Eating Healthy

Eating "Healthy".

What exactly do you mean by eating healthy?

There are a million and one ways to "eat healthy" and the decision is a very personal one. What is healthy for one person may not be for another person so you can't really say there is only one way to eat "healthy".

Here is how we eat healthy at the Ridges' household being fairly "healthy" individuals 

with regards to diet requirements.

#1- We eat as fresh as we can.

#2- We eat as little processed food as reasonably possible (going along with #1).

#3- We have portion control. (This happens automatically. If you eat nutritious foods, you won't need to eat as much and you will naturally feel more satisfied.)

That's about it. Most of our eating habits fall under one of the aforementioned categories.

No, we do not cut any "foods" out of our diet (...except maybe pure lard).

I thoroughly enjoy eating and trying new foods so cutting out a specific food group is not really on my bucket list. I just control my portions and frequency of the not-so-healthy options.

But just because I really enjoy food doesn't mean I don't eat healthy....there are LOTS of delicious healthy foods out there. Sometimes it just depends on how you cook them.

Disclaimer: We have become spoiled now with our changed taste buds. You probably will too.

Once upon a time you drove past McDonalds and craved their BigMac 

(and then felt guilty for actually getting it). 

Now after your taste buds have changed, when you drive past McDonalds, you crave your homemade deliciously fresh hamburger with all the fixins

(and feel satisfied that you just ate something so delicious and fresh that YOU made!)

So, why is it so hard if it is so much tastier (and cheaper!) to cook at home?

Simple. It involves effort...... at first.

Changes of habit involve initial effort and that's why I think it is necessary to not go overboard on a "diet".

I don't like "diets". I like "lifestyle changes".

For something to have a long lasting effect, you have to have a long lasting habit.

This is why I will still have a Kouing Aman for Valentine's Day or make my wild mushroom soup that I have been wanting to make forever.

....because it's doable.

I am not deprived of anything and therefore I really don't crave anything.

It's nice not to crave things....wait a second. I lied. I do crave some things.

I crave healthy foods now. I crave a turkey sandwich. I crave a nectarine. I crave salmon.

I crave a feeling of health.

It's addicting and you will be addicted too.

(Another thing I crave is running now....it's really awesome)

So, what kind of effort is involved?

#1- It's a family affair. 

The whole family has to be on board (really just the parents). 

Have a short discussion on what your "healthy" is. 

If you don't know... then how are you ever going to get there?

Make sure you consider any health conditions that need to be addressed.

#2- Go Shopping. It takes 15 seconds to walk past something unhealthy in the store, but at home, it's looking at you all day asking to be eaten. If you can resist at the store then you are good to go.

(Now that we have changed our taste buds these foods are really not tempting as much. We have junk food still sitting in our cupboards from before because we just don't really want them anymore. nice.)

We started very simply.

We loaded up on the following:

1- Fruit (Fresh and ready to eat)

2-Veggies (Fresh. Some ready to eat and some needing cooking)

3- Meat (Fresh. Fish we buy frozen because it holds up well to freezing. Basically avoid sausage and processed meat.)

4- Grain/Starch (Wheat bread, quinoa, rice, oatmeal, potatoes, etc. Milton's wheat bread from costco is TASTY. When Ben couldn't have iodine we bought potatoes (frozen southern style hashbrowns) to replace our "bread" and we actually found some really yummy ways to use it in place of bread.)

{My philosophy: Carbs are NOT evil. Some are better than others. Don't just eat carbs.}

5- If buying processed..... make it less processed and as healthy as possible.

(I like triscuits with my cheese. Processed but not as bad as fritos.)

That's what we buy and have been living off of very nicely.

#3- Get to cooking. The beauty of cooking fresh is that it actually takes LESS time to cook fresh food than processed foods.

You also don't even need recipes (but can use them if you want).

Don't make it complicated to start with.

 You can look in your fridge/pantry, choose a meat, a veggie and a grain or starch. Make it into a meal and voila. Deliciously fresh food. It doesn't have to be complicated.

