Now is the time of year that many of our healthy new year resolutions start to fall by the wayside. Today on CBS Las Vegas NOW, I share three realistic tips that anyone can follow to make this your healthiest year yet.
My first tip is to focus on building balanced meals around vegetables, lean protein and healthy oils.
Pasta serves as the perfect canvas, a dish that 2020 Dietary Guidelines Scientific Report found to be one top contributor of vegetable consumption and nutrients including calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. Barilla’s Pasta Builders at barilla.com are a great resource for building a delicious recipe for 500 calories or less from mixing and matching your favorite ingredients. For this recipe, add ¼ cup of vegetable oil, ¼ cup of base flavoring like onion, 2 cups of vegetables, 1/2 cup of cheese and 1 box of Barilla Chickpea Rotini For added protein. The Barilla Chickpea and Red Lentil pastas are an easy way to add extra protein and fiber to traditional pasta dishes, soups and salads.
My next tip is to snack smarter in 2022 by focusing on pairing protein and fiber or what I call a snack with staying power.
This combination keeps you full for the least number of calories and will help carry you until our next meal. Fiber is found in foods like fresh and freeze-dried fruits, veggies, whole grain crackers and popcorn while protein is found in nuts, seeds, roasted chickpeas, edamame, and cheese crisps. The ParmCrisps artisan-crafted, oven baked, crunchy crisps are made from 100% real cheese so they are naturally gluten free, sugar free, low in carbs and high in protein. The unsinfully good products are also free of artificial flavors, colors or preservatives so they are a feel good, guilt free snack. ParmCrisps is hosting a three-day event, from Feb. 5-7, at the Fashion Show Mall where visitors can get samples and have the opportunity to be photographed as a “ParmCrisps® Angel” alongside a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted ParmCrisps® angel wing mural, painted by a local artist
My last tip is to go plant based once a week.
Not only is it good for health but for the environment as well. For example, elevate your taco night with a plant-based twist. Instead of beef, try Beyond Beef which is delicious plant-based ground beef product that tastes just like traditional beef but is better for you and more sustainable, too. Cook with ½ cup of tomato sauce, 1 tbsp chili powder, ½ tsp each of kyoumin and salt and 1/4 tsp each of garlic and oregano. Compared to 80/20 ground beef, it has 35% less total and saturated fat, more protein, with 20g per serving made from peas and rice, and no cholesterol, antibiotics or hormones. It’s also made with made with simple, plant-based ingredients without any GMOs. Serve them up as you traditionally would with shredded lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, and soft corn tortillas.
