New habits for 2010 . . .

Remember, I told you I had ideas for my blog this year, different things than I've tried in the past . . . well, here's taking the first one out for a spin.

Hubby is on this major, 'How do we eat healthier kick?'. A couple of years ago, we switched loads of stuff OUT of our diet: excess sugars -- as in all white sugars; sodas (well, he and the kids did. I still have my Dr. Pepper sin.); white breads to wheat breads, regular crackers to wheat-only crackers; changed the salad dressings and yogurts -- not to LOW FAT -- but we took out the ones with all high sugars in them; hamburger meat is gone to be replaced by turkey only; more baked and grilled chicken; canned veggies out and fresh or flash-frozen veggies in; margarine OUT, completely unless it's in a recipe for baking and usually the item is one I'm carrying to a party, not keeping for home consumption, butter IN -- yep, it's the real deal in our house, small amounts, but it's the real deal.

Okay, there were other changes, but from this list it's easy to see our eating habits changed.

What else changed?

Waist-lines!

Hubby's most of all. DARN it! Of course, all research show men lose more inches compared to women, and hubby did. Over 5 inches. That's pretty impressive, isn't it?

Those results are hard to argue with, so I didn't bother. I simply ate better.

Now, hubby's on a new kick. Michael Geary - a Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer. This guy has an unbelievable program. More importantly, it's step-by-step.

Wait! I'm not promoting this program. No one's paying me for my opinion, or my writing skills. I'm simply saying, hubby started following the program and he's losing more weight.

It is one of those eating adventures that require the 4 - 5 meals a day, so for some this is definitely a down-side. Hubby drives a truck at night and we've had to be inventive in order to get his meal program in place, but it's working. It also means, creative thought has to be put into meal planning. For many folks, the thought of planning 4 - 5 meals a day is too daunting to undertake. Gotta tell you, we cheat. I use the same meal plans over and over. We already know the calorie count -- yes, we did have to figure those out -- put them on a spread sheet, and then we just combine things together.

Perhaps, you're asking, What is the purpose of this blog?

I recently found Micheal Geary's "Top 55 Lean-Body Foods to Build Muscle and Lose Body Fat"

Okay, how cool is that? I can share, as long as I give credit, which I just did. Check out the things you can add to make your 2010 healthier.

". . . start with the fridge. Each week, I try to make sure I'm loaded up with lots of varieties of fresh vegetables. During the growing season, I only get local produce, but obviously in winter, I have to resort to the produce at the grocery store. Most of the time, I make sure I have plenty of vegetables like onions, zucchini, spinach, fresh mushrooms, red peppers, broccoli, etc. to use in my morning eggs. I also like to dice up some lean chicken or turkey sausage into the eggs, along with some swiss, jack, or goat cheeses (preferably raw grass-fed cheeses when I can find them).

By the way I'm talking about whole eggs, NOT egg whites. Always remember that the yolk is the most nutritious and nutrient dense part of the egg, so only eating egg whites is like throwing away the best part... and no, it's NOT bad for you because of the cholesterol... eggs actually raise your GOOD cholesterol. Try to get free range organic eggs for the best quality."

That's different, isn't it?
I thought I had to eat egg whites ONLY, if I had a hope of keeping weight control. I don't like egg whites. Nope, too mild. If I wanted to eat scrambled card-board, I cook it up. Not, that I'm an egg nut, but I've never met a hard-boiled egg in a salad I didn't love.

Okay, what else does he list?

•Chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds - delicious and great sources of healthy fats.
•Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and yogurt - I like to mix cottage or ricotta cheese and yogurt together with chopped nuts and berries for a great mid-morning or mid-afternoon meal.
•Whole flax seeds or chia seeds - I grind these in a mini coffee grinder and add to yogurt or salads. Always grind them fresh because the omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable and prone to oxidation, creating high levels of free radicals in pre-ground flax.
•Whole eggs - one of natures richest sources of nutrients (and remember, they increase your GOOD cholesterol so stop fearing them).
•Salsa - I try to get creative and try some of the exotic varieties of salsas.
•Avocados - love them...plus a great source of healthy fats, fiber, and other nutrients. Try adding them to wraps, salads, or sandwiches.
•Butter - don't believe the naysayers; butter adds great flavor to anything and can be part of a healthy diet (just keep the quantity small because it is calorie dense...and NEVER use margarine, unless you want to assure yourself a heart attack).
•Nut butters - Plain old peanut butter has gotten a little old for me, so I get creative and mix together almond butter with sesame seed butter, or even cashew butter with macadamia butter...delicious and unbeatable nutrition!
•Leaf lettuce and spinach along with shredded carrots - for salads with dinner.
•Home-made salad dressing - using balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and Udo's Choice oil blend. This is much better than store bought salad dressing which mostly use highly refined soybean oil (full of inflammation-causing free radicals).
•Whole grain wraps and whole grain bread (look for wraps and bread with at least 3-4 grams of fiber per 20 grams of total carbs).
•Rice bran and wheat germ - these may sound way too healthy for some, but they actually add a nice little nutty, crunchy taste to yogurt or smoothies, or can be added when baking muffins or breads to add nutrients and fiber.

If you want to see the whole article go: "Top 55 Lean-Body Foods to Build Muscle and Lose Body Fat"

Michael Geary makes a great point, in which he says, 'if you don't want to eat junk, don't have it in your house.

I have a friend, who totally owns the Great Body Award, and she swears by this truth. When she craves ice cream, she goes and gets a scoop, but never has the whole gallon in her house. When she is caving for her favorite cookie, then she'll get the box, give into the sin and eat the whole thing in a day or two. Then she's done. Craving feed, and she goes back to eating healthy. She'll be quick to proclaim, she doesn't diet. She makes good food choices.

Okay, I like good food choices. That's a mantra I can live with on a daily basis.

Here's hoping your 2010 has started off wonderful and healthy.
We're ready for a little warmer weather to fire up the BBQ. Grilled chicken (the Cajuns don't have anything on me when it comes to spices) baby tomatoes (steamed in olive oil and Oregano), grilled asparagus, and oven roasted potatoes. Yep, I can totally wrap my lips around healthy eating.