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Summer
best time to lose weight
May 13, 04
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Most
people think of the New Year as being the best time to clean
up their diets. But I know of an even better time.
Now.
Why? Because the foods that will best help you meet your diet
goals are in greatest abundance from now through early October.
Starting now, begin a big push to add considerable quantities
of fresh fruits and vegetables to your meals and snacks. They’re
low in calories, high in nutrients, and they push low-fiber,
higher-calorie foods out of your diet.
Here’s your three-pronged strategy:
First, you’ve got to have the ingredients on hand.
Make regular stops at the farmer’s market and roadside
produce stands. Buy locally grown fruits and vegetables when
you can.
Then, make sure you use them. A good way to ensure fresh foods
don’t go bad is to set aside time to pre-prepare. Choose
a time when you are relaxed and can spend half an hour or
so washing, peeling, and chopping. Put on some good music
or park a friend or family member nearby and gab. But do it.
Store pre-prepared veggies in plastic bags and airtight containers
in the refrigerator so you have them on hand, ready to use,
when you are in a hurry or don’t want to fuss.
Then incorporate those ingredients into every meal:
* Use them in entrees. Toss wilted greens or chopped broccoli,
mushrooms, carrots, and onions with cooked pasta and olive
oil – and fresh herbs – to make pasta primavera.
Chop and grate fresh vegetables such as lettuce, carrots,
green peppers, and cucumbers and use them to fill pita pockets.
Add a scoop of hummus or a sprinkling of reduced-fat grated
cheese and vinaigrette salad dressing.
* Add them to salads. Slice fresh strawberries in half and
toss them with broken walnuts, baby spinach leaves, and poppyseed
dressing. Slices of papaya, mango and avocado are also good
with salad greens.
* Garnish with them. Sliced bell peppers, parsley, grated
carrot, daikon radish, tomato slices, purple cabbage, and
wedges of melon add color and flavor.
* Snack on them. Set out sliced vegetables with dip –
black bean, lowfat salad dressing, hummus, or salsa –
and they’ll disappear. Fresh berries, pineapple and
melon chunks go well with vanilla yogurt.
And plan ahead for the many times when you won’t have
the time or inclination to cook. Keeping cold salads on hand
is an especially good idea. Not only are they more appealing
in hot weather, but many salads can be served as a one-plate
meal.
Just as you pre-prepare fruits and vegetables for other uses,
plan to set aside time on a regular basis to fix fresh salads,
too. Use whatever you have on hand. Some good combinations:
* Cucumber and tomato salad with diced red onion (best if
eaten within two days);
* Greek salad (also best eaten within two days);
* Melon salad. Add fresh mint from the garden.
* Green bean and boiled potato salad. Steam fresh beans. Toss
with vinegar and olive oil. You can add chopped pimentos or
roasted peppers.
* Vinaigrette coleslaw. Add onions and grated carrots and
red cabbage. Try a variation using fresh dill from the garden.
One of my all-time favorite salads is an endless combination
of summer garden vegetables – romaine lettuce, green
onions, red cabbage, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, bell peppers,
cucumber – minced finely and tossed well with garbanzo
beans, croutons and creamy Italian dressing. It keeps well
in the refrigerator for several days and with a couple of
pieces of Italian bread is a meal in itself.
Get into these habits through the growing season – then
carry them right through the year.
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