Healthy Junk Food: Strawberry Tart.

Do you enjoy junk food but want to start up healthier eating habits? Hearn Kirkwood can help you enjoy the best of both worlds while you improve your health on a daily basis.

We have a secret to share with you. Not all junk foods are bad for you. Yes, read that sentence again.

It is perfectly okay to indulge on healthy junk foods.

What are healthy junk foods?

Healthy junk foods could be a delicious breakfast sandwich, gourmet popcorn or frozen burritos. Why are they called healthy junk foods?

The foods are categorized as healthy junk food because the food items do not hinder your fitness efforts if you eat in moderation.

Here are some healthy junk foods you can try today:

• Candy Bars. No, we are not promoting you to eat candy bars full of nuts. Candy nut bars have the most calories and grams of fat of chocolate candy bars. What we are promoting is for you to snack on candy bars with fruit filling. The candy bars with fruit filling never have more than 250 calories or 10 grams of fat. The best candy bars are dark chocolate candy bars.

• Cookies. If you are a cookie lover, go for oatmeal cookies or Fig Newtons. These cookies have the lowest calories and grams of fat when it comes to cookies.

• Ice cream. We understand that sometimes you want the extra toppings of candy bars; gummi worms and cookies on your ice cream but the calories and grams of fat can really stack up fast. Instead, go for plain ice cream such as natural vanilla. You’ll thank yourself later when you feel healthier and confident by sacrificing those extra toppings. We highly recommend purchasing double churned ice cream. It removes artificial sweeteners and you’ll consume less calories than you would with frozen yogurt. You will know whether your ice cream is double churned ice cream when the package says slow churned or slow cold.

• Pizza. Just because you’re on a healthy diet, doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite meals such as pizza. Instead of ordering a grease filled pizza, create homemade pizzas for yourself that have a thinner crust and plenty of fresh vegetables. The average thin crust pizza has only 14 grams of fat in two slices.

• Air Popped Potato Chips. This is by far the best kind of chip you can eat to better your health. Air popped potato chips have no artificial preservatives or corn oil. They are also bulkier than standard chips to prevent you from going over and beyond the calories your body should gain in a day.

See What’s Fresh today at Hearn Kirkwood.

To contact Hearn Kirkwood call 410.712.6000 (Baltimore), 301.621.2992 (Washington DC), or visit our website!

Hearn Kirkwood is a privately held Food Service Distributor specializing in produce, meat, poultry, dairy, and seafood. We purchase 90% of our fresh produce direct from California, Florida, Texas, etc. with the balance supplied by local markets. We are located within one mile of Route 295 and I95 providing us with easy access to Baltimore, Washington and Virginia.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and  Google+ as well.

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/15/healthy-junk-food_n_3272709.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/fitness_top_ten/9_fitness_list.html

http://www.oprah.com/health/Dr-Ozs-Favorite-Healthy-Junk-Foods

Summer is a great time of year to better your diet and enhance your quality of life. One small change that can make a big difference in your life is to eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day.

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables a day is a must to maintain good health throughout your lifetime.

Vegetables and fruits can enable your body to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and maintain good blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables can also ward off certain types of cancers and improve your digestive tract processes. You can even improve your eye vision.

How many fruits and vegetables should a person have a day?

The Dietary guidelines suggest that an individual eat 5 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. That is 2.5 to 6.5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day.

The amount of fruits and vegetables you will need to maintain a healthy weight and overall health is based on the amount of calories you will need a day.

You should have plenty of leafy greens in your diet and you should consider dried fruit to eat on the go.

Here are some recommended leafy greens:

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Swiss Chard
• Mustard Greens
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Kale
• And Brussels sprouts.

What are fruits you should consider?

• Oranges
• Lemons
• Limes
• Grapefruit

Eat your fruits and vegetables and you will rarely have irritable bowel movements such as painful constipation or overly loose bowels.

If you have bad eyesight, you should eat carrots. Carrots have vitamin A that helps improve night vision. Overall fruits and vegetables can reduce your risk of eye diseases such as cataract and macular degeneration that affect people as they age.

