New Year - Old Resolutions?

I bet most of us have at least once made a new year's resolution that has to do with food. Usually people promise themselves they will lose weight and eat healthier, but unfortunately, the same people are often making the same resolution again the next year. How about this year we make the resolution : "I will not gain the weight back"?

I have been on a diet many times but each time some of the weight has crept back in very soon after letting go of the diet. This is the central dilemma of dieting and in fact, I think there should be no diet at all!

What I mean by this, is that short term diets do not work. They only create a yo-yo effect, which is not what the goal of losing weight is. I'm sure it doesn't come as a surprise, but permanent weight loss means introducing good habits and letting go of bad ones: having desserts only on, say Saturday, or making a point to have fruit and vegetables at every meal of the day. I know it's not necessarily easy, but it is possible!

A few ideas where to begin a permanent change to help you keep the pounds away:

- eat more for lunch than dinner
- have some fruit and veggies at every meal
- ditch bread and pasta made of white flour and bring in whole wheat
- snack on fruit and nuts instead of chips and chocolate (dark is OK :) )
- eat in peace and sit down to eat

There are many more things you can do and I'm sure you have ideas too. Leave me a comment, I would love to hear from you!


I wish you all strong self-discipline and tons of success for the new year and all the ones after.

Anna-Kaisa

Delicious Christmas

Christmas comes with many traditions, in which food undoubtedly plays a big part. It tends to be very important that certain dishes are served, which often are also only associated with Christmas. As food is such a big deal and as it is usually very delicious, it is hard not to overeat. Unfortunately, many struggle with overeating and gaining weight during the holiday season. My tip is to have only one serving of food keeping in mind that there might just be leftovers for the next day.

Finland is a great example of a country where certain foods are almost exclusively served at Christmas. The Christmas tradition in Finland calls for ham, meat stew, carrot casserole, swede/rutabaga casserole, liver casserole, beet root salad, Karelian pies and cold smoked salmon. For dessert there is plum pudding, gingerbread cookies, star pastries and mulled wine. Oh, and of course, a lot of chocolate! 

 
My favorite Christmas dish is plum pudding. With whipped cream it is just heavenly. It is also a surprisingly healthy treat to be a dessert: the sweetness comes only from dried prunes that also have a high fiber and nutrient content. I use preservative (sorbate) free prunes so that as much of the nutrients are preserved. Most prunes have preservatives, but usually one can find the healthier kind in most supermarkets.

The recipe:

1 bag of dried prunes

c. 1 quart water

1 cinnamon stick (optional)

2 tbsp potato or corn starch

Let prunes soak overnight in water. Simmer for 30-40 minutes (with cinnamon stick). Dissolve starch in a small amount of water and pour into the pot with the prunes and mix. Heat until mixture just starts to bubble again. Serve with whipped cream.

The amounts of ingredients can be adjusted for more/less thickness and sweetness. Sugar can be also added.

Now, tell me what your favorite Christmas dish is! Also, if you have a tip on how to avoid the Christmas pounds, please share it!

 

With love, Anna-Kaisa