34 Tips Offered for Timeless Good Nutrition

[yeahright]

34 Tips Offered for Timeless Good Nutrition

Richmond Times-Dispatch

03-12-07

March is National Nutrition Month, which started as a one-week celebration in 1973. As people became more interested in food's role in health, a month was deemed more appropriate.

In honor of 34 years of good nutrition, here are 34 tips to help you eat right, courtesy of the American Dietetic Association.

1. Keep your freezer stocked with frozen vegetables and your pantry stocked with canned vegetables to whip up quick, nutrient- rich meals.

2. Make pasta primavera and serve more vegetables than pasta.

3. Clean out your freezer and refrigerator by tossing half-used bags of vegetables or a lone carrot into homemade soup.

4. Use spinach instead of lettuce on sandwiches.

5. Start your meal with broth-based soup to fill you up before the main course.

6. Only snack if you are hungry, not because the clock tells you it is time to eat.

7. Eat fresh, canned or frozen fruits for a sweet dessert.

8. Treat your family to fruit kebabs: Thread pieces of pear,

apple, melon and pineapple on skewers and serve for dessert.

9. For a quick healthful dessert, slice an apple, sprinkle the slices with cinnamon, and microwave for about 50 seconds.

10. Try drizzling olive oil and red wine vinegar on a salad instead of a full-fat salad dressing.

11. Use mustard instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches.

12. Try Canadian bacon or ham on pizza instead of pepperoni or sausage.

13. Enjoy high-calorie foods in moderation; moderation isn't deprivation.

14. Compare brands and choose the one lowest in sodium.

15. Give kids control in the kitchen by asking them to help prepare meals.

16. Try edamame (soybeans in the pod) with a reduced-sodium soy sauce for an appetizer.

17. When making tacos or burritos, serve plenty of the good stuff (tomatoes, beans, salsa, corn and cucumber) and let everyone assemble their own.

18. Bake chicken fingers and serve with honey mustard or barbecue sauce.

19. Snack on nuts, but limit yourself to one serving (24 almonds, 47 whole pistachios, 18 cashews, 30 peanuts, 20 pecan halves or 14 walnut halves).

20. Make lunch your largest meal of the day and eat a smaller dinner.

21. Most people have a core of about 10 recipes they rely on; break the cycle and try one new recipe every two weeks.

22. Use your plate as a food guide: one-quarter of the plate for meat, fish or poultry; one-quarter for starches or grains; and half for vegetables.

23. Pace your eating with the slowest eater at the table, not the fastest.

24. Drink low-calorie beverages with meals (unsweetened tea, water with lemon or diet drinks).

25. Munch on veggies, such as carrots, sugar snap peas or grape tomatoes, when making dinner to avoid the temptation to nibble on other ingredients in the meal.

26. Try baked tortilla chips and salsa instead of fried chips with cheese sauce.

27. Dip strawberries or apple slices into fruit-flavored yogurt for a sweet treat.

28. Let kids dunk and dip their foods: animal crackers in low- fat pudding or minitoaster waffles in cinnamon applesauce.

29. Stuff a pita pocket with cottage cheese and Granny Smith apple slices.

30. Add dried cranberries and almonds to quick-cooking oatmeal; microwave for 60 seconds.

31. Top English muffins with pizza sauce, part-skim mozzarella cheese and bell pepper for a quick pizza.

32. Let kids use cookie cutters to cut sandwiches into fun shapes.

33. Be 100 percent fad-free; use common sense when judging diet and health-book claims.

34. Remember, you don't have to eat perfectly at every meal; balance your food intake throughout the day.

[workin2005]

Great post!

Workin

[alan aragon]

Over time, I've come to appreciate the ADA

[warriorway]

I like that english muffin pizza idea.