Eating Healthy-er

I thought I'd just jot down a few ways that we try to eat healthy in my family. And I put try on purpose because we don't eat perfectly all the time but we do try to do some small things to make sure we are taking care of our bodies. My philosophy on healthy eating is that it is definitely important but it needs to be something that isn't going to take hours of my time because I have things to do. While I do enjoy cooking, I enjoy a lot of other things more - so I strive to find ways to include vegetables, whole grains, and fruits while cutting down on added sugars and fats.

There is a lot of great counsel in the Word of Wisdom. This past year or so I have reflected again and again on the scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 89:12-13:

 12 Yea, ^aflesh also of ^bbeasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used ^csparingly;

 13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be ^aused, only in times of winter, or of cold, or ^bfamine.

In order to try to follow this counsel better we have tried to cut down on the meat that we use. I am not yet ready to go vegetarian or vegan but my goal is to just have meat a couple times a week. The meats that we do choose are leaner cuts; we use chicken and we use ground turkey in place of ground beef. I also do try to keep in mind where my food is coming from and being thankful for that which we do have.

I also decrease the amount of meat I use in my recipes. In my chili I only use 1/2 -3/4 lb of ground turkey and lots of beans. In spaghetti, the same, and then I add vegetables in to add bulk (onion, bell pepper, and I love putting grated carrot into my tomato sauces). If I'm short on time, throwing in some frozen veggie mixes into tomato sauces also works. I tried this recently with some meatballs by adding in some frozen peas. It looked a little weird but tasted good.

Another way I try eat less meats is my having it be less in amounts on my plate (see my below post on the Plate Method). So I try to have the protein of my meal be just 1/4 of the plate. So I try to have enough other things to fill up the plate so I'm not filling up on meat. For instance when I make oven fried chicken, I make roasted sweet potatoes, spinach salad, and some whole grain biscuits to help fill out my plate and fill up our tummies.

So what about the meals that we have that don't have meat in them? They are usually filled with beans or lentils, which are a great source of protein & fiber among other things. This is still a work in progress, a lot of my meatless recipes are soups (vegetable chili, taco coup, lentil soup, garbanzo bean soup, etc) which doesn't always sound good in the summer. My body doesn't do well with a lot of raw vegetables, so large amounts of salads are pretty much out. So again, we are trying but still working on things.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Well, I think I'll leave this post at that and add some other ideas in future posts.

Balance in Diet and Posting

So turns out I burn out rather quickly. I can't believe it has already been two months. I've had lots of things on my mind which I would like to post about it but it takes quite a bit of time assembling those posts. That, and motivation. I have sort of lacked in these departments lately but I'm going to try, try again.

This blog, it appears, is symbolic of the average person. We try to eat healthy, we fall off the horse now and again, but the trick is to keep trying. So today my post is about balance and how to best balance different foods. Often when people ask me about how to eat healthy I like to use what is called the "Plate Method". Turns out the USDA has gotten on board with this method and have created http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ to help people plan healthier diets.

I think the plate method has its origins in helping those with diabetes plan their foods better by balancing out their carbohydrates. So in the past the plates have had half of the plate filled with non-starchy vegetables and the fruit serving has been on the side, when it was planned.

I am fine with either graphic as the emphasis is that half or more of your plate would be best dedicated to fruits and vegetables. I love how this method helps you visualize better how you should be eating. None of this trying to mentally measure out cups and ounces of food that the MyPyramid.gov website tries to get you to do. This is much simpler and therefore, much easier to adapt to real life. 

And I think that is going to be it for right now. Z just woke up and I have a house to clean up and a cold to recover from. I'll try to post soon a follow-up on other tools available at some of the USDA websites that are helpful for going more in depth into your diet. But I do like the visual plate as a starter tool to help you look at your own plates and see how they measure up.