Every year we make the same promises on New Year’s Day: Exercise more, improve our minds, walk the dogs and eat less. For most of us, these resolutions don’t last past the next bad weather day, juicy tell-all book or lunch with the girls.
Truth is, it’s hard to start something and it’s really hard to stay with it. I know, I publicly promised that I would get on Facebook in 2010. It took me 10 months but I’m finally there, but without a photo or anything on my wall—what’s the use? One thing I have done over the past couple of years though is try to eat healthier.
And now, wait for it, can healthy eating really be yummy?
Judging by the preponderance of diet plans, books, CDs and websites… “you betcha!” Seriously, eating healthy can taste just as good as eating “not healthy” and we all know what those foods are, don’t we? The ones you feel guilty just thinking about.
I’m not a nutritionist and I don’t claim to have any special knowledge about food other than I love to eat. But I do try to follow some simple rules when it comes to eating better. As with anything, less can be more.
If there’s one piece of food advice I can give, it’s eat what you want. Just don’t eat it all. Then, of course, healthier eating does taste good, too. Moderation is the key.
Sage advice
Plutarch said: “It is a hard matter, my fellow citizens, to argue with the belly, since it has no ears.” Not only does the stomach have no ears, but it can’t see what you’re eating either. And, if your stomach can’t see or hear what it is you’re putting in it, then it doesn’t really have a say in what you put in it, now does it?
That said, Milton laid it out straight for us: “Govern well thy appetite, lest Sin surprise thee, and her black attendant, Death.” Sounds gruesome but true in some extreme circumstances. Or maybe it’s not that far off.
What feels good now is going to catch up with you in the long run, says Via Christi Hospitals Wichita clinical dietitian Andrea Mischke. Not eating healthy, over time, can cause an increased risk of obesity as well as other diet-related problems.
You have the advice; resolve to eat “healthy,” this year. Back to the yummy part though— how can you make that happen?
Books, websites and more
When it comes to cookbooks and health/diet books, there is a plethora to choose from. Local bookstores are great sources of wonderful books, as well as cooking demonstrations. Visit Barnes & Noble, Borders or Watermark Books at their websites for event schedules. Often, chefs and cookbook authors will be able to suggest ways to make one of their recipes less caloric or healthier without losing the essence of the dish.
Every morning show and afternoon talk show has a “diet or health” specialist who can give you nutrition tips and healthy eating advice. They also often feature chefs and cookbook authors offering ways to make meals interesting as well as less fattening. Just pick your favorite channel and set the DVR to record.
In doing a Google search for healthy eating advice I found more than 9,000,000 results for websites or links to advice on eating right. Depending on what you want specifically, you can narrow your search to provide more specific information and even tailor it to you and your family’s lifestyle. Websites offer information on everything from nutrition, diet information and calorie calculators to grocery shopping tips, exercise trackers and advice on healthy foods. If you can find it, there is probably an “App” for it to download to your phone.
You can also find information about healthy eating during pregnancy; how to feed and keep your children healthy; lifestyle adjustments for parents with busy schedules; healthy eating for mature adults staying young and vibrant into old age.
Favorite family recipes
“It’s easier to punch up (or fix) a recipe,” Mischke says, “than to create one.” And the best part of that advice is that almost anyone with basic kitchen knowledge can do it.
Almost every recipe can be made a little healthier, even if it means only replacing or reducing one ingredient. The trick is to know what works. Mischke says her recipe for pumpkin muffins (on the next page) calls for replacing some of the fat with applesauce and replacing some of the white flour with wheat flour to make it healthier.
Using egg substitutes, egg whites instead of yolks, half-and-half instead of cream and adding richness to soups and stews by caramelizing the vegetables are all ways to add flavor and not calories.
“Another thing I do often is substitute non-fat plain yogurt for sour cream in everything,” Mischke says. “My fiancé doesn’t even notice a difference.”
My advice—to add to the mix—is really simple; since I live to eat, not eat to live, I have to pick the times I will indulge and the rest of the time remember to practice moderation. It’s not easy—especially because I love bread, butter, cream and red meat. But it’s one thing I can do that makes the year’s resolutions seem like I actually accomplished something.
You can, too. Approach each meal as if it already is the best thing you’ve ever had and after a while, it will be. Low calorie and low fat doesn’t have to mean no yum!
Happy New Year!
Beth’s Top 10 eating healthy tips
• Stop drinking soda, even diet soda. The sugary taste encourages you to eat.
• Order salad without dressing or with it on the side so you can dip your fork into it before you spear a bite of the salad. Sprinkle your greens with some lemon juice and some sea salt to boost the flavors.• Water, water, water.• Have your vitamin D and calcium levels checked. Latest research has it that many adults are vitamin D deficient and if you are, you can’t absorb the calcium you need. It also suggests that calcium can be a factor in maintaining a healthy weight.
• Walk, walk, walk. If you don’t have a dog, walk something. Just get out and do it.
• Relax—don’t sweat the small stuff. If your day was an unhealthy eating day, don’t worry; there is a tomorrow to start over again.
• Cook with real butter (but not as much); eat trans-fat-free margarine.
• Chocolate is good for you. Yes Virginia, there is a chocolate god and she said you could have small amounts, even daily.
* Have a goal. Even small ones can make a difference over time. Remember: it took a long time to get to where you are; it’s going to take awhile to get to where you want to be.
• And the top 10 tip: If you don’t like it, spit it out. Just kidding! Pick your time and portion size.
Other healthy eating tips
• Eat romaine lettuce instead of iceberg; it has twice the fiber, lutein, calcium and vitamins A and C, plus some B and some trace minerals.
• Drink orange juice with your breakfast. A 6-ounce serving of OJ can lower your bad cholesterol, raise your good cholesterol and provide you with enough other benefits to be called a real “superfood.”
• Eat nuts. A small handful, while higher in calories than pretzels for a snack, can provide heart-health benefits—and they taste great.
• Use avocado instead of mayonnaise on your sandwiches. If you like them, avocados are a great way to get the feel of the richness of mayo without the fat of it. Umami—the fifth sense—is about the way food feels in your mouth and its savoriness.
• Eat sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. They taste great and are loaded with important nutrients.
• It’s O.K. to eat out or at fast food restaurants once in a while. Portion size is important, as is looking for things on the menu that are not cooked in oil or butter or fried.
