Say YES to These 5 Foods
for a positive path to health + deliciousness
Happy New Year! If you’re ready for a re-set and want to get on a healthy track for 2024 you might be lured-in by one of the many diets out there calling for cutting out certain foods. Sure, most of us would benefit from pulling back on added sugars, refined grains and processed meats, but instead of focusing on saying “no” to those, why not take a more affirmative approach and turn your attention to the foods to say “yes” to?
Doing so lifts us up, out of the deprivation mentality and into a wide world of culinary possibilities. When we amplify the healthiest foods, we shift the emphasis toward the positive of eating well, and the ingredients best used sparingly are inherently displaced.
Nutrition can seem complicated, but reams of research point to the simple solution of saying “yes’ more often to these five foods: produce (vegetables and fruit), beans, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and seafood. By focusing on eating these foods more often you fill your life with flavor in a way that also helps keep you feeling your best in the long run. Here are a few recipes to get you started. I promise there are lots more on the way in the year to come. Enjoy!
Winter Vegetable Soup with Miso
Photo by Tom McCorkle and food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post
There is no better way to get beans and vegetables in the winter than with a mouthwatering, comforting soup like this one which is packed with root vegetables, cabbage and chickpeas. A couple of tablespoons of miso catapult it to something that is truly special, with a layered, deep savory taste that plays off the earthiness and sweetness of the vegetables beautifully.
Mustard-Glazed Salmon with Garden Lentils
Photo by Tom McCorkle and food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post
This dish of mustard-glazed salmon served over a vibrant saute of lentils with fresh vegetables, lemon and thyme brims with color, flavor and nutrition. It covers you for three out of the five “yes” foods all on one satisfying plate.
Radicchio and Red Grapefruit Salad
Photo by Tom McCorkle and food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post
This salad centers on red winter produce, with radicchio bringing a peppery crispness, red grapefruit adding its signature bite mellowed by juicy sweetness, and red onion offering an enlivening snap. That pleasantly bitter trio is countered with a lightly sweetened balsamic dressing, creamy dabs of goat cheese and a rich crunch of toasted walnuts for a stunning salad that offers a welcome contrast when served with hearty winter stews or roasted dishes.
Diets don't work. Healthy, lifelong eating plans do. And it is all doable by following Ellie's lists of usually, sometimes and rarely foods The time between Thanksgiving and New Year's are the time I veer off my eating plan and reap the consequences of some weight gain and not feeling my best. Saying yes to good foods and spending time cooking warm, yummy foods with wholesome ingredients is just what is needed during the cold months to get me back on track. One day at a time is the way to go.