Everyone has a favorite food. The idea for a healthy diet is to incorporate all the food groups into your diet to balance it out. If you love pastas, try throwing lots of veggies into your sauce. Experiment with whole grain pastas, or even create your own. There are plenty of ways to balance out your diet, even if you’re used to eating in only a few food groups.
The Food Pyramid
The new FDA food pyramid includes six categories for a balanced diet. These categories include fruits, vegetables, milks, oils, meat and beans and whole grains. But how do you incorporate all these things into your diet? It’s simple.
Experiment
Challenge yourself to try a new vegetable, grain or fruit on a regular basis. Grab something from the farmers market or produce section that you’se never tried, find a recipe and have at it. Try a new bean like lentils, garbanzos or limas, or find a great tofu recipe. If you get into it, cook one vegetarian meal a week for yourself. Make chili with different beans and vegetables, or vegetarian lasagna. Be sure to include beans or some form of protein if you exclude meat.
Everything in Moderation
Meat’s not bad for you, so long as you’re not consuming massive amounts of fatty meat on a regular basis. Practice portion control. Take a small helping first, then if you’re still hungry have some more. Using a smaller plate convinces your eyes that you’re eating more. For each portion of meat, have two of vegetables.
Juicing
A fun way to consume lots of fruits and vegetables is to juice them. Juicers are very affordable, and many restaurants offer fresh juices as well. Juice up a few carrots, apples and an orange for a deliciously sweet and healthy drink that will fill you up.
Soups and Stir-Frys
Soups and stir-frys are the easiest way to incorporate tons of vegetables into your diet. If you make chili, throw in some carrots, celery, green peppers, cabbage, or black beans. If your family complains, puree the cooked vegetables, throw them in and don’t tell anyone! Stir-frying is a fun way to get creative. Try new vegetables, chop them up and throw them in with the old favorites.
Be Flexible
If you have a serious sweet tooth, don’t ignore it. Make desserts with fruit coated in yogurt and honey, with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Make a cobbler using less sugar in the fruit. Mix the biscuits using wheat and white flour, flax seeds and nuts or oats. The extra flavor from the wheat flour and flax makes a great addition to a favorite dessert.
Plan your Meals
With a little bit of foresight, you can shop for a weeks worth of fun meals all at once. Plan meals that you know will give you leftovers to use the next day. Throw leftover vegetables into a soup, or take leftovers to work for lunch. Choose a new vegetable each week and research recipes that sound good to you.
Get a jump start on your personal weight loss program today.
