More Ways to Eat More Vegetables

How did your vegetable eating go last week?  Do you know what the most frequently eaten vegetable in America is?  Potatoes.  Do you know how they’re most often consumed?  You got it - French fries.

We can do better than that!  In case you need more ideas, here are 13 more ways to enjoy vegetables each day, with some tips to keep the calorie count down.

13. Stir fry any combination of veggies (using Pam or a little olive oil), seasoning with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, curry, etc.
14. Steam veggies (such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, string beans) on stove or in microwave; lightly season or spray with liquid margarine.
15. Turn a baked potato into a meal by topping with broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, low fat chili etc. and low fat cheese or fat free sour cream.
16. Microwave sliced zucchini and canned tomatoes (add a can of sauce if preferred) with Italian seasoning and garlic powder; top with shredded low fat mozzarella.
17. Broil tomato halves seasoned with Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.
18. Use low fat salad dressing, mustard, tomato sauce, salsa, and other “disguises” to eat more vegetables and learn to like them.
19. When dining out ask to substitute salad or steamed veggies for fries or sliced tomatoes for hash browns.
20. For variety, choose broth-based vegetables soups instead of salad as an appetizer.
21. When attending a lunch or dinner meeting, ask the server if there is a vegetarian choice – it’s usually delicious!
22. As an alternative to chips, cut celery and carrots into bite-sized pieces and add red grapes for a colorful, satisfying combination that travels well.
23. Heat a can of stewed tomatoes.  Add seasoning if desired, and eat as a chunky tomato soup.
24. Swap your usual drink for a Bloody Mary.
25. Don’t assume you don’t like unfamiliar vegetables – try them!  Remember that our tastes change over time, so try them again if it’s been more than a year since your last attempt.

Finally, for an easy way to eat nine servings a day, check out my SonoranLiving appearance.

25 Ways to Eat More Vegetables

Vegetables are an essential component of your diet if you wish to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. They add lots volume and nutrients, with very few calories, a smokin’ deal!  And they’re so versatile that you’re sure to find ways to enjoy them if you set your mind to it.  Here are the first 12 of 25 ways to eat more vegetables while keeping the calorie count down.  Remember to include at least one vegetable with lunch and dinner, and experiment with preparation methods and spices. 

1.      If vegetables are not your favorite, start with what you know you like – most people like corn, lettuce, and tomato sauce – and build from there.

2.      Add vegetables to your sandwiches – lettuce, spinach tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, sprouts, and mushrooms.

3.      Top pizza with vegetables, such as those listed above.

4.      Add a bag of frozen vegetables to bagged frozen dinner meals (such as Lean Cuisine) – there’s enough sauce, and it typically serves four.

5.      Make vegetable fajitas using red, green, and yellow peppers, onion, zucchini, etc. and fajita seasoning.

6.      Make omelets with egg substitute or egg whites, adding your favorite vegetables.

7.      Try tomato sauce in your omelets (trust me on this, it’s my favorite!)

8.      Add tomatoes, shredded carrots or zucchini, and/or mushrooms to your spaghetti sauce.

9.      Make crockpot ratatouille (a vegetable stew consisting of eggplant, zucchini, onion, garlic, tomato (fresh or canned), bell pepper, Italian Seasoning); freeze and have on hand.

10.  Make cole slaw using bagged cole slaw mix (adding fruit for variety), and use low fat or fat free mayo mixed with a cole slaw seasoning packet.

11.   Grill veggies (onion, peppers, portabella mushrooms, zucchini, etc.) for sandwiches or as a side dish; brush with FF Italian dressing or a mix of olive oil and flavored vinegar.

12.  Grill skewers with onion, mushrooms, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, peppers, pineapple, and chicken or lean pork, if desired.

Exercise and Vegetables - Your Best Friends?

Exercise is like vegetables in many ways.  Both are good for you and something mom wanted you to have every day.  They each make it easier for you to achieve and maintain a healthy weight and avoid countless chronic diseases.  So why do we resist them so much?

From my coaching experience, I’ve found that many people have narrow views of both exercise and vegetables.  They’ve disliked them for years, usually due to negative experiences somewhere along the line.  Perhaps well-meaning mom overcooked vegetables, didn’t offer much variety, or couldn’t afford to serve them fresh to your large family.  (The only fresh vegetables I had when I was really young were in a salad made with iceberg lettuce.)  Maybe the P.E. teacher embarrassed you in front of the class (mine did) or you were always the last kid chosen for the team (me again!)  If you avoid vegetables, exercise or both, take a moment to trace your feelings back to their origin.  Don’t tell me you just don’t like them, because they’re both too varied and offer too many options for such a general statement to be accurate.

Exercise and vegetables really are your best friends, so give them another try!  I’ll look at vegetables next week and start now with exercise.  As I pointed out a couple of weeks ago, there are so many ways to be active today, even if you can’t run, throw, or catch.  Enlist a friend to join you at a Zumba class, or start a walking program and listen to your favorite book on your MP3 player as you stride.  Yard and housework count as activity, as does swimming with the grandchildren.  How about visiting the fitness center where you live? 

Let me know if I can help you.  In the mean time, the 2012 summer Olympics start on July 27.  Let the games motivate you to get moving!

Free to Look, Feel and Be Your Very Best!

