- Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. When possible, always buy produce grown locally. Look for products grown without the use of herbicides and pesticides, or those organically grown. The point is this: fresh, fruit, veggies. Make them into meals, snacks and eat lots. Enough said.
- Whole grains are the real deal. If you're eating anything but whole, unprocessed, grains, you're doing yourself and your family a disservice. Read labels to make sure you're getting the real deal- don't trust those eye-catching things that pop out at you. If it says whole grain on the front, but has a lot of added sugar or preservatives, it's just a sheep in wolves' clothing. Avoid anything white as a rule (bread, rice, etc.) but pay attention to the fine print!
- Olive oil really IS good fat. You know those beautiful women from those countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea? Olive oil is part of the reason their skin looks so luminous. Cook with it, eat it in your salads (think oil and vinegar), dip your bread in it...it's good for you, people!
- Nuts rock! Think back to your childhood: didn't everything good have nuts in it? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pecan pie, Snickers bars...mind you, these aren't necessarily healthy but you can eat nuts in lots of good ways. Make your own trail mix with raw nuts, dried fruit and dark chocolate. Besides peanut, there are great nutter butters on the market, such as almond and macadamia nut butter. Plus, nuts are great to include in almost any dish (I saute sliced almonds in with my green beans) and add lots of protein and other nutrients as well.
- Fish isn't just brain food. It also potentially helps, according to new studies, with depression and weight loss. It's delicious and comes in so many varieties, you can please even your pickiest eater. One of my personal favorites is smoked salmon. It is easy to get, and put it on an everything bagel with organic cream cheese and capers, it will change your life! Even if you find a good brand of frozen fish, it beats most other things you could be eating.
These are just a few tips to work into your own healthy eating plan. It's easier to concentrate on adding good things to your diet so you don't focus on what you're missing. Usually, there's something better in the food realm- and it generally includes the freshest ingredients cooked with a great end result in mind. Experiment in food and life, then relish in the results.
"Avoid fruit and nuts. You are what you eat." -Jim Davis (Garfield the Cat)
No comments:
Post a Comment