Healthy Eating
Five tips for a healthier eating strategy.
1. Eat Fresh!
Eating fresh foods means better quality. Buying fresh eggs and produce from your local farmer's market can improve the quality of your meals. If you're in a town that does not have one, try subscribing to a community supported agriculture program, where you basically contract with a local grower to supply you with farm fresh produce. To find a program near you, try visiting localharvest.org.
2. Switch to Olive Oil
Olive oil is an esstential part of a heart-smart diet. This does not mean use Olive oil for everything, use it to replace fats from sources like butter and margarine.
3. Focus on Veggies
Veggetables accompany most Greek meals, and often they would compose a meal accompanied with a slice of feta. You don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy vegetables, but a meal composed of only vegetables wouldn't hurt every now and then.
4. Take your time
Studies have shown that people who eat more slowly consume less calories, than those who seem to just inhale their food. Slowing down even just a little bit can help you eat less overall. "It takes 20 minutes for the mind to register fullness, yet too many of us rush through a meal consumming excess calories before the barian has time to say stop" says RD/LDN Stephanie Meyers, a health nutritionist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She suggests setting a timer for 20 minutes, or eating with your opposite hand to train yourself to slow down.
5. Feed your soul
In Greece, meals are about more than just food, it's about meeting your nutrient needs and your emotional ones. It's abut nourishing your whole being; mind, body, and spirit. So instead of settling on something quick (and fattening), such as fast food or take-out, put a little extra effort into makeing something you know you can sink your teeth into without the regret.
Dish of the day:
Summer Vegetable Spaghetti
Here's a feel good dish with delicious vegetables, for which you will need the following...
1. 1 large (fresh) yellow onion, choped to desired size.
2. 1 large (fresh) yellow squash, chopped into bite size pieces
3. 1 large (fresh) zuchinni, chopped into bite size pieces
4. 2 cups of (fresh) green beans, or if you want to be different, try asparagus tips.
5. 2 TSP minced (fresh) parsley
6. 1 clove of (fresh) garlic, finely chopped
7. 1 can (6 oz) tomatoe paste
8. Salt and Pepper to taste
9. 2/3 cup water
10. 1 lb spaghetti
*On a side note, I prefere whole grain pasta, not only is it better for you, but it adds more and better flavor, for me it does anyway*
Combine onions, squash, zuchinni, green beans, parsley, garlic, and water in a large saucepan, cook for 10 minutes, then stir in tomatoe paste.
Cover and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain spaghetti and place desired amount on an individual plate, spoon sauce over top.
If you have the time and desire to cook homemade fresh tomotoe paste, you will need the following...
1. Fresh Tomatoes (6-12 large)
2. A food processor or blender
3. A wire strainer
Place tomatoes in food processor or blender, process until smooth. Press mixture through wire strainer, discard pulp. Boil mixture until thick enough to mound on a spoon (can take a couple hours). As mixture thickens, stir often, reduce heat, and partially cover. Once your vegetables are cooked, you can now stir it in.
Bon Appétit!
1. Eat Fresh!
Eating fresh foods means better quality. Buying fresh eggs and produce from your local farmer's market can improve the quality of your meals. If you're in a town that does not have one, try subscribing to a community supported agriculture program, where you basically contract with a local grower to supply you with farm fresh produce. To find a program near you, try visiting localharvest.org.
2. Switch to Olive Oil
Olive oil is an esstential part of a heart-smart diet. This does not mean use Olive oil for everything, use it to replace fats from sources like butter and margarine.
3. Focus on Veggies
Veggetables accompany most Greek meals, and often they would compose a meal accompanied with a slice of feta. You don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy vegetables, but a meal composed of only vegetables wouldn't hurt every now and then.
4. Take your time
Studies have shown that people who eat more slowly consume less calories, than those who seem to just inhale their food. Slowing down even just a little bit can help you eat less overall. "It takes 20 minutes for the mind to register fullness, yet too many of us rush through a meal consumming excess calories before the barian has time to say stop" says RD/LDN Stephanie Meyers, a health nutritionist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She suggests setting a timer for 20 minutes, or eating with your opposite hand to train yourself to slow down.
5. Feed your soul
In Greece, meals are about more than just food, it's about meeting your nutrient needs and your emotional ones. It's abut nourishing your whole being; mind, body, and spirit. So instead of settling on something quick (and fattening), such as fast food or take-out, put a little extra effort into makeing something you know you can sink your teeth into without the regret.
Dish of the day:
Summer Vegetable Spaghetti
Here's a feel good dish with delicious vegetables, for which you will need the following...
1. 1 large (fresh) yellow onion, choped to desired size.
2. 1 large (fresh) yellow squash, chopped into bite size pieces
3. 1 large (fresh) zuchinni, chopped into bite size pieces
4. 2 cups of (fresh) green beans, or if you want to be different, try asparagus tips.
5. 2 TSP minced (fresh) parsley
6. 1 clove of (fresh) garlic, finely chopped
7. 1 can (6 oz) tomatoe paste
8. Salt and Pepper to taste
9. 2/3 cup water
10. 1 lb spaghetti
*On a side note, I prefere whole grain pasta, not only is it better for you, but it adds more and better flavor, for me it does anyway*
Combine onions, squash, zuchinni, green beans, parsley, garlic, and water in a large saucepan, cook for 10 minutes, then stir in tomatoe paste.
Cover and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain spaghetti and place desired amount on an individual plate, spoon sauce over top.
If you have the time and desire to cook homemade fresh tomotoe paste, you will need the following...
1. Fresh Tomatoes (6-12 large)
2. A food processor or blender
3. A wire strainer
Place tomatoes in food processor or blender, process until smooth. Press mixture through wire strainer, discard pulp. Boil mixture until thick enough to mound on a spoon (can take a couple hours). As mixture thickens, stir often, reduce heat, and partially cover. Once your vegetables are cooked, you can now stir it in.
Bon Appétit!