2. TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
• How to Start Eating Healthier
• Meal Planning Made Simple
• 10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe
• Spices and Herbs (Condiments for your foods)

3. How to Start Eating Healthier
Simple Ways to Eat Better Today
-- by Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness Writer
Most people are creatures of habit. We take comfort in
knowing what we expect to eat —
even if our meals aren’t that exciting. That’s what makes
eating healthier so scary sometimes.
So to eat a healthier diet means actually waking up
and paying attention to what's on your plate.

4. Eat Better Today
Make healthy eating a habit:
If you want to adopt healthy habits that will last, then the easiest way to do it is
by making small, gradual changes. Don’t expect too much from yourself
too soon—it takes about a month for any new action to become habit.
Before you start making any changes to your diet, take a week or two to
observe your current eating habits. Track everything that goes in your
mouth, including drinks and treats. Keeping a food journal will really open
your eyes. You might not realize how bad your present eating habits are
until you see an unhealthy pattern right there in black and white.
Once you see that some changes are in order,
then you're ready to take the next steps.

5. How to Start Eating Healthier
Simple Ways to Eat Better Today
-- by Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness Writer
Small changes mean big rewards:
1. Vegetables
If increasing the number of vegetables you eat each day is one of your goals, start
by finding a few different ones that you can painlessly work into your diet.
Make sure you select a variety of colors (dark green, red, orange) to get the most
nutrients per bite.
2. Fruit
If you know you need to eat more fruit, start by adding some sliced bananas to your cereal in the
morning. Or, fresh berries and yogurt make a nice, light breakfast or snack too.
As you adopt this new style of eating, you will find that your food preferences will gradually change—
when you cut out high-sugar, high-fat goodies, your cravings will actually go away in time.
Your body wants healthy food!
One of the biggest challenges to eating healthier is finding substitutions
for existing foods in your diet.
Here are some tips to make the transition easier…

6. How to Start Eating Healthier
-- making substitutions for existing foods in your diet
Use mustard instead of mayo on your sandwiches. You’ll get
lots of flavor with much fewer calories and fat.
Select whole wheat bread over white bread.
Eat the white meat of turkey or chicken, lower in fat than dark
meat or red meat or pork.
Start using lean ground beef, pork tenderloin or fish.

7. How to Start Eating Healthier (continued)
-- making substitutions for existing foods in your diet
Change cooking methods. Bake, grill or broil instead of
frying. Use non-stick sprays (with canola oil).
Slowly reduce the amount of soda you drink and replace it
with herbal tea. DRINK PURIFIED WATER (8 cups).
Eat a WHOLE orange instead of drinking a glass of
juice. More fiber, more filling, less calories, more
nutritious.

8. How to Start Eating Healthier (continued)
-- making substitutions for existing foods in your diet
Put sauces and dressings on the side. You will
still have the flavor but with less calories.
Switch to 2% or skim organic milk gradually.
Switch from full-fat cheeses to reduced-fat
or fat-free cheeses.

9. How to Start Eating Healthier (continued)
-- making substitutions for existing foods in your diet
Order vegetables on the side instead of fries. Flavor them with
lemon juice or herbs instead of butter.
Snack on fruit and nuts. The fiber, protein and healthy
fats sustains you to your next meal and you won’t
have the energy slump like after eating candy.
Reduce your portion size. Most people will eat whatever
amount of food is in front of them, so put you’re your meals
on smaller plates. You will be just as satisfied because your
mind "sees" that you’re eating a full plate of food.

10. Meal Planning Staying organized,
Made Simple saving money,
and finding the time to cook
healthful meals each night
boils down to
meal planning
and a good shopping list.

11. Meal Planning Made Simple
4 Steps to Plan Meals and a Healthy Grocery List
-- by Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Organizing your shopping list Step 1:
can smooth out your grocery Keep a running list on the fridge
shopping experience and
make shopping and cooking Keep a list posted in your kitchen.
more efficient. When you run out of something,
jot it down. This will prevent you
Whether you’re shopping for from starting a recipe only to
one meal or seven, yourself or a
discover that you're out of
something you need.
house full of people, the process
is the same.
The following steps will help
you plan healthful meals,
create an organized list, and
save time and money.