To keep fruits and vegetables as fresh as possible, follow these instructions:

• Always have the fruits and vegetables visible to you so they won’t go bad.
• Have fruits and vegetables at every year – salads, stir-fry and fruit salads.

Here are great benefits you reap from eating fruits and vegetables:

• Your increase the fiber you have for your body everyday.
• You will be able to moderate the sugar and salt in your diet better.
• You will have more energy while feeling fuller at every meal.
• Your chances of having cavities will lower by 10.

Hearn Kirkwood also procures and provides our customers with a variety of quality perishable products at highly competitive prices.

See What’s Fresh today.

To contact Hearn Kirkwood call 410.712.6000 (Baltimore), 301.621.2992 (Washington DC), or visit our website!

Hearn Kirkwood is a privately held Food Service Distributor specializing in produce, meat, poultry, dairy, and seafood. We purchase 90% of our fresh produce direct from California, Florida, Texas, etc. with the balance supplied by local markets. We are located within one mile of Route 295 and I95 providing us with easy access to Baltimore, Washington and Virginia.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and  Google+ as well.

Source:

http://www.headtohealth.com/2011/05/7-benefits-of-eating-fresh-fruits-and-vegetables/

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vegetables-full-story/

Ginger-Lime Kale with Squash & Chickpeas

As we go into summer party season, it is more important than ever to learn how to protect yourself and party guests from food poisoning.

In the United States 1 in 6 people suffer from food poisoning every year. The most common food poison is E. coli because the food supply of Americans is from global and local food sources.

The benefit of having global and local food sources is the availability of fresh produce year round of fruits and vegetables.

Food poisoning can result in major illness and even death from eating perishable produce.

Although scientists have not discovered the precise source of food borne illness, symptoms can last 2 to 10 days on average.

Food poisoning can happen from food contamination or simply from someone handling food not washing his or hands properly prior to serving or packing food.

One of the best ways to protect one from food poisoning is to eat fresh produce as much as possible.

Most food poisoning cases come from meat such as poultry that carries salmonella or campylobacter.

When you are cooking meat, always use a food thermometer. This will help you kill harmful bacteria while keeping your meat juicy and tender.

Meat should always be well cooked or t least 160 F to remove E. coli from food.

Here are some other healthy habits of food preparation you should follow to avoid food poisoning:

• Wash fruits and vegetables with soap if they are raw fruits and vegetables. This cleaning ritual is especially important for leafy greens because they have crevasses where E. coli can hide.
• Never cut meat on the same cutting board you chop vegetables or fruits.
• Always keep ready-to-eat food products separate from raw products.
• Leftovers should be immediately refrigerated.
• Clean all cooking utensils with soap and hot water before and after handling utensils.

For guaranteed fresh produce, meat, seafood, poultry, or diary products, stop by Hearn Kirkwood.

Our food products arrive daily from California, Mexico, Texas, Florida and Maryland.

Hearn Kirkwood also procures and provides our customers with a variety of quality perishable products at highly competitive prices.

See What’s Fresh today.

To contact Hearn Kirkwood call 410.712.6000 (Baltimore), 301.621.2992 (Washington DC), or visit our website!

Hearn Kirkwood is a privately held Food Service Distributor specializing in produce, meat, poultry, dairy, and seafood. We purchase 90% of our fresh produce direct from California, Florida, Texas, etc. with the balance supplied by local markets. We are located within one mile of Route 295 and I95 providing us with easy access to Baltimore, Washington and Virginia.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and  Google+ as well.

Source:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/protect-food-poisoning/story?id=14022017&page=2

http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/080116/u-s-food-safety-protect-yourself-against-food-poisoning.htm

Are you searching for ways to speed up your metabolism? If yes, you can rev up your metabolism with a healthy eating diet. In fact, you can train your body to have a superfast metabolism.

Everyday your body starts and ends a variety of biochemical processes.

The metabolism process is when the body coverts your food fuel into energy/ glucose. This is necessary because all cells in the body need energy – the heart, the lungs, the digestive system, and even the brain need glucose.

The more labor your body has to complete, the faster your metabolism becomes. In other words, how many calories your body needs to fully function correlates with your metabolic rate.

Your metabolic rate is always fluctuating based on how fast the heart beats and the muscles you use or do not use regularly.

