Have you noticed that restaurant food is often more salty or fat-laden than anything you eat at home?  When you cook, even simple meals or microwaved steamed vegetables, you have the perfect opportunity to control what you and your family are ingesting, so use that to your advantage.  Cook with a good quality non-stick pan to cut down on cooking oil which has 199 calories and 14 grams of fat in just one tablespoon. (Olive oil has less, and using a spray like PAM is even better.)    Ditch the salt and experiment with herbs and seasonings, or a quick and simple variety of 'Mrs. Dash'.  Did you know you can substitute applesauce for cooking oil in recipes you bake? There are many healthy substitutions to try which will surprise you because neither you nor your family will miss the old ingredients.  Small changes in cooking methods and recipes add up to big health improvements!

While it is true that everyone needs some salt to function, Americans consume much more salt than they need for the body's balance of fluids. 80% of our total intake comes from salt added to processed foods by manufacturers and salt that restaurant food preparers add.  Generally, you should not have more than about a teaspoon of table salt, or 2300 milligrams of sodium a day.   If you have high blood pressure, diabetes or have been told by your doctor to watch your sodium intake, you should have 1500 mg or less. The 'sodium' on a food label is listed in 'mg' and refers to the amount per serving so always check the serving size.  Marketing slogans want us to believe that the 'sea salt'  used in their product is a safe and healthy way to get a good flavor.   Not true.  The sodium content is only slightly reduced.  One tsp table salt: 6 grams = 2400 mg sodium.   One tsp sea salt: 5 grams = 2000 mg sodium.  One tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt: 2.8 grams = 1120 mg sodium.  Sodium balance is critical for optimal health of your heart, kidneys, ateries and brain.

Monday's Kaizen Healthy Lifestyle class involved everyone in reviewing common food choices and identifying at least one nutritionally superior alternate.  The alternate had to be similar and tasty...no sense pretending you would just as soon eat cottage cheese as vanilla ice cream.  Many pairs were discussed - one item to Choose, one item to Lose.  For example, when looking at sugar content, their is no contest between orange Crystal Lite (choose) and carton orange juice (lose).  Significantly lower in sugar and calories are Emerald's Cocoa Roasted Almonds vs. peanut M & Ms.   Lose a lot of saturated fat by choosing olive oil over butter. Lose a ton of sodium by choosing low-sodium chicken broth over bouillion cubes.  Add fiber and a healthier carb by choosing rolled oats instead of bread crumbs in your recipes calling for filler.   You may have seen the book series 'Eat This - Not That', which is the same concept.  The problem with those books is they are NOT presenting a truly healthy choice with each 'Eat This' recommendation. They are simply saying one of the pair is better than the other... but it is often the lesser of two evils.  The Kaizen Healthy Lifestlye class is much more discerning.  Handouts from the 'Choose It-Lose It' class will be free to visitors at the upcoming Love Your Life Health Expo March 26 at Kaizen Total Wellness center in Lakewood Ranch.

Healthy Substitutions was the nutrition topic discussed in Monday's Healthy Lifestyle class. The Kaizen approach is not about deprivation, it is about making choices that will help you get your optimum nutritional value out of each calorie.

Smart substitutions are ones that provide more 'good stuff' like fiber and vitamins and less 'bad stuff' like saturated fats and sugar. The smartest substitutions do this without making you feel you are missing out on anything, like flavor, texture, or sense of fullness.

Here are some of my favorite substitutions. Please share yours with me!