12. Meal Planning Made Simple (continued)
4 Steps to Plan Meals and a Healthy Grocery List
-- by Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Step 2: Plan your meals Note:
This step should always precede Some people prefer to look at
shopping. Set aside at least once a coupons and sale flyers during the
week to plan your meals. meal planning stage so they can
create meals around lower-cost
ingredients.
Choose a variety of recipes. Others prefer to plan their meals and
Some meals that are quick then look for coupons or deals on
some that need more time, the items they need to make said
meals.
depending on your schedule. Decide which method works best for
you.
Just make sure what you buy can be
worked into your meal plan and
that you're not just buying
something because it's on sale.

13. Meal Planning Made Simple (continued)
4 Steps to Plan Meals and a Healthy Grocery List
-- by Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Step 3: Gather your recipes To streamline your planning
This will be much easier if you keep process, include a grocery
your recipes organized. list on the recipe template so
you can quickly see what
Try using a basic template for ingredients you need to
all recipes (or enter them on
make the dish.
SparkRecipes.com).
When you come across a great
recipe, grab a blank template,
jot it down, and place it in a
Binder, organized by time,
season, or cuisine.

14. Meal Planning Made Simple (continued)
4 Steps to Plan Meals and a Healthy Grocery List
-- by Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Step 4: Create your master grocery list
Saves you time, helps you navigate the store, you avoid
walking back and forth, and it keeps your list organized.
One section list the meals you planned for the week and other section,
include the groceries you need, organized by department:
 produce, meats, frozen foods, dairy, beverages, herbs/spices.
Download SparkPeople's Weekly Grocery Shopping List template for list-making made easy! ….
Don't forget to attach your coupons to the list
before you head to the store!
Don’t get distracted by the supermarket promotions.

16. Meal Planning Made Simple (continued)
4 Steps to Plan Meals and a Healthy Grocery List
-- by Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Keep your pantry and refrigerator organized, storing similar items together.
When every item has its place, cooking is more efficient.
Group ingredients for each recipe together
If a white bean chili is on the menu place all dry storage items (cans of
beans, tomatoes, tomato paste) into a basket. You can pull out the
basket and rock-n-roll in the kitchen.
The time you spend in this planning phase will more than pay off when it's
time to cook, so make it a habit to start each week with a plan.

17. 10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up
Any Recipe
Here are some tasty, healthy ideas to
help you become a professional
recipe overhauler…

18. 10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe
Boost Nutrition and Cut Calories in the Kitchen
-- By Sarah Haan, Registered Dietitian
Before you start chopping and mixing, scan the recipe
to see if there are any unnecessary calories. (Look for excess
cheese, butter and oils, as well as sugars).
Choosing healthy foods is an important part of eating right,
but cooking them in a healthful way is another huge part.
What we add to foods makes all the difference when it comes to cooking.
Get creative and experiment in the kitchen. You may just find that you like
these new ways of cooking just as much—or even better!
There are endless ways you can boost the nutrition
and reduce the calories of almost any recipe.

19. 10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)
-- a professional recipe overhauler
Sauté—the skinny way! A couple of tablespoons of low sodium
vegetable broth can be used instead of oil or butter in your stir fry
or as the basis for a sauce. Adds a nice flavor to your dish as well
as a little moisture—and you'll save calories.
Say no to skin. Three ounces of chicken breast meat with skin has
almost 150 calories; three ounces of chicken without the skin has
50 fewer calories. Tasty as it might be, the skin contains mostly
heart-unhealthy saturated fat.
You can cook with the skin on to retain moisture
(add fresh herbs or citrus zest underneath it to really bake in
some flavor), but be sure to remove the skin before you
enjoy your meal to save on calories and saturated fat.

20. 10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)
-- a professional recipe overhauler
Squeeze on the citrus. To add a powerful flavor punch with
minimal added calories, use citrus on steamed veggies
instead of butter or put citrus over a salad instead of a
dressing.
It’s even great on fruit salad and adds some zip when
squeezed onto a pasta salad. Use the flavorful zest of
citrus fruits as well! Wash a lemon, orange or lime, then
use a zester or grater to add the zest to dishes such as
baked seafood.

21. 10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)
-- a professional recipe overhauler
Be choosy about cheese. When you choose a cheese with
intense flavor, you can use less and still get the desired
effect.
Try a reduced-sodium feta, sharp Cheddar
or aged Parmesan next time. Light cheese
wedges, such as, Laughing Cow brand,
are useful when you're watching fat and calories, too.
Try mixing one of these soft cheeses into your scrambled eggs or noodle
dishes instead of loading on the shredded mozzarella.

