HEALTHY FOOD FASHION STYLE GUIDE TIP
Stock Your Closet with the Classics. When you have a closet full of basic, classic items (think little black dress, A-line skirt, wrap dress and great jeans) getting dressed in the morning is easy and you don’t have to worry about whether or not you are in or out of style. The same thing is true with your kitchen cupboard and fridge. If you follow the traffic light eating system you can always create a fabulous but simple and healthy meal with very little effort.
Traffic light eating means categorizing food into three simple color categories: green, yellow and red. Green light foods are go or “grow” foods that you can eat anytime and as much as you want. Green light foods include all fruits and veggies.
You should also stock you pantry with yellow light foods. Yellow light foods are “slow down” foods. They can and should be eaten every day, just not too much. Yellow light foods are nutrient dense foods that usually have more calories, fat or sugar than Green light foods. Yellow light foods include whole grains such as breads, pastas, cereal and rice, eggs, lean meat, fish, yogurt, cheese, nuts, seeds and olive oil.
We all know what’s next in this system, right? Red light foods. Red light foods require you to “stop and think” so that you can either make a better choice or eat a smaller portion. Red light foods are low in nutrients, high in sugar, bad fat and calories. Red light foods usually contain food additives, artificial sweeteners, and hydrogenated oils or trans-fat. Red light foods include all boxed or factory baked goods, fast food, white bread, candy, doughnuts, chips, sugary drinks and highly processed meats.
There you have it, traffic light eating in a nutshell. Easy, right? (Don’t worry about answering; I know it’s easy because I’ve taught this system to preschoolers!)
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