Eating Health in the New Year

Achieving healthy eating habits is not as hard as you may think it is. There are a few basic steps to help you get started.

6 daily serving of carbohydrates - yes you read this right. Change the way you eat the carbohydrates though. Don't fry anything from this group. Don't add cream or rich sauces or oily dressing to these foods. Do eat whole grain breads or better yet sprouted breads. Do eat brown rice. Do eat carbohydrates with your main meals. Do have a larger helping of potatoes, rice rather than higher fat foods.

5 daily serving of fruit - Select a wide and varied range of fruits and have more than one as a dessert by making up a bowl of fruit salad. Add fruit to sandwiches, cereal and homemade juices. Do your best to make it fresh fruit but frozen fruits are the next best thing. Try to stay away from canned and dried as these will have more sugar in them.

5 daily serving of vegetables - Try putting puree of vegetables in sauces and soups. Use fresh when you can if not stay with frozen.

2 daily serving of dairy - 2 percent milk, cheese, yogurt. Eat only moderate amounts choosing reduced fat versions such as low fat or 2 percent.

2 daily serving of protein - this includes oily fish, lean meat, chicken and turkey. Don't fry the meat, don't add fat to those they are already rich in oils. Do broil, poach, and steam your meats. Remember that a serving size is that of a deck of cards.

2 daily serving of fats - margarine, butter, chocolate, and yes even candy. Choice low fat, eat only 2 oz of chocolate try to make this dark chocolate for all the benefits of eating it.

Here is a few of my favorite recipes for eating healthy.

Breakfast:
Pear delight - 8 oz of apple juice, 1 pear, 5 oz of goats yogurt. Peel the pear and place it in a pan with apple juice bring to a boil and simmer until the pear is soft. Place the pear in a bowl and pour yogurt over it. Enjoy.

Muesli - Mix two tablespoons of oats, golden raisins, sesame seeds, and hazelnuts, sunflower seeds in a bowl with enough water to make it moist, soak overnight and serve with goats' yogurt the next morning.

Oats - ½ cup of raw oats, ½ of an apple chopped up, 2 tablespoons of golden raisins, ½ teaspoons cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of honey. Place oats in a dish and add some water and soak overnight, add remaining ingredients hit to warm and enjoy.

Lunch:
Spanish omelet - 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ½ medium onion peeled and sliced, 1 glove of garlic, ¼ bell pepper, ¼ pound of new potatoes sliced, 2 eggs, salt and pepper. Pout the olive oil into a skillet and sauté the onion and garlic when just turning golden brown add the potatoes when browned add eggs cook until set firm.

Rice salad - ½ green pepper and red pepper, 2 inches of cucumber, ¼ of boiled brown rice, ¼ of cooked peas, soy sauce, black pepper, salt. Chop the peppers and cucumber very finely and mix with rice and add soy sauces and season to taste.

Dinner:
Chicken risotto - this will serve 4, 1/8 of cup of fat spread, 8 oz of skinless chicken cut into small pieces, 1 bell pepper seeded and diced, 1 small onion, 3 ½ cups of broth, 1 clove garlic crushed, 1 ½ cup of long brown rice, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 5 cups of mushrooms sliced, tomatoes to garnish with. Melt the spread and pour over a large pan and add the chicken, pepper, onion, garlic and seasoning. Cook 5 minutes then add broth and rice and lemon juice. Put a lid on it and simmer for 20 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes longer. Garnish with tomatoes and serve with a mix salad.

Tarragon and tuna pasta - ½ of whole wheat pasta, 6 ½ oz of tuna in water, 1 tablespoon of tarragon cider vinegar and catsup, 2 oz of peas and sweet corn, 1 tomato chopped. Cook the pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes Flake the tuna and mix in the tarragon, vinegar, and catsup. Mix the peas, sweet corn, tomato, and tuna and heat thoroughly Season with fresh ground black pepper.

Something for your sweet tooth:
Strawberry sorbet - 3 cups of fresh strawberries, juice of one large orange. Put everything in a food processor and blend. Pour the mixture into a large bowl pop into the freezer for 1 hour remove and leave it to thaw slightly, then beat with a metal spoon and return to freezer for 5 hours.

Melon delight - 16 oz of melon, 10 oz of low fat flavored yogurt, 8 oz of green grapes. Chop up the melon flesh and separate it equally between 4 tall glasses then spoon generous amounts of yogurt over the top cup the grapes in half and share them between the gasses. Spoon the rest of the yogurt over the top and pop into the freezer to chill.