Let’s face it, life is busy and that makes it challenging to stay current with the newest, ever changing (and often conflicting!) nutritional recommendations. I not only believe that healthy food has the power to give us the energy we want, to prevent and heal sickness, and to promote emotional well-being, but I am also a believer in keeping things simple.
Today I’m going to share 3 tips you can use to upgrade your food choices and begin to receive the benefits of healthy eating without sorting through endless information.
Today I’m going to share 3 tips you can use to upgrade your food choices and begin to receive the benefits of healthy eating without sorting through endless information.
| Stick with Whole Foods
The quality of your food MATTERS! Every single thing you put into your body sets off a series of chemical responses that are either going to turn your health on, or turn it off, so it’s worth spending a little extra to buy the best fruit, vegetables, protein, grains, and ingredients possible.
By choosing 100% unprocessed foods you instantly upgrade your overall diet. The majority of processed foods are packed with the top health compromising ingredients such as trans fats, refined sugars, refined flours, refined oils, and chemicals. In addition they are rarely as nutrient dense as something that has been freshly prepared.
The quality of your food MATTERS! Every single thing you put into your body sets off a series of chemical responses that are either going to turn your health on, or turn it off, so it’s worth spending a little extra to buy the best fruit, vegetables, protein, grains, and ingredients possible.
By choosing 100% unprocessed foods you instantly upgrade your overall diet. The majority of processed foods are packed with the top health compromising ingredients such as trans fats, refined sugars, refined flours, refined oils, and chemicals. In addition they are rarely as nutrient dense as something that has been freshly prepared.
| Start with Veggies
Aim for vegetables to be at least 50% of the entire meal (yes, even breakfast!). And while you always want a wide variety of vegetables you definitely want to include as many dark leafy greens as possible.
They’re the vegetable missing most in the American diet even though they're packed with more vitamins per calorie than any other veggie, are extremely high in fiber, and also happen to be very versatile. You can slip them into smoothies, stir fries, soups, stews, salads, as well as serving them all by themselves as a side dish.
| Cook it Yourself
By cooking food at home you have direct control over what goes into it and can make it to perfectly suit your tastes. You are also much less likely to give into easy temptations that restaurants offer like bread baskets, desserts, and alcohol.
Once you get into a routine of preparing food at home it ultimately saves time as well. Think about the time it takes to drive to a restaurant, place your order, wait for the meal, eat, and drive home… all of which can add to the feeling of frenzy and always being on the go. In the same amount of time you could throw together a simple, uncomplicated meal such as stir fry (see below for recipe), eat it slowly, connect more deeply with family, (and yes even do the dishes!) while also saving a great deal of money.
Aim for vegetables to be at least 50% of the entire meal (yes, even breakfast!). And while you always want a wide variety of vegetables you definitely want to include as many dark leafy greens as possible.
They’re the vegetable missing most in the American diet even though they're packed with more vitamins per calorie than any other veggie, are extremely high in fiber, and also happen to be very versatile. You can slip them into smoothies, stir fries, soups, stews, salads, as well as serving them all by themselves as a side dish.
| Cook it Yourself
By cooking food at home you have direct control over what goes into it and can make it to perfectly suit your tastes. You are also much less likely to give into easy temptations that restaurants offer like bread baskets, desserts, and alcohol.
Once you get into a routine of preparing food at home it ultimately saves time as well. Think about the time it takes to drive to a restaurant, place your order, wait for the meal, eat, and drive home… all of which can add to the feeling of frenzy and always being on the go. In the same amount of time you could throw together a simple, uncomplicated meal such as stir fry (see below for recipe), eat it slowly, connect more deeply with family, (and yes even do the dishes!) while also saving a great deal of money.
Easy Stir Fry
To make this even easier, buy the prepackaged stir fry veggies available in the produce isle at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and many grocery stores.
1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
1 1/2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root, divided (optional)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup snow peas
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced bell peppers (option to use assorted colors)
1 cup cubed tofu, cooked chicken pieces, or scrambled egg
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup chopped onion
Directions
1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
1 1/2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root, divided (optional)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup snow peas
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced bell peppers (option to use assorted colors)
1 cup cubed tofu, cooked chicken pieces, or scrambled egg
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup chopped onion
Directions
- In a large bowl, blend arrowroot or cornstarch, garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until arrowroot/cornstarch is dissolved. Mix in broccoli, snow peas, carrots, mushrooms, and peppers, tossing to lightly coat.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Cook vegetables in oil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir in tofu, scrambled egg or cooked chicken. Stir in soy sauce and water. Mix in onion, and remaining 1 teaspoon ginger. Cook until vegetables are tender but still crisp.
- Can be served over brown rice if desired.
RSS Feed