Make Healthy Eating Delicious This New Year!

 As we emerge from the holidays with joy and peace in our hearts, let’s start off the New Year with thoughts of making the coming year even better and healthier.

I frequently talk to people who think that eating healthier doesn’t always taste delicious. But, the good news is that when we start doing something new, our bodies adapt and our taste buds acclimate. When you change your diet and start eating a different type of food, it may not initially seem quite as delicious as you hoped it would. That’s because you have not been eating that food until now and your taste buds are not used to it. But, if you continue to eat that specific food on a continual basis for about two weeks, your body will adapt and your taste buds will generate and acclimate to these new taste sensations.

Stick with the new, healthier diet and allow your body to grow and evolve with you. Within two weeks, that new food will taste better than it did the first time, and you will be getting tremendous health benefits!
So, let’s get started on a new eating plan for a healthier, happier you! To begin this new dietary journey, get a fresh start with my top seven tips for making healthy eating delicious!

One: Use healthy fat in your recipes. Eating fat does not necessarily make a person fat. In fact, the right kinds of fat can make people skinny, as well as support overall health and increase energy.

The advertising industry would have us believe that fat is bad or fattening. But in reality, good fat can be critical to our health and our weight management. Fat actually tells the body how to utilize protein and carbohydrates. Fat in our food can make it taste rich and satisfying.

Foods that are savory usually have some fat in them, but many low- fat or fat-free products are filled with salt, sugar, chemical additives, and MSG to make up for the lack of savory flavor the fat provides.

Coconut oil and avocado oil are examples of pure, unprocessed healthy fats.

Coconut oil is seen in most parts of the world as the super-food of fats. Coconut oil is a healthy “nut” fat. It is a highly chemically stable fat, meaning it can be heated without negative effects. Very few oils handle heat well, but certain coconut oils handle high heat very well. It is also resistant to lipid peroxidation (which may be a common mechanistic pathway that can lead to increased cancer risk) and rancidity.

 Coconut oil is unique if you are a calorie counter. Coconut oil has 2.6% fewer calories per gram than other fats. Coconut oil nourishes the body, and its medium-chained fatty acids provide a good source of energy.

Coconut oil is also highly effective as an antioxidant. Coconut oil is a safe alternative oil for any cooking recipe. And as a healthy fat, it makes food taste rich and savory!

Avocados are a superfood filled with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fat. They are especially high in potassium and fiber, which contribute to weight loss and have been linked to a lower risk of disease.

Two: Use mushrooms in your recipes. Studies show mushrooms aid the immune system because they are rich in potassium, selenium, copper, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and B complex vitamins. Some kinds of mushrooms are one of only two natural food sources of Vitamin D.

Mushrooms are an excellent source of antioxidants polyphenols, selenium, and ergothioneine (known as a master antioxidant, an amino acid containing sulfur. Sulfur is an extremely important nutrient, yet it is highly overlooked.) One medium portobello mushroom has more potassium than a small banana. Five medium cremini mushrooms have more selenium than a large egg or three ounces of lean beef. Plus, the copper in mushrooms helps the body to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body.

Mushrooms are low in calories and are about 80–90% water, which makes them a great substitute for meat in recipes when wanting to cut calories. 
Adding mushrooms to dishes is easy.

Thinly slice some mushrooms and put them on salads, pasta dishes, and sandwiches—or serve them as a side dish. Grilling them is always great, and mushrooms make a tasty and healthy alternative to a burger. I love to sauté them with onions and butter in order to bring out the rich flavor of savory mushrooms. Each mushroom has a different flavor, so experiment by trying different varieties.

Three: Eat colorful, fresh, organic food to get antioxidants. Antioxidants are in the color. Avoid white, refined foods and choose the ones with rich color. For example, in the winter, certain seasonal foods like root vegetables can be very comforting, especially potatoes! But instead of white potatoes, give yourself an antioxidant boost by trying red potatoes, purple potatoes, yams, or sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are delicious, and high in fiber and beta-carotene. 
 (Use coconut oil as a healthy fat in potato dishes. Mix it in to mashed potatoes, or use it when you cut potatoes up for baking and frying. If you want a buttery flavor, add a tiny bit of ghee to the coconut oil. Just remember: Never store potatoes in the refrigerator. Doing this will turn the starch in potatoes into sugar.)

Four: Cook with unrefined sea salt to increase your health and well-being. 
When I ask people if they use salt, they usually tell me, “No, I eat a low-salt diet for health reasons.” But unrefined sea salt is not salt that is bad for us. It is the type of salt we eat that dictates whether it is good for you.

