With a fresh start to the new year, many of us try for a fresh start in the
diet arena.  I fit into this category.  Since some of us are also new to the
list, thought I'd post some tips on going gung-ho.  I'm sure others have
great (if not better) tips, too.  If so, post 'em!


Get rid of ALL the bad stuff!  Most of us have done this, but for those who
haven't, it can be a life-saver.

Stock up on the good stuff.  We eat plenty of meat, which freezes well.
What works for me is always having something thawed.

Cook and/or concoct ahead of time!  This goes in several directions at once.

1) Meat - You can bake several meats at once.  Just this morning, I put some
chicken and some salmon in the oven, then hit the shower.  By the time I was
ready to hit the road, I had some chicken breast and salmon ready to eat.  I
took some of the chicken to work for lunch; I'm going to warm up some salmon
for dinner.  Some meats even freeze well after cooking, or so I'm told;
haven't done this myself.  Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated.

2) Cooked/cooking vegetables - I know, I know, some of us eat all foods raw.
  No editorializing, please.  For those of us who cook, it's great to have a
few things ready to eat.  Another idea is having food ready to be cooked.
For example, have some onions already sliced to saute with some chicken (or
whatever).  Broccoli, peppers, carrots, etc. all last a pretty good while in
the fridge.  Leftover cooked vegetables speak for themselves.

3) Salad stuff - Eating salad is nice; making it is a pain.  I buy lettuce,
wash-n-cut it and have it in a giant airtight container in my fridge.
Whamo!  Slap some greens and pre-cut veggies on a plate and I'm in Salad
City within 2 minutes.  Don't get iceberg lettuce; it has no flavor and
fewer nutrients than other salad greens and you can't cut it with a metal
knife.  All other lettuces, you can.  I find that most salad vegetables keep
a good while after they're cut except for tomatoes, which can go gooey
pretty quickly.  If I do cut some of those, I keep them off to themselves.

I've found that if I put together a salad base, cook some meat and slice
some vegatables once a week, my life is SOOOO much easier.  SAD snack foods
are easy to find and even easier to have available; this way of eating takes
a little more time.  For me, not having something ready makes life
difficult.  In, oh, 90 minutes or so, I can have a week's worth of food on
hand, cutting down on any urge to go to 7-11 and get something I should
avoid.

Happy eating!

Dori Zook
Denver, CO
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