Want a simple idea for better health in the new year?

 

How is the year going so far?  How was the first month of the New Year?  We hope you are looking back on these past five weeks and feeling you are moving in the direction of your goals.  If you have not yet set a few goals, every day is new day.  We want to join together in progress toward owning our lives and health more completely.  So whether you are celebrating your  success thus far, getting yourself back on track after some distraction, or making the commitment to write down on paper a few goals for 2019, let’s move forward together. The first thing we want to say to you in 2019?  Eat healthier at home this year. Why? Cooking and eating at home results in better health (than eating out). Most significantly, eating at home for most Americans means eating fewer calories, along with less sugar and processed foods. In a study completed in 2017, the University of Washington School of Public Health concluded that people who cook at home a higher proportion of the time are not only more likely to have healthier diets but also (go figure…) spend less on food. The measurement used to define a healthy diet, the Healthy Eating Index, assigns a score to whether the food eaten provides the right combination of fruits, vegetables and other elements.  The study found a "greater dietary compliance," meaning that the overall weekly diet met more guidelines for a healthy diet when dinners were cooked at home (more vegetables and fruits). One last brief but important point. When people cook and eat at home, happiness and a sense of belonging increases. “But what if I don’t have time??”  Great question.  Here are some things we can all do to make eating at home easier and more time efficient. Plan your meals –make it a family affair if you have children.  Create a family meeting to plan meals for the week, and incorporate children in both the planning and creating. Shop for the week with the menu made.  And keep the basics in the pantry and the refrigerator. Utilize slow-cookers and the new generation of electric pressure cookers (Instant Pots). Most mornings are rushed, so put everything in the pot the night before, then refrigerate overnight and take out in the morning and turn it on low or set a program. Double recipes.  Freeze half for two or three days from now. Invite friends over and do a pot luck. Start small. If you presently eat out every day, are you willing to commit to cook and eat at home one day at week? Make your kitchen a place you enjoy. Perhaps reward yourself with a new dish or kitchen tool as you increase the time you are cooking at home. Have a list of simple meals for times when you did not prepare ahead and may be tempted to go out.  Here are some ideas for those: Omelets: Stir fry a generous portion of veggies, grate a little cheese and put it all the omelet… a meal in 15 minutes. When you make that pot of brown rice for some meal early in the week, double the rice and do a quick fried rice another night. Or open some legumes, spice them up with peppers and onions and serve over the rice. What are some things you do to make meals healthy and simple? Put a note on our Facebook wall and start the conversation!  We’d love to hear from you.    We are very excited about a new happening in 2019! Owning Your Life More Fully:   Book Discussions, Healthy Foods and Supportive Community. Our first evening will be Tuesday, March 26th. Look for details in the next two weeks! Please let us know how we can support you in 2019. We are grateful to be your partners in owning your life and health! Robert Pendergrast, MD, MPH Gail Pendergrast,  BSN, MS, CPC