The Sun /Sunday, June 8,2014 feelingfit.com www.sunnewspapers.net Page 9


Simple strategies for healthy eating


 By JUDY E. BUSS
 FEELING FiT CORRESPONDENT
he Chinese have known for
 more than 5,000 years that
 everyday food is medicine.
 (They had never heard of the Golden
Arches!) Scientific research in our
time has also confirmed that disease
prevention and staying healthy de-
pends, in large part, on good eating
habits.
 Folks who wish to improve their
diet, often ask how to go about doing
so. The answer is quite simple: In
the absence of a few basic, clear and
doable strategies, diet improvements
cannot be realized. The following are
some key strategies which help lead
to success in this endeavor:
 1. Eating in restaurants frequently
is health-defeating. Make time
to prepare nutritious meals: Re-
prioritize daily activities by trimming
over-committed schedules and
spending more time at home.
 2. Drastically prune how much
time you spent on TVs, cell phones,
computers and their electronic
cousins. (Some people don't realize
that all of these devices include an
ON/OFF button). Once schedules are
streamlined, they should be vigilantly
guarded so that no new time-robbers
are able to sneak back in. Anybody
having difficulty implementing the
two strategies outlined so far, should
wear a plastic wrist bracelet that
reads: "What would great-grandma
do?"


Judy E. Buss
 3. Practical and efficient kitchen
strategies can make the difference
between success and failure: Cook
double batches of basic ingredients
or dishes, such as whole grains (rice,
bulgur, millet or quinoa etc.), stews,
soups, meat or fish. This eliminates
the need to cook an entire meal from
scratch each day. Cooking lentils and
some types of beans is quick and
easy and can also be done in larger
quantities and used for a variety of
dishes. Wash vegetables and fruit for
several days.
 4. Food shopping habits have a
greater effect on wellness than many
realize. With a little thought and


planning, the task can be accom-
plished with (gasp!) only one trip
per week, saving enormous amounts
of time, energy, and money. How?
Throughout the week accumulate a
shopping list. Keep a piece of paper
in the kitchen and if a particular food
item is used up or is running low
while you are cooking immediately
add it to your shopping list.
 5. Presented below is an ingredient
list for healthy living. It includes
basic and inexpensive ingredients
that should always be part of your
kitchen inventory. They are available
from any supermarket and are the
building blocks of numerous health-
ful dishes and snacks. The list also
helps you prevent letting unhealthy
nutrition-poor "food" somehow som-
ersault into your shopping basket.
 Print out the list (in large print),
and tape it inside a kitchen cabinet
door. Before grocery shopping check
the list, your pantry and fridge to
determine what items have been
used up or are running low, so they
can be added to the shopping list of
the week discussed in strategy 4.
 INGREDIENT LIST
 FOR HEALTHY EATING:
 Veggies and fruit: apples, avocado,
bell pepper (any color), butternut
squash, cabbage, carrots, celery,
cucumbers, garlic, ginger root, green
beans, kiwi fruit, lemons Romaine
lettuce, olives, onions (all types),
potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach,
tomatoes, zucchini, seasonal fruit,
fresh herbs.


 Dried and ground herbs and
spices: dried basil, dill weed, Italian
seasoning, oregano, and tarragon.
Ground cayenne, cinnamon, cloves,
cumin, ginger, curry, nutmeg, salt,
and pepper (brands greatly vary in
prices).
 Miscellaneous ingredients: olive
oil cooking (pure) and extra
virgin, wine vinegar, mustard, eggs,
walnuts, sugar-free peanut butter,
low-fat plain yogurt (add your own
fresh fruit and/or nuts, if desired),
Chickpeas (garbanzos), black eyed
peas and lentils. Chicken, turkey,
fresh or frozen catfish and/or tilapia
fillets, rolled oats (oatmeal), and
crumbled feta cheese.
 We simply must accept the fact
that preparing nutritious meals and
snacks is a necessity of life, and that
not everything can be condensed
into a pill or a click of a mouse.
 The food industry has convinced
millions of us that replacing fresh
whole foods with highly processed,
mass-produced, fast food, junk food,
precooked "convenience" food or
eating out is the way to go.
 We can see the consequences of
such lifestyle choices all around us.
Take charge of your health; empower
yourself to exercise your right to
choose health over disease! It's never
too late to start.
 Judy E. Buss is a nutritional cooking
instructor She is a columnist and
member of the American Holistic
Health Association. Like her on Judy
E. Buss Facebook for recipes and tips.


When it comes to added sugars,


 think sprinkle, not scoop


 By THE EDITORS
 EATINGWELL.COM

 Maybe you've sworn off refined
"white" sugar and think that sweet-
ening a latte with, say, agave nectar,
is better because, "it's natural." Truth
is, most health experts agree that
the best move you can make when it
comes to added sugars (those added
to foods by consumers or manufac-
turers) is to eat less of them. All of
them.
 The American Heart Association
recommends limiting added sugars
to 100 calories per day (6 teaspoons)
for women and 150 calories a day (9
teaspoons) for men. But Americans'
average per capita daily sugar con-
sumption is a whopping 28 tea-
spoons. Too much sugar can increase
risk for obesity, heart disease and
diabetes.
 You don't have to ditch sugars all
together. Get to know the types you're
seeing, learn how to spot added
sugars on labels, and then sweeten
sparingly.
 Here's help:
 1. Granulated sugar (a.k.a., sugar,
table sugar): Granulated sugar is
composed of 50 percent glucose and
50 percent fructose. This pure white
sugar has been processed and so has
few minerals and antioxidants.
 Per teaspoon: 16 calories, 4 g
carbohydrate
 2. Agave nectar: This sweetener
has a glycemic index (measure of
how high a food raises blood-glucose
levels after eating) that's significantly


lower than that of table sugar; it's also
up to 90 percent fructose. Agave is
good for giving smoothies and iced
drinks a touch of sweetness.
 Per teaspoon: 21 calories, 5 g
carbohydrate
 3. Honey: Delivers slightly more
fructose than glucose. Honey's anti-
oxidant quantity varies greatly based
on type; buckwheat honey typically
delivers the most. Honey provides
a delicate, sweet flavor to dressings,
marinades and slaws.
 Per teaspoon: 21 calories, 5 g
carbohydrate
 4. Molasses: About 50 percent each
glucose and fructose, dark molasses
has the highest antioxidant levels of
all sweeteners (per serving). It's great
for adding a hint of sweetness to
baked beans, homemade BBQ sauces
and ginger cookies.
 Per teaspoon: 19 calories, 5 g
carbohydrate
 5. Maple syrup: A go-to for drizzling
over pancakes and waffles, maple
syrup is about 50-50 glucose and
fructose (depending on grade) and
contains small amounts of polyphe-
nols antioxidants that help quell
inflammation.
 Per teaspoon: 17 calories, 4 g
carbohydrate
 6. Turbinado (raw sugar): Like gran-
ulated sugar it's 50 percent fructose
and 50 percent glucose. The brown
color comes from small amounts of
molasses that haven't been stripped
out. It's best for topping cookies with
a sugary crackle.
 SUGAR 119


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