In January I wrote about trying one new healthy behavior each month. By the end of the year you’ll have added 12 behaviors that translate into meaningful improvements in your energy, weight management, and longevity. This month I’ve included information about eating more produce and watching your beverage intake. If you’d like help or support making these changes, please click here to contact me for an appointment.

Eat like a rainbow - include produce every time you eat

You’d have to live in a cave not to know how important vegetables and fruits are for preventing all sorts of chronic diseases and keeping us healthy on a daily basis. But most people don’t come close to eating enough. The “old” recommendation used to be “eat 5 a day”...the new mantra now is “more is better.” So aim for 5-9 servings a day. How to do that, you ask? Make it a goal to include 1-2 servings of fruits or vegetables every time you eat (i.e. banana with breakfast, baby carrots and salad with lunch, berries in yogurt for snack, broccoli and cauliflower with dinner, an orange or red pepper strips for snack). And practice eating lots of colors!  Purple, orange, red, green, yellow, blue—all these colors represent different phytochemicals that help boost your immune system and fight cancer.  Helpful websites:  American Institute for Cancer Research at www.aicr.org, http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/

Easy tips:  Eat a piece of fruit for a snack and a salad at lunch.  Be adventurous: instead of eating the “same old things,” try a new fruit or vegetable very week. Look for ways to add vegetables into your recipes: grated carrots in pasta sauce; diced celery, onion, and bell pepper in meat loaf; peas and mushrooms in macaroni and cheese. Eat more meatless meals. (get recipe ideas at www.meatlessmonday.com )

Bean and Vegetable Enchilada Casserole

1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 can (14 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 package (16 oz.) frozen corn, thawed
1 can (28 oz.) pureed or crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Dash of hot sauce, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 corn tortillas
1 cup grated reduced-fat Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and sauté bell pepper, onion and garlic for five minutes. Add beans, corn, tomatoes and seasonings, including salt and pepper, if desired. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Assemble casserole in 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover bottom with one-third of bean mixture. Layer six tortillas on top of beans. Repeat once more, ending with bean mixture on top. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake until hot and bubbly, about 30-40 minutes.

Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 320 calories, 7 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 53 g carbohydrates, 15 g protein, 11 g dietary fiber, 677 mg sodium.

Spicy Golden Slaw

8 cups green cabbage (1 small head, about 1
  1/2 lb.), quartered, cored and shredded
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cut
   into 2-inch by 1/4-inch strips
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 medium sweet onion, cut in thin crescents
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. ground ginger, or to taste
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the cabbage, pepper, carrot and onion in a large bowl, tossing until they are evenly combined.

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, honey, ginger, turmeric and celery seed. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey. Remove from heat and mix in the oil. Pour the hot dressing over the vegetables. Toss until they are well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust the amount of ginger and celery seed, if desired. (A little ginger goes a long way.)

Cover the slaw and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours before serving. (It will become more golden after two or three days.)

Makes 12 servings. Per serving: 46 calories, 1 g. total fat (0 g. saturated fat), 9 g. carbohydrate, less than 1 g. protein, 1 g. dietary fiber, 13 mg. sodium.
Source: Adapted from www.aicr.org

What are you drinking?  Beverages matter!

            Many people don’t realize all the calories they may be consuming from their beverages. This is especially important for small women whose caloric needs are quite a bit lower than a larger woman or a man. At just under 5’tall my caloric needs for the day are just about 1400 calories (you can calculate your caloric needs on my website by clicking here). So I’ve made a decision I’d rather eat my calories than drink them. That means I only drink water, tea, skim or 1% milk, and occasionally a very small glass of orange juice (I usually recommend eating your fruit rather than drinking the juice: more fiber, more filling, increased satiety from the whole fruit).

          This might be a surprise but soda, most juices, and beer all have about 12 calories an ounce. Wine averages about 20 calories an ounce and 80 proof gin, rum, vodka and whisky have about 65 calories per ounce. You probably never guessed that the margarita you love at your favorite Mexican restaurant is about 660 calories (55 cal/oz x 12 oz)!  And that’s before you’ve eaten all those chips and enchiladas! What about that Starbucks Mocha? A Venti (20 oz) is 450 calories and 22 grams of fat!  So from now on decide where you want to get your calories and make conscious decisions about what and when you’re going to drink beverages and alcohol.  

Easy Tips:  Order hot or iced tea instead of soda or alcohol. Decide in advance to have just one alcoholic beverage; then switch to a non-caloric one like carbonated water with a twist of lime or iced tea.  Ask that your mocha be made with skim or 1% milk and skip the whipped cream.

Fruity Iced Tea

6 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. whole cloves
6 black tea bags
3-4 cups apricot or peach nectar
Sugar or honey, to taste (optional)
In a large saucepan, simmer water, cinnamon stick and cloves 15 minutes, covered. Turn off heat. Add tea bags. Steep 2-5 minutes, depending on the strength you prefer. Remove tea bags. Add apricot nectar. Add sugar or honey, if desired. Strain to remove spices. Refrigerate until cold. Serve with a spring of fresh mint, if desired.
Makes 9 servings. Per serving: 47 calories, 0 g. total fat (0 g. saturated fat), 12 g. carbohydrates, <1 g. protein, <1 g. dietary fiber, 3 mg. sodium.
Source: Adapted from www.aicr.org