Healthy food recipes are hiding in the cookbooks you already
have. All you need to do is upgrade ingredients to turn fat-building
choices into the best diet. Think of this as stepping up your food to a
higher level. Fortunately, supermarkets are bowing to consumer demand
and stocking all kinds of health-friendly choices.
Your healthy eating plan can include favorite comfort foods, but with a twist in ingredients to replace processed and animal foods with whole plant foods. Relax, get creative, and explore new ways to prepare fast and healthy meals and snacks.
Although your improved recipes may taste unfamiliar at first, give your taste buds a few weeks to adjust. Within that short time, you should start to prefer your new choices.
Here are some fast, easy ways to start with simple foods you may already eat frequently.
Cereal - Cereal is a convenient way to start the day and can be a great snack any time. Forget sugary cereals with estrogen-laden cow's milk.
First, your cereal should be whole grain. You cannot figure out if a cereal is whole grain by reading the front of the box or meaningless slogans from the manufacturer. You must read the ingredients. The first ingredient should be some kind of whole grain such as whole wheat, brown rice, or whole oat flour.
Second, choose cereals that are not sugary. A good rule of thumb is no more than 5 grams of sugar per serving. Finally, avoid cereals with added fats or oils. The calorie count of each spoonful of cereal doubles with the added fat.
You'll want a delicious dairy-free milk to complement the goodness of your whole grain cereal. Try different brands and flavors of milks made from soy, rice, oats, nuts, or seeds. The choices taste very different from each other, so keep exploring until you find your favorite.
For maximum goodness, top your cereal with fresh, frozen, or dried fruit. Excellent!
Breakfast "meats," hot dogs, and burgers - Droves of food companies are joining the wave of animal-free meat substitutes. Morningstar Farms ® is conveniently found in many supermarkets and has tasty alternatives to bacon, sausage, ground meat, burgers, and chicken. Check their website for recipe ideas. Explore natural foods stores, such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, for other brands and flavors.
Sandwiches - Start with whole grain bread. As for cereal, you must read the ingredients. "Wheat flour" is not a whole grain. You want "whole wheat" or another whole grain flour. Add catsup, barbecue sauce, mustard, or horseradish instead of calorie-dense mayo. Your plant-based filling could be hummus, bean spread, nut butter, or plant-based versions of meats commonly used on sandwiches. Pile on lots of veggies, such as sliced tomato, onion, avocado, cucumber, and leafy green lettuce or kale.
Pasta - Give whole grain pasta a try. All the fiber will satisfy your appetite way better then white pasta will. Choose a sauce that is dairy-free and pile on the veggies instead of meat. Steam broccoli, zucchini, string beans, or whatever veggies you like separately, and mix in with your pasta and sauce. Don't forget fresh or dried herbs and spices for an extra nutrient boost. Garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, and dried red peppers make your meal delightful.
Dessert - Fruit, of course, is the healthiest dessert. If you want something fancier, try brown rice pudding made with dairy-free milk and dried fruit. You hardly need any sweetener in this delicious dish. You can also go animal-free in baking by using plant-based milk instead of cow's milk and boxed egg substitute instead of eggs. Try sorbet or dairy-free frozen desserts instead of ice cream.
Branch out and think creatively about upgrading manufactured and animal foods to whole plant-based alternatives. Soon you will be a pro. Your body will thank you and you'll never want to go back.
Your healthy eating plan can include favorite comfort foods, but with a twist in ingredients to replace processed and animal foods with whole plant foods. Relax, get creative, and explore new ways to prepare fast and healthy meals and snacks.
Although your improved recipes may taste unfamiliar at first, give your taste buds a few weeks to adjust. Within that short time, you should start to prefer your new choices.
Here are some fast, easy ways to start with simple foods you may already eat frequently.
Cereal - Cereal is a convenient way to start the day and can be a great snack any time. Forget sugary cereals with estrogen-laden cow's milk.
First, your cereal should be whole grain. You cannot figure out if a cereal is whole grain by reading the front of the box or meaningless slogans from the manufacturer. You must read the ingredients. The first ingredient should be some kind of whole grain such as whole wheat, brown rice, or whole oat flour.
Second, choose cereals that are not sugary. A good rule of thumb is no more than 5 grams of sugar per serving. Finally, avoid cereals with added fats or oils. The calorie count of each spoonful of cereal doubles with the added fat.
You'll want a delicious dairy-free milk to complement the goodness of your whole grain cereal. Try different brands and flavors of milks made from soy, rice, oats, nuts, or seeds. The choices taste very different from each other, so keep exploring until you find your favorite.
For maximum goodness, top your cereal with fresh, frozen, or dried fruit. Excellent!
Breakfast "meats," hot dogs, and burgers - Droves of food companies are joining the wave of animal-free meat substitutes. Morningstar Farms ® is conveniently found in many supermarkets and has tasty alternatives to bacon, sausage, ground meat, burgers, and chicken. Check their website for recipe ideas. Explore natural foods stores, such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, for other brands and flavors.
Sandwiches - Start with whole grain bread. As for cereal, you must read the ingredients. "Wheat flour" is not a whole grain. You want "whole wheat" or another whole grain flour. Add catsup, barbecue sauce, mustard, or horseradish instead of calorie-dense mayo. Your plant-based filling could be hummus, bean spread, nut butter, or plant-based versions of meats commonly used on sandwiches. Pile on lots of veggies, such as sliced tomato, onion, avocado, cucumber, and leafy green lettuce or kale.
Pasta - Give whole grain pasta a try. All the fiber will satisfy your appetite way better then white pasta will. Choose a sauce that is dairy-free and pile on the veggies instead of meat. Steam broccoli, zucchini, string beans, or whatever veggies you like separately, and mix in with your pasta and sauce. Don't forget fresh or dried herbs and spices for an extra nutrient boost. Garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, and dried red peppers make your meal delightful.
Dessert - Fruit, of course, is the healthiest dessert. If you want something fancier, try brown rice pudding made with dairy-free milk and dried fruit. You hardly need any sweetener in this delicious dish. You can also go animal-free in baking by using plant-based milk instead of cow's milk and boxed egg substitute instead of eggs. Try sorbet or dairy-free frozen desserts instead of ice cream.
Branch out and think creatively about upgrading manufactured and animal foods to whole plant-based alternatives. Soon you will be a pro. Your body will thank you and you'll never want to go back.
Janice Stanger, Ph.D., author of The Perfect Formula Diet,
is a whole foods nutrition and health expert. She researched more than
1,000 scientific studies to determine the secrets of nutritional
excellence. To learn more about permanent weight loss, not-meal plans,
and enhanced health with a whole foods diet, visit http://perfectformuladiet.com.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janice_Stanger,_Ph.D.
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