Melissa Zook with Fresh Start Nutrition shared her
top tips for a
fresh start at eating healthy, losing weight and more. A lot of the
information she shared was on the handout or this page of her
website but here are a few highlights that weren’t included, along with
links to some of the products and recipes she mentioned.
- Detox diets. Nobody really needs these, because your liver and skin do everything. If you want to try one, try cutting out caffeine, alcohol and processed and packaged foods. Read Melanie’s other recommendations on doing a soft detox diet.
- Constantly look for ways to add veggies to your diet. Add them to soups, oatmeal, smoothies, snacks, etc. Put carrots and celery sticks on your sandwich. Frozen are just as good if not better than fresh.
- Green smoothies and popsicles. Her favorite recipe includes mangos, banana, fresh baby spinach (not frozen) and plain yogurt (not vanilla) Her go-to machine for smoothies is the Vitamix. Freeze them in push-up silicone ice pop makers.
- Oatmeal with a twist. Make a big pot on Sunday, put it in the fridge and take out some every day and add different things to it. Frozen blueberries are great for cooling it off. Other variations: pumpkin, nuts, dried fruit and pumpkin pie spice. Peanut butter. Chopped up frozen pineapple and coconut. Or make half of it with eggnog. Avoid instant sweetened packages.
- Why her family drinks 1% milk. Some whole foods advocates drink whole milk because it’s less processed, but she still worries about its high saturated fat. Because you need fat to help your body absorb vitamins, your body won’t absorb the extra vitamin A and D that it needs if you drink skim milk. So her family drinks 1%. The alternative milks are fine, too, but look for ones that are calcium and Vitamin D fortified. Some people also avoid milks with carrageenan, which is found in many soy and almond milks.
- Why she uses mostly glass storage containers. Even if the plastic is BPA free, plastics are polymers made form chemicals and you don’t know what chemical will be in the news next.
- Mango ice cream. One of her family’s favorites, you simply mix plain greek yogurt, honey and frozen mangos in your vitamix or blender. Another favorite mango treat: mango popsicles, made by blending V8 fusion, mangos and carrots, pouring them into stainless steel popsicle molds and freezing.
- Eating organic. Stretch your food dollar by choosing organic wisely. She buys dairy and many fruits and veggies organic.
- Juicing/juices. You end up with a lot of sugar and miss out on all the good fiber that you need. No one needs juice, not even kids. If you do give it to them, make sure it’s no more than 4 ounces and water it down.
- Why you probably don’t need more protein. Most Americans get double the protein they need. It’s in almost every food except fruits. Avoid protein bars, which tend to be processed and tax your liver. You don’t need protein drinks either. (There may be an exception if you’re a professional bodybuilder or a marathon runner or something)
- On portion control. Use a smaller plate and never eat straight from the package.
- Spoil your dinner. It’s actually better to have five to six small meals a day so go ahead and fix yourself or your kids a healthy snack.
- The perfect snack. You need a healthy fat, protein and fiber. That way you will have your blood sugar under control, plus you’ll feel sated and satisfied. A few examples: An apple with a handful of almonds, a banana with peanut butter, hummus and red pepper. More ideas are on her site.
- Plan your snacks. Plan in advance and have them available at work, in your car and at home. She keeps clear bins – one in her pantry and the other in her fridge – filled with pre-portioned healthy snacks.
- Choosing peanut butter. No Jif or Skippy. Nothing that has “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredient list (that’s trans fat – the worst). Smuckers natural is good. She goes organic because the kids eat a lot of it and they grow underground, so they absorb a lot of pesticides. You can also make your own by throwing some peanuts in the blender.
- Supplements you need. Most women need a good multivitamin, omega 3s, probiotics and vitamin D. She sells supplements she believes in for kids and adults.
- The best oils. Use extra virgin olive oil (not light) or canola oil (if you need it to be hot) to cook with, real organic butter to have flavor. Avoid vegetable oil and corn oil.
- Other stuff on her site: Her favorite items for a healthy kitchen, her dark chocolate walnut oatmeal cookie recipe and her make-ahead mixes for creamy soups, homemade chocolate syrup, whole wheat pancakes and more.
