Food for Thought

I go on and on about the activities of my day, but what I don't talk about is what I'm eating. And I love to eat. Most importantly, diet and exercise go hand in hand.

You cannot lose weight if you don't eat well and exercise. Now when I say diet I don't mean being on a diet, I mean choosing healthy foods that will fuel you throughout the day and make you healthier. A nice side effect is that you will also be happier. These are the kinds of foods that you don't just eat for a certain period of time and then go back to tater tot hot dish . Diet is not cutting out all carbs and expecting to lose weight and be healthy. Having a healthy diet is about balance and good choices, choices that will last a lifetime. Balancing both food and activity.

"a healthy relationship with food"

Among one of Molly's great talents is looking at food very differently than most people. She actually has a healthy relationship with food. When she finds something amazingly yummy to eat, I get to hear all about it. Like the time she made her own tabouli, I thought she was going to burst from excitement. She doesn't claim to be a master chef, and readily gives credit to Mike, her husband, for doing the majority of the cooking. But what she does do well is find ways to make food tasty and healthy. I've learned a lot about what I should be eating from her. I'm not perfect, but I'm much smarter when it comes to the foods that I choose.

One of my favorite snacks that she's come up with is a salmon salad:

• 3oz can of salmon
• 1/2 cup wild or brown rice (or quinoa)
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1 or 2 chopped basil leaves
• 1 oz mozzarella
• 2tbls balsamic vinaigrette

Its simple and really ryummy. You can identify everything in this salmon salad. None of it is expensive or hard to find in a store. It won't take seven hours to make and chances are, you'll like it enough to make it again.

Molly has a great blog about nutrition that you should check out. Since she's a busy gal, she updates it when she can. There are a lot of healthy and helpful suggestions and you can ask her just about anything and she will respond. She's also great at coming up with creative and tasty substitutions.

http://mollykeeler.com

My personal tips:

• Bring a piece of fruit to work with you and put it on your desk - you're more likely to eat it that way.
• Have a (sports) bottle of water with you at all times. Bring it with you where ever you can. I walk around work with mine. I have it in the car. I always have water with me - and I'm drinking it.
• For office-bound folks, keep a snack drawer of healthy foods: almonds, apricots, nuts, etc.
• Eat more superfoods. I've blogged about superfoods before and I think Pete wants to punch me every time I say that word. Superfoods include: blueberries, broccoli, beans, oats, and more.

If you don't already have healthy food habits, start small. Overwhelming yourself with a big huge overhaul, especially if you don't have the support of your partner or friends, can leave you feeling disappointed and more hungry!

How did I start? I began eating a small bowl of oatmeal (plain) every morning. Only a 1/4 cup it actually filled me up and it took no time to eat. Some people like to eat a hard boiled egg before they leave the house in the morning, its easy fast and there's virtually no cleanup.

I'm going to blog about food again because its important. Feel free to share your tips or favorite recipes in the comments section!