Start the New Year off right!
When we eat the right foods we feel better and we stay healthy. Proper nutrition and getting regular exercise are both essential for preventing heart disease, diabetes, and for boosting our immune system.

Here are some nutrition tips for staying healthy in 2010:

• Eat Breakfast, but not one that’s full of refined sugar.  Aim for whole grains like rolled oats and top it with a sprinkle of walnuts and chopped fruit.
• Seek out foods that are naturally high in fiber, low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals.  Best examples are fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, lentils and whole grains.
• Drink plenty of water.  Cut back on soft drinks, coffee and alcohol.
• Eat smaller meals every 3-4 hours.  This keeps blood sugar levels even to sustain energy needed for an active lifestyle.
• For snacks choose fresh fruit and a handful of walnuts or almonds.  Or vegetable sticks dipped in hummus.
• Eat more vegetables!  About half your plate at lunch and dinner should be vegetables.  Aim to eat at least 1 green vegetable at lunch and dinner along with a variety of other colorful vegetables.  An example would be to have a mixed green salad at lunch with grated carrot, beet and sliced mushrooms (with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of olive oil).  Or sauteed kale and broccoli with tomatoes, onion and yellow squash.
• The other half of your plate should be a mixture of lean protein, whole grains and a small amount of healthy fat.  An example would be 3 oz. of sliced turkey (the size of your palm), or 1/2 – 1 cup of cooked beans (for lean protein), 1/2 -1 cup of brown rice or quinoa (whole grain), and about 2 TBS chopped avocado (healthy fat).  Don’t over-do-it on protein or fat.  And when choosing grains- always make sure they are whole grains.
• Avoid the foods that have no or little nutritional value.  Examples:  fried foods, chips, soda, candy, pastries, white bread, white rice, and foods with trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and colorings, and preservatives.
• Don’t over-eat.  Eat until you feel about 80% full.  Eat slowly and chew your food well, about 50 times per mouthful.

Healthy Recipe!

Lentil Vegetable Soup over Brown Rice
serves 6
1 TBS olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 bay leaf
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 cup of dry red lentils, rinsed and sorted to remove stones
4 cups vegetable broth (may substitute water)
1 sweet potato, scrubbed and diced
1 small beet, scrubbed and diced
2 carrots, scrubbed and diced
1⁄2 tsp unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt
14 oz. can diced tomatoes, use the fire roasted tomatoes, if available
1 head of broccoli, chopped into small florets
10 oz. of chopped spinach, fresh or frozen (may substitute any green leafy vegetable)
2 TBS mellow, white, or sweet miso paste
juice from 1⁄2 lemon fresh parsley, cilantro and/or basil, minced
3-4 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

Sauté the onion in olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat until soft, about 5-10 minutes. Then add the garlic, bay leaf, cumin and coriander and sauté another minute. Now add the drained lentils. Stir to coat with oil for 1 minute. Slowly add the vegetable broth, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking. Now add the chopped sweet potato, beet and carrots with the salt and canned tomatoes. Simmer another 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove the bay leaf. Add the broccoli and cook another minute. Then add the spinach and turn off the heat. Whisk together the miso paste and lemon juice in a small bowl. Pour this into soup and stir to combine. Taste for salt and spice. Top with fresh herbs and serve in bowls over cooked brown rice.