Judy E. Buss

You have read and heard extensively about the reasons for eating healthy, and decided to improve your diet. But it all seems overwhelming: Where to begin? What to do? The good news is that it is easier than you think! What starts the ball rolling is the realization that not taking care of your wellbeing makes it possible for the quiet, steady process of chronic diseases to set up shop in your body. You are now willing to accept, that making time for preparing and eating wholesome fare IS part of living, just as taking showers and cleaning house is. This is what people used to do before they let cell phones become continuously glued to their ears, their eyeballs attached to computer screens, or “stuff” their schedules with an unlimited number of activities and commitments.

Changing your eating habits is done step by step, one day at a time. Trying to implement an overnight Green Revolution will most likely end in failure. Start by progressively replacing processed grains with whole grains: brown rice, millet, bulgur, oats (oatmeal), quinoa; quality whole or multi-grain bread, pita, wraps, and pasta.

Whole grains are versatile nutritional celebrities. They can serve as the basis for a “gazillion” delicious dishes, from breakfasts, lunches, to dinners and snacks. Double the amount you cook and you have a major part of another meal ready! Just don’t keep the leftovers in your fridge until they become petrified… If you have a little trouble getting used to brown rice, for example, begin by mixing a smaller amount into the white rice. Over time, alter the ratio by increasing the amount of the “good guy” reducing the “bad guy,” until reaching 100 percent. Be mindful of the fact that whole grains and processed ones require different cooking times. Before they are mixed together they should be cooked separately.

Drink plenty of filtered water (between meals), and Incorporate more fresh, raw, and briefly steamed vegetables into your diet, as well as seeds, nuts, and fruit. Canned vegetables and fruit, and those in frozen dinners, should be avoided. Have a raw vegetable salad several times a week with your meal, gradually escalating it to become a daily affair. Wash 2 – 3 days’ worth of veggies and fruit in advance to save time. Your tossed salad can morph into a significant health event, when you add to the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and onion, one or more of the following: grated carrots, sliced radishes, olives, bell pepper (any color), avocado, alfalfa, bean sprouts, spinach, seeds, nuts or fresh herbs. Make a dressing from olive oil and wine vinegar (or lemon juice), salt and pepper.

To best preserve nutritional value in cooked vegetables steam them – and as briefly as possible, until tender-crisp. Most take only 10 – 12 minutes to cook; that includes individual garlic cloves, bell pepper, zucchini, carrots etc. However, potatoes, and sweet potatoes (cut into bite-sized pieces), are an exception: they should be steamed for 15-20 minutes, or until soft, but not mushy. All steamed vegetables are delicious plain or with salt, black pepper and an herb.  With just 10 extra minutes, steamed veggies can also be transformed into gourmet dishes. There are numerous recipes to choose from without resorting to the addition of “health butchers”, such as butter, bacon, sugar, cream etc. A steamer basket can be found in the kitchen gadget section in grocery and department stores. Before inserting the basket into a saucepan, place water, ½ inch deep in the bottom.

To help you eat healthier, make a list of wholesome ingredients and post it inside a kitchen cabinet door.  Before food shopping, check your list so you can keep your pantry and fridge well-stocked. Gradually eliminate other “weapons of health destruction” from your life: candy bars, doughnuts, pop tarts, chips, pizza, fatty and fried food, and sodas. If you don’t buy them, you are less likely to eat/drink them: out of sight, out of mouth! Don’t worry, I am not asking you to install a veggie detector in your fridge…

Join the millions of Americans who have rediscovered the joys of preparing and eating healthy, mouthwatering, fresh cuisine, and making a significant difference in their health. Enlist your personal disease-fighting army. Bon appétit!