TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
• How to Start Eating Healthier
• Meal Planning Made Simple
• 10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe
• Spices and Herbs (Condiments for your foods)
How to Start Eating Healthier Simple Ways to Eat Better Today -- by Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness Writer
Most people are creatures of habit. We take comfort in knowing what we expect to eat —
even if our meals aren’t that exciting. That’s what makes eating healthier so scary sometimes.
So to eat a healthier diet means actually waking up
and paying attention to what's on your plate.
Eat Better Today
Make healthy eating a habit:
If you want to adopt healthy habits that will last, then the easiest way to do it is by making small, gradual changes. Don’t expect too much from yourself too soon—it takes about a month for any new action to become habit.
Before you start making any changes to your diet, take a week or two to observe your current eating habits. Track everything that goes in your mouth, including drinks and treats. Keeping a food journal will really open your eyes. You might not realize how bad your present eating habits are until you see an unhealthy pattern right there in black and white.
Once you see that some changes are in order,
then you're ready to take the next steps.
How to Start Eating Healthier Simple Ways to Eat Better Today -- by Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness Writer
Small changes mean big rewards:
1. VegetablesIf increasing the number of vegetables you eat each day is one of your goals, start
by finding a few different ones that you can painlessly work into your diet.
Make sure you select a variety of colors (dark green, red, orange) to get the most
nutrients per bite.
2. Fruit If you know you need to eat more fruit, start by adding some sliced bananas to your cereal in the morning. Or, fresh berries and yogurt make a nice, light breakfast or snack too.
As you adopt this new style of eating, you will find that your food preferences will gradually change—
when you cut out high-sugar, high-fat goodies, your cravings will actually go away in time.
Your body wants healthy food!
One of the biggest challenges to eating healthier is finding substitutions
for existing foods in your diet.
Here are some tips to make the transition easier…
How to Start Eating Healthier -- making substitutions for existing foods in your diet
Use mustard instead of mayo on your sandwiches. You’ll get lots of flavor with much fewer calories and fat.
Select whole wheat bread over white bread.
Eat the white meat of turkey or chicken, lower in fat than dark meat or red meat or pork.
Start using lean ground beef, pork tenderloin or fish.
How to Start Eating Healthier (continued)-- making substitutions for existing foods in your diet
Change cooking methods. Bake, grill or broil instead of
frying. Use non-stick sprays (with canola oil).
Slowly reduce the amount of soda you drink and replace it
with herbal tea. DRINK PURIFIED WATER (8 cups).
Eat a WHOLE orange instead of drinking a glass of
juice. More fiber, more filling, less calories, more
nutritious.
How to Start Eating Healthier (continued)-- making substitutions for existing foods in your diet
Put sauces and dressings on the side. You will still have the flavor but with less calories.
Switch to 2% or skim organic milk gradually.
Switch from full-fat cheeses to reduced-fat
or fat-free cheeses.
How to Start Eating Healthier (continued)-- making substitutions for existing foods in your diet
Order vegetables on the side instead of fries. Flavor them with lemon juice or herbs instead of butter.
Snack on fruit and nuts. The fiber, protein and healthy
fats sustains you to your next meal and you won’t
have the energy slump like after eating candy.
Reduce your portion size. Most people will eat whatever amount of food is in front of them, so put you’re your meals on smaller plates. You will be just as satisfied because your mind "sees" that you’re eating a full plate of food.
Meal Planning Staying organized,
saving money,
and finding the time to cook healthful meals each night
boils down to
meal planning
and a good shopping list.
Made Simple
Meal Planning Made Simple4 Steps to Plan Meals and a Healthy Grocery List
-- by Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Organizing your shopping list can smooth out your grocery shopping experience and make shopping and cooking more efficient.
Whether you’re shopping forone meal or seven, yourself or ahouse full of people, the processis the same.
The following steps will help you plan healthful meals, create an organized list, and save time and money.
Step 1: Keep a running list on the
fridge
Keep a list posted in your kitchen. When you run out of something, jot it down. This will prevent you from starting a recipe only to discover that you're out of something you need.
Meal Planning Made Simple (continued)4 Steps to Plan Meals and a Healthy Grocery List
-- by Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Step 2: Plan your meals This step should always precede
shopping. Set aside at least once a week to plan your meals.
Choose a variety of recipes. Some meals that are quick
some that need more time,
depending on your schedule.
