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Shopping for fresh foods and preparing healthful meals for your family is often thought of as an expensive way to live. This belief has many Americans turning to fast food, which in turn contributes to our worldwide obesity epidemic. The truth is, a healthy, balanced diet doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it can be more cost effective to prepare homemade, nutritious meals than it is to go out to eat or buy pre-packaged meals, especially if you follow our 6 simple tips for eating healthy on a budget:

1. Eat less animal protein – It’s important to buy meat organic and local if possible, however this can be expensive. Try saving meat dishes for special occasions, or limit them to once or twice a week. Instead, add plenty of cheaper protein sources to your diet like eggs, tofu, or beans.

This weekend is Cinco de Mayo! It’s time to break out the sombreros and guacamole for a fiesta with family and friends. If you’re looking for a festive drink to serve this year that won’t leave you feeling guilty, we’ve got you covered. This watermelon margarita promises to be a crowd-pleasing cocktail. It’s refreshing, light and fruity with just the right kick!

Serving children at your party too? Just omit the alcohol and top off the blended drink with a splash of seltzer water for a fizzy watermelon cooler.

Watermelon Margaritas

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons large crystal salt such as Kosher Salt

• 1 lime wedge

• 3 1/2 cups cubed seeded watermelon

• 1/2 cup tequila

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 1 tablespoon Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur)

• Fresh Mint (for garnish)

Preparation

1. Place 2 teaspoons salt in a saucer. Rub the rims of 6 glasses with 1 lime wedge; spin rim of each glass in salt to coat. Set prepared glasses aside.

The appearance of our skin, hair, and nails is one of the best indicators of our overall health. But many of us spend a ton of time and money attempting to enhance our beauty from the outside in. Sure, some products can help treat some of your beauty concerns such as frizzy hair, brittle nails, or skin blemishes, but it’s not a permanent fix. According to Integrative Nutrition’s guest speaker, and integrative medicine expert, Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. the root of healthy skin, hair, and nail health is proper nutrition.

Research shows that a balanced, whole foods diet, rich in antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals such as, zinc, biotin, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, C, and B can help improve the health and appearance of your skin, hair, and nails.

Here are 6 rejuvenating foods that will enhance beauty from the inside out:

It’s no secret that the food served in most school cafeterias is not healthy. When our children are presented with options like pizza or French fries at lunch time, it’s difficult to know if they are getting enough of the nutrients they need while at school.

Here at Integrative Nutrition, we are very passionate about reforming school lunches. We’ve partnered with a number of different charities, including Wellness in the Schools, to help bring fresh food and healthy meals into school cafeterias. In fact, we recently donated to the Earth Day Network’s Healthy School Initiative to encourage greener, healthier environments in schools!

While we are still fighting for more fresh vegetables and less processed foods in cafeterias, there is another way that you can ensure that your children are eating nutritious midday meals. Packing lunch for your child doesn’t have to be too time consuming, and we’ve got some great kid-friendly healthy recipes for you to try out!