When in Doubt, Throw it Out

If you're on day 4 (or 5) of Thanksgiving leftovers, and that pecan pie or stuffing is still in the house threatening your hips and your resolve, do yourself a favor: throw it away! I don't usually advocate throwing perfectly good food in the trash, but let's look at it this way:

1. If you eat it, you will probably regret it soon after.
2. It's not exactly healthful, so you're not doing yourself any good by eating it; i.e., it's not really "nourishing" you--especially four days after the holiday for which it was cooked.
3. It will continue to torture you as long as it is in the house (read: midnight snacks, after-work stress relief, etc.).
4. Didn't you want to wear that hot little black dress to the Christmas party in a couple weeks?

The philosophy of throwing away the evil leftovers is akin to the philosophy of "I am not a garbage disposal," which is your mantra if you're used to finishing off your kids' leftover mac 'n cheese and fries. Let it go. Throw it out.

And if you can't quite bring yourself to throw it out, here are some alternatives:

1. Give it away (bring to work, bring to a lonely neighbor, leave on your doorstep).
2. Freeze it. By the time you discover it again, it won't look so appealing.

Good luck! Be strong!

The Return of the Grapefruit Diet?

No, not what you're thinking. But earlier today, I was contemplating having something to eat that would not threaten to clog my arteries, and I spied a lovely pink grapefruit in the fridge. Perfect, I thought, for a mid-afternoon snack--particularly after a day of complete food debauchery.

I was planning just to eat half and save the rest for tomorrow. But I ended up devouring the whole beautiful grapefruit and sipping the juice afterward. Delightful! Which brings me to the point of this blog post: amid all this holiday chaos don't forget the simple things. A grapefruit is a wonderfully refreshing snack. A nice long walk among the leaves can really get the blood going and put color in your cheeks. Even a good stretch first thing in the morning can set you up for a good, less-stressful day.

So don't ignore the simple things, like a good crisp apple or a few in-the-shell walnuts to crack open by the fire. They'll restore your strength, keep you from being disgusted with yourself for finishing off that pecan pie (well, you can't leave just one slice in the pan!), and help you stem the damage that can come so easily this time of year. Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and all the rest!

Don't Let the Holidays Throw You Off-Course

It's so easy to give in to the holiday eating madness. There's temptation all around you: at work, at parties, in stores, at restaurants, etc. Your resolve has to be on overdrive in order to resist, it seems. Before you throw up your hands in abandonment of your newfound healthy lifestyle, keep a few things in mind.

1. The holidays are only here for a few short weeks, but the weight you stand to gain by indulging at every turn could take months to work off--once you've returned to healthy habits, that is. Before eating something, ask yourself if you REALLY want it.

2. More than eating, the holidays are about giving and sharing. Concentrate on catching up with friends and family at get-togethers, rather than on trying that yummy-looking melted cheese thing on the buffet table.

3. Wear clothing that shows off how hard you've been working. You won't want to ruin that with a quart of eggnog.

4. Don't skip exercise. Even though your schedule is jam-packed with holiday frenzy, make a date with yourself for exercise at least every other day. You'll feel better physically, mentally and spiritually, and you'll have more energy for getting all those extra things done.

5. Immerse yourself in the traditions of the season. Enjoy the non-food customs: the music, decorating, gift-giving, charitable giving, card-sending. Let them nourish you as much as (if not more than) food.

6. Taste everything you want and keep portion control in mind at every eating occasion. You won't regret it.

Enjoy!!!

Your Thanksgiving Eating Plan

Who doesn't love Thanksgiving? A whole day devoted to being grateful for what you have ... and eating! While I adore this holiday, it can really throw you for a loop if you don't have an eating strategy. So here, I've listed a few tips for making it through Thanksgiving without regrets. Follow me:

1. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Portion control is your friend. Thanksgiving is not about denial, so I say sure, taste everything. Just don't fill your plate with whomping big portions. Imagine you're simply sampling everything, not taking full servings. You'll only feel more stuffed than the turkey later and definitely regret it tomorrow.

2. Indulge in the roast turkey, simply prepared veggies and fruit, chestnuts and other nuts served in the shell, salad, soup. You can even have seconds on these if you're still hungry.

3. A spoonful or two of cranberry sauce is a great low-fat or fat-free alternative to gravy. I actually prefer it to gravy, and the sweetness makes a nice contrast to the savory turkey. Of course, it counts as a fruit serving--albeit laced with sugar, so go easy.

4. Drink water. It will not only help you digest all the other indulgences, but it will fill up your belly so you won't be tempted to have seconds on the apple pie.

