From Cathy Wong,
Your Guide to Alternative Medicine.
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Eating should be a lifelong process of nourishing yourself. Strict dieting, rigid food monitoring, or addiction to sugar, caffeine and other stimulants can all weaken your metabolism and halt the rejuvenating and rebuilding process of your body, mind and spirit. Here are 5 suggestions for revamping your diet.

Tip #1: Start Your Morning Right

Breakfast has been shown to prevent overeating later in the day. It also gives a boost of energy the morning. If you are pressed for time in the am, I suggest a breakfast protein smoothie. They're fast - once you get the hang of it, it takes less than five minutes from start to finish - and they're satisfying and super healthy. Pour your smoothie into a travel mug and take it with you to work!

Here are my favorite smoothie recipes:

• 'Berry Blast' Protein Fruit Smoothie - my favorite morning shake recipe.
  
• Mocha Protein Shake - a healthier version for chocolate lovers.
  
• 'Mango Tango' Protein Fruit Smoothie - another favorite.
  
• 'Peach Pizzazz' Protein Fruit Smoothie
  
• 'Vanilla Dream' Smoothie
  
• 'Prune Power' Smoothie - a good way of meeting your daily fiber requirements.
  

Tip #2: Eat More Veggies

"I know I should eat more veggies but how do I do it with my schedule?" This question comes up all the time. Here are my suggestions:

• Greens powder - Have 1 teaspoon of greens powder per day. Greens powder is a concentrated blend of vegetable powders, antioxidants, and other plant fibers. It shouldn't be use to completely replace veggies, but it can help a time-strapped person.
  
  
• Buy fresh or frozen veggies - It's not fresh or nothing. Frozen vegetables still retain most of their nutrients and are a fast alternative for people who have trouble keeping their fridge stocked with fresh veggies. Look for frozen spinach, bell peppers, asparagus, peas, mixed vegetables, and green beans.
  
  
• A tomato a day - Bring washed grape or cheery tomatoes to work and add them to your sandwich or lunch for a fresh veggie boost.
  

Tip #3: Go For The Real Thing

The book, French Women Don't Get Fat highlights an important difference between North American and European eating habits. In North America, there is an abundance of processed snacks, junk food, and low-cal substitutes, encouraging us to look for low-cal and low-carb foods that we can gorge on. There is a lot to be said for finding the real thing and savoring it in moderation. If there is a choice between a high-quality chocolate or two convenience store chocolate bars, choose the high-quality option and enjoy it!

Tip #4: Eat These Wellness Power Foods

• Vegetables, fresh or frozen
  
• Fruit, especially berries
  
• Whole grains
  
• Nuts and seeds, especially almonds and walnuts
  
• Organic dairy - free of pesticide residues of antibiotics and hormones
  
• Beans and other legumes
  
• Avocados
  
• Olive oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil
  

Although it is tempting to want to overhaul your diet overnight, you may be overwhelmed if you do. Gradual changes are more effective and lasting.

Tip #5: Find Stores, Books, Recipes, and Restaurants

• Locate natural health food stores in your area - Look in your community, the yellow pages, and on the Internet. Local vegetarian organizations are great resouces - you can often find out about local farmer's markets, produce stands, food co-ops, health food stores, cooking classes, and grocers in your area.
  
  If you don't have access to natural health food stores or if organic produce is not in your budget, try Japanese, Greek, Chinese, and Indian grocery stores for fresh fruits and vegetables, cooking oils, buckwheat noodles, brown rice, beans and other goodies. Non-organic produce should be washed and scrubbed thoroughly and outer leaves of leafy vegetables should be discarded. To clean vegetables, you can use baking soda and/or vinegar and soak and scrub vegetables for 5 to 10 minutes.
  
  
• Get some cooking reference books - One of my favorite reference books is Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison. It provides information on storing, selecting, and cooking different vegetables, and tons of recipes for making soups, casseroles, vegetables dishes, desserts, soy dishes, pizzas and almost any other vegetable staple.
  
  When evaluating cookbooks, look at the ease of preparation. Some cookbooks have great recipes but the lengthy ingredient lists and complicated preparation methods are too difficult to do on a busy schedule.
  
  
• Try healthy restaurants in your city - You will be able to see how good healthy cooking can taste. Visit local vegetarian restaurants for ideas on vegetable dishes, smoothies, and salads with vegetable protein. Indian restaurants can give you ideas on bean dishes. Choose restaurants that serve free-range or organic meat.
  
  
• Take a cooking class - Your local health food store is a great resource for this. Inquire about classes, and take a look on bulletin boards and in free health newletters and magazines to find healthy cooking classes in your city. Invite a friend to join you. It's a great way to get inspired!
  

Go to the Wellness Makeover.