Note:
Some people prefer to look at coupons and sale flyers during the meal planning stage so they can create meals around lower-cost ingredients.
Others prefer to plan their meals and then look for coupons or deals on the items they need to make said meals.
Decide which method works best for you.
Just make sure what you buy can be worked into your meal plan and that you're not just buying something because it's on sale.
Meal Planning Made Simple (continued)4 Steps to Plan Meals and a Healthy Grocery List
-- by Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Step 3: Gather your recipes
This will be much easier if you keep your recipes organized.
Try using a basic template for all recipes (or enter them on
SparkRecipes.com).
When you come across a greatrecipe, grab a blank template,
jot it down, and place it in a
Binder, organized by time,
season, or cuisine.
To streamline your planning process, include a grocery list on the recipe template so you can quickly see what ingredients you need to make the dish.
Meal Planning Made Simple (continued)4 Steps to Plan Meals and a Healthy Grocery List-- by Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Step 4: Create your master grocery list
Saves you time, helps you navigate the store, you avoid
walking back and forth, and it keeps your list organized.
One section list the meals you planned for the week and other section, include the groceries you need, organized by department:
produce, meats, frozen foods, dairy, beverages, herbs/spices.Download SparkPeople's Weekly Grocery Shopping List template for list-making made easy! ….
Don't forget to attach your coupons to the list
before you head to the store!
Don’t get distracted by the supermarket promotions.
Meal Planning Made Simple (continued)4 Steps to Plan Meals and a Healthy Grocery List
-- by Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Keep your pantry and refrigerator organized, storing similar items together. When every item has its place, cooking is more efficient.
Group ingredients for each recipe together
If a white bean chili is on the menu place all dry storage items (cans of beans, tomatoes, tomato paste) into a basket. You can pull out the basket and rock-n-roll in the kitchen.
The time you spend in this planning phase will more than pay off when it's time to cook, so make it a habit to start each week with a plan.
10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe
Here are some tasty, healthy ideas to help you become a professional
recipe overhauler…
10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any RecipeBoost Nutrition and Cut Calories in the Kitchen
-- By Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Before you start chopping and mixing, scan the recipe
to see if there are any unnecessary calories. (Look for excess
cheese, butter and oils, as well as sugars).
Choosing healthy foods is an important part of eating right,
but cooking them in a healthful way is another huge part.
What we add to foods makes all the difference when it comes to cooking.
Get creative and experiment in the kitchen. You may just find that you like
these new ways of cooking just as much—or even better!
There are endless ways you can boost the nutrition
and reduce the calories of almost any recipe.
10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)-- a professional recipe overhauler
Sauté—the skinny way! A couple of tablespoons of low sodium vegetable broth can be used instead of oil or butter in your stir fry or as the basis for a sauce. Adds a nice flavor to your dish as well as a little moisture—and you'll save calories.
Say no to skin. Three ounces of chicken breast meat with skin has almost 150 calories; three ounces of chicken without the skin has 50 fewer calories. Tasty as it might be, the skin contains mostly heart-unhealthy saturated fat.
You can cook with the skin on to retain moisture
(add fresh herbs or citrus zest underneath it to really bake in
some flavor), but be sure to remove the skin before you
enjoy your meal to save on calories and saturated fat.
10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)-- a professional recipe overhauler
Squeeze on the citrus. To add a powerful flavor punch with minimal added calories, use citrus on steamed veggies instead of butter or put citrus over a salad instead of a dressing.
It’s even great on fruit salad and adds some zip when squeezed onto a pasta salad. Use the flavorful zest of citrus fruits as well! Wash a lemon, orange or lime, then use a zester or grater to add the zest to dishes such as baked seafood.
10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)-- a professional recipe overhauler
Be choosy about cheese. When you choose a cheese with intense flavor, you can use less and still get the desired effect.
Try a reduced-sodium feta, sharp Cheddar or aged Parmesan next time. Light cheese
wedges, such as, Laughing Cow brand,
are useful when you're watching fat and calories, too.
Try mixing one of these soft cheeses into your scrambled eggs or noodle dishes instead of loading on the shredded mozzarella.
10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)-- a professional recipe overhauler
Go Greek. Tangy, fat-free Greek yogurt is a healthful replacement for sour cream. Try this
switch in dips or throw it in a cooked dish as a
thickening agent. You’ll save 45 calories for
each 2-tablespoon serving.
