Also, keep in mind that organic doesn’t equate with healthy. The shelves and freezers at Whole Foods and related stores are loaded with organic foods high in sugar, refined starch, and unhealthy fats, and eating organic bacon will still increase your risks of heart disease and diabetes.
As for whole-grain products, locating them is now a lot easier than it used to be. Many whole-grain foods are now firmly entrenched in regular supermarkets. Look for them either in a special aisle with organic and health foods or in the regular flour, cereal, and rice/pasta aisles. Owing to a burgeoning interest in whole foods, the natural-food sections of many supermarkets are growing larger, and whole-food markets are becoming a familiar option in many cities. Then there’s the Internet. Many of the larger companies that market whole-grain products have comprehensive websites and efficient mail-order systems. Many company websites have a store locator or “Where to Find” button that lets you locate nearby stores that sell their products.
Splurge on Quality Ingredients
* * *
Eating healthy doesn’t mean that food has to be less satisfying. Learn what chefs have known all along: a little bit of a high-quality ingredient goes a long way toward boosting flavor. A good-quality flavored vinegar (balsamic, sherry) can make a potent vinaigrette. A small sprinkling of fresh grated Parmesan cheese, rather than the powdered stuff in the can, can top off a pizza or a salad with a burst of salty, nutty flavor. An extra-virgin olive oil, a roasted peanut oil, a sesame-flavored oil—just small amounts of these high-flavored ingredients can put the finishing touches on a recipe and elevate it from average to sublime.
Just in case you’re having trouble locating some of the whole grains used in the following recipes, I’ve included names and Web addresses of a sampling of the companies that market these foods. This is by no means either a comprehensive list or an endorsement. There are many small companies that produce or import whole-grain foods, but since their availability is limited and varies from region to region, I’ve focused on some of the national brands. If nothing else, this list should help get you started. Then you can branch out on your own, checking out local stores and ethnic markets for all kinds of wonderful whole-grain foods. Since taste is a personal thing, chances are you’ll need a bit of trial and error to find the foods that suit your palate.
Arrowhead Mills, Inc.
Hereford, Texas
www.arrowheadmills.com
Product line: Arrowhead Mills sells organic whole grains, whole-grain cereals and flours, and more mostly through supermarkets and specialty stores.
Bob’s Red Mill
Milwaukie, Oregon
www.bobsredmill.com
Product line: Selections include whole grains, whole-grain cereals, whole-grain flours, and whole-grain pastry flours.
Eden Foods, Inc.
Clinton, Michigan
www.edenfoods.com
Product line: Selections range from whole-grain pastas to canned organic tomatoes, legumes, and soy milks. Most, but not all, of the selections are organic.
Hodgson Mill, Inc.
Effingham, Illinois
www.hodgsonmill.com
Product line: Whole-grain pastas, baking mixes, cereals, flours, and cornmeal, with many organic choices. Available in some supermarkets and specialty stores and online.
King Arthur Flour
Norwich, Vermont
www.kingarthurflour.com
Product line: Specialty flours, including whole-grain flours.
Lundberg Family Farms
Richvale, California
www.lundberg.com
Product line: Wide assortment of whole-grain rice products, including brown rice pasta and brown rice blends with names like black Japonica (a blend of short-grain black rice and medium-grain mahogany rice), Christmas blend, and Wehani. Often sold in bulk in specialty stores, available prepackaged in many supermarkets, and also online.
Westbrae Natural Foods
Garden City, New York
www.westbrae.com
Product line: Foods “to support a nutritionally well-rounded vegetarian diet” including organic canned beans and vegetables, organic whole-grain pastas, condiments, and more.
DECIPHERING FOOD LABELS
Federal regulations require food makers to include on a label information about the food’s nutrition profile, as well as the ingredients contained in said food. Both of these parts of the label offer valuable information, if you know how to use them. Here’s a rundown of key points to consider.
Nutrition Facts Label
The nutrition facts label gives a detailed accounting of how a serving of the food rates nutritionally, first by providing information about calorie content and key nutrients and then by comparing that information to reference values or standard requirements. In 2016, the FDA updated the food label to “make it easier for consumers to make better informed food choices.”
• Serving size. Don’t lose sight of this amount. All the other information on the panel is meaningless if you can’t put portion size into perspective. Unfortunately, the portion size listed is often far smaller than what most people might eat. For example, an oversize cookie may list the calories and fat for one-fifth of the cookie as a serving rather than list calories, fat, and nutrients for the whole cookie. Or what looks like a single-serving entrée of frozen lasagna, upon closer inspection, turns out to be 2.5 servings.
• Calories. Calories count. Yet the numbers may not be as important as the quality of those calories. If the calories come mainly from healthy fats and whole grains, then higher numbers aren’t a problem, particularly if you’re not trying to lose weight. If the calories come mainly from added sugars and saturated fats, then the food is one that’s better to pass by.
• Total fat. This listing provides the total grams of fat per serving. Again, the number is not as important as the type of fat. Read farther down the panel to find out how much of that fat is saturated and how much is monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. This section of the label also includes information on trans fats, the unhealthy fats formed when liquid oils are made into solid shortenings.