5. Pie crust is not your friend. Try eating the pumpkin pie filling (the lowest-calorie pie, by the way) without the crust, or with just half the crust. You'll get all the flavor and much less of the fat. And just a taste of any whipped cream you're served should be enough.

6. A glass of wine is OK--3, 4, 5 glasses of wine, not so good. 'nuff said.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Milk Doesn't Have to Have Milk in It

I'm not anti-dairy. (I've previously stated how much I love homemade ice cream and my yogurt-and-honey snack--plus I adore cheese.) But I've become increasingly aware of some of the amazing milk substitutes on the market--several of which are quite healthful and delicious. Soymilk, rice milk and almond milk are now readily available at your local supermarket, and they come in all varieties and package sizes; shelf stable or refrigerated; vanilla, chocolate or plain; low-fat, fat-free or "original."

There's much to be admired about these non-dairy milks. Most taste great in your morning cereal or straight from the glass (best COLD). They compare quite favorably to cow's milk in calorie count, flavor and creaminess and can be substituted for cow's milk in most recipes (opt for "plain" flavor when substituting for plain milk). And, many milk subsitutes have even more nutritional value than cow's milk, including extra calcium, some fiber, added vitamins and minerals and phytonutrients. Soymilk may have cholesterol-lowering qualities, and almond milk is rich and creamy while being completely free of saturated fat and offering about as many calories per cup as fat-free milk. Not a bad bargain!

I'm not suggesting you give up regular milk. But why not try a few of the vegetarian milk varieties on the market and see which strike your fancy. You may have a new healthful favorite in your house before long!

Rev Up Your Metabolism With New Fruits and Veggies

I cut up a rutabaga a little while ago. That's right, a rutabaga. And after that, a turnip and a parsnip. Why, you ask? I'm attempting to reverse an upward trend on the scale, and I'm hoping to do it with fruits and veggies I don't normally eat. I've never tried rutabagas before, so when I spied the "Cooking Light" (www.cookinglight.com) recipe for Braised Root Vegetables with Chicken, it sounded like the perfect autumn dish, complete with lots of new-to-my-family veggies.

In addition to cooking a new dish (to be eaten and reviewed later this week), I recently bought persimmons, grapefruit and a big bag of dried apricots from Costco. These have never been staples in my diet, but I'm trying to introduce new produce items, new tastes, new textures to keep our palates from getting bored and my body from getting too used to the same foods all the time. Just as it's important to change up one's exercise routine, I'm beginning to see the importance of varying one's diet in order to keep seeing results.

So, even though it's getting into the cold months and produce options may seem somewhat limited, take a look at your local farmer's market or grocery store's produce section and see what's in season. Last month, I discovered spaghetti squash and found my whole family loved it. You might find you prefer one of the myriad varieties of apples available this time of year over the typical Red Delicious or Granny Smith type. Give it a try! I'll let you know how the chicken turns out.

Sometimes Pork Fat Does Rule

Awhile ago I posted about preferring my husband's homemade, full-fat, all-natural ice cream to any fat-free or reduced-fat version one could buy in a store. My reasoning was, it's better to enjoy a small amount of the real thing fully than only to be semi-satisfied by a more-healthful but less-tasty facsimile that still leaves you wanting more.

Recently, I had the same revelation about certain types of meat and their substitutes. Now let me be clear: if you are are vegetarian or have a religious or health reason for not eating some types of meat, I'm not aiming this at you. But if you do not have those restrictions, listen up.

We do not serve pork products in our house, and we don't serve meat and dairy together because we keep a kosher home. As a result, I have tried several different forms of meat substitutes over the years. Some of them aren't bad, others are pretty good, and still others are just plain awful. For instance, I love Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs (great for serving with pasta, tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, or even on meatball sandwiches), think Morningstar Farms' "crumbles" make a fantastic substitute for ground meat in sauces, and I love a good veggie burger (particularly Gardenburger). But I have not found a decent substitute for bacon.

My husband talks about a product he had as a kid called "fry beef," but I haven't found it in San Diego. What I have found simply doesn't measure up. All the vegetarian bacon substitutes, to me, taste like chemicals. All those preformed strips just don't do it for me. So I'd rather opt out on this one than go for a more-healthful, kosher substitute. (If anyone has tried a bacon substitute that tastes and smells like real bacon, I'd like to know about it.)

So while I'm all for choosing more-healthful foods, if they don't measure up I say simply don't buy them. Hopefully, this will encourage the makers of substitute foods to make more delicious (and nutritious) versions that actually taste like what they're mimicking. And if they could do that by using real food, instead of chemicals, hip hip hooray for them! Bon Appetit!

