Make over your kitchen to lose weight; weight loss starts in your kitchen. Here, the simple tips, gadgets, and recipes you'll need to get your eating under control - 2004 Resolutions Special

Shape, Jan, 2004 by Robin Vitetta Miller

You know all about fitness, beauty and fashion makeovers, but you've probably never considered a kitchen makeover. And we don't mean the kind that involves sprucing up cabinets, getting a new refrigerator or replacing drawer handles. It's what's behind the cabinets and inside the fridge and drawers that counts here.

Why? Because if your resolutions for 2004 include losing weight and eating healthfully, your kitchen is the epicenter--the true starting point--of all your efforts, and unless you've stocked the right amount and type of foods, utensils and gadgets, you're unwittingly undermining your best intentions. When healthful foods are easily accessible, you'll grab them. When you have on hand the tools and appliances that make your life easier and your eating more nutritious, you'll utilize them. When you possess the know-how to put it all to good use, not only will you lose weight but you'll feel in control of your eating as well.

Now it's time to get your kitchen in shape! On the following pages we offer the simple tips, makeover "musts" and recipes you'll need to create a healthier environment, which will help you reach your goals. Your kitchen makeover (and your successful weight loss) begins here.

7 kitchen makeover "musts"

Make these changes and your kitchen will help you take off the extra pounds!

1. makeover must Stock your kitchen with healthy, i.e., "good," fats, such as nuts and nut butters, olive oil, avocados, fish, soy and flaxseed.

Why The foods listed above contain primarily unsaturated fat, which is good for your heart and blood vessels because it helps lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol; some of these foods even raise your good cholesterol (HDL). Red meat, full-fat dairy products and butter, though, contain saturated fat, the kind that raises your LDL levels, increasing your risk for heart disease and some kinds of cancer.

Retraining your palate to prefer olive oil over butter, or fish over red meat can take time. For instance, if you drink whole milk and want to change to skim, it will probably take two months before you prefer the skim milk. To help you make the switch to healthy fats, try any of the subtle swaps listed below:

* On bread and sandwiches, use a healthful oil (such as olive or walnut), a nut-based spread or avocado instead of butter (1 tablespoon of which has 108 calories and 8 grams of saturated fat). Most nut spreads and healthy oils contain about 110 calories per tablespoon (avocado has even less), yet their fat stats differ significantly:

* 1 tablespoon of olive oil has just 1.8 grams of saturated fat and 10 grams of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.

* 1 tablespoon of almond butter has less than 1 gram of saturated fat and 6 grams of monounsaturated fat.

* 1 tablespoon of pureed avocado has less than 1 gram of saturated fat and 2 grams of monounsaturated fat--and only 25 calories!

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* If you eat red meat three times a week, substitute fish on at least one of those days. Nutrition experts recommend eating fish three times a week to reap the heart-healthy benefits of the omega-3 fats, found in abundance in salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel and sardines.

2. makeover must Clear your shelves of foods that have trans fats.

Why Artery-clogging trans fats raise your LDL cholesterol and lower your HDL cholesterol. Trans fats are formed by a process called hydrogenation, in which liquid vegetable oils are processed into solid fat, such as margarine. Trans fats are found in other foods too: doughnuts, cookies, chips, candy, pastries and crackers. They've been called "the hidden fat" because you can't find trans fats on food labels--at least not yet. A few months ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that manufacturers will have to list trans fats on labels by 2006. Until then, the only way to tell if a food product contains these fats is to look for "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils on the ingredient list.

3. makeover must Place seasonal fruit such as pears, apples, navel oranges, pink grapefruit and/or grapes in an easily accessible spot in your kitchen or dining area.

Why Having nutritious food such as fruit handy makes it more likely you will eat it (and get your recommended three to five daily fruit servings). There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of phytochemicals in fruit, all of which may help prevent serious diseases, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Also, research has shown that a diet rich in fruits and veggies helps with weight management. Remember to keep the peel on when you can; if you peel an apple, you're tossing most of the fiber.

4. makeover must Designate certain areas in your home "eating only" zones and don't eat anywhere else.

Why Many women who are successful at losing and keeping off weight have only one or two special places in their home for eating. They don't eat anywhere else--not in the TV room, not in front of the refrigerator, not at the kitchen counter, not in bed. When you eat while watching TV, checking e-mail or talking on the phone, you tend to eat mindlessly. You don't taste your food, and you may eat a lot more than you intended. Choose a couple of places--such as the kitchen and dining-room tables--as the only places you'll eat.