The "No-Thank You" Serving

Apparently Billy did not like his vegetables, a phenomenon all too common not only to children but adults.  In A Recipe for Life, which became available this week, I explain what it means to have a “no thank you” serving of a food you dislike.

We’ve all heard for years that if you want to live a long life “eat green vegetables.”  Many people have aversions to vegetables since they can have strong flavors.  If you do not have a fondness for vegetables, try having a “no thank you” serving each time a different vegetable is served.  A “no thank you” serving is having a bite or two (one or two teaspoons) of something you do not particularly like each time it is served.

An easy way to try this is to have a bite of a vegetable a friend orders when you eat out.  Many years ago I avoided eating avocados.  I would pick them out of salads.  As the research amplified the benefits of the good fats in avocado I told myself I need to train my taste buds to like them.  One evening, a friend and I were out to dinner, and she ordered a salad with an overabundance of avocado slices.  With my friend’s permission, I took two bites of her avocado.  I would have a bite or two of avocado each time I was with her, and eventually I started loving avocados.

Eating a bite or two of food that is foreign or not to your taste can change the way you feel about that food over time.  Eventually your taste buds will change and you might find yourself loving certain vegetables.  Like most children, I was not a vegetable lover.  Even being a registered dietitian was not encouragement enough to expand my horizons.  Eventually I employed the “no thank you” serving to train my taste buds to like vegetables and over time I found myself loving them!

Try the “no thank you” serving when you are not fond of a nutritious food and you might be pleasantly surprised

What About those Snacks?

In this morning's LA Times Family Circus cartoon Billy asked his Mom "how much of a snack do I get to eat before it becomes a meal?" This question comes up frequently with clients. Is snacking okay? How many calories constitutes a snack before it becomes a meal? Is it okay to snack, or am I supposed to wait till the next meal?

Snacking is an important part of eating. If you go more than 5 to 6 hours between meals it is essential to have a snack to prevent a drop in your blood sugar or overeating at the next meal. The size of snacks depends on your activity level, weight, and age. In general, snacks fall in the 200-350 calorie range while meals are over 500 calories.

Examples of healthy snacks are:

1. 1 ounce of raw or unsalted dry roasted nuts (about 15-20) with a medium piece of fruit


2. 1-2 slices of cheese with and medium piece of fruit


3. 1-2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter with fruit or celery


4. 1/4 cup of guacamole with cut up vegetables


5. 1/2 cup of plain yogurt or cottage cheese with nuts or nut mix (below)

My upcoming nutrition book with recipes has a healthy delicious nut mix that is a flavorable topper for plain yogurt or cottage cheese, and works well by itself for a snack.

Healthy Nut Mix

Serves: 10 ¼ cup servings

¼ cup raw steel cut oats
½ cup of raw pumpkin seeds
¼ cup of raw sunflower seeds
¼ cup of unsweetened dried coconut
½ cup of coarsely chopped raw cashews
¼ cup of sliced raw almonds
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon of honey

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together and spread on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees till golden brown, about 20 minutes, stirring once through the cooking process. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days or in the freezer for a month.

So thank you Billy for posing the question for our blog today and no need to feel guilty about snacking. It is important to health, vitality throughout the day, and reasonable eating!