What you feed your body should be at the top of your list for achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Your body is a temple, so make a choice today to commit to treating it that way. Healthy eating promotes a healthy lifestyle.

Dietary Guidelines

According to the United Stated Food and Drug Administration (www.fda.gov):

The Dietary Guidelines, developed by the Department of Health & Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, represent the best, most current advice for healthy Americans over the age of 2. Recommendations made by health and nutrition experts, all agree that enough is known about the effect of diet on your health to encourage certain eating practices. The seven Dietary Guidelines are:

Eat a variety of foods to get the energy (calories), protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber you need for good health.
Maintain a healthy weight to reduce your chances of having high blood pressure, heart disease, a stroke, certain cancers, and the most common kind of diabetes.
Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol to reduce your risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. Fat contains more than twice the calories of an equal amount of carbohydrates or protein. A diet low in fat can help you maintain a healthy weight.
Choose a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grain products that provide needed vitamins, minerals, fiber, and complex carbohydrates. They are generally lower in fat.
Use sugars only in moderation. A diet with lots of sugars has too many calories and too few nutrients, which for most people can contribute to tooth decay.
Use salt and other forms of sodium only in moderation to help reduce your risk of high blood pressure.
If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. Alcohol supplies calories, but little or no nutrients. Excessive drinking can cause many health problems, including liver disease, and can lead to accidents and addiction.

MyPyramid Plan can help you choose the foods and amounts that are right for you.
Click on the Pyramid below to view MyPyramid animation:

DINE OUT AND STAY ON YOUR “MEJORANDO TU VIDA” SCHEDULE

Now that you have begun the “Mejorando Tu Vida” program, you’re exercising, relaxing and getting energy; but your friends want to go out to dinner. What do you do? Here are a few tips to stay on point and make dining out easy:

Check out restaurants in advance. Call and ask what’s on their menu, so you can plan your meal.
Avoid sugary drinks.
Skip the pre-dinner cocktail. (The more you drink, the less likely you are to watch what you are eating).
Portion control. Your main serving of meat or fish should be about 2 oz. about the size of your palm.
Eat your Veggies. They will help give you the nutrients you need and fill you up.

GABRIELA SPANIC RECEPIES

1) OATMEAL PANCAKES (protein and fiber)

In a blender you add:
4 egg whites
8 tablespoons of oatmeal
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
How to make it:

Now the liquified mix is poured into a baking pan with a spoonful of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, you put it all together in the oven, preheat it first at 300’, then you leave it in for 5 mins or until it rises like bread.

2) VEGETABLE SALAD (complex carbohydrates)

In a medium pot, boil water then gather vegetables of your taste such as calliflower , spinach, broccoli, carrots etc.
Boil it for 5 minutes, while adding 1 onion in quarters and 3 cloves of garlic.
Now ready and strained, you add lemon, vinegar and olive oil.

3) CHICKEN BREAST (protein)

1 Chicken Breast (without skin)
1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
cup of dry wine

In a frying pan, take a tablespoon of olive oil and combine with wine and chicken. Cook on a low flame for about 20 minutes or until the wine evaporates and the chicken is cooked and tender.

4) Receipe for 1200 Calories a day

Breakfast
1 Cup of cereal (Post Raisin Bran)
1-1/4 cup of strawberries
4oz. of skim milk
24oz. of water
Lunch
4 oz. of Turkey Breast
1-3 sliced Pita Bread (Sahara brand)
2 Cups of Mixed Vegetables
2 Tablespoons of reduced fat dressing
24 oz. of water
Dinner
6oz. 2/3 cup of Rice
1 cup of boiled calliflower and broccoli
24 oz. of water

5) Receipe for 1300 Calories a day

Breakfast
1 toasted bread slice
1 small egg
4 oz. of orange juice
24oz. of water
Afternoon snack
1 Yogurt
24oz. of water
Dinner
6oz. 2/3 cup of rice
1 cup of boiled calliflower and broccoli
24oz. of water

6) Lentils a la Vinegrette

Ingredients (4 portions):
150 grams of black lentils
1 onion
garlic (head of garlic)
bunch of herbs
fine salt
For the seasoning:
1 strong, riped tomato
1 small green pepper
1 small zuchinni
1 small tender onion
1 or 2 spoonfuls of balsamic vinegar
5 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper
Preparation
Put the washed lentils on high flame in a saucepan with water, along with the the onion, the garlic, and the mixed herbs.
When it begins to boil, lower the flame and let it cook slowly so that it is steamed and it does not dry.
Add salt when they are soft.
Strain it and put it in a platter or individual plates.
Prepare a vinegrette adding salt and pepper while shaking it all together.
Add the oil and shake it again until the vinegrette is all mixed.
Cut the onions, zucchini, and peppers into diced, small pieces.
Now take a tomato without the seeds and skin and all of the tomato to the vinegrette.
Serve on plate with vinegrette.
Our Advice
If you leave the plate in the refrigerator with the vinegrette to marinate it will be more appetizing and you have the advantage of preparing it well in advance.

