Food and The New Year

As we enter the New Year, many have goals or “resolutions” that involve diet or nutrition. These involve changes to be made in a effort to improve our health, or to simply “lose weight”. Let me offer a suggestion or two. When making changes, in a diet, a few keys to “sticking with it” are:

1.                   Finding a few things that you like and using it over and over. … But it is important to have “a few” so that when the one or two start to “get old”; you can change without going back to the old bad habits.

2.                  Throw out condiments! Yellow Mustard, Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, etc. Why? SUGAR. Commercial Condiments are LOADED with processed sugar. Instead use: Rubs (watch the salt), Salsa, Fruit Juices, good ole Salt and Pepper, Onions, Oils & Herbs

3.                  TRY NEW THINGS. Go to a Whole Foods or Organic Food Store, set a budget and have fun. Try stuff that you never thought that you would try. Try different meats and different combinations. You may HATE some, but the goal is to DISCOVER new things that you like.

-          Try different spices. Spices can be expensive but can add a new “twist” to the “same ole dish”.

-          Try “new” Meats. Ostrich is “the new thing”. Try the fish that you’ve never had, or simply something off the wall. Wild game is always something new and different to a large population. You may have to look but you can find Duck, Dove, Venison, & Alligator meat for purchase. If you can’t find it, or do not have a clue as to how to cook these meats; go to the store find a guy in a truck, wearing boots and camouflage pants. Ask him. You’ll be surprised at the recipes that come out of these folks. Be sure and have something to write on and write with.

-          Grill or cook “cowboy style”. Cowboy style is what I call Camping cooking. Cooking over an open fire. Have fun with it.

I found that I LOVE Feta Cheese, Banana Peppers and SALSA … LOVE ME SOME SALSA. Salsa is a great food. It is unbelievably healthy IF you make it yourself OR don’t eat it with chips and cheese … and 8 beers. Salsa works for me, I Love it and it is my condiment of choice.

Happy New Year!