It has usually taken us less than 30 minutes to make dinner, very often only 15 minutes.

Steaming takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish. It is healthier and faster than boiling veggies plus it keeps veggies crispily fresh and non-soggy. Plus all you need is a little steam basket for $3.

I subscribe to a lot of cooking/baking blogs and websites (They send emails of delicious foods straight to me! Can't get much easier). Some are healthy. Some are not. Just try to stick with the relatively healthy stuff. You can also subscribe to "healthy" websites only if you want.

Here are some of them:

http://allrecipes.com/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/

http://www.parents.com/recipes/

http://traceysculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/

http://www.food.com/

I also think a big help to eating fresh is to keep variety.

Guess what?

I bought parsnips. What the heck is a parsnip? I have no idea but I found a recipe that roasts them (with some brussel sprouts, potatoes and zuchini) and they look pretty good so I am excited to cook them up tonight! It's fun to try new things!

So, you're probably still asking, "So.... what do I make for dinner?"

Here are some meals we eat around here.

{Keep in mind that this will differ depending on your snack and dinner routine. 

We snack a lot so our dinners or lunches may not seem "complete".}

Breakfast:

Eggs (any way you want 'em), hashbrowns (pan fried in a tiny amount of oil) and ham (thrown in the pan to heat up).

Malt o Meal with a bit of brown sugar (Ben loves this)

Wheat French Toast

 Oatmeal

 Fruit

English muffin with peanut butter spread 

(this also makes a FAB snack because it keeps you satisfied forever)

Lunch:

Turkey Sandwich- 1 milton bread slice cut in half, laughing cow creamy swiss spread on both sides, 1 slice turkey (amazing turkey breast slices from costco), lettuce. The creamy swiss acts as condiments as well as cheese. This is my favorite sandwich ever. Best part. It's only 200 calories. Have a sliced fruit and/or glass of milk.

Salad

Dinner:

Taco Salad- Southern Hashbrowns panfried w/ little oil, lean ground beef (or turkey), fresh lettuce, avocado, and tomatoes. SO Tasty!

Salad with grilled chicken (grilled chicken from costco- ready to throw on salads), handful of lowfat cheese, any other veggies and something crispy and maple grove's fat free poppyseed dressing (This is the best fat free dressing I have ever had). 

Snacks:

Triscuits with a laughing cow creamy swiss.

Fruit

Veggies

handful of nuts

Celery w/ peanut butter

Dessert:

Dreyer's Frozen Fruit Bars (Best ever- they are made of frozen pureed fruit only)

Fruit

(We are not "dessert" people so we don't ALWAYS have dessert)

Last note:

Pick your battles. 

I am ok with my Skippy peanut butter. Look at the nutritional content and the nasty stuff (as in "healthier" stuff) just isn't good enough to warrant me eating it. 

Remember.....I like food. I'm not going to eat gross food.

If you LOVE a certain dish that you make a lot, don't stop eating it. Do try to make a few adjustments to make it healthier.

ie: Taco salad night: Put the fixins on southern hashbrowns instead of fritos.

Meat loaf: Use lean meats and/or use half ground turkey and half ground beef, throw in a bunch of diced veggies and use wheat bread instead of white. Voila. more nutritious (and definitely more flavorful!)

Enjoy creamy casseroles? Use low fat cheeses and fat free sour creams or whatever else you add in.

There really is a healthier way to eat most dishes we love without sacrificing flavor.

I will be posting a bunch of tasty meals as I come across them and make them.

And remember.... it's about balance between body and mind.

A happy mind makes for a happy body. vice versa.

Happy body and happy minds lead to a long-term commitment to health.

Want to learn more about what you are eating?

Start using myfitnesspal.com with me. 

It will tell you what nutrients you get too much of in a day and what you are generally lacking in when you fill out the food diary. It will also help you with portion control.

Check it out. It's pretty awesome.