March is National Nutrition Month! It's the perfect time to take stock of your family's eating habits and set some new healthy goals.
Encourage your whole crew to eat better and make smarter food choices by mastering my top 10 strategies for success.
1. Make dining IN your default. Make the bulk of your meals in your own kitchen. You’ll have more control over portions and the quality of food your family eats.
2. Engage your kids in the kitchen. Children develop a greater appreciation for healthy, fresh food and tend to be more open to trying new foods when they are involved in the meal’s creation.
3. Stock up on the right ingredients. Fill your fridge and pantry with healthy “convenience foods” like frozen vegetables, whole-grain pasta, quick-cooking brown rice, canned beans, and lean ground turkey. With a fully-stocked kitchen at your disposal, it’s easy to throw together a nutritious meal in a flash.
4. Invest in time-saving kitchen tools. Slash prep time by outfitting your kitchen with practical gadgets like a hand-operated produce chopper, food processer, and sharp knives.
5. Go "light" on dairy. Buy reduced-fat or non-fat (skim) versions of your family’s favorite dairy products, like milk, yogurt, and cheese, for the house. This gives you leeway to enjoy occasional full-fat versions when you’re dining out.
6. Ditch liquid calories. Eliminate caloric, sugary beverages like soda, sweetened waters, and fruit drinks from your family’s diet. Instead, make water or naturally flavored seltzer the default beverage at mealtime.
7. Delay dessert. Instead of serving dessert immediately after dinner, wait at least 30 minutes after the meal is completed. This way, your kids are less likely to rush through dinner in anticipation of sweets. Plus, this strategy leaves less time before bed for additional PM snacking.
8. Bring on the veggies! Start dinner with a vegetable or green salad every night. For pickier palates, try sweet red bell pepper strips, juicy grape tomatoes, crisp sugar snap peas, or brightly-colored baby carrots. A fiber-rich first course will help everyone fill up so everyone’s less inclined to overeat at the main meal.
9. Pre-plan healthy menus. Plan and shop for a whole week’s worth of meals in advance. This will help you cut back on last-minute trips for fast food or unhealthy restaurant take-out.
10. Make the TV room a “no eating zone." Eating while you’re distracted by your favorite shows often leads to mindless munching. Of course, feel free to snack on vegetables while you watch—they’re the one and only exception!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Butternut Squash: A Winter Gem
Summer boasts a true rainbow of produce: fire engine-red tomatoes, indigo-colored berries, royal purple eggplants, jewel-toned bell peppers, and cheery yellow and green zucchini, to name a few shades of the season. But you can enjoy colorful produce year-round, even when surrounded by winter’s white wonderland. ‘Tis the season for ruby red grapefruits, emerald green kale and chard, and, one of my favorites, vibrantly orange butternut squash.
This winter staple is brimming with nutrients that keep you healthy from head to toe. It’s most notable for high levels of beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant the helps repair and renew your skin to give it a youthful, radiant glow. Once converted to vitamin A, beta carotene also helps your immune system function at its best. Beta carotene, along with other carotenoids found in butternut squash, may also help fight arthritis aches and pains.
Butternut and other winter squashes, such as acorn, are also good sources of potassium and magnesium, two nutrients that help manage blood pressure and keep bones healthy and strong.
You can serve butternut squash mashed (like potatoes), or cut it into cubes and roast it to capitalize on the veggie’s nutty, sweet flavor. And I love my recipe for Butternut Squash Soup—pureeing the cooked squash produces a creamy, smooth soup that’s low in fat.
Here’s a prep tip: Butternut squash is VERY hard, so it can be difficult to cut. Buy fresh pre-cut chunks in your produce department, OR soften up a whole squash by giving it a quick zap in the microwave. Pierce the skin with a fork several times and microwave for about 2 minutes, then let it cool a bit before peeling and cutting.
I hope you'll make butternut squash and other seasonal specialties regulars in your grocery cart this winter!
This winter staple is brimming with nutrients that keep you healthy from head to toe. It’s most notable for high levels of beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant the helps repair and renew your skin to give it a youthful, radiant glow. Once converted to vitamin A, beta carotene also helps your immune system function at its best. Beta carotene, along with other carotenoids found in butternut squash, may also help fight arthritis aches and pains.
Butternut and other winter squashes, such as acorn, are also good sources of potassium and magnesium, two nutrients that help manage blood pressure and keep bones healthy and strong.
You can serve butternut squash mashed (like potatoes), or cut it into cubes and roast it to capitalize on the veggie’s nutty, sweet flavor. And I love my recipe for Butternut Squash Soup—pureeing the cooked squash produces a creamy, smooth soup that’s low in fat.
Here’s a prep tip: Butternut squash is VERY hard, so it can be difficult to cut. Buy fresh pre-cut chunks in your produce department, OR soften up a whole squash by giving it a quick zap in the microwave. Pierce the skin with a fork several times and microwave for about 2 minutes, then let it cool a bit before peeling and cutting.
I hope you'll make butternut squash and other seasonal specialties regulars in your grocery cart this winter!
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