Healthy Food May Protect You From Chronic Diseases

If you are beginning to feel that the battle between eating what is good for you and eating what appeals to you, is a losing battle, you are not alone. To help you win that battle more often, remember that choosing when to eat is just as important as choosing what to eat. By that I mean that the longer you go without eating the more you will crave foods—foods high in fat.

While the news media and all the hype about foods high in fat give fatty foods a bad name, the truth of the matter is that your body needs fats to function. These essential fats are very important for your brain functions, your nerves, and the list goes on. If you are going between long periods of time between meals, you are programmed to desire the tastes of foods high in fat. If you are starting to feel like the odds are stacked against you, you are correct, but the good news is that as you understand more about what is going on in your body you can eat foods that are good for you, but will turn off the alarms that drive you to eat the foods that are not so good for you.

Eating more often during the day. Many dietitians recommend 5 small meals a day to 3 large meals. Planning to eat foods that are good for you and appeal to you are important in staying ahead of the game. If you are interested in eating healty, here are a few tips that have worked for many people in the past:

1. Find a low fat version of a snack you enjoy and keep it on hand. That won’t be too hard to do these days with the endless variety of low fat cookies, chips, smoothies, yogurt, ice cream, etc.
2. Enjoy a cup of green tea before your snack and drink it slowly. Drink a second cup if you want. Green tea is known to suppress your appetite and you will be less prone to fill up on the snack.
3. Learn to appreciate new healthy foods. Try one new food per week. Try an avocado if you have never done so. Find out a few things about why it is healthy and find a way to include it in one of your meals. Keep a food diary of each new food you tried and what you liked about it and what you didn't like.
4. Some individuals also find it inspiring to journal their thoughts about nutrition because it helps them refocus their attention on the importance of food and good nutrition.
5. I heard of one woman who paid herself to eat right. She paid herself a dollar for each time she chose to eat a healthy vegetable instead of something sweet. This one sounded bizarre to me, but it worked for her. Determination won over her sweet tooth and after 6 months she had $500.00 tucked into a sock in her drawer. She must have eaten a lot of carrots!

• Eat these vegetables several times a week:
• cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower,
• boc choy, collard
• greens, and radishes.
• Keep blueberries in the freezer and add to morning bowl of cereal or yogurt.
• Try to include a fruit or
• vegetable every time you eat.
• Substitute a fresh, canned, or frozen
• fruit for your usual dessert.
• Buy a juicer and have fresh carrot/beet juice every day.

• Help promote a healthy digestive tract and may lower risk of cancer.
• Many are high in vitamin A,
• vitamin C, folic acid, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals (health promoting components).
• Naturally low in calories, fat, & sodium;
• Contain no cholesterol.
• Keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections.

• Dark leafy greens like collards, turnip greens, kale, mustard greens, romaine
• Orange vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin
• Orange fruits like mango, cantaloupe, apricots
• Tomatoes

• Fruits like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries,cantaloupe, termelon, apricots, honeydew melon, mango, pineapple, kiwi fruit, plums
• Dark leafy greens like spinach, collards, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, romaine
• Citrus fruits & juices (oranges, grapefruit, tangerine)
• Vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, green/red bell peppers, tomatoes, cabbage

• Legumes & fruit like beans, peas, peanuts, orange, orange juice
• Dark leafy greens like spinach, turnip greens, collards, kale, mustard greens, romaine

BAKED APPLE & CARROT CASSEROLE

6 apples, cooked, peeled, and thinly sliced

2 c. cooked carrot slices

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp. flour

Salt to taste

3/4 c. orange juice

Place half the apples in greased 2 quart baking dish and cover with half the carrots. Mix brown sugar, flour and salt and sprinkle half the mixture over the carrots. Repeat layers and pour orange juice over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serves 6.

TIE-TIE (55 calories and 0 fat Dutch treat)

Boil: (Just to the boiling point)

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup water

Cool. Add 3 to 5 cups rye flour and 1/2 tsp. baking powder till the consistency of dough that can holds it's shape when made into a long roll. After you shape the roll, slice and place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees until lightly browned on bottom. Makes 53 healthy cookies.

Comment: This was my favorite cookie growing up. My father brought the recipe with him from Holland where he was a Dutch baker. You can safely add this recipe to your healthy food list.

MICROWAVE FRUIT JAM

2 cups rhubarb -- diced

1 pint strawberries

8 1/4 ounces crushed pineapple – canned (do not drain)

1 3/4 ounces pectin -- 1 package

4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon peel -- grated

Combine pineapple, rhubarb and strawberries in 2-quart microwave-safe bowl or other container. Microwave on high power 7-10 minutes, stirring twice, until rhubarb is tender. Stir in fruit pectin; microwave on high 2-4 minutes, until mixture boils, stirring every minute. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Microwave on high 2-4 minutes more to allow jam to boil hard; stir every other minute. Let stand for 10 minutes, then pour into sterilized jars. Seal and let cool, then refrigerate.

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