Cascade Ice Visits Champaign, Illinois

by Cascade Ice on June 23, 2011

Last week Cascade Ice traveled to Champaign, Illinois to show off our line of Skinny Cocktail Mixers! Cocktails are a great way to beat the heat, but can be filled with empty calories. A single margarita can have more than 500 calories! A Cascade Ice Skinny Margarita has only 10 calories, and if you add tequila, it still only comes out to around 65 calories.

These Skinny Cocktails are a great way to cool off, relax and keep your body bathing suit ready. To watch the full clip click here.

Stay Healthy During Summer Travels

by Cascade Ice on June 20, 2011

It’s summertime, and that means summer vacations are at the top of everyone’s minds. There is nothing more satisfying than spending a few days away from home and simply relaxing. With these summer travels, staying healthy can be really difficult because it is the last thing we are thinking about. We have some great tips for staying healthy while you are on summer vacation.

If you are headed to the airport, make sure to be aware of your surroundings. Airplanes are confined spaces that have the potential to foster germs. Make sure to bring your own pillow and blanket and plenty of hand sanitizer. Airports are also filled with fast food chains, so try to eat at home beforehand. You’ll save money and empty calories.

Make sure to pack appropriately for the climate. If you are going somewhere sunny, be sure to stock up on sunscreen, and make sure to replace your bottle if it is older than a year! Always pack a sweater and umbrella, you never know when the weather can change.

It’s easy to get caught up on vaction. You are enjoying all the wonderful places to see and all the things to do. Make sure you are staying hydrated, especially if you are spending a lot of time outdoors. Staying hydrated will help you steer clear of headaches and a general sluggish feeling while you are having fun.

Eating out on vaction is almost inevitable, but you can still make it healthy. Try to have a serving of fruit or vegetables with every meal to balance out any unhealthy treats. Get some Vitamin C while you are away from home, your immune system will thank you!

Staying healthy during vacation can help you fully enjoy your vacation and will help ensure you being well rested when you arrrive home.

How do you stay healthy on vacation? Please share tips with us below!

Artichokes – Busting the Sugar Craving

by Cascade Ice on June 15, 2011

The Flavorful Life is featuring several “healthy living journey” stories from Cascade Ice fans around the country, where guest bloggers tell us their thoughts on how they face challenges and come up with new ideas to pursue better health and fitness lifestyles. The following is the latest update from Dawn Sievers of Knoxville, TN, and blogger for “The Healing Morning”

Craving sweets?  Try eating artichokes. Yes, I’m serious!  For those of you who have been following me here at The Flavorful Life, you know that I’ve been revamping a lot of bad habits in the past year.  One thing that I will admit I don’t have a problem with is sweets; they’ve just never been a trigger food for me.  I do, however, have many friends who fight that battle, so I started doing some research and stumbled across the suggestion that eating artichokes can curb the craving for sugary foods.  It turns out that artichokes are rich in insulin, a substance that increases immune defense mechanisms, helps stabilize blood sugar levels and helps to support the liver and pancreas.

What do the liver and pancreas have to do with sugar cravings?  When both organs are overloaded with sugar, they become “sluggish” and are not as efficient with their proper function, which is to process and flush toxins from the body.  Thus begins that vicious cycle we’re all familiar with – junk food-itis!

Artichokes are also chock full of health benefits, containing fiber, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and other trace elements important for a balanced system.  It can also slightly lower the blood sugar, improve the appetite and digestion, is diuretic (meaning it helps to flush excess fluid retention) and may help some migraine conditions (most especially those caused by toxins in the blood).  All that in a humble little vegetable!  Give this one a try next time the old Sugar Devil strikes and see how it works for you.

Easy Ways to Reduce Your Calorie Intake

by Cascade Ice on June 10, 2011

Summer is in full swing. Store aisles are lined with swimsuits, flip flops and sunscreen, which has given most of us the motivation to watch what we eat. Diet is definitely one of those four-letter words, but there are ways to still enjoy the things you love and be healthy. We found some great tips from The Nest to help you easily trim calories this summer:

• Use smaller plates. This will make it appear like you have a fuller plate even though you have smaller portions.
• Stop when you are full. Don’t feel the need to eat everything on your plate if you aren’t hungry, throw the rest of it in the fridge and save it for later.
• Substitute healthier options. Switch from two-percent to skim milk, skip the regular cheese and replace it with low-fat cheese and ditch whole eggs for egg whites.

All of these tips are just small steps that can seriously cut back your calorie intake. Do you have any tips for eating healthier? Share them below!