March is National Nutrition Month®. The theme this year is “Savor the Flavor”. How, when, why and where we eat are just as important as what we eat.¹ Set a goal to develop mindful eating habits that include healthy and flavorful foods. That’s right, you can enjoy good taste while eating healthy and savoring the flavor healthy foods offer. If you are trying to lower saturated fat in your diet, choose poultry, pork loin cutlets or lean cuts of beef such as 90% lean ground sirloin. Each of these are low in saturated fat and learning to tenderize meat when cooking is very helpful for flavor.
To tenderize, marinade or use recipes which include one or more of these common meat tenderizers. Vinegars, citrus juices or spice rubs are frequently used to break down the protein and connective tissue in meats and make them tender. To help this process, use less thick cuts of meat, and marinade for 1-2 hours. Spices and herbs are then added for flavor. Chew slowly, be mindful of your meal and allow yourself time to savor the flavor!
¹ American Academy of Dietetics, Mar 2016, http://www.eatrightpro.org/resource/media/press-releases/national-nutrition-month/for-national-nutrition-month-enjoy-food-traditions-and-experiences
