INTEGRIS Health
3300 N.W. Expressway
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Healthline
(888) 951-2277
Toll Free |
|
 |
 |
|
Set a Great Plate
Food shouldn’t just taste good—it should look good. Serve colorful meals light on protein and heavy on vegetables.
by Susan Greatorex
Eating well begins with your eyes. Food tastes better when it looks great, and that starts with the plate. 
Too many of us eat on the run, standing in front of the fridge, or sitting in front of the TV. We’re not paying attention to what fills us up—and out.
“The first step in healthy eating is using a table, plate, and chair,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., a Chicago-based spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “You’re likely to eat 43 percent less because you are enjoying your food and taking the time to eat.”
She’s enthusiastic about serving beautiful plates full of colorful vegetables, healthy whole grains, and a bit of lean protein. It’s right out of the food pyramid. “Most people know they should eat 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables a day,” Blatner says. “But we know that nine out of 10 people don’t.”
For the ideal plate, think 25-25-50:
- 25 percent whole grains. Go for deep brown rice, barley, millet, and quinoa.
- 25 percent lean protein. Instead of red meat, favor neutral hues of chicken, turkey, or fish—or beans, nuts, or seeds.
- 50 percent vegetables. Reach for the rainbow: Red bell peppers and tomatoes. Orange carrots and sweet potatoes. Yellow corn and squash. Green leafy kale and spinach, crunchy zucchini and celery. Blue and purple eggplant and cabbage. White garlic, onions, and mushrooms.
Blatner’s book The Flexitarian Diet came out last fall. She subtitled it “The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease and Add Years to Your Life.” It might be called “the casual vegetarian.”
“People who eat less meat tend to weigh 15 percent less, live 3.6 years longer, and decrease their risk for the big three chronic conditions: diabetes, heart disease, and cancer,” Blatner says.
Blatner didn’t coin the word “flexitarian,” which started out meaning a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat (as Blatner does). The word now also applies to a carnivore who is trying to adopt more vegetarian practices.
The concept is a reaction to dieting’s “don’ts” and a return to eating “real” foods.
Think Austin, Texas, where the landmark restaurant Threadgill’s serves 1950s-era Southern comfort food and second helpings of vegetables. “It would be fantastic if more restaurants offered those second helpings of veggies,” Blatner says.
 Spinach in Portobello Caps
4 fresh Portobello mushrooms
1 tbsp. olive oil
9-oz. bag of fresh spinach
4 tbsp. low-fat cream cheese (sometimes called “Neufchâtel”)
2 tsp. lemon-pepper (salt-free) seasoning
1 tomato, seeded and cut into strips
Rinse mushrooms and remove stems. Pat dry. Heat oil in a large frying pan to medium hot and add mushrooms. Sauté about five minutes, turning once.
While mushrooms are cooking, microwave spinach according to package directions. Chop and drain spinach. Divide into four.
Fill each mushroom with spinach. Top with cream cheese and sprinkle with lemon-pepper seasoning. Arrange tomato strips on top in a pattern. Cover frying pan and turn heat to low to keep vegetables warm and slightly melt cream cheese.
Serves four. Each serving contains about 185 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat, no trans fat, 8 mg cholesterol), 76 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrate, 4 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugars, and 6 g protein.
 Texas Caviar
1 15.8-oz. can black-eyed peas
½ cup diced red onion
¼ cup diced green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Drain and rinse the black-eyed peas. Add red onion, green pepper, and minced garlic and stir. Combine vinegar and oil and pour over vegetables. Add cilantro and toss gently. Refrigerate overnight to chill and let flavors blend.
Makes four half-cup servings. Each serving contains about 115 calories, 3 g fat (5 g saturated fat, no trans fat, no cholesterol), 430 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, 3 g dietary fiber, 1 g sugars, and 5 g protein.
 Zucchini Boats
3 small zucchini, about 6 inches long
1 onion, chopped
1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
Wash zucchini and trim ends. Slice two zucchini lengthwise. With a spoon or small melon-baller, scoop out the flesh, making a “boat” out of each of the four zucchini halves. Chop the flesh into small squares, along with the third zucchini.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Cook the onion, tomato, fresh rosemary, and chopped zucchini about five minutes. Meanwhile, put the zucchini boats into a small baking dish. Top with the cooked mixture and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until “boats” are tender.
Serves four. Each serving contains about 64 calories, 3.5 g fat (less than 1 g saturated fat, no trans fat, no cholesterol), 12 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 4 g sugars, and 1 g protein.
Platter Matters
Use a plate. “As simple as that may seem, many people don’t,” Blatner says. Avoid serving family style. Instead, portion out the food on your plate in the kitchen, not at the table. When the bowls of food are in front of you, odds are you’ll overeat.
Plan what you eat. Healthy eating starts when you shop. If you buy less meat, you save money and have an instant impact on your dinner’s looks.
Find a farmers’ market. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says there are more of them than ever. Teach your kids that peas don’t come from a can.
Stand the heat. Vegetables are no harder to grill than meat—they need only to be brushed with a bit of olive oil. Roasting at 425 degrees on a cookie sheet glazed with olive oil caramelizes vegetables and imparts flavor, texture, and colors steaming never will. Cooking time varies; don’t go more than half an hour, turning them over once.
Explore grains. Check your market’s rice section. You’ll find beautiful blends of brown rice and tasty ingredients like lentils. To serve with style, fill a measuring cup with your cooked rice and invert it on the plate.
Add sweetness. Favorite fruits can entice picky eaters to try more veggies. Think apples and walnuts on a salad or strawberries with spinach.
Go for nuts. Plant food isn’t just salad greens—it’s also nuts and seeds. “Use them as condiments to dress up your veggies,” says Blatner.
Research restaurants. Focus on those that focus on vegetables. Even menus that feature a lot of meat are manageable if you order soups, salads, and sides. Share an entrée or take home half.
Don’t worry about protein. You can get enough from well-planned vegetarian meals. Plants have protein—a half cup of garbanzo beans has about 7 grams and a cup of chopped broccoli has about 3 grams. Most Americans consume way more than the recommended daily value of 50 grams a day.
|
|
|
|
|
|