For years, I have been saying in lectures that none of my patients eat Chips Ahoy cookies. I have based this assertion on the fact that, when I discuss people's diets with them, no one has ever admitted to eating Chips Ahoy. I have always found that pretty strange, since there are a lot of cookies being sold (but, apparently, not to my patients).
I have often wanted to leave my office with a patient and drive to her house to root through her cupboards and refrigerator. Maybe I'd be proved wrong, but research says that folks have an awful lot of Chips Ahoy cookies in their pantry. Studies of people's trash have demonstrated this repeatedly. Researchers have found a clear disconnect between what respondents will say they are eating and what ends up in their trash bins.
So what should you do? First and foremost, be honest with yourself. If you are going to make changes, you need to get rid of those things that might tempt you and replace them with foods that are really healthy. Start with the cupboard. Get rid of sugar-laden cereals. Replace them with oatmeal, low-fat granola and healthy, whole-grain cereals.
Give away any preprepared-type foods. If a "complete meal" comes in a box, it's very likely unhealthy for you. Such items as Hamburger Helper, Sloppy Joe mixes, boxed macaroni and cheese and Rice a Roni are full of fat and salt that you just don't need.
Replace them with healthy choices, like good-quality pasta sauces instead of the Hamburger Helper, and ingredients to make fresh mac and cheese. Purchase your own spices to make Sloppy Joes so you can concoct a healthy version. Fill your pantry with the raw ingredients you need to make fresh and healthy recipes: rice, beans, lentils, whole-wheat pasta, canned tomatoes, canned tuna and low-sodium chicken broth.
And what about snacks? If it's processed, get rid of it. Crackers, Cheez-its, potato chips and tortilla chips are simply fat and salt. If you are a savory/salty snacker, fill the pantry with nuts. The 100-calorie single-serving microwave popcorn is fantastic. The equivalent volume of potato chips will set you back almost 400 calories.
The same holds true for those Chips Ahoy. If you are a sweet snacker, get rid of the cookies, cakes and candy and fill your kitchen with fruit. Canned, fresh or frozen -- it doesn't matter. There's great evidence that you'll be just as satisfied (and happier) eating fruit than candy.
Once you've cleaned out your pantry, the best way to fill it back up with healthy ingredients is to plan your meals each week. Plan what you are you going to cook for dinner each day, and purchase the raw ingredients to make your meals. Slowly but surely, you'll have the pasta, rice, beans, spices, herbs, vegetables, chicken stock and other items you need to make great-tasting healthy meals.
Timothy S. Harlan, M.D. a.k.a. Dr. Gourmet
LiveStrong Advisory Board Member
Drgourmet.com
Member Comments