22. 10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)
-- a professional recipe overhauler
Go Greek. Tangy, fat-free Greek yogurt is a
healthful replacement for sour cream. Try this
switch in dips or throw it in a cooked dish as a
thickening agent. You’ll save 45 calories for
each 2-tablespoon serving.
Puree your produce. Add body to soups and sauces with
pureed vegetables instead of heavy cream, evaporated milk,
butter or cheese. This move will also add fiber and
nutrients to your dish for very few calories.
A puree of carrots will add texture to meatless spaghetti sauce,
and mixing a blend of beans into a chili or soup will add
flavor and thicken it — all with very few added calories.

23. 10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)
-- a professional recipe overhauler
Get cozy with cottage cheese. When a recipe calls for a significant amount of a crumbled cheese,
such as feta or ricotta, substitute half the amount with reduced-fat cottage cheese to retain
taste, texture, protein, and calcium while ditching some of the fat and calories. This works
well for stuffed peppers and pasta dishes.
Pump up the veggies! You can easily reach the recommended five servings of fruits and veggies
when you’re cooking at home.
Add chopped asparagus and mushrooms to your next omelet.
Add red peppers, (or a frozen stir fry mix), to baked casseroles.
Add any kind of beans to a pasta salad.
Include fresh or frozen spinach in pasta sauces and soups, and broccoli in your
casseroles.

24. Veggies can compliment
any dish on your menu,
adding nutrient-packed bulk
to the meal for few calories.
The opportunities for
adding veggies are endless
for almost any dish!

25. 10 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe (continued)
-- a professional recipe overhauler
Cut the cream. When making cream-based soups, substitute fat-free half-
and-half for any heavy cream. The switch gives the soups a creamy taste
and velvety texture without all the saturated fat of heavy cream. This
works great in pasta sauces as well.
Make your own marinade. Marinate lean meats in vinegar
and citrus combos (with a bit of oil added) rather than a
pre-made oil-based dressing. Cut the meat in strips to let the
marinade take effect. You can also try a fruit juice or wine.
These agents will still tenderize and flavor the meat, and a
mix of herbs and spices will bring out the flavor!*
*You'll also save sodium by not using the
store-bought varieties!

26. VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE!
ITEM SPICES TO USE
Vegetables Basic, black/white pepper, garlic, onion, celery seed, mint,
oregano, parsley, salt, sesame seed, thyme and lemon.
Poultry Anise, black pepper, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, celery seed,
curry powder, marjoram, mustard, oregano, paprika, salt, thyme
and savory.
Black pepper, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, curry powder,
Beef fenugreek, horseradish, mustard, sage, salt and savory.
Fish/Shellfish Bay leaf for shellfish boils, garlic, onion, capers, lemon, dill,
horseradish, marjoram, mustard, parsley, saffron, rosemary,
salt, tarragon and thyme.
Cinnamon, marjoram, basil, thyme, garlic, onion, salt, black
Pork pepper, fenugreek, mustard and cloves.
Eggs Chervil, dill, paprika, salt, pepper, tarragon and thyme.
Oatmeal Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt and natural flavors.
Stews/Soup Bay leaf, celery seed, chervil, garlic, onion, cumin, marjoram,
mustard, oregano, paprika, parsley, saffron, salt and thyme.
Vegetable, chicken broth based soups; tomato-based
soups/sauces.

29. Condiment List
Here are some recommended condiments worthy of experimentation. Use organic whenever possible,
looking for those with minimal ingredients, additives and processing.
BASIC SPICES OILS
basil chili oil
cinnamon coconut oil
cumin extra virgin olive oil
curry powder flaxseed oil
garam masala spice mix hot sesame oil
garlic infused olive oils
ginger toasted sesame oil
oregano
thyme
turmeric

30. Condiment List (continued)
PEPPERS VINEGARS
black pepper in a grinder apple cider vinegar
cayenne balsamic vinegar
chili powder red wine vinegar
chili flakes umeboshi vinegar
paprika
white pepper SAUCES
Bragg's amino acids
SALTS hot sauces
gomasio olive paste
Herbamare pesto
sea salt salad dressings
tamari soy sauce
tomato sauce

31. Condiment List (continued)
NUTS AND SEEDS SEA VEGETABLES
NUT BUTTERS: dulse flakes
tahini, cashew, almond, peanut nori flakes
NUTS:
pine, brazil, cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios OTHER
SEEDS: chutneys
pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax (raw or toasted) coconut milk
grated daikon radish
SWEETENERS ketchup
agave nectar mustard
barley malt nutritional yeast
brown rice syrup Parmesan cheese
honey pickles
maple syrup sauerkraut
stevia sliced red cabbage
sprouts: alfalfa, sunflower, mung