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Health and Wellness
PAGE 91
Q&A WITH HEALTH AND
NUTRITION EXPERT
By: Stephanie Solaris
Question:
It’s easy to start a new nutri-
tion plan but I get sick of eating the same
foods. How do I keep eating healthy
when I have no time?
Answer:
Knowing what to eat and then
planning how to shop, what to cook and
what to eat are 2 entirely different
things. Old routines that you’ve become
accustomed to doing on autopilot are
not working anymore.
I see this often in my practice at Solaris
Whole Health. Each person is excited to
make a change and sees amazing results
within the first few weeks, however the
reality of changing old routines is daunt-
ing. Old family recipes are great for holi-
days; however they may not be the best
choice for every day. I’m Greek, I know!
The standard shopping list you’ve grown
up with or have been working off of for
years is now obsolete. The grocery store
pattern you are able to do in your sleep
is turned upside down.
When time is short and stress is high,
changing these tried and true patterns
can be frustrating. This is when I see old
patterns start to emerge like buying pre-
packaged foods, eating nutritionally
poor foods when dining out or skipping
meals because of lack of preparation.
With normal daily stressors these are
easy pitfalls. Shifting this new pattern is
crucial to losing weight and keeping it
off while keeping your energy up, men-
tal focus high and immune system
strong.
So, this fall here is your
5-
STEP, 12
WEEK, SWH FALL CHALLENGE:
To
create a new food planning regime that
will take you into the new year healthier
than ever!
1.
Choose ONE healthy recipe book
or App or Site to work from.
Keep it
simple. One of my favorite recipe books
is
“
The UltraMetabolism Cookbook”
by
Dr. Mark Hyman. Or I like a great recipe/
grocery shopping APP called
“
Big Oven.”
Here you are able to search recipes with
any nutrition parameters (dairy free,
gluten free, peanut free), create shop-
ping lists and scan your current recipes
by taking a photo right on your phone.
Take the time to investigate what you’re
comfortable with and choose one direc-
tion confidently.
2.
Create a weekly menu, adding
ONE new healthy recipe per week.
This means in 7 weeks you will have a
weeks full of new recipes to add to your
regime. I think the ‘prince spaghetti
night’ mentality is right on. As humans
we love consistency and predictability in
a world that can dish us surprises on a
daily level. So plan that every Monday
you will make/have the same dish, every
Tuesday the same dish and so on.
3.
Create ONE master shopping list.
Add your new weekly ingredients each
week to your master shopping list. You
will organically create a new master list
each week. The Big Oven App allows you
to create this list right from your recipes
OR you may create your own in word or
excel OR keep your old favorite list and
add new ingredients. Regardless of how
you will use your new master shopping
list I suggest creating a new habit of
checking off or adding an ingredient you
need or ran out of in real time. If your list
is on paper, pin it to your refrigerator so
the minute you run out of something
you circle it OR check it off on your
phone/App list.
4.
Shop ONE time per week.
If you
work inside or outside the home and
cook for yourself and/or family, time is of
the essence. I am a big fan of mixing it
up with organic fresh or frozen fruits,
veggies and protein. With your weekly
menu already planned, your cooking
routine will begin to take shape. The goal
is to know what you are cooking and cre-
ate the muscle memory to eventually
cook new healthy great meals nightly
without having to think.
5.
PRACTICE.
You won’t like every new
recipe you make. Know this going in.
Commit to 12 weeks of this new routine.
By the end of 12 weeks your goal is to
have 7 new recipes in your repertoire
with a new master grocery list and a
weekly menu. This new regime will take
you and your family’s health, vitality and
confidence to the next level!
All good things in life take effort. Creat-
ing your new menu, cooking patterns,
and shopping routines takes time. By
breaking the process down, your new
habit will come together and you will be
ready to start 2014 better than ever!
Good luck with your SWH FALL CHAL-
LENGE! For more recipe ideas check out
http://solariswholehealth.wordpress.com
/
category/motivation/recipes/.
Stephanie Solaris, is an Integrative Health and
Nutrition Practitioner, featured speaker and
the Director of Solaris Whole Health located in
Bernardsville, NJ. She lost
100
lbs 11 years ago, has kept it
off and helped hundreds of
others do the same. For ques-
tions and to learn more go to
www.solariswholeheatlh.com or
call 908-221-1112.
Are you struggling with...
Weight loss?
Getting out of bed in the morning?
Food cravings?
Staying focused & productive?
Indigestion or heartburn?
Joint or muscle pain?
?
Sleeping through the night
Headaches?
Allergies?
?
Anxiety, depression & irritability
whole heal th
nutrition & weight loss
The natural approach to
optimal health
Solaris Whole Health
5
Morristown Road, Suite C
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
908.221.1112
www.solariswholehealth.com
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