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Get Yourself A Skinny Plate
I purchased a 11" X 6" long white plate which is often used to serve Japanese food. I call it my skinny plate. When I pile food on it, a small amount of food looks like a lot and I trick myself into being full. It really works and I consider this my best find when it comes to eating healthy.
Make It Look Good
Whatever you are making, make it look great. A turkey sandwich can be very ordinary but when you pile turkey on great bread, spread a little honey mustard, and garnish with lettuce, avocado, and a tomato, the sandwich now looks and tastes really remarkable..
Start With Soup
I can fill up in a hurry when I make homemade soup and start out a meal with a small cup. Soup is also a fantastic way to stretch a budget. I make up a big pot every Sunday in the winter, put it in small Tupperware containers and freeze it. I’ll eat it as a main dish and vary the sides I serve with it during the week.
Buy An Indoor Grill
I wrote a small sidebar on my indoor grill. This has turned out to be one of the best investments that I have ever made. I use mine almost every night. It is also a super-healthy way to cook.
Start The Day Off With A Good Breakfast
I usually have a glass of yogurt that is layered with granola and blueberries or some other fruit, a banana and peanut butter on toast or an English muffin. I have been successful in maintaining my weight since I started eating breakfast – the most important meal of the day.
Subscribe To Cooking Light
Take one look at the January/February 2010 issue you’ll get a hundred ideas on how to lighten up your meals. I’ve been a fan since the Holiday issue in December, 1997. The issue was so good, I sent a note to them and actually got a reply back from the editor. There are a lot of other great cooking magazines out there but none of them point you in the right direction when it comes to eating healthy.
Make Lunch Your Main Meal
I try to eat my main meal at lunch and have a very light dinner. I eat a lot of salads at both meals. I also never eat more than 3 ounces of meat at night during the week.
Portion Control
I bought myself a Bento box after I ate my first sampler meal at Lulu’s in Evanston. I make little portions and fill the box so again, it looks like a lot of food when in fact it is teeny tiny portions of a lot of different things. It’s a great way to eat and a good approach to eating more vegetables.
Quality not Quantity
I eat good food. I buy my meat and fish from my local butcher shop. It costs a little more but the quality and freshness of the product is so much better than what I get at the local grocery store. For this same reason, I shop at farmers markets, the Chicago French Market, Green City Market and other local shops where the quality of what you get will make you want to eat healthier.
Color
I load on a mix of colors when I am preparing vegetables and fruits in salads and stirfrys. The more colors you have, the healthier the dish probably is. You’’ hear the same advice from nutritionists, citing the value of including as many different phytochemicals in the diet as possible.
Exercise
I completed my first half marathon at 60. Although I have been exercising for years, I have really felt remarkable since I started running. There is something about that long Saturday run downtown on the lakefront. Find a buddy. You don’t have to join a health club. I had to drop my membership this year and have no problem sticking to the exercise and weight routine at home.If you decide you want to run, do a walk/run combination until you can comfortably run a mile without stopping. Once you reach the 2 mile mark, it’s time to start thinking about running your first 5K.
One of the routines for every French woman is a glass of red wine with the evening meal. Wine contains enzymes that help break down your food more efficiently, and can actually speed metabolism - the components are similar to the metabolic enhancing properties found in spicy foods. Many people will argue this reasoning but it makes total sense to me since I cannot and will not give wine up as part of a diet.
Remember, I still cheat on the weekends. I find that 5 on and 2 off is a winning combination when it comes to fighting the food battle. It’s all a matter of creating a routine that fits your lifestyle. What works for one, will not work for another.
I like wine and dessert far too much to ever give them up. I start Sunday night and go until Friday eating healthy. Once I hit 5 PM on Friday, I can cheat until Sunday at 5 PM if I want to. Sometimes I will not but just knowing that I can makes weight management a lot easier.
Bon Appetit!