10 Simple Healthy Eating Habits for Weight Loss and Management

Lots of my readers have requested that I write articles about Fitness and Diet from time to time, and I have been pondering on that thought for quite some time now. Eating Healthy should be one of our primary objectives in life, and though we all know about the importance of watching what we eat and going to the gym regularly, we tend to neglect these things, thanks to our busy lifestyles! But managing your weight and staying healthy is not as hard as you think. With just a little more attention to your eating habits, you can make a lot of difference. Adding plenty of vegetables and fruits, eating out less, and eating smaller portions with spaced-out meals are some of the things that can help you stay fit and energetic. I think we all owe this to ourselves and our families. So here are some baisc tips on healthy eating habits that you can follow to stay on track!

The content below will not be new to a lot of you, and yet, as I said, it's always a good practice to revisit your eating habits. Just take a printout and put it on your fridge where you and your family can look at it every day. Its also a great way to make your kids aware of how important it is to watch what you eat! These daily dietery changes can keep you away from obesity and a lot of other health problems!

Never Skip your Breakfast - This is the most important meal of the day, and try to incorporate fresh fruit, unsweetened fruit juice, cereal with skim or 1 percent milk, fat-free muffins, oat and whole wheat breads in your breakfast. Cut your intake of syrups, whip cream and butter to half if possible.

Order Smaller Portions - It's not forbidden to eat out, but try to go for smaller portions or share dishes with friends. Also limit high-fat, high-calorie toppings and condiments, such as bacon, cheese, mayonnaise, sauces and dressings.

Space out Your Meals - Its very important to eat regular meals. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in over-eating. When you're very hungry, it's also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Have at least 4-5 meals a day and divide your calorie intake between them.

Enjoy Your Food - Sounds silly, but this is really important. Science has proved that it takes at least 20 minutes for the brain to register that you have eaten enough and it sends out "I am full" messages. So chew your food instead of gulping it down; relax and enjoy your meal as it can even psychologically elevate your moods.

Choose Broiled or Grilled over Fried - This option cuts out so much fat and calories with just a little compromise on the taste. And with proper seasonings and sauces, you might not even know the difference!

Choose Lean Meat and Green Salads - Salads are healthy, but they can become high-calorie because of the dressings and other additions. Load your plate with fresh fruits and vegetables, or healthy lean meats like turkey or chicken. Choose low-fat or fat-free dressings and limit cheese, eggs and croutons.

Beware of Sauces and Condiments - You'd be surprised at how many calories are loaded in mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sauces and condiments, and they have a very high sodium content!. Avoid these or go for lighter options when possible.

Choose Lighter Desserts - It's perfectly ok to celebrate an occasion with chocolate and cheesecake, but for most of your sweet-tooth cravings, settle for fresh fruits drizzled with honey or light whip cream

Switch to Olive Oil - Even when you are sauteeing your veggies, use wine or olive oil or canola oil instead of regular vegetable oil. Use nonstick cookware or cooking sprays to eliminate the need for oil or butter.

Create Variety in Food - The last, but not the least, its imperative that you include different types of nutrient-rich food in your meals. Eating the same thing everyday is boring and unhealthy; Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. Also fill up on fiber as that helps control your cravings.

These are simple daily habits that you can incorporate slowly. Changing your eating style can do wonders for your body and mind. Get to know your Healthy Foods and add them to your meals. Its alright to indulge in your favorite foods, but just make sure you don't over-do it, and make up for it the next day. Just keep these healthy eating tips in mind and enjoy your food. Your body will definitely thank you for it!

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Spicy Vegetarian Potato Croquettes (Cutlets)

Potatoes are the most universally accepted spuds in any style or type of cooking. Come to think of it, they pair so well with most other vegetables, herbs, meat and the spices, that they would be a great addition to a large number of meals, without forgetting how they can be an entire meal themselves, even when simply baked and drizzled with salt, pepper, sour cream and chives! Potatoes hold an even higher reverence in Indian cooking, especially vegetarian recipes, and most of the kids grow up eating nothing else but potato curry (including my husband!) So when I was asked to choose a single recipe which could serve to be "An Ode to Potato", I had to choose my all-time favorite, the Vegetarian Potato Cutlets. With potatoes as the base and the serrano chillies providing the kick, these spicy croquettes combine a variety of other vegetables and can be savored with chutneys or sauces, or be used for burgers and frankies!