If you believe you can speed up your metabolic rate by starving yourself, think again. Anytime you eat less, your body will train itself to burn calories slower. This will make losing weight harder and you’ll feel less energized.

Instead, you should train your body to reduce calories with a healthy diet and weight training activities. Exercise will be essential in building up a good metabolic rate. You can take a walk, go running or ride a bike at least once a day to help boost your metabolism.

Forget the diet pills. Here is what you can eat and drink on the regular to help improve your metabolism:

• Eat a balanced breakfast every morning to boost your energy and control your appetite for the day. Have plenty of complex carbs and protein in your breakfast such as granola/ trail mix, blueberry snack bars, crackers with hummus, and more.
• Eat spicy foods. This could be anything with hot peppers like jalapeno and cayenne peppers. Spicy foods boost up your metabolism because the spicy food help the body release adrenaline that increases the amount of calories you can burn.
• Drink at least 2 cups of coffee a day can increase your metabolism by 15%,
• Drink plenty of green tea, at least 24oz a day to burn 70-100 calories a day from the antioxidants catechins.
• You should always eat more than 1200 calories a day by eating small meals every 3-4 hours. Don’t forget to get plenty of sleep (at least 7 hours).

Read up on Hearn Kirkwood’s recipes that will help boost up your metabolism – from Strawberry, Melon & Avocado Salad to Coconut-Crusted Soft-Shell Crab with Mango Chutney.

Hearn Kirkwood has a wide variety of healthy vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood and beverage selections for you. See What’s Fresh today.

To contact Hearn Kirkwood call 410.712.6000 (Baltimore), 301.621.2992 (Washington DC), or visit our website!

Hearn Kirkwood is a privately held Food Service Distributor specializing in produce, meat, poultry, dairy, and seafood. We purchase 90% of our fresh produce direct from California, Florida, Texas, etc. with the balance supplied by local markets. We are located within one mile of Route 295 and I95 providing us with easy access to Baltimore, Washington and Virginia.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and  Google+ as well.

Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/basics-to-boost-metabolism

http://www.self.com/blogs/flash/2011/07/foods-that-naturally-speed-up.html

The Earth Day is today and the perfect time to improve your healthy eating habits and do some good for the planet.

Beyond drinking water from a reusable water bottle, you can make better food decisions daily to better the planet.

One food swap you can try on Earth Day and every day is to eat organic food such as organic tomatoes. This helps the planet because it reduces the pesticides used in agricultural development.

It gets better. Organic tomatoes are excellent sources of antioxidants and vitamin C for your body. Organic fruits and vegetables also provide higher nutrient value than pesticide grown fruits and vegetables. Purchasing organic fruits and vegetables can help you save more on your grocery bill while adequately feeding your family.

Another wonderful food swap is brown rice. About 1/3 of the word’s fresh water supply goes into farming white rice. Brown rice can be farmed using less fresh water. You may want to service brown rice with quinoa and another grain such as corn is very fulfilling and healthy for the body. The same concept follows for swapping white bread for whole wheat bread. Whole wheat bread has a great source of nutrients and more satisfying fiber. Whole wheat is great for the environment because it takes less time to refine whole wheat bread than white bread.

As for meat consumption, have at least one day of the week where you go meatless. The process of making one burger is the equivalent of driving 320 miles in car. You can reduce this energy waste of food production by going meatless. One meatless day is equivalent to not driving a car for five weeks.

On the no meatless day, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits. If you have to eat meat, eat smaller portions of meat. One dish of modest portions of vegetables, fruits and a little meat will not only provide your body with plenty of fiber but also protect you from heart disease. The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the better.

If you are going to eat beef, go for grass fed beef. Grass fed beef reduces the carbon footprint of producing meat because it requires less energy than the traditional method of using grain to feed animals. Less water and pesticides are involved in grass fed beef.

Hearn Kirkwood has plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat so you can provide your family quality homemade meals and forget about getting take out or feeding them unhealthy processed meals.

Hearn Kirkwood has a wide variety of healthy vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood and beverage selections for you. See What’s Fresh today.

To contact Hearn Kirkwood call 410.712.6000 (Baltimore), 301.621.2992 (Washington DC), or visit our website!