"Every choice you make has an end result." Zig  Ziglar
 

Happy Independence Day!  Today I recognize and celebrate your freedom to choose to look, feel, and be your very best.  As Zig Ziglar reminds us, every choice has an end result.  The good habits I work with my clients to create are just a series of choices.  Here are some choices that could help you be well:

·       To schedule your medical screenings (mammogram, colonoscopy, dental exam, etc.) in your smart phone

·       To go food shopping every week

·       To make sure you have someone spot you whenever you climb a ladder

·       To get up early enough to eat breakfast and prepare something to bring for lunch

·       To read a favorite book, call a friend, or write in your journal rather than turn on the TV

·       To select a side salad rather than fries

·       To have only safe sex (or even better, sane sex!)

·       To stop drinking after one drink for women and two for men

·       To choose prayer over despair and faith over worry

·       To get a minimum of seven hours of sleep a night

·       To quit smoking

·       To schedule your exercise time: four out of five days during the week and one day on the weekend

·       To appreciate how amazing your body is (healing itself, alerting you when it needs something, and so forth) rather than criticize it for not being perfect

·       To ask for help, advice or support when you need it

I’m all about that last bullet.  If you’d like help enhancing your wellness, make the choice to contact me today!

Don’t Exercise!

When would I ever advise you not to exercise?  I can think of two situations. The first is if the doctor tells you not to, due to illness or injury.  My number one rule is to follow your doctor’s advice.  If you don’t want to do as your physician instructs, please find another doctor, one you trust and will abide by.

The other time I would tell you not to exercise is if the activity is not enjoyable to you.  I know many people have the notion that exercise is drudgery, something to be shunned because it’s hard, boring, and/or painful.  Other people dread it because, like me, they have childhood memories of being humiliated on the playing field or in P.E. class.  The truth is that being active doesn’t have to be an unpleasant experience - and if it is, don’t do it!  Forcing yourself to exercise when you dislike it defeats the purpose; any benefit you’d gain physically is counteracted by the damage done to your spirit.  And while I don’t have proof, I’ll bet your chance of injury is greater than if you were doing something you loved!

Instead, find an activity that you will enjoy and stick with.  In my initial health assessment, I ask my clients about their preferences regarding 36 different forms of exercise, and I know my list is not exhaustive.  Your choices are almost endless, even if you don’t consider yourself to be athletic.  For instance, I love to dance.  How many different types of dancing can you think of?  And that is just ONE form of activity!

The trick is to stop telling yourself that you hate to exercise. Instead, remind yourself that with over 600 major muscle groups you are designed to move.  Make a list of ways to be active that you’ve enjoyed in the past or would be willing to try.  Choose one, and get moving!

Be Well by Showing Up

“You’ve got to be in it to win it.” That was slogan of the New York State lottery when I lived there in the 1990s.  I think we can say that about everything.  In fact, it seems to me that we get halfway to success just by showing up.  What does it mean to “show up” when it comes to being well?

Let’s begin with memberships.  The most important thing about joining Weight Watchers, signing up for a gym membership, or enrolling in a Zumba class is showing up!  “It works if you work it,” Rev. Johnnie Coleman used to say.  Then there’s the equipment you purchased: the universal home gym; the treadmill; the NordicTrack; and the DVDs, free weights, and other paraphernalia you have stashed in the back of your closet.  Dig them out, set them up, and use them.  Ten minutes a day is the perfect way to start.

How about your diet? Show up at the breakfast table, the farmers’ market, and the supermarket.  One of the first assignments I give my clients is to go food shopping.  You can’t eat it if it’s not in the house.  Or maybe you need to show up on the scale to see what your weight really is or at the doctor’s office for that annual physical or mammogram.  Is it time to show up at your dentist’s office?

All of the things I’ve suggested are pretty simple steps.  Showing up is like that.  It takes no special skills or knowledge.  Just get there and see what happens.

Tune Up Your Habits

Over the years, most of my clients have gotten frustrated at some point when the pounds stopped dropping.    They would complain about  the dreaded “plateau.”  In the weight loss world, we know that weight does not change systematically, in a nice linear fashion.  We could see no movement on the scale for a week only to wake up one morning three pounds lighter.  A true plateau occurs when weight does not change for three weeks.

When clients experience a real plateau, we examine their habits, because typically there is a behavior change behind it.  We can shift our habits so gradually that we’re barely aware of it, until the scale or our clothes get our attention.  If you’re not having the results you used to have, take a moment with the checklist of good habits below. See if you’ve gotten away from any of these successful behaviors.  If you never did practice these, pick just one to try this week.  And remember, you don’t have to be perfect!

• Measure your serving sizes. Use measuring cups/spoons or a scale or go ahead and count out the number of chips you eat. (We won’t tell.)
• Ask for your salad dressing on the side.
• Choose unsweetened beverages.
• Select the sandwich without the mayo or cheese.
• Opt for marinara rather than Alfredo or cream sauce.
• Order a side salad or fruit, not chips or fries.
• Request that the server not bring the bread or chip basket to your table.
• Order a small-sized everything except calorie free beverages.
• Snack on fruits and veggies rather than cheese and crackers or candy.
• Watch for the unexpected calories in seemingly healthy foods: dried fruit, nuts, cheese, peanut butter, granola, trail mix, cereals, and whole grain foods.
• Take the dog for a walk every morning or evening.
• Make it a rum and diet coke for 65 calories or 4 oz. of red wine for 80, rather than a 6 oz. margarita for 250. 
• Park in the back of parking lot and walk in when temperatures permit.
• Take the stairs when it’s feasible.
• Schedule your exercise on your calendar just as you do your meetings.
• Keep your old pair of gym shoes at your desk or in your trunk and look for opportunities to use them.
• Go to the park or the pool with the kids, not the movies.