7) Broccoli and Asparagus Salad

Ingredients 2-3 portions:
1 bunch of asparagus
1 bunch of broccoli
1 bunch of raddish
green and red lettuce
6 small cherry tomatos
4-5 small corn on the cobs
1 carrot
Soak two strips of seaweed
2 fresh leaves of basil
5 tablespoons of mayonnaise (it can be made from tofu as well)
1 pinch of curcuma
1 tablespoon of natural mustard
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Preparation:
Cut the greens like this: the asparagus in three slices taking out the tough end of it.
Then cut the broccoli, raddish in half.
Now cut the corn on the cob and carrots into small pieces.
Boil the vegetables (asparagus,carrots, corn, broccoli and raddish) for 3-4 minutes.
Then take them out and wash them quickly with cold water and strain them.
Cover a bowl with the lettuce leaves and add the boiled vegetables along with the tomatos, seaweed, and radishes.
Mix all of the ingredients adding water in small quantities depending on the consistency desired.
Decorate the mint leaves on top.
Our Advice:
It’s very important that are vegetables are cooked “al dente” because if they are over cooked they will lose the consistency of the salad. They should remain crispy.

8) Primavera Rice Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup of brown rice washed and strained
rosemary
thyme
seaweed
2 prunes
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of parsley
2 tablespoons of leek leaves
olive oil
chunks of green and black olives
grated carrot
1 small avocado
red lettuce
three mushrooms
1 tablespoon of chopped raisins
celery (cut in half)
Salsa (optional): all-i-oli:
2 garlic heads
salt
olive oil
Preparation:
Crush the garlic heads until it gets foamy like and add salt to it until it gets to form a mayonnaise.
Slowly add the garlic cloves in a saucepan with parsley and leek.
After add the rice without water, and pour a bit of salt over it and let sit for 10 min.
Later add 2 cups of water then the prunes and seaweed.
When it is al dente , strain it and now remove the prunes.
Now you let it cool and then later add the rest of the vegetables.
You can let it sit and mold together , then serve next to the all-i-oli.

9) Flan with Almonds

Ingredients:
1 cup of milk
200 grs. of sugar
100 grs. of grounded almonds
4 medium eggs
grated lemon peel
Preparation:
In a baking tin, you put 3 tablespoons of sugar and you let the sugar get brown under low flame. Then you add 2-3 little drops of water.
Mix in a glass the milk and sugar. If you put the milk before, it will blend better.
You beat the 4 eggs and then you mix it with the grated almonds and also add the left over milk.
In the cake pan you all the mixed ingredients together.
Now you get another pan and fill it with water half way.
You then put the pan with all the mixed ingredients on top of the pan with water and leave it to bake for 45 mins.
Our advice..
To know when it is ready, we can poke the flan with a toothpick. If it is clean, it is ready.
We can also use soy milk instead of whole milk and brown sugar instead of white sugar.
This can be an ideal dessert for those who cannot drink wheat or gluten. Consult with a health professional first to be sure .

10) Steamed Vegetables with a yogurt mint sauce

Ingredients (4 portions):
200gr. of cauliflower
200gr. of peas
200gr. of kidney beans
200gr. of carrots
200gr. broccoli
salt
Yogurt sauce:
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 greek yogurts
2 tablespoons of fresh peppermint
2 tablespoons of oliveoil
salt and pepper
Preparation:
Distribute the vegetables into the vegetable steamer. Add a little salt then cover the vegetable steamer.
Let the vegetables cook until you see them soft. Poke it with a knife to see if it is soft.
Note: for making yogurt sauce- add olive oil, the yogurt, mustard, a little lemon juice , add the peppermint, salt and mix it all together.
Take out the vegetables, now one add the yogurt sauce dressing over the vegetables.

11) Tofu Onion Quiche

Ingredients:
For the base- (main ingredient)
1 bowl and _ of oatmeal
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
1/3 cup of olive oil
For the filling-
onion
Tofu
Water, oil, and soy sauce
Preparation:
Boil the oatmeal for 2-3 mins.
Put all of the base ingredients with the boiled oatmeal and then mix it.
Now roll it into a ball.
Add oil to the flour so that it does not stick.
Get the onions and put them to fry until they are all cooked.
Add the soy sauce.
Put tofu in a glass of water until tofu dissolves and becomes yogurt like.
Mix everything together including the onions.
Place all ingredients inside pan and put it to bake for 50 min. on medium heat.
Our advice:
You can serve this with a salad. You can also make this with spinach, raisins, and other vegetables.

12) Soy Meatballs

Ingredients:
2 or 3 onions
carrots
red pepper
soy mix
1 tablespoon of flour
1/2 liter of soy milk
nutmeg
salt and oil
Preparation:
Put the textured soy ingredient in water for about an hour.
Cut the onion in small, square pieces and put them to fry.
Add pepper, carrots and also cut into small pieces while addling salt.
Once the vegetables are cooked, add the soy ingredient and fry it a little.
You add one soup spoon of flour for about 2 mins. and let it simmer for about 2 min.
Now add milk and nutmeg so it becomes paste like.
You can also ad salt to your liking.
To make the meatballs, coat it with egg yolk and bread crumbs, then you fry it.
Our advice:
If you leave the flour mixture out for one day to sit, it will be a bit more tastier.

13) Ginger Drink

Ingredients:
1 liter of water
6 apples ( the skin and seeds)
chopped ginger
4 cloves (spice)
1 cinnamon stick
1 entire lemon peel
1 entire orange peel
3 pepper grains
Preparation:
Boil everything for 10 min. on low flame.
Turn off the flame and add _ cup of honey and brown sugar.
Leave it to cool.
Our advice:
In the summer, it is very refreshing to drink this with ice and in winter you can drink this nice and warm.