Make Your Diet Work For You - Big Y® World Class Market®

Written by Carrie Taylor, RD, LDN

Healthy eating does more than make you feel good, it offers a slew of benefits - cancer protection being one. A cancer-fighting diet isn’t any different than a diet for protection against other diseases. That’s a great thing! It makes meal planning for overall health protection that much easier to accomplish.

AIM FOR:

A Varied, Balanced Eating Plan
For the body to function optimally, it needs water, carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals and non-nutrient items like fiber, phytochemicals (health-promoting plant compounds) and antioxidants. To obtain all of these, eating a
variety of foods is a must. So instead of eating the same food day after day, mix it up- this way you won’t be missing out.

High Fiber Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy. Choose whole grains and fiber-rich vegetables and fruits as your primary source of carbohydrates. Their fiber, vitamins, minerals, fats, antioxidants and phytochemicals provide an added bonus for health. The brown rice in our Black Bean and Cashew Stuffed Peppers is a great whole grain choice.

Healthy Fats
It is extremely important for your good health, to focus on “good” fats from canola and olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds and fish. These fats are considered unsaturated and appear to have much more of a benefit for good health than fats like butter, lard, processed meats and trans fats. Enjoy our Salmon Florentine recipe for a tasty source of unsaturated omega-3 fats - salmon!

Lean Protein
Since the majority of not-so-healthy fats come from protein-rich foods like meat and cheese, focus primarily on lean sources of protein: lean cuts of beef and pork, white turkey and chicken meat without the skin, fish that is not deep-fried, low-fat milk and dairy products, soy, legumes (beans), nuts and seeds. High in fiber and lean protein, black beans make up the base of our delicious Black Bean and Cashew Stuffed Pepper recipe.

Colors of the Rainbow
The colors in vegetables and fruits are determined by the phytochemicals and antioxidants they contain. Each color provides different phytochemicals and antioxidants. When you’re shopping for produce, choose a vegetable and fruit that falls within each color of the rainbow. Get four colors in every bite of our Vegetable Lasagna recipe with orange carrots, red tomatoes, white mushrooms, and green spinach and zucchini.

Vegetable Lasagna | Black Bean and Cashew Stuffed Peppers
Salmon Florentine

Living Well Eating Smart Tip:
Relax with a cup of green tea after dinner for an extra boost of antioxidants. Doctors recommend diets rich in antioxidants to help keep you cancer-free.

Ask Carrie -
Have a nutrition question? Ask Carrie Taylor, RD, LDN, Big Y's Registered Dietitian by:
- Visiting BigY.com’s Living Well Eating Smart webpage and posting a question
- Writing to Ask Carrie 2145 Roosevelt Avenue, PO Box 7840, Springfield, MA 01102
- Sending emails to askcarrie@bigy.com