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Recipe #3 from our Hy-Vee Dietitians

by Chris Culbertson, posted Aug 28th 2008, 17:30

Stop being a Statistic

Guest post by Michelle Arasim Diekmann, Hy-Vee Dietitian

Any day is a great time to review health habits. You might be one of the 67% of American adults who are overweight and if it’s time to stop being a statistic, why not work to change bad eating habits? This time don’t think of it as going on a diet, technically speaking, diet is thought of as food alone we eat. What you want to do is take a harder look at what you eat, when you eat and where you eat on a regular basis. By making small adjustments in your routine, you can make progress towards healthier living, and ultimately, a slimmer you.

Where to begin…? Start by keeping track of everything you eat and drink for three days as well as when and where you eat. Accurately record portion size, in some cases generous portion sizes make all the difference in excessive calorie intake. Try using a smaller plate to make portions look larger. Meals should be spaced evenly throughout the day to prevent ravenous hunger. Where you eat is very important: are you eating standing up, while driving the car or watching TV? Eating slow and staying in-tune to what you’re eating is a vital key to weight control.

Next, review your food choices. Do you have five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables? Most likely, this is one area in which you can improve. Do you have added fats, gravies and dressings? You might want to switch to low-fat varieties (when doing so, watch the sodium content) or try low-calorie substitutions like spices, lemon juice or vinegar. Do you trim fat from meats and avoid frying? Try simple changes like broiling, baking, poaching or grilling.

Willpower – Stick with a list, make healthy food choices and shop after a meal when you are not hungry. If you need help with menu planning, just log onto Hy-Vee’s Weekly Menu or pick up a HeatlhyBites “Weekly Suggested Menu” in the grocery store. Each week a new dinner menu with delicious healthy recipes and a shopping guide is accessible. Calories, fat, carbohydrate and protein are listed below each menu suggestion.

Begin by reading food labels. Focus on the calories, the serving size and servings per container. Compare the total calories in the product you choose with others like it; choose the one that is lowest in calories for the serving size. Be sure to load up in the produce section with lots of colorful, low-fat, high-fiber fruits and vegetables. If you need assistance be sure to contact your local dietitian for a label-reading tour.

There are many aspects to healthy living. Besides what you eat, it’s how much YOU move (exercise), how YOU feel about yourself and how much YOU want to improve. Rather than changing everything at once, take it one step at a time. When you’re ready to start contact your local in-store health educator for shopping assistance, information on food products and much more!

Deluxe Scrambled Eggs

Serves: 4

All you need:

• 1/2 c. finely chopped green pepper
• 1 (14.5 oz) can Hy-Vee diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, drained
• 8 Hy-Vee large organic eggs
• 1/4 c. Hy-Vee skim milk
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp Hy-Vee Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp Hy-Vee pepper
• 1/2 c. Hy-Vee shredded mozzarella cheese

All you do:

• Coat a 12-inch non-stick skillet with cooking spray.
• Cook green pepper over medium heat until tender.
• Beat eggs, milk and seasonings in a medium bowl. Pour over green peppers. Sprinkle with cheese and drained tomatoes.
• Gently push pancake turner completely across bottom and sides of skillet, forming soft curds. Cook until eggs are set with no visible liquid.

Daily nutritional values:

• 25% vitamin A
• 40% vitamin C
• 20% calcium
• 15% iron

Nutrition information per serving:

• Calories: 210
• Carbohydrate: 7g
• Cholesterol: 430mg
• Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Fat: 12g
• Protein: 18g
• Saturated Fat: 4.5g
• Sodium: 910mg
• Sugar: 5g
• Trans fats: 0g

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