Interested in more healthful eating? Turn to a new inspirational book for help: "The Flexitarian Diet," by Chicago dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner.
By "flexitarian," she means someone who is a casual vegetarian, who eats meat on occasion.
"Food is the building block of everything you are in terms of mood, attitude, cells, what your skin looks like," said Blatner, national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "Food really is a very magical piece of the puzzle when it comes to having a healthy, well balanced life."
It may surprise you to find Blatner is a proponent of convenience foods -- as long as they're healthful and natural. For instance, she is a big fan of ready-to-eat microwaveable brown rice, and other easy but nutritious eats.
"You're only as healthy as your last trip to the grocery store," she said.
With that in mind, her one simple rule for a flexitarian: "Before you pull into the checkout aisle, make sure that 25 percent of your cart is whole-grain: whole-grain bread and pita, brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn and whole-grain pasta. And 25 percent is lean protein -- chicken, turkey, fish, low-fat dairy, even turkey pepperoni or chicken sausage; you should experiment. And make absolutely certain that the final 50 percent is filled with fruits and vegetables. So, 25-25-50," she said.
Her book is loaded with pantry suggestions as well as tips to help them get back up. It contains quizzes, menus, recipes and strategies for staying on the right path.
One of her most important tips: "Don't put your vegetables in your crisper! I'm not kidding. I call it the R.I.P. drawer, because that's where produce goes to die. Put it in the middle of the refrigerator at eye level, because that's where you look when you open the door. This really works."