Hearn Kirkwood is a privately held Food Service Distributor specializing in produce, meat, poultry, dairy, and seafood. We purchase 90% of our fresh produce direct from California, Florida, Texas, etc. with the balance supplied by local markets. We are located within one mile of Route 295 and I95 providing us with easy access to Baltimore, Washington and Virginia.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and  Google+ as well.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/22/earth-day-healthy-food-swaps_n_3119261.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/beyondearthday-food-health-impact.htm

Are you trying to maintain your physical fitness? If yes, you need to have plenty of fruit in your diet.

Are you trying to lose weight before summer comes? You’re not alone. With a good workout schedule and healthy diet, you can do it. Start on your weight loss by eating healthy salads that truly help you lose weight. Hearn Kirkwood is here to give you tips on creating weight loss salads.

Don’t go for restaurant or fast food salads, those salads can expand your waistline because they are full of high calorie ingredients and often come in jumbo size.

To create healthier salads that truly help you lose more weight, use oil-based salad dressing. Oil-based salad dressing includes vitamins A, D, E, and K. These are fat soluble and excellent nutrients. In other words, oil-based salad can help reduce fat around the belly.

Toss your oil-based salad dressing with vinegar to train your body to release fat. Your body will also prevent your blood sugar from peaking after meals.

Next, buy fresh, mixed greens such as romaine, radicchio, iceberg and spinach.  Toss in the herbs of basil and parsley as well to improve the flavor of your salad while providing your salad plenty of antioxidants.

If you are a fan of cheese, always use low-fat cheese in your home made salads. The low fat cheese will help you burn fat and reduce hunger pangs because cheese is a rich source of calcium.

Some delicious low-cheeses you can try today are Parmesan, creamy mozzarella and shredded cheddar.

Just because you’re eating a salad does not mean you cannot include meat. Grilled chicken or salmon with tofu or nuts will make you feel satisfied and help you release fat. We recommend only using a few ounces of meat in your salad servings.

It is perfectly healthy to use fruits and vegetables in your salad. Here are just a few delicious ones to try:

• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Colored peppers
• Broccoli
• Peas
• Artichokes
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Pears

You should have at least five fruits and vegetables everyday to help you lose weight faster.

Here are great salad making formula:

• Have at least 1 cup of mixed greens.
• Have ½ to 1 cup of fresh fruit for your salad.
• Have 1 ounce of meat or fish. If you are a vegetarian, use ¼ cups of beans.
• Serve your dressing in a side dish so you can dip your salad in the dish. This is beneficial because you will increase the flavor of your salad while consuming ¼ or more of the calories.

Healthy Salad Of The day:

To start losing weight today, try a chicken salad with mango vinaigrette. You only need the following ingredients:

• Mixed greens
• Mangoes
• Cantaloupe
• Raspberries
• Apple
• Chicken Breast
• Green onions

Place all ingredients in a bag and shake it up with mango vinaigrette. You are good to go.

Hearn Kirkwood has a wide variety of healthy vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood and beverage selections for you. See What’s Fresh today.

To contact Hearn Kirkwood call 410.712.6000 (Baltimore), 301.621.2992 (Washington DC), or visit our website!

Hearn Kirkwood is a privately held Food Service Distributor specializing in produce, meat, poultry, dairy, and seafood. We purchase 90% of our fresh produce direct from California, Florida, Texas, etc. with the balance supplied by local markets. We are located within one mile of Route 295 and I95 providing us with easy access to Baltimore, Washington and Virginia.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and  Google+ as well.

Source: http://www.rd.com/slideshows/6-surprising-salad-tricks-to-help-you-lose-more-weight/

http://www.bhg.com/recipes/healthy/cooking/make-delicious-heart-healthy-salads/

Have you spent all winter trying to tone up your body? If yes, you most likely want to keep your body toned and healthy.

You can accomplish this in the spring by juicing and consuming healthy beverages.

Juicing is a very popular trend right now and many believe it’s helping them maintain a healthy lifestyle.

But is juicing really healthier than eating fresh, whole fruits and vegetables?

