Another Healthy Eating Tips

Peter Jaret’s Quick & Healthy Eating Tips

Eating well doesn't have to take a lot of time. Some of the simplest meals are delicious and loaded with nutrients. Excerpted from an article in ahealthyme, here are Peter Jaret’s healthy eating tips on menus prepared in 15 minutes or less,

Breakfast
Smoothie
Spoon a cup of low-fat yogurt, some frozen berries, fruit juice, and banana in a blender. Add a quarter cup of powdered nonfat milk for a satisfying meal that also packs 625 milligrams of calcium -- more than half of your daily need.

Grapefruit
Pink grapefruit packs 25 times more beta-carotene than its paler cousin, and it's usually sweeter. Pair it with a cup of oatmeal topped with an ounce of chopped almonds or a quarter cup of dried apricots, and you'll have a complete breakfast with 7 grams of fiber, a third of the daily need.

Juice
Try a different juice each day: Pineapple, grapefruit, tangerine, tomato, cranberry, and grape all contain different antioxidants that can help prevent a range of ills from cancer to heart disease to urinary tract infections.

Lunch
Avocado
Spread a quarter of a ripe avocado on your turkey sandwich instead of mayo, and you'll end up with plenty of flavor and half the fat. Avocado also offers magnesium and potassium. Add some tomato, sprouts, and mustard, follow up with a piece of fruit for a complete, healthy lunch.

Coleslaw
Use shredded broccoli stalks instead of cabbage. A half-cup gives you nearly four times the vitamin C and beta-carotene. Toss with shredded carrots, a little chopped red onion, and a teaspoon of rice-wine vinegar for a super-healthy side dish.

Peanut Butter
Peanut products can actually lower your LDL or "bad" cholesterol as effectively as olive oil. Go for the old-fashioned peanut butter. Other brands using partially hydrogenated oils for a creamy consistency and non separated oil can raise your cholesterol.

Dinner
Burgers
Most veggie burgers give you two-thirds of the protein but only one quarter of the fat of a regular hamburger, plus 5 grams of fiber. Pan-fry a vegetarian burger in a teaspoon of olive oil or nuke it in the microwave. Add sprouts, goat cheese, roasted red peppers, and a whole wheat bun.

Potato
Heap a baked potato with black beans, salsa, and an ounce of shredded pepper-jack cheese for a meal. Count on 12 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein. The cheese has a third of the fat of butter, and 200 milligrams more calcium.

Spinach
Spinach pasta gives you twice as much potassium and folic acid as the regular kind, and a nice hit of beta-carotene. Toss spinach bow ties with crumbled feta, black olives, and chopped tomatoes.

Snacks
Carbohydrate – Protein Combo
Eating between meals can keep your energy up and your weight down -- if you choose snacks that combine carbohydrates with protein for a pick-me-up that lasts. Try carrots and hummus, apple slices and peanut butter, or cheese on whole wheat crackers.

Frozen Fruit
For a quick and healthy sweet snack, wash seedless grapes, put them in a zip-top bag, and toss them in your freezer. Grapes contain resveratrol, an antioxidant that helps protect your heart, and they're sweeter when frozen.