Healthy Eating Tips

I'm on day three without sugar. And I'm not grumpy or rabid. Weird. This is probably the first time in my life that I've done this. I mean in its entirety: no pasta, bread, white flour, fruit, sweeteners fake or real, even honey or Stevia. I can only proffer that God is helping me. Plus I've been more strictly weaning myself off the processed foods all year long.

Also I have some of my favorite foods in the house: red bell peppers, mushrooms, lima beans, black beans, wild tuna, wild salmon, shrimp, black forest ham, among more listed below.

Here are a few tips to cleanse the palate and stop those dessert cravings:

• Add lemon or lime to your meal. I love EVOO and lemon juice as my salad dressing. You could squeeze a lemon into your water or tea. I also like lime juice and sea salt over crushed ice and let it melt in my mouth so I don't hurt my teeth by eating the ice.
• Eat a sprig of parsley or cilantro at the end of your meal. Even if you don't swallow the leaves, the flavor alone helps. Add both to your salads, your V-8 juice, your fish.
• I find mint green tea very refreshing.
• Don't forget horseradish for your sandwiches (made with romaine leaves instead of bread, of course). I also like olive salad, or you can just use green olives or marinated artichoke hearts in your salads and sandwiches. These pungent foods are a boon.

The other thing to remember is that fat satiates. Stick to the good ones, though, like these:

• If you love black olives like I do, eat them for a snack. Very filling.
• Fix a bowl of guacamole and eat it when you feel your resolve waning.
• Nuts! Also don't forget sunflower seeds.
• Even sliced avocados amid sliced tomatoes and drizzled with EVOO will distract your mind and body.

If you have fruit in the house that your diet doesn't allow yet and will spoil before then, freeze them. I put my blueberries in a single layer in a casserole dish to freeze separately before transferring them to a freezer bag. I'll use them in my fruit smoothies later. Did the same with my peaches: slicing them, freezing in a single layer and bagging.

Here's to improving our health.

Denise Barker, author + blogger + copy editor

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