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Meal MakeoversIt's nearly impossible to change your eating habits overnight. So I won't ask you to! Instead, we'll be "making over" one meal each week of this Challenge, with great ideas from my good friend Jackie Keller, a healthy lifestyle and culinary educator and founding director of NutriFit, a gourmet home-delivery service based in Los Angeles. Jackie is also the author of Cooking, Eating & Living Well.
They say it's the most important meal of the day
Breakfast 1: Cold or hot cereal with skim milk The Makeover: 8 oz. yogurt with 1/2 fresh apple, diced; 2 tbsp. granola; and 2 tbsp. chopped walnuts. The Advantage: This meal provides more fiber and antioxidants from the fruit plus beneficial bacteria from the yogurt. The yogurt has more protein than the milk, plus the added fat and protein in the walnuts will help keep you satisfied. Breakfast 2: Low-fat muffin or bagel with coffee The Makeover: 2 slices whole-grain bread with 1 oz. Neufchatel cheese or reduced fat all-natural peanut butter and 1 tsp. all-fruit preserves. The Advantage: This meal features more fiber through the whole-grain bread, added protein from the cheese or peanut butter, plus one serving of dairy. Breakfast 3: Skip breakfast altogether The Makeover: Make a smoothie! Blend together 1 1/2 c. apple juice, 1/2 c. frozen strawberries, 1 small banana, 8 oz. soy milk and 2 scoops of protein powder. The Advantage: It's been proven that breakfast-eaters have better track records of weight management, better brainpower and more sustained energy throughout the day.
I'm a firm believer in eating more than the traditional three square meals. Why? Having smaller, more frequent meals leaves you satisfied and gives you a steady stream of energy to do everything you have to do. Here are three ways to fix your midmorning snack: Snack 1: Bag of chips or crackers The Makeover: Whole fresh pear or apple with 1 piece of string cheese. Or try raw vegetables with string cheese. The Advantage: Combining protein and carbohydrates is a great way to keep blood sugar level and avoid overconsumption at your next meal. The fruit or vegetables also provide a healthy dose of fiber.
Snack 2: Bars The Makeover: Whole banana or apple with 1 tbsp. reduced fat all-natural peanut butter. The Advantage: Peanuts, and nuts in general, satisfy your hunger due to their fat, fiber and protein content. Peanuts have a high percentage of unsaturated fats, which are far healthier than saturated fats, and may increase the body's metabolism.
Snack 3: Candy The Makeover: 2/3 c. unsweetened applesauce topped with 1 oz. slivered almonds and 1 tbsp. diced mixed dried fruit. The Advantage: Eating high glycemic index foods, such as candy bars, causes a spike in blood sugar and triggers the release of insulin. This insulin release, some researchers theorize, contributes to weight gain in three ways:
When you're grabbing lunch on the go, it's easy to go awry. Fortunately if you've been doing it all wrong, it's easy enough to remedy by making sure you get variety and avoiding excess fat and empty calories. Here are a few ways to make your midday meal even better: Lunch 1: Salad with grilled chicken, creamy dressing and a piece of bread on side The Makeover: Wrap 3 oz. shredded chicken breast, and 1/2 c. grated carrots and diced tomatoes in a whole-grain tortilla. Top with lettuce and fat-free dressing. The Advantage: The theory goes like this: More variety = more interest in the food = better adherence to a weight loss plan.
Lunch 2: Sandwich with chips The Makeover: Fill a whole-grain pita pocket with chopped veggies (peppers, zucchini, celery or similar) and 1/2 c. garbanzo beans or a few slices of turkey or lean roast beef. Top with your choice of fat-free dressing. Add 1/4 of an avocado, if desired. The Advantage: This lunch has more vitamins, more minerals, more fiber and less sodium. Lunch 3: Leftovers from dinner night before The Makeover: Turkey burger on a whole-grain bun with romaine lettuce, red onion and tomato slices. The Advantage: Rummaging through the refrigerator can be disastrous to a healthy eating regimen, to say nothing of the lack of portion control that generally accompanies "eating up what might otherwise get wasted." Turkey burgers are quick, easy to prepare and can be stored frozen and then defrosted for a meal in minutes!
Remember, eating small meals throughout the day will help you fight off cravings and stay energized. Here are some of my favorite healthy takes on traditional afternoon snacks: Snack 1: Bag of chips or crackers The Makeover: 1/2 c. steamed edamame (soy beans in pods) or whole-grain rice cakes topped with cottage cheese-based spread The Advantage: Soybeans are great for you! They are high in protein and great for heart health. Get them in where you can. The more isoflavones, the better. Either snack choice has protein, which will help you feel fuller, longer.
Snack 2: Bars The Makeover: 1/3 c. dried fruit (try apricots, apple slices or pears) with 1 oz. nuts (almonds or walnuts) The Advantage: Add another serving of fruit to your list, and you're that much closer to beating the five-a-day guideline. Add nuts for protein and favorable fats.
Snack 3: Candy The Makeover: Make a chocolate protein smoothie! Add 1-2 scoops of chocolate-flavored protein powder to 8 oz. soy milk. The Advantage: You'll get your chocolate fix and feel satisfied until your next meal.
Even when we eat well all day, many of us have a knack for overdoing it at the dinner table. I know that this is where family preferences can get in the way, so we've tried to make these dinner ideas appealing to all: Dinner 1: Chicken cutlets, rice with side salad The Makeover: Fresh fish and veggie kabobs with 1/2 c. brown rice and fresh tomato salad. The Advantage: The omega-3 fatty acids found in many types of fish have terrific health benefits. Most doctors agree that eating fish at least 2-3 times a week is very good for you. The kabobs make it fun, in addition to providing plenty of colorful veggies. Why do just lettuce? Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C, the antioxidant lycopene, minerals and fiber. Dinner 2: Pasta with a creamy sauce The Makeover: Prepare whole-grain spaghetti with turkey meatballs in a marinara sauce. Toss with broccoli florets and serve. The Advantage: You should eat whole grains whenever possible, and red sauce, lower in fat and rich in nutrients, is almost always a better choice than white. Turkey meatballs are quick and easy, and the broccoli adds fiber.
Dinner 3: Ready-made frozen meals The Makeover: Top a baked potato, baked sweet potato or yam with fat-free sour cream or plain yogurt, 3 oz. turkey sausage and veggies. The Advantage: This homemade meal has less sodium and is just as convenient to prepare as something frozen and processed. The less processed food in our diets, the better! Potatoes, plain or sweet, really satisfy your hunger.
If you've gradually adopted these healthy eating suggestions over the past few weeks and still find that you have a sweet tooth, it's okay Dessert 1: Frozen yogurt The Makeover: Bake an apple that's been cored and filled with raisins, dried cranberries and cinnamon (add walnuts, if you like) or try baked apples with a dollop of frozen yogurt. The Advantage: One more opportunity for fruits, just in case you haven't made your quota yet. Easy and inexpensive, too. Dessert 2: Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! The Makeover: Why fight it? Make tofu chocolate pudding by mixing unsweetened cocoa powder, tofu, vanilla extract, applesauce and a drop of honey in your food processor. The Advantage: Chocolate is one of life's little gifts. This is just one way to have it, rather than crave it! Dessert 3: Store-bought desserts (cookies, cakes, candy etc., regular or Healthy Choice) The Makeover: If you must buy something, make it angel food cake. Add fresh sliced strawberries, blueberries and fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt. The Advantage: Angel food cake, while highly processed, has no unhealthful fats. The fruit adds fiber, and the yogurt adds protein and dairy. The end result: delight!
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