Cafe Physique Welcomes National Nutrition Month!

Appetizer
March is National Nutrition Month, and this year's theme is 100% Fad Free. We are all encouraged to stop looking for the "quick fix" fad diet and instead focus on developing an overall healthier lifestyle that will lead to long-term weight maintenance.

Main Course
Here are 34 healthy eating tips from the American Dietetic Association:

1. Keep your freezer stocked with frozen vegetables and your pantry stocked with canned vegetables to whip up quick, nutrient-rich meals.

2. Make pasta primavera and serve more vegetables than pasta.

3. Clean out your freezer and refrigerator by tossing half-used bags of vegetables or a lone carrot into homemade soup.

4. Use spinach instead of lettuce on sandwiches.

5. Start your meal with broth-based soup to fill you up before the main course.

6. Only snack if you are physically hungry, not because the clock tells you it is time to eat.

7. Eat fresh, canned or frozen fruits for a sweet dessert.

8. Treat your family to fruit kebabs: Thread pieces of pear, apple, melon and pineapple on skewers and serve for dessert.

9. For a quick healthy dessert, slice an apple, sprinkle the slices with cinnamon, and microwave for about 50 seconds.

10. Try drizzling olive oil and red wine vinegar on a salad instead of a full-fat salad dressing.

11. Use mustard instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches.

12. Try Canadian bacon or ham on pizza instead of pepperoni or sausage.

13. Enjoy high-calorie foods in moderation; moderation isn't deprivation.

14. Compare brands and choose the one lowest in sodium.

15. Give kids control in the kitchen by asking them to help prepare meals.

16. Try edamame (soybeans in the pod) with a reduced-sodium soy sauce for an appetizer.

17. When making tacos or burritos, serve plenty of the good stuff (tomatoes, beans, salsa, corn and cucumber) and let everyone assemble their own.

18. Bake chicken fingers and serve with honey mustard or barbecue sauce.

19. Snack on nuts, but limit yourself to one serving (24 almonds, 47 whole pistachios, 18 cashews, 30 peanuts, 20 pecan halves, or 14 walnut halves).

20. Make lunch your largest meal of the day and eat a smaller dinner.

21. Most people have a core of about 10 recipes they rely on; break the cycle and try one new recipe every two weeks.

22. Use your plate as a food guide: one-quarter of the plate for meat, fish, or poultry, one-quarter for starches or grains, and half for vegetables.

23. Pace your eating with the slowest eater at the table, not the fastest.

24. Drink low-calorie beverages with meals (unsweetened tea, water with lemon, or diet drinks).

25. Munch on veggies like carrots, sugar snap peas or grape tomatoes when making dinner to avoid the temptation to nibble on other ingredients in the meal.

26. Try baked tortilla chips and salsa instead of fried chips with cheese sauce.

27. Dip strawberries or apple slices into fruit-flavored yogurt for a sweet treat.

28. Let kids dunk and dip their foods: animal crackers in low-fat pudding or mini-toaster waffles in cinnamon applesauce.

29. Stuff a pita pocket with cottage cheese and Granny Smith apple slices.

30. Add dried cranberries and almonds to quick-cooking oatmeal and microwave for 60 seconds.

31. Top English muffins with pizza sauce, part-skim mozzarella cheese and bell pepper for a quick pizza.

32. Let kids use cookie cutters to cut sandwiches into fun shapes.

33. Be 100 percent fad-free; use common sense when judging diet and health book claims.

34. Remember you don't have to eat perfectly at every meal; balance your food intake throughout the entire day.

Dessert

Because I am shamelessly addicted to all things "Hollywood," even I am sometimes sucked down the pipe dream of hot fad diets. Who wouldn't want to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks or fit into a bikini by Friday? This year's National Nutrition Month theme is really keeping me grounded and reminded that "slow and steady wins the race."