"resolution" news and stories

The major "eating" holidays are coming to a fast close after Valentine's day, but that doesn't mean that I'm entertaining at home any less. I still want to serve festive looking desserts to my friends without weighing down their digestion or tempting them to break their New Year's resolutions.

When I make a lighter dessert, of course, I think about calories, but what about flavor, enjoyment, and taste. Aren't these the things we are all looking for in food? Eating locally and in season is another great way to get more enjoyment out of cooking the dishes and desserts you love so. That's why I picked grapefruit for this week's dessert recipe, because it is prime growing season.

I'm a sucker for a graham cracker crust and most store-bought versions are good, but it's so simple to make one yourself. In this recipe, the cinnamon in this crust plays off the tartness without clashing. Kefir is easy to find in your local health food store and has ten probiotic cultures that aren't damaged through freezing.

Get the recipe after the jump.

If you resolved to lose weight this year, or at least to cut back on snacking, the easiest way to stay out of the kitchen is by keeping busy. Running errands outside of the house or moving about the office during work hours will keep you from getting bored and will hopefully prevent your thoughts from wandering to food too much. For a little bit of extra motivation, however, you might want to consider a little guilt trip. The Diet Piggy is a small plastic reminder than can be placed in the fridge or pantry and will oink at you, while giving you a dirty look, if you linger in front of the open door looking for munchies.

And yes, the piggy is a bit ridiculous - but we never said that dieting had to be serious. Other things that can help motivate you to resist those cravings include keeping "trigger" foods (primarily high-calorie junk foods) out of the house, stocking the kitchen with low-calorie fruits and vegetables for healthy snacks, and making and effort to cook more slow-cooked meals. Longer cooking times and more involved meals will keep you busier longer - thinking about making food and not just eating it - and will help you to appreciate the time it took to produce the dish so you'll look forward even more to the final product.

What are you using for motivation to stick to your New Year's resolution?

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Not all appetite suppressants come in pill form. After all, food itself is an appetite suppressant. The trick is not to used hamburgers and macaroni and cheese, but to opt for more filling and less fattening alternatives. Fortunately, it is actually easy to incorporate some of these filling foods into your regular diet without totally changing the way you eat and without giving in to temptation too often.

Registered dietitians recommend high fiber, low fat foods as the best ways to fill up without filling out. Some top choices are:

• Pine nuts -- fatty acids in pine nuts trigger the release cholecystokinin (CKK), a hormone that could help suppress appetite.
• Spicy foods -- can boost your metabolism and "dull your taste buds so you're apt to eat less." On the positive side, the spices will taste great even if whatever you're tempted to eat after doesn't.
• Apples -- high fiber, low calorie. They have more fiber per bite than other fruits and one before a meal can help speed satiety.
• Milk -- the research is still up in the air, but some scientists think that the calcium in dairy can help break down fat.
• Light greens -- cabbage, celery and lettuce (as well as cucumbers) are very low in calories and can be added to most meals or salads to bulk them up.

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Who is making a resolution to eat healthier this year? If you are, Comfort Food Makeovers: Healthy Alternatives to Your Favorite Homestyle Dishes is a good place to find some better-for-you food ideas. Elaine Magee is the "recipe doctor" for WebMD. In other words, she is the one who makes over all the high fat, unhealthy favorites that users ask about into healthier, lighter versions that are just as flavorful.

The primary techniques that the book uses are using lower fat ingredients (low fat milk, light sour cream, etc) and simply eliminating some of the fat. The serving sizes are also slightly reduced, but the recipes usually have more fiber than the originals, which will help you feel fuller. The recipes sound pretty much like those you would find in a full-fat cookbook, but you'll probably enjoy Pecan Sticky Buns, Oven-Fried Buttermilk Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes and Fudge Truffle Cheesecake just a little bit more knowing that they're better for you. Complete nutritional information, as well as information for a non-lightened recipe, is given for each dish.

In some ways, it is easier to have a healthy dinner than either breakfast or lunch. You probably aren’t as pressed for time in the evening as you are in the morning and there is no “peer pressure” from the office environment to tempt you. The goal is not to avoid foods you love, just to make sure you are still allowed by your cardiologist to enjoy them in a few years. The biggest risk is that you might be tempted to stuff yourself silly at dinner, particularly if you missed a meal at work. Try to eat something at meal times, even if you have to substitute a meal with some healthy snacking.
When eating out, you can follow the same tips you applied at lunch, choosing leaner main courses and lower calorie sides and dressings when you’re looking for a healthy meal.