Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Try something healthier!

When it comes to changing one's diet the excuses of "I am not cooking a separate meal for myself", "my  kids won't eat that", "my husband/wife won't eat that" and "that will be too expensive" often arise.  Well guess what?  You will all learn to adjust.  The best thing you can do for your kids is slowly adjust their diet while they are learning what is right and wrong so they don't have to change later on like you are now!  and your husband/wife...well, they are just going to have to accept it ;)
Baby steps will make it easier!  We are looking at lifestyle change, permanent change.  This isn't a fad diet, this isn't a quick fix, this is forever baby!  Sure, you can have some of your old favorites every so often, but once you adjust the norm, you will learn to like it, and as you see the positives on your health and well being you will be sold!
Brown rice!  Add some chicken stock to the water!  Experiment when you cook it...one meal add a little extra water, see how you prefer it.  It takes longer to cook so cook extra and freeze or store in the fridge if it is for the next couple of days!  Try a rice cooker!  It is a great investment to help out your brown rice!!!
Whole wheat pasta!  Last week I was going out and my husband went looking for pasta...all the white was gone!  He accepted it (he had little choice), put a little extra tomato sauce on and he and the kids enjoyed their dinner.  When I cook pasta I always throw some broccoli in with it a few minutes before it is ready.  This allows me to fill the bowl the same as I used to but the broccoli takes the place of some of the pasta and some of the calories!
Potatoes!  I fortunately LOVE Yams and sweet potatoes.  These are a much healthier and nutritious choice over white potatoes.  1/4" slices with a bit of olive oil and sea salt baked in the oven for 30-45 minutes!!!  My kids think they are eating french fries and we are all happy and healthier!  Try some of the other colored potatoes, root veggies...they are delicious cooked this way!
Chicken breast! It doesn't need to be boring and bland.  Mine is sliced into strips, mixed with some spicy brown mustard,egg whites and a little sesame oil, a little cornmeal sprinkled over, now baking in the oven.  There are so many healthy, CLEAN recipes for these basic healthy foods.  Explore the internet, explore the cook book section at the book store.  Don't focus on low fat as often sugar is used to replace the oil for flavor...sugar is not so good for us!  CLEAN eating is a good search tool.  Whole grain, vegetables, lean meats...
Try one new recipe a week.  Look for the healthy choices on sale and stock up!  If you plan ahead things don't need to be too expensive, but we do need to look at more than the immediate costs!  Better health will be MUCH cheaper in the long run.  Healthcare costs, missing work, illnesses...these are expensive problems we may be able to avoid by choosing the nutritious and sometimes a little bit more expensive options now!  Look to the future not just tomorrow when you plan your nutrition!
Check out the Beachbody site for meal plans and recipes, also the programs come with great nutrition guides!
Lets get better health coming our way!

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