Eight weeks to better eating

Your task this week: Buy extra-virgin olive oil. Start using it in place of butter or margarine in stir-fries. Make low-fat salad dressing using 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons vine- gar, salt and pepper (optional) and dried herbs.

 

Have a fibre-rich, bean-based dinner instead of meat. Try one of our recipes  or

open a cookbook for other great ideas. Rinse canned beans before using them— this will cut down on the gas factor and wash off some of the salt.

 

Choose a fruit or vegetable that you don’t normally eat and try it this week. Pick something that’s in season, whether it’s mango (great in salads and an excellent source of beta-carotene) or fennel (a superstar antioxidant that you can throw into soups to add an interesting new flavour to your repertoire).

 

If you still drink full-cream milk, it’s time to start making the switch. Begin by changing to reduced-fat milk and drink that for one month. Once you’re used to the taste, move to low- fat milk and drink that for another month, until you’re ready for skim milk. If you haven’t tried skim milk in a while, try it again now. Today, manufacturers add milk solids that make the milk less watery.