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Nutrition Essentials: Taste and Variety (October 27, 2008)
By Inshape | October 27, 2008
With the turn to lower temperatures and shorter days, people tend to spend more time indoors and more time near or in the kitchen. This transition is often accompanied by a significant increase in consumption and therefore often results in seasonal weight gain through the New Year (a study out of Texas A&M finds that people consume an extra 619 calories each day between Thanksgiving and New Years). What a better time, then, to focus on two important factors in good nutrition: taste/enjoyment and variety. And next week, we will conclude our series with the final two factors: timing and moderation.
Enjoying your Food
You have to enjoy the food choices that you make in order to sustain healthy eating patterns. Sure, if you’re on the go (think airports, road trips, or just running from one meeting to the next), selecting something for a quick snack or short meal is more about what will keep you going. Taste may end up getting side-lined in these instances, but it’s a vital component when it comes to more substantial meals and your overall nutritional plan. So, how do you add taste without packing on the fat grams? The answer - is flavor.
Adding flavor without greatly increasing the amount of fat in your favorite dishes will help keep you from getting bored. By varying the flavor of your favorite healthy meals, you’ll be less likely to give in to cravings. Also, if everything you eat is bland and you constantly eat the same things, you will eventually give in to foods that aren’t’t good for you – to satisfy the urge for something different.
Here are a few tips:
1. Add lemon or lime juice to sauces, marinades, and dressings in place of (or in conjunction with a smaller amount of) oils or butter. Citric acid is full of flavor, vitamin c, and antioxidants and therefore adds taste and boosts immunity. It also aids in digestion, fights heart burn, bloating and gas.
2. Spice up your spice rack. The generous application of pepper, thyme, rosemary, parsley, cumin, oregano…the list goes on and on…can make a huge difference in the enjoyment of a dish. Just go easy on the salt - most US adults consume more than double the 4.2 g of sodium recommended per day.
3. Keep your pantry stocked with chicken broth, yogurt and applesauce. These are healthy, flavorful substitutes for milk, mayo and butter in recipes.
4. Add a fruit to a dish to add taste and ward off cravings for fattening sweets. Examples are to add raisins to couscous or rice dishes, cranberries and cherries (fresh or dried) to salads, and apricots to poultry coatings.
Variety
Most of us are in a constant food rut, eating the same few foods day after day. Not only is this insanely boring, but it’s also a huge no-no if you want to eat for optimal health. It’s important to remember that in order to eat for good nutrition, varying your food choices, as well as how you prepare them will help you get the most health benefits. Eating a wide variety of healthful foods, especially fruits and vegetables, helps to protect against diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The color of the foods you eat should vary, as color is what determines the amount of nutrients in the food. So the more colorful your plate is throughout the day, the more balanced your diet will be. Consuming an assortment of foods is the key to ensuring you receive the proper nutrients your body needs to function and thrive.
Two other tips:
1. Eat fruits and veggies that are in season. Mother Nature has arranged for us to add variety to our diets - why not take advantage of that? Here’s a great website that lists the foods that are in season on any given week of the year: http://www.eattheseasons.com.
2. Vary the grains that you eat in your breads and pastas. If you always order rice, switch to couscous or bulgar rice. If you always eat whole grain bread, take a chance on pumpernickel or rye. Mixing it up keeps meals interesting, and offers your body different nutrients and metabolic demands.
Topics: Nutrition |
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