Just One Meal...

January is a great time to focus on your health, as we all feel that sense of renewal and a "clean slate" start-over. Rather than jumping into a strict diet that consists only of twigs & berries, why not start with JUST ONE MEAL? We eat (in theory) twenty one meals per week, right? (As an aside, if you are skipping breakfast, please start with adding IN that meal before anything else.)

I would like to suggest that you commit to having ONE vegetarian meal per week, and ONE meal that includes FISH as an entree. Vegetarian meals do not need to be bland, by the way. Picture a delicious taco salad, but with beans instead of beef or chicken. I often have the do-it-yourself version of this at home by making nachos loaded up with beans, onions, lettuce & tomatoes. Or you might try a colorful collection of veggies sautéed in olive oil and serve them over a bed of pasta or rice. I find that keeping bags of chopped onions, shredded carrots and bite-sized tomatoes minimizes my prep time and therefore makes it far more likely that I will include them in my lunch when I only have ten or fifteen minutes to prepare & eat it.

BOTTOM LINE: Make permanent changes in your diet by starting with ONE MEAL per week...and then feel free to increase that frequency as you enjoy these healthy, delicious meals!

Colorful Diet does NOT mean M&Ms!

In the rush of the holidays, are you grabbing handfuls of red and green M&Ms more than handfuls of strawberries and grapes? How can you keep up your 5-10 servings of fruits and veggies per day during the holidays?

Not surprisingly, the answer is the same as the rest of the year- PLAN AHEAD. Start your morning with a smoothie (the picture above was from our breakfast)- frozen fruits like strawberries stay the same price year-round, even though they are out of season. Do you notice the banana is over-ripe? No worries- in a smoothie, it doesn't matter!

BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT TO A PARTY, have a large healthy snack and a big glass of water. If you're not starving when you enter the party, you will be way less likely to overload on high calories offerings.

TAKE SNACKS TO WORK. Apples are still cheap and plentiful, so I take a couple to work each day, along with a small container of my nuts of choice (cashews or almonds, usually.) If I don't eat these, I will be way to tempted by chocolate-covered everything at the office!

BOTTOM LINE: This time of year more than any other challenges our time and waistlines; PLAN AHEAD and PUSH UP the vegetables, fruit and water in your day!

But It's Too EXPENSIVE to Eat Fruits & Veggies!

Okay, this is one of the top excuses I get from patients when we start talking about improving their diet, and getting them to focus on MORE fruits and vegetables. (Keep in mind, our goal is 5-10 servings per day, and a serving is what you can hold in your hand.) So back to the discussion- is the perimeter of the grocery store really more expensive than the boxed, processed junk in the middle?

Of course, if you look at the BIG picture, it's easy to see that no matter what, you are better off buying the fruits and vegetables. Diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol medicines cost a small fortune, even if you are "only" paying the co-payments. Part of the incentive to improve your health (and yes, lose weight in the process) is that MANY people can reduce or even eliminate these medications, which will save them a very significant amount of money!

In the short term, though, what is the cost? Obviously it depends on what you choose. My friend and excellent dietician, Daniela Knight, RD, recommends that her patients check out the weekly ads. "If bananas are on sale, load up on those and skip the $5 per carton blueberries that week." Lettuce, carrots, onions, apples, oranges and potatoes are typically inexpensive year-round. Frozen fruits and vegetables are packed with the same nutrients as fresh ones, yet often cost much less. Additionally, there is nothing wrong with canned vegetables or fruit, either, despite the incorrect notion that they are vastly inferior. Yes, watch for sodium in canned goods, but the nutrients are fine!

Daniela also reminds her patients that you can buy an entire BAG of potatoes for less than the cost of a bag of potato chips, which are up to $3-$4. Pre-washed, packaged vegetables like broccoli and green beans are simple to pop in the microwave, and now you've got quick AND reasonably priced veggies.

BOTTOM LINE: Fruits and vegetables are worth every penny for your health, and can save you money in BOTH the short and long term if you buy frozen, canned and seasonal fresh produce!

Shake Up Your Summer Habits!

Okay, we're nearing the end of summer- are your kids bored? Have they (or you) fallen into some poor habits? Time to take stock and be proactive! Let's start with activities.

What are you doing in your spare time? Hanging out and reading blogs? Turn off the computer (after you finish reading this, of course) and head out to your garage. In a minute or two, I'll bet you can find plenty of outdoor "toys" to get you moving. My garage had this: skates, volley balls, soccer balls, basketballs, croquet, bikes, jump rope, hula hoops, a scooter and golf clubs.

Now, what about food? Our kids realized they were falling way behind in the fruit and vegetable department, so we pulled out everything in the fridge (and a bunch from the pantry) to see what our choices were. Happily, we had the five ingredients for hummus, along with a fresh bag of baby carrots, so we whipped up that delicious snack first. The overripe bananas paired up with some frozen berries, peaches, and yogurt to provide smoothies, and we were back on track.

The next step? I asked each kid to be in charge the menu for three days this week. The rules are that we need ten servings of fruits and vegetables per day (a serving is what you hold in your hand) and that only one of the nine meals could be from a restaurant. I'll let you know next week how it went, but today was terrific!

BOTTOM LINE: Take stock of your dietary and exercise habits, and make sure you haven't fallen into the summer doldrums!