Sometimes, “life” is crazy busy and our perfect plan of cooking a healthy, vibrant week’s worth of meals goes awry. So here are some easy and healthy ways to make an “ok” meal even better! If nothing else, this might be the switch to get you started!

• Try Dole and Mann’s frozen WASHED and unseasoned vegetables. Simply open the bag, dump into a skillet, add protein and dinner is served!
• Replace processed meats with no-nitrite-added deli meats. Red and processed meats are believed to cause some cancers, so switching out the processed meats for more natural, lower sodium options is a healthy switch.
• Switch to “thins” or light bread. Try Oroweat Bakery Light or Pepperidge Farm Carb-light. Some are 40-60 calories per slice.
• Try a new vegetable several times a week. Studies show those who eat a wider variety of vegetables tend to be thinner!
• Serve foods like soups, frozen yogurt, and cereals in a ramekin. This is true to a 4 oz serving!
• Make junk food boring. If you are trying to cut calories but need some cookies, bars and pastas around the house (for the “kids…wink wink”) just choose a boring brand. The more options you have, the more likely you are to eat more of them
• Replace sides like rice, potatoes and pasta with a second serving of vegetables.
• Eat fish twice a week and ask for fish steamed, poached or BBQ’d if dining out.
• Replace canned tuna with canned salmon; typically the salmon is higher in omega 3. Look first for the sodium content, make sure whichever you choose is packed in water, and use the salmon as a replacement 1-2 times a week.
• Before you look at the calories on a label, train your eye to look at the serving size. Often, a package has anywhere from 2-4 servings, when our “stomach” thinks there is only 1!
• Drink mostly calorie-free liquids. We want to watch the artificial sweeteners here too. However, a good choice is to sweeten your tea or coffee with stevia or truvia, add zest to your water with lemon, grated ginger or choose sparkling water.
• Make your snacks fruit or vegetables as a staple. Adding a little bit of low cal hummus or bean dip is a good way to add protein, fat and fiber to the low carb nutrient dense veggies and fruit.
• Whatever you are cooking, blending, baking or stirring, add in another handful or two of vegetables or fruit. This can make a meal for one into a nutritious meal for two with a lower caloric spin!
• When you dine out, BEFORE you start eating, ask for half your meal to be wrapped up. We want you to eat every 2-3 hours, so by the time you get home, you can have the other half if you still feel hungry. Most likely you would have munched on something else anyway!
• On the rare (I’m SURE) occasions you have pizza, ask for thin crust and half the cheese. They might even have reduced fat cheese. You never know until you ask!
• Drink a glass of water before you eat. Studies show you can reduce your calories daily by several hundred without feeling deprived!

Some ideas from “Nutrition Action,” July 2011 edition