The word “electrolyte” is a fancy medical term for salt. We need electrolytes to be healthy. Our immune systems can’t function without them. In fact, low-salt diets promote toxicity, and they have adverse effects on the body. Low-salt diets promote elevated insulin levels and insulin resistance, as well as elevated normal cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. Low-salt diets will lead to mineral deficiencies and the development of chronic disease.

Adding unrefined, mineral rich sea salt to your diet can increase the usable oxygen in your blood, detoxify blood, and neutralize radiation. Unrefined, mineral-rich sea salt makes capillaries more elastic and increases blood flow. There are various types of unrefined sea salt, all containing different mineral contents. Try a few different ones and see which you like the best.

Five: Add spices to your food to provide both flavor and incredible health benefits. 
Two spices I most recommend adding are turmeric and cinnamon.

 Turmeric is a common ingredient in Indian cuisine and contains an ingredient called curcumin. Curcumin has more than 150 therapeutic agents to combat viruses, bacterium, diseases, and other chronic conditions.
Turmeric can help curb indigestion and heartburn. It protects brain and cardiovascular health, boosts the immune system and decreases inflammation. Turmeric works better when combined with fat and if you combine it with black pepper, you can increase the rate of absorption.

Cinnamon is another spice you can add to your recipes. It us very effective in lowering blood sugar levels.

Six: Use healthier sweeteners. Sugar is like an addictive drug. It gives the body an artificial energy surge, and the body begins to crave that energy. Dr. Francis Stern states, “A characteristic of sugar ‘binges’ is that the taste for sweets, for some reason, leads to a craving for more of the same, just the way other drugs create cravings.” I encourage you to limit or eliminate sugar from your diet as much as possible. A few suggestions for when you wish to add a sweetener are honey, xylitol, dates or date sugar.

Honey is a natural sweetener that is antifungal and antibacterial. Honey contains a variety of nutrients and minerals, as well as some enzymes. It is known to facilitate muscle recuperation and glycogen restoration after a workout. Substitute honey for sugar in recipes. Always buy raw, unrefined honey so that live enzymes and nutritional properties are still intact.

 Xylitol is a sugar alcohol found in fruits and vegetables. It is made from birch tree bark and other hard wood trees. Xylitol has fewer calories and 75% fewer carbohydrates than sugar. Studies have shown that ingesting xylitol can alkalize your body, reduce sugar cravings, and reduce insulin levels. It was approved by the FDA in 1963.(Like chocolate, egg whites and red grapes, xylitol is toxic to animals.)

Seven: Use delicious probiotic foods in your recipes. Probiotic food is vital to the health and strength of the immune system, and it supports digestion and absorption of food and nutrients. Adding garlic, onions, raw, unprocessed apple cider vinegar, raw, unprocessed soy sauce, coconut yogurts, kombucha, and miso to your recipes can make them delicious as well as create a healthier immune system!

 Allium vegetables, like garlic and onions, have been studied extensively in relation to cancer. Their beneficial and preventative effects are likely due in part to their rich organosulfur compounds.

Garlic, in particular, has a wonderful flavor. It’s fragile, so I add it at the end of cooking. Adding onion is a great way to add flavor to a dish without adding extra calories. Onions can be sautéed, roasted, and grilled or caramelized. Use them fresh as a topping for sandwiches or salads, or add them to salsas and dips. They have both probiotic and antifungal properties.

 Fermented foods are foods that have been through a process of lactofermentation, in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar in the food to create lactic acid. This process preserves the food. It creates beneficial enzymes, B vitamins, and probiotics.

So, lighten up, get going, and embrace a new, healthier lifestyle! By incorporating delicious, healthier ingredients into your recipes, you will give your body some necessary tools to help it heal and stay healthier in the future. Now is the time to transition to a healthier lifestyle that you can maintain for the rest of your life! Feel lighter and brighter in your body, mind, and spirit.

It’s time for new adventures with food!

Sources:

1 Gago-Dominguez, Manuela, et. al. (2007). Lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress genes and dietary factors in breast cancer protection: a hypothesis. Breast Cancer Research 2006, [9:20]1. Retrieved from http://www.breast-cancer-research.com/content/9/1/201

2  Cinnamon’s Health Benefits: Wondering how to lower blood sugar? Try some cinnamon, which has double duty benefits.” (2007, November 7.) Women’sHealth. Retrieved from http://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/cinnamon-benefits-explained
3  Goulart, Frances Sheridan. (1991, March 1). “Are You Sugar Smart? Linked to Heart Attacks, Kidney Disease, Diabetes and Other Diseases, Sugar Is to the ’90s What Cholesterol Was to the ’80s (Includes 9 ways to Cope with Sugar Cravings).” American Fitness. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-10722552.html

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