? 1 pita pocket.
Price per serving: 25 cents. You can buy a 12-ounce package of 6 pita breads for $1.49 at Trader Joe's.
Nutrition info per serving: One of these pitas contains 130 calories, 4 grams fiber, and 5 grams of protein.
13. Nulaid Reddi Eggs (egg substitute)
Great for: Making quick omelets, or as an ingredient in fried rice. You can also blend halfegg substitute and half eggs to make quiches, frittatas,egg casseroles, andstratas.
What's a serving? 1/4 cup.
Price per serving: 25 cents. You can buy a 16-ounce carton for $1.99 at Trader Joe's and similar markets.
Nutrition info per serving: 30 calories, 6 grams protein, 10% Daily Value for vitamin B12, 6% for vitamin A, and 4% vitamins D and E.
14. Frozen Edamame (Soybeans)
Great for: Snacks and appetizers or as a side dish with your meal. If the edamame are shelled (without pods), you can easily add them to fried rice, stews, casseroles, and more.
What's a serving? 1/2 cup shelled edamame.
Price per serving: 56 cents. You can buy a 16-ounce bag of edamame in pods for $1.69 at Trader Joe's and similar markets.
Nutrition info per serving: 120 calories, 10 grams protein, 5 grams fiber, 15% Daily Value for Iron and 6% for calcium.
15. Canned Crabmeat (with 15% leg meat)
Great for: Casseroles, sandwiches, salads and as filling for omelets, quiche, enchiladas,and more.
What's a serving? 3 ounces
Price per serving: 99 cents. You can buy a 6-ounce can for $1.99.
Nutrition info per serving: 40 calories, 8 grams protein, and key nutrients like 24% Daily Value for zinc, 49% Daily Value for selenium, 103% Daily value for vitamin B12, 9% Daily value for calcium, 11% Daily Value for folate, and 400 milligrams omega-3 fatty acids.
Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, is the "Recipe Doctor" for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic and the author of numerous books on nutrition and health. Her opinions and conclusions are her own.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/cheap-healthy-15-nutritious-foods-about-2-dollars?ecd=wnl_day_102208
To MEDICAL GROUP INSURANCE SERVICES, INC:
Under the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 93A, Section 9, I hereby make written demand for relief as outlined in that statute. On or about 8/1/2008, I filed a claim via fax with your reimbursement center and this claim has been accepted by mgis. Since then the following unfair or deceptive act has continued, as I do not have my reimbursement yet and my payments to mgis are still being taken out of my paycheck. Per our FSA contract I should be reimbursed for all accepted charges in a timely manner and instead the claim filed with mgis on 8/1/2008 has to this day, 80 days later, the claim has not been paid.
This unfair or deceptive act or practice is, in my opinion, declared unlawful by Section 2 of Chapter 93A of Massachusetts General Laws. As a result of this unfair or deceptive act or practice, I suffered injury or loss of money as follows:
1. Resulting monetary penalties by other companies to me as a result of my loss of monies which mgis has refused to reimburse. The current total of penalties and fees as of today, that will not be final until I am paid, is $460.
2. Detrimental credit issues because of mgis refusing to reimburse me.
Therefore, I hereby demand the following relief:
1. Immediate termination of contract and termination of pre-tax direct debit withdrawals from my paycheck by mgis or it’s agents.
2. Reimbursement of all monies withdrawn from my check and not used by me for medical expenses.
3. Reimbursement of subsequent charges I have been forced to incur due to negligence by mgis totaling as of 10/20/08, starting 9/24/08, of $460. This amount will increase as each day passes in which I am not reimbursed.
Chapter 93A gives you the opportunity to make a good-faith response to this letter within thirty days of the date on this letter. Your failure to do so-could subject you to triple damages, attorney’s fees and costs if I decide to institute legal action.
Sincerely,
