Tips for Eating Better in '08 (In Response to the Janurary Poll)

During the month of January I ran a poll that asked "Did your New Years resolution include eating better in 2008?"

Results of that poll showed that 88% of those who responded answered "yes" they did make a New Years resolution to eat better.

In response to that poll, in celebration of Primary season '08 (it's voting day '08 here in D.C.) and as a thank you for participating, I wanted to offer up some tips that I've found useful from around the web to help those who said they were interested in eating healthier in '08. I hope these tips will help you to either start or stick to your resolution!

For those trying to start - BlogHer food editor Alanna Kellogg offers up some great tips:

Make it fun. Make it do-able. Make it a project. A project? How about a vegetable in a new way every single day for a month? (Hey! It worked for me. And it's how I started blogging in 2005.) But trust me, it's also a decidedly ambitious goal. Instead, how about trying one new vegetable a month, or one new recipe a week? If eating more vegetables is a family project, think about your own version of a Great Big Vegetable Challenge.

Move vegetables to the center of the plate. I mean this both figuratively and literally. First, the figurative. When planning the week's menus, start with the vegetable, then plan the meal around it, as in, "Tonight we're having roasted asparagus. Let's see, that would taste great with roasted salmon." Now the literal. Place the asparagus in the center of the plate, letting it star. Then place the salmon to the side. Doing this visually modifies what stands out, what's more important.

Add vegetables in unexpected ways. Add chopped spinach or Swiss chard to tuna salad. Add quick-sautéed vegetables to cooked rice. Add grated carrots to meatloaf. Read the full article at Blogher.com.

For those of you looking to maintain your resolution to eat healthier - Dee Dee Smith at Suite101.com has some good tips:

Always serve a salad with each meal. You can serve a fruit cup, spring salad or even coleslaw for variety. Add fresh fruit like strawberries or tangerines to greens for a really tasty salad. In addition to increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables, you will probably eat less of the main course possibly resulting in weight loss as well.

Make up your own vegetable and/or fruit baggies for snacks. In small baggies place spears of broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots and celery sticks. For a little flavor, use ranch dressing as a dip. Make up fruit bags by putting slices of apples, oranges and pears along with grapes, cherries, etc. in a baggie. Kids can dip fruit in strawberry yogurt as a special treat. Having the baggies will make it easy for you or your kids to grab a healthy snack. These also make great snacks for school and/or work.

Get many servings of fruit by making fruit smoothies. These are great for breakfast, a snack or even a delicious dessert. For some healthy smoothie recipes, check out this Suite 101 article. Read this article in its entirety at Suit101.com.

Stay tuned to the Produce Picker Podcast for all new segments such as Produce Bob's Seasonal Picks which will keep you informed about what's in season now and what you should be buying on your next trip to the market.

Consuming in season produce will not only make your recipes taste sweeter but could be just the boost in variety that you need in order to maintain your resolution to eat better in the new year.

Thanks to everyone who has subscribed to the blog, podcast or both thus far. I'm having a great time coming up with new ideas to keep you informed about fresh fruits and vegetables and your feedback thus far has been great. Keep those emails coming (thanks Bob for your question about Bell Fruit. Check the comment section of the Food Newscast blog post for the response)!

If you haven't already you can easily subscribe to this blog or the Produce Picker Podcast by simply adding your email (which remains private) in the box located in the upper left hand corner of this blog. For the more tech savvy viewers you can also subscribe via RSS. Subscribing ensures that you'll get all the newest information released here and on the Produce Picker Podcast automatically. No need to check back. You'll be notified instantly via email whenever there is new content!

Thanks again and remember...Pick Right, Pick Ripe, Every Time with The Produce Picker.



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