Page 12 — Healthy Cells Magazine — Peoria — March 2014 nutritional • Boost flavor with seasonings. Fill a few salt shakers wi th herb and spice blends to complement different recipes. Rosemary and tarragon do wonders for chicken. Try some Cajun seasoning in soups. Experiment – you might acquire a taste for fenugreek. • Reward yourself with planned indulgence. A Saturday fast- food run won’t undo the benefits of a week of low-fat, low-sodium eating. It will make those burgers and fries taste and smell even better, and help you stay motivated for the next six days . • Think of the supermarket as a black hole of nutritional decision-making. You’re safest around the perimeter, among the fresher, less-processed foods. The forces increase closer to the center. The pull in the snack and soda aisle can be irresist- ible. • Make the Nutrition Facts and ingredients list on food labels required reading. Label reading is empowering. It makes you feel like a CSI detective. (“Aha! High fructose corn syrup! Just as I suspected.”) • Explore your local farmers market. These places are also hotbeds of food awareness. When you want to learn more about your role in the food chain, this is where to start. Building a Better Diet With those pointers in mind, shore up your diet on these nutri- tional foundations: • Whole grains: As an ingredient or served alone, the variety of grains is eye-popping. Try brown rice pilaf and chilled bulgur salad. Buy or make breads and pasta with whole-wheat flour. Use bran cereal, run through a foo d processor, instead of bread crumbs in meatloaf. • Fruits and vegetables: They’re like Fruit-Loops for gr own-ups: brilliantly colored and naturally sweet. Sweet veggies? Yes, and they’re good introductions if you’re vegetable averse. Say hello with sweet potatoes, butternut and acorn squash, and sweet varieties of onions, peas, and corn. Work up to the stronger personalities: green beans, broccoli, and perhaps, one day… Brussels sprouts. Ripe, locally raised, freshly picked produce packs the greatest punch. But with modern processing, some canned and frozen varieties keep some nutrients better than “fresh” food that traveled 500 miles and sat two weeks between picking and purchase. Just watch for added sodium and sugars. W e have all been told since we were small about the importance of "eating right." But what if we just don't like the taste of "heathy" food? Are we doomed to stay- ing at the table until we finish our vegetables? No, there is a way to combine taste and nutrition. Now is the time to learn how to eat right. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has named March as National Nutritional Month. This year's focus is on how to combine taste and nutrition to create healthy meals that follow the Dietary Guidelines. Chances are you’ve heard the doctrines of eating right: eat complex carbs for time-released energy, fresh fruits and veg- etables for age-fighting antioxidants, and lean meats for low- fat protein. So, why haven’t you pitched those pork rinds and stocked up on shredded wheat? Because shredded wheat tastes about as good as the box it comes in. It’s an image problem good nutrition has battled since the 1830s, when Sylvester Graham (of cr acker fame) gave us his (day- old, high-fiber) bread-and-water, no-meat, spice-free diet: road to righteous health is a narrow path, paved with Post Toasties. Don’t believe it. There are cheeseburgers in paradise – just not as many as in… the other place. In that spirit, and at the risk of confusing religious traditions even more, we offer a balanced, Zen-like approach to achieving nutritional nirvana – in other words, painless steps to improve your health, possibly save a few dollars, and maybe shed a few extra pounds. One caveat: before changing eating habits significantl y, recheck the information on food-drug interactions for any medi- cations you’re taking. Good-for-you foods aren’t so good for you if they affect the medication’s effectiveness. Grapefruit juice, for example, has been shown to interfere with some cholesterol- lowering drugs. Listed below are a few tips to help ease your transition to healthier diet and eating right: • Work on one habit at a time. Instead of an extreme pantry makeover from “teenage sleepover” to “Soviet peasant,” pick one problem area — sugary foods, say — and focus on finding healthier alternatives. • Go halfsies. If cutting caffeine is your goal, mix regular and decaf coffee. Blend full-fat and 2 percent milk to lower your fat intake. By Christine Venzon