Marie Spano, MS, RD

Clean Eating: A Fresh Start for the New Year

By Marie Spano, MS, RD

Most of us let up a little when it comes to eating over the holiday season. And by all means, we should be able to enjoy stuffing, a slice of pie, and our favorite holiday treats. Of course, if your goal is weight loss, you can certainly continue to lose weight from Halloween through New Year's. But many people focus on maintenance instead and start fresh with the New Year.

But after a month of a more relaxed approach, it can be difficult to get back on track. No worries. We're here to help with not only motivation but some resources to help you obtain your fat-loss goals faster than ever before.

There are lots of healthy recipes on the web to spice up your clean eating plan!

A Moderate Approach

Moderation might be the most overused word when it comes to eating. However, it is also one of the most useful. I like to remind people that it isn't necessary to deprive themselves completely once the New Year begins. Allow yourself a cheat day or at least a meal every week. Not only will it help prevent you from feeling emotionally deprived, but it will also rev up your metabolism and help you reach your goals faster. Not a bad side effect for a little indulgence!

Taste Need Not Suffer

If you're thinking the only way to obtain your results is to eat cans of tuna and plain rice and bland broccoli, you're in for a very pleasant surprise. There are plenty of free healthy recipes on the web (and your last issue of Real Solutions had some great ones worth trying) as well as healthy eating cookbooks.

Take a look at the following websites for ideas:

Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet: This website is loaded with information and motivational ideas and tips. Tosca lists a few recipes on her site that give you an idea of the recipes in the very reasonably priced book.
www.eatcleandiet.com

More Matters: 5 A Day has come a long way. This is one of the most extensive and useful recipe databases I've found (and I am not just saying that because I helped with its creation early on!). You can search by meal, food color, fruit or vegetable, or even key words.
http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnparecipe/recipesearch.aspx

Bodybuilding.com: Enter the Supersite and then search for some very creative recipes posted by many different fitness-minded writers.
www.bodybuilding.com

The Real Solutions Message Board: The folks on this message board are walking the talk and have shared a number of tasty and creative recipes. And don't be afraid to add some of your own!
http://www.realsolutionsmag.com/idealbb/default.asp

It's not just about healthy weight loss but about being healthy!

Keep Health, Not Just Weight, in Mind

Sure, weight is more tangible than cholesterol or blood pressure. You can feel weight gain almost immediately (unfortunately, your clothes did not shrink), whereas measuring your cholesterol or blood pressure requires a bit more effort. However, it is important to look at the big picture and keep your blood lipids, blood pressure, blood sugar, and various other measures of health, in check.

Aim for Antioxidants

Antioxidants have the potential to decrease LDL oxidation (a big contributor to atherosclerosis and heart disease), decrease inflammation, keep your skin from wrinkling, and possibly help prevent a number of diseases.

Load up on antioxidants naturally by adding frozen berries (or fresh pomegranate seeds) to your protein shakes and other dishes (casseroles, etc.). You can also try cooking with tea. Green, oolong, and white tea are very mild in flavor, calorie-free, and loaded with antioxidants. To cook with tea, simply boil the amount of water that the recipe calls for in a saucepan. Turn off the heat when the water reaches a boil, and add two to three teabags. Steep for two to three minutes, and then discard the tea bags, and your water is ready to make stuffing, rice, pasta, broth, casseroles, marinades, and almost any dish that calls for water or broth.

Or if you're considering using a weight-loss supplement to help speed your results, consider Curvelle. This natural weight loss supplement for women from iSatori also contains a potent dose of quality antioxidants, including green tea extract and elderberry.

Herbs and spices are also loaded with antioxidants and may be beneficial for a variety of health conditions. And, they can spice up even the blandest dish, and let's face it, grilled chicken can be pretty boring by itself. Try adding a dash of basil to mashed or roasted potatoes, dill to steamed veggies, or a little thyme to turkey. Fresh spices can lose their flavor quickly, so squeezable, refrigerated spices (found by the fresh veggies in your produce section) are a great alternative. No mess, no hassle, and they last a long time!

Elderberries, as found in Curvelle, are a potent antioxidant.

A Dose of D

The wintertime may either send you to the slopes or keep you inside by a fire. If you are more likely to retreat indoors, make sure you are getting some vitamin D-rich foods in your diet. Though many of us rely on our bodies to synthesize vitamin D upon exposure to sunlight, those who have darker skin, the elderly, or who don't see the light of day (especially those of us who go to work in the dark and come home in the dark) may not be making sufficient vitamin D to meet your body's needs.

Making matters a little more complicated, people with dark skin are often lactose intolerant and therefore avoid dairy products, and milk (thanks to fortification), just happens to be one of our best dietary sources of vitamin D.

If you fit into any of these categories and think you may be falling short on your vitamin D intake, try cheese that is fortified with vitamin D (Sorrento makes one that is 100% lactose-free yet fortified with vitamin D), or load up on cooked salmon or mackerel, vitamin D fortified cereals, or Eat-Smart protein (10% and 20% of the daily value of vitamin D with one scoop and two scoops respectively). Or supplement with cod liver oil, which is rich in both essential fatty acids (omega-3 oils) and vitamin D.

Sneak in Some Fiber

Think creatively. Uncooked oatmeal can be used in meatloaf, burgers, and a variety of other dishes. And, you can easily puree veggies like carrots and add them to marinara sauce (a great trick for getting more veggies in your kid's diet), casseroles, crock-pot dishes, etc.

Reinvigorate Your Exercise

It goes without saying that you should be exercising regularly. To remove all the guesswork and up the intensity and results, check out one of Stephen Adele's plans, such as his Maximum Growth Guide or Lean System Success Plan. And then print out the exercise journal pages from this site.

If you really want to measure your "extra" physical activity this winter, strap on a pedometer. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined 26 studies that evaluated pedometer use and various physical activity and health outcomes. They found that simply using a pedometer was associated with significant increases in physical activity (26.9% over baseline values) and that pedometer users significantly decreased their BMI. In addition, having a specific goal, say 10,000 steps per day, was an important predictor of increased physical activity.

If you are reading this article and subscribe to Real Solutions, it is apparent you are motivated and contentious so following some of the ideas outlined here should be easy! Fill up first on nutritious foods, enjoy your time moving in and out of the gym, and you'll be more than halfway to any physique related New Year's Goal well before the Super Bowl.

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