Although juicing is not as healthy as eating whole fruits and vegetables, it makes it easier on individuals to get in the recommended amount of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Juicing is the process of extracting fresh fruit juice and vegetable juice from fruits and vegetables.

The juice from fruits and vegetables include the vitamins, minerals, and healthy fibers you need to maintain high energy during your day.

Juicing will help your body absorb nutrients better than eating whole fruits and vegetables. Some even believe that juicing can reduce the risk of cancer while boosting the immune system and removing toxins from the body easier. You will experience better digestion and juicing can help you lose weight more effectively.

There are so many delicious juicing recipes online that will easily help you digest your daily fruits and vegetables.

When juicing, try to keep some pulp in your juice. Juicing will help you fill fuller without all the calories.

It is highly recommended to juice in moderation. Juice fasting can help with weight loss but maintaining overall good health is more important.

Hearn Kirkwood is here to teach you how to safely juice and maintain good health today.

Hearn Kirkwood has a wide variety of healthy vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood and beverage selections for you. See What’s Fresh today.

To contact Hearn Kirkwood call 410.712.6000 (Baltimore), 301.621.2992 (Washington DC), or visit our website!

Hearn Kirkwood is a privately held Food Service Distributor specializing in produce, meat, poultry, dairy, and seafood. We purchase 90% of our fresh produce direct from California, Florida, Texas, etc. with the balance supplied by local markets. We are located within one mile of Route 295 and I95 providing us with easy access to Baltimore, Washington and Virginia.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and  Google+ as well.

Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/juicing/AN02107

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/juicing/

Source: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/953475/3-healthy-easter-desserts

On Tuesday March 26^th, it is national Spinach day. Spinach is a delicious vegetable full of nutritional value.

This article will highlight the health benefits of spinach and provide you a few quick recipes.

Spinach is a green, leafy vegetable that protects your body from many health risks such as heart disease, colon cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, and vision loss.

Spinach includes beta carotene, vitamins C, E, and K. It is considered a miracle vegetable because it improves your physical health and your temperament at the same time.

Here are some delicious spinach recipes you can try today:

Parmesan Spinach cakes. This is a great spinach appetizer that only takes 40 minutes to cook. You will need:

• Fresh spinach
•  ½ cup of skim ricotta cheese/ low fat cottage cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• Clove Garlic (minced)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon of fresh, ground pepper

Finely chop your spinach and combine your ingredients. Place the spinach mixture in muffin pans that are coated with cooking spray. The spinach should be cooked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Sesame Garlic Spinach. This dish originates from Korea. It includes spinach, dark sesame oil, garlic and toasted sesame seeds.

You should also use 1 Tbsp of sugar, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce and salt.

You should sautée the spinach and other ingredients into a sitck-free skillet on high. The sesame seeds should be toasted separately.

Don’t forget to stir in sugar and soy sauce as a final touch.

Rosemary Spinach Soup. This is an easy soup to make and goes wonderful with a sandwich or light meal. The rosemary blends flawlessly with the spinach soup. Any seasonal greens can be used for this soup.

The soup includes:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Rosemary
• ¼ Salt
• Pepper
• Diced Red Potatoes (boil for 15 minutes).
• Nutmeg
• 1 table spoon of butter
• 4 cups of chick broth/ vegetable broth/ water

Cook spinach for 10 minutes are more. Then puree it to a soup. Garnish the soup with nutmeg and top it with curtons.

Let Hearn Kirkwood help you making healthy and delicious spinach meals today such as Spinach Gruyere Quiche.

Hearn Kirkwood has a wide variety of healthy vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood and beverage selections for you. See What’s Fresh today.

To contact Hearn Kirkwood call 410.712.6000 (Baltimore), 301.621.2992 (Washington DC), or visit our website!

Hearn Kirkwood is a privately held Food Service Distributor specializing in produce, meat, poultry, dairy, and seafood. We purchase 90% of our fresh produce direct from California, Florida, Texas, etc. with the balance supplied by local markets. We are located within one mile of Route 295 and I95 providing us with easy access to Baltimore, Washington and Virginia.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Source: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/healthy_spinach_recipes

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spinach_with_sesame_and_garlic/

http://www.thenibble.com/fun/more/facts/holidays-march.asp