Healthy living: 'Tis the season for dieting

BY JOE ENGELBIRD

The holiday season can certainly leave a mark on your waistline. Because of the excess pounds gained from endless celebrations, there is another holiday that has become popular. The "dieter's holiday," better known as the New Year's resolution, has become a tradition with many trying to get back to their pre-Thanksgiving weight. Although the resolution to shed holiday pounds often disappears by mid-January there are some easy ways to make the changes last all year.

Planning is the best way to stick to your resolution this year. If you're making a firm decision to really get into shape, then planning your meals and exercise routine will make a size-reducing difference. If you know that eating low-fat foods and cutting calories will result in improved health, then a good plan will help to achieve great results. For example, take fresh fruits along for snack foods at work or the gym, and include them on your weekly grocery list.

Most of us are well aware of the benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise, but we must take action on our knowledge. Eating right involves more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats, as well as eating less fat, cholesterol and salt. The challenge is to put these simple ideas to work. It can be as easy as adding blueberries to your pancake recipe, using salsa as a sauce for fish rather than butter or choosing a fruit smoothie for dessert rather than ice cream.

Keeping your diet simple will help you keep your resolution. There are no tricks or gimmicks to eating right and staying healthy. When your New Year's resolution becomes your midyear resolution and then your end-of-the-year resolution, the diet becomes a lifestyle. In fact, the meaning of the word diet is "way of life" and it is much easier to eat healthy for life with a simple plan of action.

Below is a great soup recipe that is quick and easy to fix and has lots of good stuff in it. This delicious soup will not only help keep you warm in the winter but stay healthy all year long.

Joe Engelbird, from Carrollton, is a chef and registered dietitian specializing in nutrition education; he has worked in the food industry for more than 15 years.