Happy Hanukkah from Taste for Life!

Have a wonderful holiday celebration with this collection of delicious recipes!

On August 31, we celebrate the invention of trail mix (a.k.a. GORP: "good old raisins and peanuts.")

Developed as a healthy snack to take on hikes, these concoctions are now a favorite grab-and-go snack.

Besides watching the game and enjoying the commercials, snacking is a huge part of Super Bowl parties. In fact, Americans consume more calories during the Super Bowl than nearly any other day during the year—second only to Thanksgiving!

We all know the major culprits, says Rachel Berman, a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and published author.

One serving of nachos can add up to more than 550 calories and 30 grams of fat, while a serving of chicken wings packs in 440 calories and 26 grams of fat.

Healthy Game-Day Guidelines

Instead of mindlessly eating your way through the Big Game, try the following tips:

• Save on Saturated Fat

  • Use Substitutes

    Add more beans instead of meat to a chili recipe, look for reduced-fat cheese for nachos, and swap Greek yogurt for sour cream when making dips and spreads.

  • Swap Wings for Tenders

    Make a healthier version of chicken wings by baking chicken tenders that are lightly seasoned with your favorite spices—and serve reduced-fat blue cheese.

• Save on Refined Carbohydrates

  • Make a Vegetable Platter

    Serve a big crudités platter with interesting veggies like artichoke hearts, radishes, mushrooms, grilled asparagus, and jicama, and pair with hummus or salsa.

  • Bake Pita Chips

    Make a healthier version of chips by slicing whole-wheat pitas into wedges and then lightly toasting these in the oven.

• Save Excess Calories

  • Watch the Alcohol

    Beer, even light beer, can pack on the calories. It also can lead to mindless munching. Keep track of how much you drink and steer clear of any specialty cocktails prepared with juice or soda.

  • Avoid Grazing

    When it’s time for kick-off, relax and enjoy the celebration—but keep an eye on portion size and make a plate of food when hungry instead of grazing throughout the day.

Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and eat great dessert. Nutiva has provided us with two Thanksgiving dessert recipes that include superfoods! Celebrate Thanksgiving healthily this year.

It's that time of the year for your kitchen to be full of freshly picked apples. What do you do with so many apples? Here is a list of which apples to use for different dishes.

What Kind of Apple Should I Pick..?

• ...to Eat on Its Own?

  • Gala
  • Pink Lady
  • Honeycrisp
  • Fuji
  • Cortland
  • Cameo
  • McIntosh
  • Empire

• ...to Bake in a Pie?

  • Cortland
  • McIntosh
  • Granny Smith
  • Braeburn
  • Jonagold
  • H|oneycrisp

• ...to Make Applesauce?

  • Fuji
  • Gala
  • McIntosh
  • Cortland
  • Golden Delicious
  • Braeburn

• ...to Make Apple Butter?

  • Braeburn
  • Cortland
  • Fuji
  • Jonagold
  • Granny Smith (best when mixed with a sweeter apple)
  • McIntosh

• ...to Make Apple Juice?

  • Honeycrisp
  • Golden Delicious
  • McIntosh
  • Red Delicious
  • Gala
  • Fuji
  • Yellow Delicious

• ...to Dehydrate?

  • Honeycrisp
  • Gala
  • Fuji
  • Granny Smith
  • Pink Lady
  • Empire
  • Golden Delicious

Scroll down to learn about all of the strange foods.

Think you know everything about fast food? This list may surprise you! If these fast facts amp you up for eating in, you’ll find some healthy fast-food alternatives at the bottom.

Ten Things You Didn't Know About Fast Food

• Fast Food Chains Will Play On Your Senses

  Many major restaurants take advantage of a customer’s senses with sneaky strategies like “aroma marketing,” which boosts tempting smells of food, and specialized decor, which makes the customer subconsciously think of food with similar colors or physical qualities.

• If the Medium Meal Looks Large — It Probably Is!

  A Duke University study noted that by raising the volume of all meal sizes, fast food companies could charge more and psychologically persuade customers to buy larger meal options. Business Insider reports that, from the 1970s to today, the average order of fries has increased from two to three ounces, while the average cheeseburger grew from 5.9 to 7.3 ounces.

• International Chains Could Be Contributing Massively to Global Warming

  The Environmental Investigation Agency says U.S.-based chains McDonald’s, Starbucks, Subway, and Dunkin Donuts contribute massively to carbon emissions. According to Bloomberg, McDonald's, the world's largest user of beef contributes 53 million metric tons of carbon annually. That is more than the entire country of Norway. The EIA is calling for an agreement that stops these emissions, saying it could prevent 100 billion tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent from entering the air by 2050.

• Burgers Could Mix Meat From Multiple Cows

  In Eric Schlosser's 2001 book, Fast Food Nation, the journalist wrote that the average fast-food burger could contain meat from 12 to 100 cows. In 2014, Daily Mail reported that McDonald’s said it used a mixture of beef from different cows in burgers served at some European restaurants.

• The Average Burger Could Also Contain... Poop?

  In a Consumer Reports study of conventionally raised beef — often processed and distributed nationally by very few major U.S. companies — all 458 pounds of the tested beef contained evidence of "fecal matter contamination.” The study also found that sustainably-fed beef contained less harmful bacteria than conventionally-raised beef.

• Those Grill Marks Could Be an Illusion

  Speculators on sites including Reddit, Snopes, and Food Republic say many “grilled” meats served at major fast-food joints are pre-cooked with additives to create the appearance of grill marks, while also mimicking a grilled flavor. 

• The Average Fast-Food Eater Puts Less Importance On Healthy Menus

  A survey reported by Forbes said that while participants ranked fast-food chains based on healthy options, they said that those customers may not necessarily visit the healthier places. Instead, the fast-food fans surveyed favored qualities like fresh taste of food, a menu’s variety of foods, large portion sizes, and the meal’s “portability.”

• If You Think Sitting Down at a Chain Restaurant Is Safer, Think Again!

  A study done at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said that while the average person gained 58 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol at a sit-down dinner, those who got take-out or fast food saw an average increase of just 10 mg. Researchers collected the data from over 18,000 adults recorded by National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Although this option increases cholesterol at a slower rate, those who eat fast food regularly could still struggle similarly from weight gain and high cholesterol.

• The Ice In Your Soda Might Contain Toilet-Bowl Bacteria

  A study collected ice samples from 10 major fast food restaurant soda machines in Britain — including those of international chains like McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC — and reported that six out of 10 samples had more bacteria than the water found in the chains’ toilets. This followed a middle schooler’s science project where then-12-year old Jasmine Roberts collected toilet-bowl samples, as well as soda samples from self-serve machines and drive-thru windows at five south Florida restaurants. She found that 70% of tested ice was dirtier than its restaurant’s toilet water.

• Eating In Is Cheaper Than Fast Food

  Even with food prices on the rise due to inflation, cooking at home is still less expensive than fast food, as long as you are cooking simple recipes without a lot of fancy ingredients. 

Try these healthy recipes if you’re trying to kick the fast food habit.

Eat and feel better with these simple substitutions in your kitchen.