In order to maintain a healthy diet, it is imperative to make the diet a habit, not a task.
I have fallen off the wagon for a day, sometimes two. That is also necessary, because it reminds me that even if I slip up, it's not the end. I know how to clamber back aboard, but I just want to wallow off the road for a bit.
Studies have been claiming recently that adult obesity can have its roots in childhood, when habits are forged. I was raised with pretty good habits, and I have acquired even more recently; believe me, it would have been easier to tackle those latter stages when I was 5.
Yet slowly, gradually, even glacially, my current high-fiber, greenery-laden, nut-munching menu has overtaken my life to the point that without oat bran, I am bereft.
Mark Bittman, who has dubbed me "Flexitarian" (by proxy), shares some tips is "Sustainable Resolutions for Your Diet." Fads don't offer lasting change. Good habits do.
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Of his pointers that appeal to me:
(1) Buy less, but better quality. Then make the most of it with hefty vegetable-based sidedishes or soups. Meat should not be the main focus; it should be regulated to the status of commentary.
(1) Buy less, but better quality. Then make the most of it with hefty vegetable-based sidedishes or soups. Meat should not be the main focus; it should be regulated to the status of commentary.
As a sidebar, cholent is an example of how those on low incomes stretched a scrap of expensive meat. There is a ridiculous amount of flavor that can be extracted from dead animal when even a small bit (i.e. turkey neck) is added to a soup, for instance.
(2) Frozen fruits and vegetables are so convenient. If I make a last-minute supper, I can rely on sautéing an onion then adding frozen spinach, peas, and broccoli. Then I don't have to cook as much (whole-wheat) pasta, which gets mixed together with the veggies. If it is readily available, it will be utilized.
(3) Vegetables for breakfast! Sounds mad, but only to the pancake-flipping American; other cultures have been eating green first thing in the day forever. I've often consumed butternut squash soup or pan-roasted cruciferous for breakfast. Satisfying, weight-loss friendly, and healthy. A triple threat.
8 comments:
Meh. Too green for me. I usually have a bowl of cereal in the morning, and some sort of meat based dish sometime late afternoon, and throughout the day/evening i eat 4 or more fruits.
I haven't had joy with cereal; I get so hungry before lunch that cardboard looks tasty.
So which cereal do you eat? All I have is pretty scrumptious high-fiber twigs and such, but still get ravenous.
Usually Cheerios (regular or honey nut), Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes, or Golden Grams.
! So much sugar! (Except for the Cheerios.) Lucky ducky that you can eat it every day. :)
So could you, of you run 7 miles a night ;)
Run? Me? Hell no.
Will you please at some point give us your recipe for cholent?
Somehow I feel that would be the antedote for many of my ills. lol.
The cholent at this point in time (which has been recently resurrected; my house was cholent-free for many years) is a mash-up of leftover paprikas, barley, and adzuki beans. There kinda isn't a recipe.
As long as the grains are whole, the meat is fowl and not red, and there are beans, all is well.
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