• Cholesterol. This is one number you shouldn’t have trouble with, not if you’re searching out whole grains, fruits, and vegetables—all foods that are cholesterol-free. Keep in mind that the American Heart Association recommends eating less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day.
• Sodium. Look to this section of the food label if you need to restrict salt or sodium in your diet. General guidelines encourage 1,200–1,300 milligrams of sodium per day, with an upper limit of 2,300 milligrams (about the amount found in 1 teaspoon of salt).
• Total carbohydrates. Rather than live by numbers, it’s best to emphasize whole grains. A listing of the grams of sugar and grams of fiber helps put into context the type of carbohydrate the food contains. The 2016 update of the label requires food companies to list the amount of sugar that has been added to the food, in addition to the amount of naturally occurring sugar it contains. Added sugars deliver calories but few, if any, nutrients.
• Protein. Most Americans, even those on vegetarian diets, eat more protein than the body requires. Don’t spend much time with this number.
• Daily values. The old label listed vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. The new one lists vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium. Keep in mind that it’s based on a person who requires two thousand calories per day. That means your needs may be different if you’re eating fewer calories or your energy requirements are higher.
Ingredient List
This item-by-item list offers the most detailed accounting of what a product contains. While it doesn’t give exact amounts of each ingredient, it does list them in descending order by weight. At the top of the list is the main or most predominant ingredient.
Say you’re looking at a juice drink label. The first two ingredients might be water and high-fructose corn syrup. Farther down the list, about three or four ingredients later, a fruit juice lik
e grape or apple might be mentioned. This lets you know that the drink is mostly water and sugar with a tiny amount of fruit juice. An ingredient label on orange juice, on the other hand, will list the first ingredient as orange juice or orange juice from concentrate.
The ingredient list is also where you’ll find information about the use of hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, a tipoff about trans fat content.
STOCKING A HEALTHY KITCHEN
Here are some tips for items you’ll want to have on hand for your healthy kitchen:
Produce
Whenever possible, choose locally grown fruits and vegetables. Aim for a variety of colors, from red and orange peppers through green kale and spinach to purple plums. The more choices the better: no single food provides all of the nutrients you need to be healthy.
Grains
Once you’ve used up the white rice in your pantry, replace it with whole grains such as barley, bulgur, millet, quinoa, and more. If your grocery store sells grain in bulk bins, buy small amounts of unfamiliar ones to discover delicious new choices that are often simple to prepare. Keep in mind that whole grains, particularly if milled, can lose their freshness and become rancid if stored at room temperature too long. Keeping them in the refrigerator or freezer will greatly lengthen their shelf life.
Fats and Oils
Stock your pantry with olive oil plus one or more of the following: canola, sunflower, corn, soybean, and peanut oil. Use these oils to sauté vegetables, to stir-fry fish or chicken, and as the base of salad dressings. At the table, try dipping bread into olive oil or drizzling oil onto the bread instead of using butter or margarine.
Protein
The best choices for protein are beans, nuts, tofu and other soy foods, fish, chicken, or turkey. Balance them with plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats.
Other Essentials
Have on hand high-quality basics like extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh and dried herbs, plus different types of nuts. Along with the essentials above, you’ll have what you need to build virtually any healthy recipe.
ONE WEEK OF MENUS
To give you some idea of how meals might shape up when you’re dining according to the Healthy Eating Pyramid and Healthy Eating Plate, I’ve developed a sample week of menus. These Monday-through-Sunday food plans are meant simply as a guideline, one that illustrates how to put into practice the principles talked about in the preceding chapters. Each day’s menu is based on 2,000 calories, the reference figure that health professionals and the food industry use as a benchmark for the energy needs of the average American. Granted, not every individual needs exactly 2,000 calories each day. Most of us have varying energy needs based on age, size, activity level, and how effectively we burn energy. But this figure is a good starting point.
No doubt you’ll want to make adjustments to these meal plans based on your own needs. In fact, an addendum at the end of each day explains how to easily convert the menus into a 1,600-calorie plan, a realistic amount of calories if you’re looking to lose weight or are just a petite, less active person. We haven’t built alcohol into these daily menus; if you are drinking a glass of wine or beer with your evening meal, you will need to figure in an additional 100 to 200 calories a day.
Rather than agonize over daily calorie numbers, however, think about your current situation. Are you maintaining a healthy weight? If you are, then you’re no doubt eating the right amount of food for you. Look to these menu plans to guide you in the direction of healthy food choices, letting your natural instincts guide portion size. If you need to lose weight, follow the 1,600-calorie plan or just begin cutting back on what you currently eat. Weight will come off naturally as you begin to cut back and become more active.
The menus run the gamut of choices. One day’s lunch looks at how a fast-food restaurant meal (grilled chicken sandwich) can fit into the average day. A weekend supper suggests what you might pull together and eat at your own Cinco de Mayo party, a meal based entirely on selections from our recipe section. There’s also a day with six small meals, a style of eating that is just as healthy as three squares a day and, in fact, may be better at helping some people keep their appetite under control and blood sugar on an even keel.
