Dial Diaries: Starting Out

If you've noticed the new box on the right-hand side of my blog, you'll see that I've started participating in the Dial Healthier You program. (It looks like this!)

It's a four-week program to help healthify (so totally not a word, is it?) my skin, eating habits, etc. I figured with the way the cooler weather tends to dry me out a bit, it couldn't hurt to take the tips they'd be giving me (and the rest of the participants) and see if they help.

Of course, the first week is nutrition-based. How rough is that to do on Thanksgiving week?
Rough.

How much rougher is it for someone who does not eat seafood?
Ten thousand times as rough.

But I'll survive.

I figured I'd share some of the tips I've received as we kick off Week 1.

Eat fish. Lots of good fish. Salmon. Sardines. Anchovies.

So. No. No. And no thank you. (Sorry, Dial. I know it's good FOR you stuff, but I haven't eaten fish since I was about - well, never!)

Drink loads of water. Check! (+1 for me!) I am a big water drinker, to the extent that I can actually tell when I haven't been hydrating myself enough. My hands dry out, and my lips are chapped, and then I start looking around for my water bottle and realize they've all been upstairs for days on end. Pick up a glass, woman! Get thee to your fridge dispenser, stat!

Beans. Vegetarian beans. Chick peas. Even pumpkin seeds (don't even ask about my pumpkin seed baking debacle!) are good for you. They are rich in zinc, which is a blemish fighting element. This I can do. We live off of beans in this house, whether they're black, pinto, refried (don't judge, I opt for the vegetarian version - no lard here!) and I can add them to nearly any meal. They're a great penny pincher, too. One average can can run between 60c-90c!

Anyone a flax seed fan here? I used to eat it frequently. I would buy bags of it (ground up, not the actual seeds) and add it to things like yogurt, cereal, even ice cream. It's really not bad, and it's really good for you. I need to try to pick some up this weekend. Maybe even toss a little into the Stove Top Stuffing I'll be making to go along with our T-Day meal. I wonder if I can hide that from my hubby? I can definitely add some into some bread or muffin mixes, and that would be an excellent addition to make them at least *seem* healthier. Always looking for the short-cut, that's me!

Lastly, tea and dark chocolate are recommended. Ah, yes. I can easily do those two items. EASILY.

But Andrea, you know that they're not talking about your hot chai lattes or a large chunk of Dove dark chocolate, right?

Oh, yeah. Sure. I knew that. Right.

I'll be back next week with another weekly installment of Dial Diaries.

Tweet