Andrea Garen, Registered Dietitian
Andrea Garen
About me:
Andrea Garen is a registered dietitian and project manager for Dairy Council of California. She manages the marketing and editorial strategies for Meals Matter.org, which includes social media efforts and online tool development. She is a contributing writer to the Meals Matter.org blog and has also written and edited numerous nutrition education materials for parents and children.
As a spokesperson for Dairy Council, she speaks widely on consumer health and nutrition issues for radio, television, print and online outlets. With a Master's degree in dietetics from San Francisco State University, Garen has been invited to speak at University of California, Berkeley; University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco State University and California State University, Hayward.
As a mother of two young children, she is passionate about nutritious food and reality-based eating, which means choosing nutritious foods and preparing them in a way that makes them taste great. Sometimes that means minimal preparation and other times it means following a more detailed recipe. She believes that no foods are off limits!
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The first step to healthy eating is…well, eating. So, the food you have available and the amount of time you have to prepare meals are key factors in what you will eventually eat. Meals Matter can help you with both.
First, buy nutritious foods! Seems obvious but this is an easily overlooked component of good health. Keep it simple by selecting nutrient-rich foods. Here are some examples: milk, yogurt, oranges, apples, bananas, peas, carrots, potatoes, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, meat, chicken and fish. Many healthy meals can be prepared with basic and economical ingredients such as these.
Nutrient-rich foods have a high ratio of key nutrients to calories. The more nutrient-rich foods you can include in your diet the more balanced and healthy your overall diet will be. Read more about nutrient-rich functional foods and the benefits they offer.
Second, don’t put too much pressure on yourself…especially when it comes to cooking. If you don’t have time to prepare elaborate meals every day think of strategies for doing what you can with the time (and resources) you have. Our Food Personality Quiz can help!
Are you a Last Minute Meals or Gourmet personality? Or, are you something in between? The Food Personality Quiz helps you identify your cooking style based on the amount of time you have and the types of ingredients you purchase.
If you prefer not to spend time cooking we will recommend meals and recipes that are healthy alternatives to costly takeout meals. If you enjoy spending lots of time making more complicated meals, we have delicious and nutritious recipes that you can try.
These simple strategies of buying nutrient-rich foods and preparing meals in a way that makes sense for you will help you streamline meal planning and make healthy eating easier!
Andrea Garen, Registered Dietitian
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