Saturday 18 October 2008

Healthy Eating


I suppose most people at some point in their life watch what they eat. Some do it without thinking while others have to really work at it.
I have always tried to have healthyish food at home and now more than ever as I get nearer to the big 40 - a couple of years away, but getting closer all the same, I really want to eat the best quality food that I can.
When you open up a recipe book and actually start making things from scratch, especially baking it gives you a greater understanding of what is in the food you eat. If you go to the shops and buy brownies for example you may eat the lot over a couple of days, but if you made them yourself you would see what was in them, be able to control the quality of the ingredients and eat a little less of them as they will be infinitely better.
It is often easier to adjust a savoury dish as they are not so dependent on ratios of ingredients, use a low fat spray instead of oil, cut out the butter, oven bake and grill instead of frying. Often it is simple changes that we make over time that can have the biggest impact on our health.
When you are told not to eat something, it then often becomes the one thing that you crave above all, moderation is good and resisting the temptation to eat the whole tube of pringles at one sitting is always the best option.

I caught an episode of the barefoot contessa the other day and she made a dip that looked perfect for tweaking.
All I did was omit the olive oil and used low fat spray instead, make sure you use plenty of seasoning - a little cayenne works well in this dish. This also benefits from being made the day before you want to eat it. I am going to have some stirred into cooked pasta for tea.

3 comments:

Manggy said...

Oh, I totally know what you mean. Nowadays I can barely bring myself to eat dessert out! I'd rather make it at home, where I can portion it sensibly and even avoid altogether desserts that are chockfull of fat. (Okay, I'm making one that is overloaded with fat right now but that's beside the point :P )
I think they sell Pringles in small packages these days :)

Sylvie said...

It's the snacking in between meals that's my biggest downfall! Especially in the evening while I'm sat around watching telly.

Marie Rayner said...

You can't beat the Barefoot Contessa for scrumptious recipes can you? I try to eat healthy . . . I just eat too much! I need to work on that.