The croquette is basically a serving of minced meat or vegetables, encased in breadcrumbs and potatoes, flattened into disks, and then deep-fried. The croquette was originally a French invention that gained a world-wide popularity as a fast-food with the advent of burgers. In India, it is known as "cutlets" or "aloo-tikkis"

Ingredients
3 large potatoes - boiled and mashed
1 carrot - boiled
1/2 cup peas - boiled
1/2 cup beetroot - boiled and diced
1/2 cup onions chopped
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves - chopped
2 serrano chillies - chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste
1/2 cup breadcrumbs or all-purpose flour - for coating

Method
Boil the potatoes, peas and carrots; Then make sure you remove all the water and just take the vegetables and mash everything with a masher or with your hand. Boil the beet root separately otherwise it colors all the remaining vegetables and turns them pink! Chop into fine pieces and add to the mixture and try mashing everything well together.

Heat a wok, add 1 tbsp oil and saute the chopped onions till soft and lightly caramelized. Now add all the spices, green chillies and the chopped coriander to this and remove from heat. Transfer this to the potato mixture and add 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Mix everything together to form a firm mixture.

Take a chunk of the filling, grease your palms, and shape the vegetable mixture into discs or cylindrical cutlets. Do not make them too thick else it won't get cooked thoroughly while frying or baking.

Now roll each cutlet into the remaining bread crumbs or maida(all-purpose flour) so that it is evenly coated. This step is crucial so that the cutlet binds properly and does not break while frying.

Take a frying pan, add 2 cups cooking oil to it, then deep fry the croquettes 2 or 3 at a time. flip them over only when the bottom side is done; turning them around a lot increases the chances that they'll break! Fry well on both sides till dark golden brown in color. Remove and allow to drip excess oil on a tissue paper.

When they cool, serve with some ketchup or green chutney, or bundle them up inside a bun to form vegetable burgers! Anyay you eat it, the cutlets are delicious! These are on their way to Dhivya's Potato Feast and Sia's Ode to Potato events!

Similar Recipes:
Spinach and Paneer Cutlets
Ragda-Patties

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Low-Fat Cranberry-Walnut Scones (Healthy Breakfast)

It's always great to have a "sweet start" to a day, and as breakfast is the first important meal of the day, having something sweet in the morning balances your caffeine, but it's an added bonus if its a healthy breakfast, like these wonderful Eggless Cranberry-Walnut Breakfast Scones. Low in fat, these semi-sweet scones are packed with the goodness of cranberries and walnuts that make this a healthy sweet treat any time of the day!

This recipe is heavily adapted from Jeanne Lemlin's cookbook Vegetarian Classics. She has a Black-currant Buttermilk Scones recipe which I modified to make these cranberry and walnut scones; I essentially chose to make mine eggless, replaced part of the buttermilk with plain milk and halved the butter content to make these healthy scones. These scones have become a regular breakfast delight in our house because my husband loves the cruncy-chewy and not-so-sweet flavor, at the same time, I can be sure that I am feeding him something healthy and nutritious!

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (or more if you like them sweeter)
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts - chopped
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2-3/4th cup milk

Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can even do this with your fingertips. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts, then slowly add the milk, just until the dough is moistened. Make a tough dough like cookies.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough gently, 5 to 10 times. Pat into a 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 8-12 wedges with a buttered knife; place on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Sprinkle some more brown sugar if desired. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before trying to remove them.

Serve these healthy low-fat cranberry scones with your morning tea or coffee, or with a dollop of jam any time of the day!

Similar Recipes:
Low-Fat Blueberry Muffins
Cherry & Almond Sour Cream Scones
Healthy Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti
Low-Calorie Pear & Almond Cake

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