Nutrition
Good nutrition is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Here are some resources to help you learn more about making healthy choices.
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In The Kitchen with LiveWELL
LiveWELL presents, In The Kitchen with LiveWELL, a series where your LiveWELL team shares new and different recipes. Each cookbook PDF shared below includes the recipes and links to the videos. All recipe videos can be viewed on the LiveWELL Nutrition playlist on YouTube
View the 2024 Digital Cookbook (updated October 2024)
Printable Cookbook Recipes
LiveWELL Presents: A Taste of African Heritage
A Taste of African Heritage is a six-week virtual cooking and nutrition class that celebrates the healthy, vibrant, plant-based food traditions from across the African Diaspora (the dispersion from their original homeland). Participants expand their knowledge of nutrition and learn simple cooking techniques for healthy living based on delicious African Heritage food traditions.
- Learning more about African heritage and culinary history
- Add more flavor and nutrition to your life
- Get healthier and join a virtual cooking club with teammates across the enterprise
- Learn how to cook easy, plant-based meals
- Connect with other participants on a private Yammer community
June 19 through July 24, 2024 | Wednesdays | 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.
Registration will be available here
Watch overview video with cooking demo
Intuitive Eating
Discover the 10 principles to develop a healthy relationship with food. Learn how to listen to your body, reduce weight stigma and stop body shaming to accept that healthy bodies come in all sizes. By using a mindful approach to food and eating, you will be encouraged to end unhealthy weight control behaviors, develop a positive body image and stop feeling distressed around food. The Intuitive Eating series is a six-week course offered several times throughout the year. Note: the fourth edition book and workbook are recommended for the class but not required to enroll.
Registration available here
Intuitive Eating Fall 2024
September 25 through October 30 | Wednesdays | 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Healthy Food Environment
All teammates can help support a healthy food environment. Consider these Atrium Health guidelines when planning to order food for your next event.
- Offer at least one serving of vegetables or fruit with every meal.
- Offer modest portion sizes. Large items, such as sandwiches and pizza, should be cut
in small portions.
- Avoid serving fried food options.
- Provide whole grain options when offering grain foods such as bread, pasta and side dishes.
- Water is the best beverage choice. Carafes of water, rather than bottled water, is the green choice. If a sweetened beverage is offered, provide at least one non-calorie beverage.
- Consider fruit in place of traditional desserts. When offered, desserts should be small servings.
- Provide vegetarian or vegan options if requested by attendees.
Atrium Health has worked with our vendors to ensure that healthier options like unsweetened beverages, low-fat and low-sugar snacks are available in each machine. These items are usually indicated by a green check mark. When in doubt, here are some healthier options to look for:
- Baked chips, Chex mix, pretzels and multi-grain snacks
- Healthy snack bars that are high in fiber and protein and low in sugar
- Dried or canned fruit
- Dry roasted nuts
- Trail mix
- Low-fat popcorn
- Water or other low/no-calorie beverages of your choice
Fill Up on Fiber
Eating the right amount of fiber has been shown to have a range of health benefits. Use these tips to add more fiber to your diet. Remember to gradually increase fiber intake and drink six to eight glasses of water per day.
- Bulk up breakfast.
Add high fiber berries like raspberries or blackberries to your breakfast. Serve whole grain breakfast cereals or oatmeal with nuts and seeds.
- Lean on Legumes.
Include legumes such as beans, peas, or lentils in soups, stews, salads and more.
- Make snacks count.
Snack on fresh fruits, raw vegetables, whole grain crackers with hummus, nuts, dried fruits or plain air-popped popcorn.
- Make at least half your grains whole grains.
Swap white bread for whole wheat bread, white tortillas for whole grain tortillas and white rice for brown rice. Try oats, quinoa, farro, and other whole grains.
- Try meatless meals.
Serve a meatless meal once per week that focuses on plant-based proteins instead of animal protein. Plant-based protein sources include beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.
- Give your foods a fiber boost.
Try adding wheat bran, flaxseed, hempseeds, or chia seeds to yogurt, applesauce, meatloaf, casseroles, baked goods, soups, cottage cheese, and more.
- Eat five or more.
Aim to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
Planning Meals on a Budget
Here are some tips for how you can eat healthy on a budget.
- Plan Meals
Planning meals for the week ahead of time helps reduce last minute and convenience purchases like take out and fast food. Use your meal plan to create a weekly grocery list. This will help you stick to your budget and avoid impulse buys from end of aisle displays and the check-out line.
- Shop Store Brands
Store brands are usually just as good as name brands at a fraction of the price.
- Use Coupons and Shop for Special Deals
Clip coupons from weekly mailers, use store apps or go online to see what deals are available. For shelf stable and freezable items, consider purchasing extra at the lower price and storing it for later use.
- Shop Seasonal and Local Produce
Fruits and vegetables that are in season usually cost less and purchasing directly from growers at a farmer’s market can reduce the price even further.
- Start a Garden
You can’t get more local than your own backyard, easily grow staples like tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and fresh herbs. If you have limited space, consider a container garden using flowerpots.
- Buy in Bulk
Bulk food items are usually lower in price because they avoid the cost of excess packaging and marketing.
Additional Nutrition Resources