All in all, with the help of these menus and the eighty recipes that follow this section, you’ll find that eating healthfully is a simple concept, one that you can put into practice from Monday through Sunday with very little effort. Recipes for italicized items can be found in the following pages. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are Fast Fix Foods.
SUNDAY
Breakfast
Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice, 4 ounces
Multigrain Hotcakes with Warm Apple Syrup, 2 servings
Hot Brewed Coffee
Lunch
Herb-Crusted Grilled Chicken Breast
Fresh Cantaloupe (1/4)
Sliced Strawberries (1/2 cup)
Supper
Double Mushroom Meat Loaf
Roasted Winter Vegetable Medley, 2 servings
Mixed Salad Greens, 2 cups with 11/2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Spiced Poached Pear
ADJUSTMENTS AND VARIATIONS
For 1,600 calories: Reduce to 1 serving of hotcakes (2 hotcakes with 3 tablespoons of syrup) at breakfast; subtract 259 calories. Omit one tablespoon of olive oil at supper; subtract 126 calories.
MONDAY
Breakfast
Bran Flakes, 2 cups Skim or Soy Milk, 1 cup Banana, sliced
Whole Wheat Toast
Apricot Fruit Spread, 1 tablespoon
Lunch
Oldways Sweet Potato Peanut Stew (“Mafe”)
Hearty Wheat Berry–Oat Groat Bread
Fresh Orange Sections
Supper
Grilled Salmon Steaks with Papaya-Mint Salsa
Green Snap Beans
Steamed Whole Wheat Couscous
Fresh-Baked Pumpernickel Roll
Snack
Easy Peach, Pineapple, and Apricot Crisp
Adjustments and variations
For 1,600 calories: Omit whole wheat toast and fruit spread; subtract 166 calories. Omit pumpernickel roll at supper; subtract 65 calories. Omit fruit crisp at snack time; subtract 212 calories. Munch on a ripe fresh peach instead; add 60 calories.
Tuesday
Breakfast
(“grab-and-go” items)
Mango Energy Blitz*
Banana-Apricot Nut Bread, 2 slices
(Fast-food restaurant)
Grilled Chicken Sandwich (with Whole Wheat Bun if possible)
Mixed Green Salad
Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Large Apple
Supper
Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry
Wild Rice–Quinoa Pilaf
Steamed Fresh Asparagus
Cinnamon Applesauce
Snack
Whole-Grain Crackers (3)
Natural-Style Peanut Butter, 11/2 tablespoons
Adjustments and variations
For 1,600 calories: Omit sandwich bun at lunch; subtract 135 calories. Omit snack; subtract 249 calories. If you are hungry in the evening, munch on raw vegetables (carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes) instead.
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast
Fried Egg Sandwich on Grilled Whole Wheat English Muffin
Ruby Red Grapefruit
Blackberry-Banana Smoothie*
Lunch
Onion–Crusted Tofu–Steak Sandwich
Seven-Vegetable Slaw,* 1 cup
Sliced Kiwi with Fresh Blueberries
Supper
Curried Winter Squash Soup*
Cracked Wheat Peasant Bread, large chunk
Spinach and Mushroom Salad, with Vinaigrette
Snack
Fruit ’n’ Spicy Nut Trail Mix,* 1/2 cup
Orange Juice Spritzer
Adjustments and variations
For 1,600 calories: Cut down to 1 teaspoon of oil at
breakfast to cook egg (toast English muffin or grill it dry); subtract 84 calories. Cut smoothie portion in half (6 ounces); subtract 92 calories. Cut down to a small wedge of bread; subtract 65 calories. Omit night snack; subtract 182 calories.
THURSDAY
Breakfast
Whole Wheat Toast, 2 slices
Natural-Style Peanut Butter
Strawberry Fruit Spread
Apple-Cranberry Juice
Lunch
Chipotle Chicken Chili
Baked Tortilla Chips
Fruit Cocktail in Juice
Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie
Supper
(Restaurant dinner) Crostini with Olive Oil
Oven-Roasted Sea Bass
Wild Rice Pilaf
Steamed Broccoli
Fruit Sorbet with Almond Biscotti
Espresso
Adjustments and variations
For 1,600 calories: Omit apple-cranberry juice at breakfast; subtract 128 calories. Omit cookie at lunch; subtract 74 calories. Omit biscotti at supper; subtract 180 calories.
FRIDAY
Six Small Meals
Early Morning (1)
Apple Crunch Oatmeal
Chilled Pineapple Juice, 6 ounces
Fresh Brewed Coffee or Tea
Midmorning (2)
Carrot–Wheat Germ Muffin
Hard-boiled Egg with Coarse Salt and Pepper
Sweet Black Grapes, 12
Noon (3)
California Chicken Salad*
Large Banana
Midafternoon (4)
Spicy Shrimp and Peanut Noodle Salad
Celery Sticks
Sparkling Water with Lime
Evening (5)
Lemon-Oregano Grouper with Vegetables
Chopped Romaine Lettuce Salad with Light Balsamic Vinaigrette
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy Page 37