THE TASTE OF EATING WELL

Eat well, your body depends on you

Good nutrition is something all of us should pay attention to - and not just by giving lip service to it (pardon the pun).  We talk a lot about eating the right foods in the right quantities, usually as relates to losing weight, but losing weight is only a part of the reason to take heed to what we eat.  Our internal and external health depends a great deal upon what goes into our stomach.  While damage may not appear for many years, the effects of a poor diet, over time, will definitely take a toll on us.  Early aging, memory loss, osteoporosis and a host of other ailments and conditions can be attributed to a poor diet.

While we can't go back and do it over again, if what we've been eating has fallen short of desirable and healthy, there's no time like the present to make some changes and begin to bring health and healing to our bodies.  By making a few basic changes to our food preparation, not only will we begin to feel better, but in the long run, we'll be healthier and stronger - able to enjoy life even more.

Just a few small changes

Reduce the amount of sodium in your diet.  For those who have hypertensive concerns and must watch the amount of sodium you take in, avoid condiments, processed foods, canned foods and pickled products.  For the rest, the main culprit is table salt.  Instead of salt, try your hand at seasonings and herbs.  There are many products available without salt, but there's nothing like the taste of fresh herbs to enhance the flavor of food.

Check your sugar intake.  Sugar gives food that wonderful, sweet taste and it has some useful functions in cooking and baking, however you can safely cut the amount of sugar you use without losing structure in your baking.  Use spices to spark flavor and think about using non-fat dry milk as a substitute for part of the sugar you would use in baking.  You'll cut calories; add calcium, protein and other good things.   There is also a great natural sweetener available called stevia, and since you need only a miniscule amount to sweeten, there are virtually no calories.

Whole wheat and enriched flours are great sources of B vitamins and iron.  Try mixing different flours together - try kamut, rice, spelt or rye flour to bake breads.  The varieties of tastes are wonderful and the grains are excellent for your body.