Forget Perfection

There are many reasons why people fail to achieve their goals. One of them is the ridiculous notion that we have to be "perfect," that if we don't do something "perfectly" then it's not worth doing. Hogwash! The road to your goal is not paved with perfection, nor will you be "perfect" once you get there.

I need to keep reminding myself of this, to stop thinking of having "perfect" eating or exercise days or reaching the "perfect" weight. Truth is, there simply is no such thing, as long as we're human. "Perfection" is really a range of acceptability, and when it comes to weight-loss goals, this range is a continuum along which we run high on some days and low on others. Thinking of these goals as pass or fail situations is like walking a precariously high tightrope from which you will most assuredly fall.

So don't berate yourself for having a less-controlled eating day or for failing to reach a certain number on the scale by a certain date. The important thing is that you're still working toward your goal, that you go back to eating healthfully the next day and that you are exercising for your own good health--not just to burn off that birthday cake. Count each step toward fitness as a small but significant triumph, and you'll never fail. And above all, can't we let go of this unattainable concept of perfection and realize that it's our imperfections that make us human and unique? What a relief that would be!

Focus on the Present

A good friend just reminded me of a wise principle that I had forgotten: "You can only worry about today." So true. And especially true if you have a huge goal in front of you, like losing a sizable amount of weight or changing your lifestyle from unhealthy to healthy. The best way to get there is one day at a time.

I guess I forget this principle because of where I am today. I did the hard work to achieve my goal of losing 25 lbs. and am now in maintenance mode. But not everyone reading this blog is where I am. You may have 10, 20, 50 or more lbs. to lose, and that weight loss is still ahead of you. It may seem like an insurmountable obstacle: to make healthy choices time and again, day after day, month after month, probably for the rest of your life. But if you look at it that way, you're setting yourself up for failure.

Try this: tell yourself that the only choice that matters is your next one, whether that's your next meal choice, the decision to have a second helping or not, to eat that slab of cheesecake or not, to work out or sleep in. You only have to concentrate on that choice, not the one after that or the one you may have to make next week. Why do this? Because to focus on something down the road (or worse, to worry about it) is to steal joy from your current state and not be fully present. And when you're not fully present, you risk making bad choices right now. So, no matter what the issue is, just focus on the here and now. This is sound advice, and I'm going to try to apply it to other areas of my life.

Try Something New

Last night, I made a vegetable I've never made before: spaghetti squash. Figuring that my daughter loves all things pasta, I decided to try it. The verdict? It was a hit! And even though I doctored it up with butter and parmesan cheese, rather than serving it au naturale the way I normally serve veggies, it was still a veggie--and a yellow-orange one at that, which is something she'd never touch before. So I call this a victory.

Here's what I did. I pierced a 2 1/2-lb. spaghetti squash with a fork all over the skin. Then I microwaved it on high for about 20-25 minutes, until the skin was soft. I let it sit for 5 minutes, then cut it in half and removed the seeds. Then I scooped out the flesh into a bowl, added butter, salt and parmesan cheese, and voila! A new side dish is born!

I highly suggest trying a fruit or veggie you or your family has never tried before. It's like a culinary adventure for all of you, and you might just hit upon something that everybody (or that one picky somebody in particular) really likes! If you stick with the same old, same old, you'll never know. Now that we're fully into a new season, try a squash or two, or a new root vegetable (rutabagas, beets, parsnips?). Prepare it simply, in a manner that your family has appreciated in the past, and you may surprise yourself. Happy eating!

Breast Cancer Prevention: Another Reason to Eat Your Veggies

I just read an interesting article in the October issue of "Vegetarian Times" (www.vegetariantimes.com) called "Eat to Beat Breast Cancer." While I'm not a vegetarian, my diet has become much more "vegetarian-oriented" in that I eat (and advocate eating) lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. The good news, according to this article, is that eating this way can help prevent breast cancer.

The way the article describes it, when your liver filters your blood, it removes extra estrogens from it and sends them to your intestinal tract, where they're either removed from your body along with waste or recirculated back into your bloodstream. The fiber you get from fruits, veggies, etc. serves to carry away the excess hormones and get them out of your system (excess estrogens are believed to contribute to breast cancer). Pretty neat, huh?

There are scads of reasons to eat right, but this one should hit home with anyone who has ever had or known someone who has had breast cancer. Why not give yourself the nutritional edge against a disease that has tragically affected so many lives?

The article goes on to say that 40 grams of fiber per day is a good amount for adults to shoot for, and that soy products and mushrooms, especially, can reduce breast cancer risk from 30-64 percent! Those are numbers we can't afford to ignore.