Go Out With The Old, Go In With The New: 5 Ways To Clean Up Your Food In Spring

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SALT LAKE CITY – As spring approaches, the sun starts to shine a little brighter each day, the grass looks a little greener, flower buds start to appear and people start to declutter their homes and gardens.

Spring cleaning is a great way to freshen up your home and your life, so why not give your food a little spring cleaning?

I don’t mean following a fad diet that is unrealistic and only leads to temporary results. Instead, I recommend spring cleansing from your diet by starting slowly, choosing one or two of the suggestions below to work at a time. Once you’ve made it a habit, choose another to work on.

You might be working on these goals longer than spring, but it will definitely be worth it in the long run. By cutting down on certain foods in your diet and increasing others, you can develop healthy habits that will benefit you for life.

Cut back on candy

Over-consumption of added sugars has been linked to health problems such as tooth decay (or cavities), as well as weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Added sugars do not include natural sugars, such as sugars in fruit or milk, and they find their way into our diets in a variety of ways.

Some are quite obvious, such as treats like cakes, cookies, ice cream, candies, pastries, jams, jellies and other candies. Other sources might be a little more surprising, such as sauces, dressings, marinades, sweet yogurts, cold cereals, crackers, granola bars and more.

One of the biggest culprits is not what we eat, but rather what we drink. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sugary drinks are the # 1 source of added sugars in the American diet. These include, but are not limited to, regular sodas, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, flavored waters and sweetened coffee, tea, and alcoholic beverages. Switching from drinking sugary drinks to water is a great way to reduce added sugars in your diet.

You don’t have to go cold turkey and cut all the candy out of your diet overnight or completely. Enjoying a treat every now and then is good. The main goal is to eat them in moderation, keeping added sugars to less than 10% of your total daily calories, as recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Eat fats – the healthiest

Fat has been a controversial topic for decades. Do we eat them or do we avoid them? Instead of the “all or nothing” approach, the answer depends on the type of fat. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of daily calories, and trans fat intake should be as low as possible. These types of fats can increase your “bad” LDL cholesterol, increasing your risk for heart disease.

Saturated fat is solid at room temperature and is found naturally in foods of animal origin such as red meat, poultry, and dairy products. They are also commonly found in other snack and processing foods such as chips, cakes, cookies, pastries, fried foods, and ice cream.

Just as important as reducing saturated and trans fats is what you replace them with. Studies have shown that when these less healthy fats are replaced with carbohydrates, the risk of heart disease is not lowered. However, replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Unsaturated fats include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. They are found naturally in many plant foods such as nuts, seeds, avocados, soybeans, and oils made from these foods. They are also found in fish and other seafood. Include these healthy fats in your diet by snacking on a small handful of nuts, cooking with avocado or olive oil, incorporating fish into your diet. weekly meal plan or topping your toast or avocado salad.

You don’t have to go cold turkey and cut all the candy out of your diet overnight or completely. Enjoying a treat every now and then is good. The main objective is to enjoy it in moderation.

–Brittany Poulson, dietitian

Pile on vegetables

The only food group that the majority of people admit not having is vegetables. In fact, according to the CDC, only 1 in 10 Americans eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables daily. Vegetables are packed with beneficial nutrients, and studies continue to show the benefits of consuming them daily. However, they are still lacking in the average American diet.

The first step to including more vegetables in your diet is to have them available in your home. When you bring home vegetables from the store, don’t just put them in your refrigerator’s crisper and forget about them. Make them easily accessible by chopping carrots, broccoli, celery and cauliflower into sticks or bite-size pieces. Then put them in bags and store them on a shelf in the refrigerator at eye level.

Keep bags of frozen vegetables in your freezer for easy grabbing and tossing into a soup or casserole dish, tossing into a pasta dish, or reheating as an easy side dish. Add variety by cooking your vegetables in different ways, like steaming, roasting, broiling, sautéing or sautéing. Stack the vegetables on your sandwich, hamburger, taco and pizza. You can also scramble your eggs with sautéed veggies, add roasted veggies to your whole grain bowl, or mix raw veggies into your morning smoothie.

Go bananas

Not just bananas, but berries, grapes, oranges, apples and more. Including fruits in your diet will provide you with nutrients such as antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Whether fresh, frozen, dried or canned, all fruits can be good for you. If you choose canned, go for those canned in 100% juice or water. For frozen or dried fruit, make sure the fruit is the only ingredient listed with no added sugars.

Fruit juice can be a sweet addition to your day, but be sure to watch portion sizes (adults should limit to 8 ounces) and always choose 100% juice. I generally recommend eating whole fruit rather than drinking juice, as juice generally lacks the fiber in the whole fruit. Eating an orange will help you feel fuller and fuller than drinking a glass of orange juice.

Go meatless once a week

The high consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, has been linked to a variety of chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. While red meat contains several important nutrients – such as essential protein, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc – consuming high amounts may not be such a good idea.

The World Cancer Research Fund recommends reducing red meats – especially processed meats like salami, hot dogs, ham, bacon, cured beef, cold cuts, and some sausages – to no more than about three servings per week.

Setting a goal of not eating meat one day a week will surely help you stick to this recommendation. Meet your protein needs by eating plant proteins like nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, tofu, and whole grains. Pick any day of the week for your meatless meals and make it a habit every week. Monday is a popular choice, sparked by the Meatless Monday movement.

Try the lentil sloppy joes, three sisters chili, crispy baked tofu tacos or loaded sweet potatoes for a delicious meatless meal. With all the ways to enjoy vegetable protein, you might not even miss the meat once a week.

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