HEB NUTRITION

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Living well Starts with Nutrition

Story by Felicia Frazar/ photos Courtesy of H-E-B, and myplate.gov

Health and wellness are essential to a long life. One of the key ingredients is nutrition. “The biggest role that nutrition plays ultimately is just how is your quality of life,” H-E-B registered Dietitian Puja Mistry said. “A lot of times the food that you put into your body, the combination of foods can make a huge difference in preventive care, allergy management, disease management, just overall longevity.

Food is that primary resource that makes the biggest difference.”

It is also an important aspect in preventative healthcare. Most registered dietitians work in hospitals and help with short-term care, Mistry said. However, nutrition is a long-term necessity, she said.

“It is preventative care,” she said. “It is taking care of someone’s health. We help try to prevent people from getting to that point (of illness) by starting early with eating the right foods, eating the right combination of foods, and having that lifestyle, that makes a big, big difference.”

H-E-B Nutritionist Puja Mistry talks to a customer about selecting the best vegetables for a healthy, balanced diet.

Photo courtesy of HEB

Getting to that point is not as complicated as it may sound, Mistry said.

“We want to over think it, really try to think about what diet we need to be on or what kind of foods we need to eat, but really we can completely really simplify that,” she said.

Dietitians have switched from teaching the food pyramid concept to My Plate, a combination of protien, vegetables, fruit and grains. The portion sizes are right in people’s hands, Mistry said.

“You can use your own hands to figure out the proper portion size for you,” she said. “Two cupped hands together for vegetables, one cupped hand for your fruit, a closed fist for grain and about palm-sized portion of protein. And, just not overthinking it.”

The more colorful the fruits and vegetables, the healthier, Mistry said. “We’re thinking all different colors of fruit, all different colors of vegetables, mostly your non-starchy vegetables,” she said.

When looking to make the change to a healthier eating lifestyle, people would look at several aspects including sustainability. Mainly, consider the longevity of the choices being made.

“A lot of the time, these diets and things that we want to try, they’ll have a good, quick fix for something, but that doesn’t always ensure that is long-term sustainable for that individual,” she said. “When you are thinking about that, how do you want to eat, what does that lifestyle look like, but also make sure that what you are doing is sustainable for the long term.”

Cutting out favorite eats altogether may not be the key to success. Making gradual, methodical changes offers more in the way of achieving those long-term goals, Mistry said.

Build healthy eating habits one goal at a time! Use the Start Simple with MyPlate app to pick daily food goals, join challenges, and earn fun badges. Learn more by visiting www.myplate.gov

Courtesy of myplate.gov

“I think a lot of times we get into this mindset of certain things being super foods or something being extra nutritious, but it is really not like one individual food item that is going to do it for everybody,” she said. “It really is about having these foods in combination on your plate and allowing that synergy of those foods to work together and that is ultimately what takes care of us.”

Making rapid, sudden changes can cause undue amounts of stress, Mistry said.

“A lot of these habits they can sound great, eating more fruits, having more vegetables, but at the same time, that can also be really stressful for people, too,” she said. “If it is a new lifestyle, any change is hard to adapt. So any time you try to do that, you also put your body under some amount of stress.”

Mistry suggested trying new things gradually to see what works and what doesn’t.

“Just make sure that any changes you’re making, do it slow, especially if you are changing some of the foods you are eating and you are trying out some new foods,” she said. “Try out new foods individually to make sure you’re not having a reaction to it or you’re not having some indigestion or some kind of food intolerance.”

Proper hydration also plays a vital role in health and wellness, Mistry said.

“A lot of times, many other conditions we are dealing with become a little more exacerbated when we are dehydrated,” she said. “Especially, getting into the summer, there is a little more risk for getting dehydrated. Make sure you’re staying hydrated, drink plenty of water. But, if that is not your thing, look into a sugar-free, zero calorie sparkling water.”

Breaking the cycle of unhealthy eating and turning to healthier habits can take time. How much time is dependent upon the person making the changes, Mistry said.

“There are so many factors like how are you sleeping, what are your hormones like, how stressed are you, and that is so different for everybody,” she said. “It is like them taking on a new lifestyle of them adapting to new habits.”

Gluten Free Cheesy Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Lb boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tsp kosher salt

1 Tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp garlic cloves

1 Lb mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup(s) Madeira wine 9 Oz spinach

1 1/4 cup(s) heavy cream

1/2 cup(s) Parmesan cheese

9 Oz H‐E‐B Gluten Free No Boil Lasagna, broken

1/2 cup(s) mozzarella, shredded

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Place a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.

Toss chicken with oil, salt, pepper and garlic, then place in the heated skillet.

Cook for 5 minutes per side until chicken is cooked through.

Remove from pan, cool for a bit then chop.

In the same pan add in mushrooms and cook them until well browned, then add in the Madeira wine. Allow mushrooms to cook until most of the liquid is gone.

Add in spinach and wilt, then follow with cream and half of the Parmesan cheese.

Add in the broken lasagna noodles to skillet.

Transfer contents of the skillet to a 9 x 13 baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes covered, then 15 minutes uncovered.

Let pasta rest for 10 minutes before serving.

www.heb.com/recipe/recipe-item/gluten-free-cheesy-chicken-bake