01/11/2016
Each New Year ushers in a new set of resolution usually centered on improving your health and changing up less-than-desirable eating habits. Making changes, especially when involving food, can be challenging. The key to success is to start small. Here are a few tips to get you—and your family—headed in the right direction. Before you know it, you’ll be feeling healthier and happier all the way around.
Start The Morning Right—The old adage is true: Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Research shows that beginning your day with a nutritious Breakfast rich in fiber and protein not only boosts your brain with the energy you need to face the day, but also helps you maintain a healthy weight.
Take Stock—A well-stocked refrigerator and pantry are critical to maintaining a healthy diet. Get rid of anything that’s expired or unhealthy, and then restock with more healthful staples like brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole grain cereals, dried beans, canned tuna and salmon for quick and nutritious meals. Keep containers of chopped fresh vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator to nibble between meals.
Plan Ahead—Say goodbye to the angst of having to decide what’s for dinner or making the drive-through the default by planning out your meals. You’ll save time, money and eat healthier, when the week’s meals are planned ahead and all ingredients are combined into one, easy-to-use shopping list.
Choose Budget-Friendly Superfoods— Superfoods contain higher concentrations of nutrients and relatively fewer calories per serving than other foods.
• Beans and Peas: Legumes, including kidney beans, black beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas and lentils, are an excellent source of meat-free protein, fiber, Folate and potassium. Diets highs in beans and peas may help to reduce the risk of heart disease and prevent diabetes.
• Dark Green Leafy Vegetables: Kale, spinach, Swiss chard, collard, turnip greens and mustard greens are excellent sources of fiber, Folate, Vitamins A and K and antioxidants that contribute to heart and bone health and may help to prevent some forms of cancer.
• Berries: Prized for their naturally sweet flavor, berries are also bursting with a host of healthy nutrients, including fiber; Vitamins A, C and E; calcium and potassium. The antioxidants in berries may help to reduce risk of heart disease, diabetes and some kinds of cancer.
• Broccoli and Cauliflower: Cruciferous vegetables, including Brussels sprouts and cabbage, contain powerful antioxidants that have been linked to reduced risk of several cancers. This group of vegetables is also low in calories and high in fiber and Vitamin C.
Give Comfort Foods a Makeover—Cut fat and calories, with these simple tips:
• Skip the heavy cream and “cream of” soups when making casseroles. Instead, whip up your own white sauce for a lighter, yet still creamy, base with far less fat and sodium.
• Oven-frying allows you to enjoy the crispy-crunchy texture of fried foods without the added fat. Experiment with different coatings like Panko breadcrumbs, finely chopped nuts, whole grain cereal or flaked unsweetened coconut for a tropical touch.
• Use mashed cauliflower, parsnips or turnips in place of carb-heavy potatoes as an alternate for this classic side dish. This easy strategy cuts calories while increasing fiber and nutrient.
Pile on the Veggies—The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that we all need to eat more vegetables, which are naturally low in calories and high in hunger-curbing fiber. The best strategy: Fill half your plate with vegetables rather than calorie-rich carbohydrates and meat. Add fresh or dried herbs and citrus zest or juice to veggies for extra flavor without adding extra calories.
Downsize Your Plate—If there’s one thing you can do to push your weight and health in the right direction, it’s controlling the amount of food you eat. We all tend to eat everything we put on our plates—and usually that’s way too much, especially when dining out. Remember, a standard serving of cooked meat is just 3 ounces—about the size of a deck of cards. A well portioned diet should actually leave you feeling more energetic and truly satisfy your hunger.
Go for Good Fats—While all fats (oils and butter included) contain comparable amounts of calories and total fat, the distribution of fats varies significantly. Include healthy fats such as olive and canola, in moderation. This reduce your LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol and lower your risk of developing heart disease.
Switch to Low-Fat Dairy¬—Choose skim of 1% lowfat milk, low-fat Greek yogurt, sour cream and cheese. Switch out heavy cream in soups and sauces for low-fat evaporated milk. Bonus Tip: Instead of using low-fat cheese (which don’t always melt well and often lack flavor), use a smaller amount of flavorful, full-fat cheese.
Go with (Whole) Grains—The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend making half your grains whole, so trade in refined grains, like white rice, regular pasta and white bread, for whole grains like quinoa, farro, whole-wheat couscous (once found only in specialty stores, now easily found on most grocery store shelves).
Make small gradual changes—If you’re trying to lose weight, there are plenty of diet plans, weight-loss products and miracle foods that promise to deliver quick and easy results. How do you know if a diet or product is too good to be true? Watch out for these three signs:
• Promises weight loss of more than 1 pound per week: Weight loss of ½ to 1 pound per week is a practical goal and is best for your health. Setting a goal of losing weight more quickly will be hard to achieve, leaving you feeling defeated. Set yourself up for success by starting with an attainable goal.
• Claims to change the way the body works: No one food, magical combination of foods, or supplement can change your genetic code or change the way the body processes food. Any diet that promises to “melt away fat,” or cause your body to become a “fat-burning machine” is definitely too good to be true.
• Advertises “no need to exercise:” Diet plans that promise you’ll lose weight quickly without exercise may sound appealing, but they’re taking the focus off living an overall healthy lifestyle. Exercise is a valuable tool in helping you achieve your weight-loss goals, plus it’s also good for your heart, can help maintain bone mass, and help prevent chronic diseases.
Nutritious & Delicious can help you make some of these changes in 2016. Contact us today for details at 858-449-5323 or yourchef38@ gmail.com