Puree your produce. Add body to soups and sauces with pureed vegetables instead of heavy cream, evaporated milk, butter or cheese. This move will also add fiber and nutrients to your dish for very few calories.
A puree of carrots will add texture to meatless spaghetti sauce, and mixing a blend of beans into a chili or soup will add flavor and thicken it — all with very few added calories.
10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)-- a professional recipe overhauler
Get cozy with cottage cheese. When a recipe calls for a significant amount of a crumbled cheese, such as feta or ricotta, substitute half the amount with reduced-fat cottage cheese to retain taste, texture, protein, and calcium while ditching some of the fat and calories. This works well for stuffed peppers and pasta dishes.
Pump up the veggies! You can easily reach the recommended five servings of fruits and veggies when you’re cooking at home.
Add chopped asparagus and mushrooms to your next omelet.
Add red peppers, (or a frozen stir fry mix), to baked casseroles.
Add any kind of beans to a pasta salad.
Include fresh or frozen spinach in pasta sauces and soups, and broccoli in your casseroles.
Veggies can compliment any dish on your menu,
adding nutrient-packed bulk to the meal for few calories.
The opportunities for adding veggies are endless
for almost any dish!
10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)-- a professional recipe overhauler
Cut the cream. When making cream-based soups, substitute fat-free half-and-half for any heavy cream. The switch gives the soups a creamy taste and velvety texture without all the saturated fat of heavy cream. This works great in pasta sauces as well.
Make your own marinade. Marinate lean meats in vinegar
and citrus combos (with a bit of oil added) rather than a
pre-made oil-based dressing. Cut the meat in strips to let the
marinade take effect. You can also try a fruit juice or wine.
These agents will still tenderize and flavor the meat, and a
mix of herbs and spices will bring out the flavor!*
*You'll also save sodium by not using the
store-bought varieties!
ITEM SPICES TO USE
Vegetables Basic, black/white pepper, garlic, onion, celery seed, mint, oregano, parsley, salt, sesame seed, thyme and lemon.
Poultry Anise, black pepper, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, celery seed, curry powder, marjoram, mustard, oregano, paprika, salt, thyme and savory.
Beef Black pepper, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, curry powder, fenugreek, horseradish, mustard, sage, salt and savory.
Fish/Shellfish Bay leaf for shellfish boils, garlic, onion, capers, lemon, dill, horseradish, marjoram, mustard, parsley, saffron, rosemary, salt, tarragon and thyme.
Pork Cinnamon, marjoram, basil, thyme, garlic, onion, salt, black pepper, fenugreek, mustard and cloves.
Eggs Chervil, dill, paprika, salt, pepper, tarragon and thyme.
Oatmeal Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt and natural flavors.
Stews/Soup Bay leaf, celery seed, chervil, garlic, onion, cumin, marjoram, mustard, oregano, paprika, parsley, saffron, salt and thyme.Vegetable, chicken broth based soups; tomato-based soups/sauces.
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE!
Condiment List Here are some recommended condiments worthy of experimentation. Use organic whenever possible,
looking for those with minimal ingredients, additives and processing.
BASIC SPICESbasil
cinnamoncumin
curry powder garam masala spice mix
garlicginger
oreganothyme
turmeric
OILSchili oil
coconut oil extra virgin olive oil
flaxseed oilhot sesame oil
infused olive oilstoasted sesame oil
Condiment List (continued)PEPPERS
black pepper in a grindercayenne
chili powderchili flakes
paprikawhite pepper
SALTS
gomasioHerbamare
sea salt
VINEGARSapple cider vinegar
balsamic vinegarred wine vinegar
umeboshi vinegar
SAUCESBragg's amino acids
hot saucesolive paste
pestosalad dressings
tamari soy saucetomato sauce
Condiment List (continued)NUTS AND SEEDS
NUT BUTTERS: tahini, cashew, almond, peanut
NUTS: pine, brazil, cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios
SEEDS: pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax (raw or toasted)
SWEETENERSagave nectar barley malt
brown rice syruphoney
maple syrup stevia
SEA VEGETABLESdulse flakesnori flakes
OTHER
chutneyscoconut milk
grated daikon radishketchup mustard
nutritional yeastParmesan cheese
picklessauerkraut
sliced red cabbagesprouts: alfalfa, sunflower, mung
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