A slice of white bread isn’t going to ruin you. Just make sure most of your grains are whole grains, such as oatmeal for breakfast, a quinoa salad for lunch, and whole-wheat pasta for dinner.
Whenever I’m out with a friend and they apologetically state, “I’m sorry, but I kind of want dessert,” I honestly get a little exasperated, and have to constantly remind them that I’m not the food police because of my profession. I enjoy dessert too! I have some dietitian friends who enjoy a good meal – not all of us preach carrot sticks and celery day after day after day (hey, I would get sick of that too). You’ll see that in the book, Inspired Celebrations, that I contributed recipes for Ngoc Nguyen Lay, I use things like butter (gasp!), puff pastry (blasphemy!), and bacon (WHAT?!). That’s because I believe that in a healthful diet, you can enjoy these foods occasionally and not feel like you’ve entirely blown it.
Time and again, I’ve noticed some common themes with people trying to eat more healthfully. They’re what I’d call “dieting blunders,” and we’ll talk about some of them here.
1. Thinking that healthful eating is time-consuming and difficult: What’s so hard about nuking some instant oatmeal with half a banana or a tablespoon of raisins in the morning? Or packing an apple and almonds for a quick snack? You can always fit in a few seconds to plan healthfully during the day. In fact, I find that I take less time to prepare food because by eating a largely plant-based diet, it takes no time to stir-fry or roast some vegetables with my dinner, rather than checking on that pot roast that’s taking forever to cook.
2. Not adopting moderation into the diet: Think about portion sizes! These days, lots of desserts are jumbo-sized, and you don’t have to exert tons of willpower to avoid foods. What I usually tell people is that they can have their cake and eat it too – in three bites. The first bite – say hello! The second bite – savor the dessert and let the taste linger in your mouth. The third bite – say goodbye!
3. Not looking at a food’s total package: If you’re skipping out spreading some almond butter over your whole-wheat toast in the morning because of its fat content, you’re sorely missing out. You have to look at a food’s total package, such as seeing that almond butter has beneficial, good-for-your-heart monounsaturated fats as well.
4. Overdoing the “fat-free,” “sugar-free” products: Lots of products that are “fat-free” are high in sugar, and lots of things “sugar-free” are high in fat. I could go on and on. That’s because to cut something out, food products will usually compensate in some other way. Instead of overdoing these snacks and products, you’ll find that making most of your foods and buying foods that grow from the earth, though not “fat-free” or “sugar-free,” will be more balanced. Top some fresh berries with a dollop of real whipped cream, not cream from a can. Roast vegetables with good olive oil. Enjoy one really yummy cookie, and be done with it, rather than eat five fat-free cookies.
