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Community Corner

Yummy Tips for Healthy Food Choices

From midnight snacks to brownie sympathy, food places many roles in our lives. Here are some healthy habits

Food means reward: When an honor is received or a victory scored, pop the cork.  Make the reservations.

Food means comfort: When much is lost - the opportunity, the win, the job, have another brownie please, and some of that fudge.

Food means relief: When it’s Friday, and it has been the longest week on record, it’s Pizza time!

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Food means venting: What a day, what a schedule! It’s time for another glass of wine and a big steak.

Food means familiar grooves:  A favorite show is on, and the chips are within reach.

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Food means vitality when you are eating right — fresh fruits, vegetables, and lots of water, tea and fresh juices. and Jamba Juice in and will work.

Food means sharing a meal with loved ones:  You have cooked all day, and it smells heavenly.

Food means health: It’s when the hairdresser or barber remarks, ‘you must be eating veggies (They can tell by the texture of your hair).’  

Food means satisfaction: It’s when you fix a healthy meal for your family, and you linger at the table to share the day.

Food means holidays: It’s when you share treasured recipes and memories, glimpses of the past.  

Food means creativity: It’s when the kitchen becomes your palette.

Here are some easy tips for making healthy food choices:

In place of brownie sympathy, try a quiet cup of hot tea with reflection on what to do now. Once in awhile, whether you are venting or celebrating, slip in some fish and fruit.   in Los Alamitos has great fish and a fresh fish counter with recipes to love like crab quesadilla.  They also have a perfect mango martini. All those mangoes make it healthy, right?

In Seal Beach, some good choices include and .  

For big birthdays, anniversaries, Edible Centerpieces delivers fresh fruit and chocolate.

Instead of easing tension with fat loaded foods, take a walk, try meditation, and a picnic with fresh fruit and veggies. in the Rossmoor Shopping Center can put your picnic together.

In place of mindless eating, stash the chips and stock apples, carrots, yogurt, grapes. Microwave popcorn, minus butter, works too.

Wherever you are, whatever the meal, I have found food can be unprocessed and taste great. Eat as much fresh food as possible where labels are not even involved. When you do encounter labels, read them.  Choose healthy oils. Cut sugar and processed junk foods. Eat fresh and organic, if possible. Substitute flavor in herbs, peppers and onions for salt. Opt for heavyweights like steel cut oats, dark chocolate, spinach, wild salmon, almonds, blueberries, pomegranates, walnuts, green teas and red wines.  

Sample recipe sites for easy ways to add healthy ingredients such as veggie lasagna or turkey meatballs.  Remake favorite recipes with lighter oils, lower fats, less sugar. There’s a chewy oatmeal cookie recipe on the lid of the oats can that could be remodeled, deleting butter, sugar and eggs and using applesauce, brown sugar and egg whites, plus cranberries or dark chocolate. Oatmeal cookies have a big following, and there are many recipe sites. Take a look and take your pick.

Also try Epicurious  (their sweet potato sauté is wonderful) or Kalyn’s Kitchen for pan-fried asparagus and great ways to fix salmon.
There are a million ways to go…enjoy!






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