New Year; same diet

When resolving to shed pounds in 2010, remember that general nutrition, and a little common sense, are key

By Jeff Walker

It’s mere moments after the ball drops in Times Square and a new decade has begun, that the thought at least crosses your mind.

Party’s over.

Time to start anew.

Time to shed some pounds.

As local fitness guru Heath Herrera told me earlier this month, it all comes down to nutrition: The exercise helps with a lot of things, but you’ve got change your eating habits too.

And before you clip out that new, cutting-edge diet out of the magazine, keep reading.

Susan Schramm, Hays County Extension Agent for Family Consumer Science, warns against fad diets and supplements. Fad diets are risky, she says, because they:

• tend to be very low in calories

• are limited to few foods, limiting key nutrients and minerals

• produce only short term, rapid weight loss — not long term weight

management

• ignore the importance of physical activity in healthy weight loss

• increase risks for certain diseases or health complications

• take the pleasure and fun out of eating

• alter metabolism, making it easier to regain the weight after the diet has ceased



Learning the basics of good nutrition are helpful. So is common sense. Limit fats, sweets and high calorie foods. Use lower fat cooking styles like roasting or grilling. Lower your portions. Never forget those veggies.

And remember, no matter what — always enjoy what you are eating.



Here’s a couple of recipes to get you started:



Fillet of Sole with Spinach & Tomatoes

• 12 cups spinach, (1 1/4 pounds), trimmed and washed thoroughly

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

• 1 pound Pacific sole fillets, divided into 4 portions (see Tip)

• 4 small plum tomatoes, sliced



Preheat oven to 400°F.

Put spinach, with water still clinging to its leaves, into a large pot. Cover; steam the spinach over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain; when cool enough to handle, press out excess liquid. Chop and place in a small bowl. Stir in garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

To make a packet, lay two 20-inch sheets of foil on top of each other (the double layers will help protect the contents from burning); generously coat the top piece with cooking spray. Place one-quarter of the spinach mixture in the center of the foil. Lay a portion of sole over the spinach and arrange tomato slices over the sole. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring the short ends of the foil together, leaving enough room in the packet for steam to gather and cook the food. Fold the foil over and pinch to seal. Pinch seams together along the sides. Make sure all the seams are tightly sealed to keep steam from escaping. Repeat with more foil, cooking spray and the remaining ingredients.

Place the packets on a baking sheet. Bake the packets until the fish is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. To serve, carefully open both ends of the packets and allow the steam to escape. Use a spatula to slide the contents onto plates.



Guacamole Chicken Salad

This is a prize-winning recipe in the Smart Salads recipe contest submitted by Nikki York-Chu.



• 2 avocados, halved, pitted and peeled

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 clove of garlic, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

• 4 cups diced, cooked chicken breast meat*

• 1 cup toasted, chopped California walnuts

• 1 cup finely chopped onion

• 3/4 cup finely chopped celery (about 3 ribs)

• 3 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded and chopped

• 6 (or more, depending on size) whole leaves of butter lettuce or radicchio

 

*Note:  Use home-cooked roasted or poached chicken, or deli-roasted chicken.

 

Put the avocado in a large bowl and mash it with a fork until almost smooth. Stir in the lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper. Add the chicken, walnuts, onion, celery and tomatoes, and stir to coat with the avocado.

To serve, place a leaf or two of lettuce on each plate, and mound the salad in the center.   

 

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