Page 6 - 27040_eyal.27040_pnim_eyal.1.1A
P. 6

introduction









                                                    A Way of Life                                                                               taurant down the block. For some families, this style of
                                                                                                                                                eating has become a way of life.
                                                                                                                                                   But processed and fast foods are loaded with satu-
                       ost people are familiar with the basics of healthy eat-  WHAT’S MISSING?                                                 rated fats, sugars, and preservatives. These foods wreak
                  Ming and can rattle off the dos and don’ts of good nu-  For years, “delicious, healthy food” seemed to be an oxy-             havoc on our health, and it’s one reason obesity has
                  trition: minimize saturated fat, reduce sugar consumption,   moron. The Hungarian-style foods typical of the Jewish diet      become prevalent.
                  emphasize whole grains, and eat a variety of fresh fruits and   have been, by tradition, loaded with saturated fat and sugar     The reality is that whoever shops and cooks for the
                  vegetables. Combine eating the right foods with an active   and full of other nutritional “no-goodniks.” If you decided       family has a great responsibility. It’s time to replace
                  lifestyle, and you have the recipe for good health and bet-  to “go on a diet” or “eat healthy,” you were resigned to giv-    SAD—the Standard American Diet (which is a sad
                  ter living. But while today’s Jewish homemaker possesses a   ing up all the delicious, satisfying foods you enjoyed eat-      state of affairs)—with FUN: Fruits and vegetables for
                  great store of theoretical knowledge, it’s not so easy to put   ing. “Healthy” was equated with unsavory foods that never     Ultimate Nutrition. Remember: your health is easy to
                  theory into practice.                              made you feel full.                                                        maintain, but hard to regain.
                                                                        But healthy doesn’t have to mean bland and boring,                         Once you’ve made up your mind to go for it and
                                                                     or feeling like you’re constantly hungry. If you think eating              revamp yours and your family’s diet, how can you start
                                                                     healthy means renouncing great taste, you’ll be surprised                  to implement some changes for the better?
                                                                     to find how many satisfying, delicious dishes you can make                    First, brush up on the basics of healthy eating.
                                                                     with fresh, healthy ingredients.
                                                                        Eating healthy has also been equated with time-con-                     THE BASICS OF A HEALTHY DIET
                                                                     suming meal preparation. For most people, the demands of                      Much has been researched on health and nutrition.
                                                                     family and other responsibilities keep them busy morning,                  It is beyond the scope of this book to provide a com-
                                                                     noon, and night while time and energy are in short supply.                 prehensive review of all the current nutritional advice,
                                                                     The idea of making a lifestyle change such as eating more                  but we will provide an overview of the basics.
                                                                     healthy seems daunting. Even if they make an effort to trans-                 When learning to cook naturally, stay as close to
                                                                     form their diet, when life gets stressful or hectic, they tend to          nature as possible. Eat primarily whole, unprocessed
                                                                     fall back on old, comfortable habits.                                      foods, with an emphasis on whole grains, seeds, le-
                                                                        Because we’re looking to save time, or because life can                 gumes, vegetables, and fruit. Here are some tips:
                                                                     be stressful, we’re constantly tempted by industrial food                  •  AVOID PRODUCTS containing chemicals, artificial col-
                                                                     companies and their marketing allies into thoughtless                        ors, flavors, preservatives, or additives.
                                                                     preparation and mindless consumption. Walk into any su-                    •  AVOID  THE USE OF REFINED SUGARS  (including white
                                                                     permarket and you’ll find aisles full of prepackaged, pro-                   sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, turbinado sugar,
                                                                     cessed foods that make life so much easier. Just pop it in                   and brown sugar) and keep all artificial sweeten-
                                                                     the microwave and dinner is done. You don’t have time to                     ers to a minimum since they deplete the body of
                                                                     make lunch? Just order in a pizza or Chinese from the res-                   valuable nutrients.



                  6   HEALTHY EVER AFTER                                                                               The Healthy Ever After Cookbook Team  To your health!  the most optimal way.   feeling of knowing that your family is benefiting in   the flavors of good health, and enjoy the fantastic   we enjoyed preparing it!  Savor each recipe, rich with   We hope you will enjoy using this book as much as   productive lives.  and your family can lead vibrant, energetic, and   to enable you to prepare nutritiou
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11