Ask a Dietitian

As seen on BCTV June 8/99
MEAL IDEAS: Add International Flare to Improve Variety and Health

Are you feeling stuck in a rut? Need some new ideas for what to make for dinner tonight? Most of us are creatures of habit and get stuck in a routine of the same basic dishes over and over. Variety is one of the key principles of healthy eating. Not only does it make for more psychological pleasure, it helps us to “cross train” our diet keeping our body positively stimulated!

In every culture, there is something healthy to be found. If you’re tired of pasta, chicken and stirfries, consider any of the following ideas:

• Spice Things Up – Think Mexican – when is the last time you had a spicy bean, vegetable and rice burrito? How about Indian Food? Mix curried lentils with vegetables and rice. Add different condiments like mango chutney or chili sauce.
• Think African Safari – Make a vegetable stew of green and orange vegetables. Instead of the usual carrots and potatoes, try sweet potatoes, pumpkin and squash.
• Escape to the Tropics – If you’re sick of apples and oranges, make a salad of mangoes, papayas, pineapples and bananas. How about a salsa made of mango and kiwi as a side to your fish. Freshly made exotic fruit juice with guava may be a nice change from orange or apple juice.
• Make a Middle Eastern Dip – Don’t feel like cooking meat? Make a puree of chickpeas (hummus) as a dip for pita bread and vegetables.
• Make a truly Asian Stirfry– use bok choy, Chinese cabbage, Gai Lan and soybean sprouts instead of the usual vegetables.Think about your travels? There are likely all kinds of other neat ideas you can incorporate for a change to your usual routine!

Watch for the Eating for Energy segment every Tuesday on BCTV’s Noon News Hour!

Article written by Patricia Chuey and reprinted with permission