A Chef's Table

Eat healthier in the New Year
By Jim Coleman with Maiken Scott

Jim Coleman I have this hunch that I wasn't the only one who was living it up during the holidays -- eating all my favorite foods, drinking good wine and champagne and telling myself that right after the holidays, I will shed those pounds and start eating a healthier diet.

Well, the New Year is here, and although I am holding on to my good intentions, it is not easy. One easy thing to do is to eat more salad, but as we all know, salad dressing can add a lot of calories to an otherwise healthy lunch or dinner. Here is a fat-free salad dressing that tastes wonderful and is easy to make:

Fat-free Salad Dressing

10 1/2 ounces of soft tofu
3 tbsp. of Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp. lemon juice
One bunch of fresh chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Roughly chop the chives and combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. You can refrigerate this dressing for up to a week. It also works great as an ingredient in dips.

Resolve to exercise
Another way to lose weight and live healthier is to exercise. Here are some tips:

Aerobic exercise is best for burning calories. While 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days helps lower the risk of disease, experts recommend at least 45 minutes of walking a day.
Exercise harder. People who exercise harder -- between 75 and 85 percent of their maximum heart rate -- for 20 minutes can burn as many calories as a person walking for 45 minutes.
Lift weights. Resistance training builds bone density, which guards against osteoporosis and builds muscle. -- adapted from Health magazine

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