We all know about new Year\u2019s resolutions, those big promises we make to ourselves every January first\u2013lose 10 pounds, join a gym, give up eating ice cream before bed.<\/p>\n
And we all know what happens. We start backsliding by the second week, and by the end of the month, we find ourselves in our pj\u2019s with a pint of Ben & Jerry\u2019s, feeling like failures. Again.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong\u2013I believe in good health. But I also believe in being realistic. (Last year my biggest resolution was to take some time off, a real family vacation, which we hadn\u2019t done in six years, and we actually managed that.)<\/p>\n
So take a bit of advice from someone who cooks for a living. No Spartan diets, no self-recrimination, no punishing workouts, just a few sensible guides to eating right. You can eat well and still eat right. Your family will feel better and you will too.<\/p>\n
You might even drop a few pounds, but mostly, you will be happy because you will be feeding body and <\/em>soul. Here\u2019s my recipe for well-being.<\/p>\n 1. Gather round the table.<\/strong> My great-grandparents owned a pasta factory in Naples. My grandfather Dino De Laurentiis made his name as a movie producer, but he started out as a boy selling pasta door-to-door.<\/p>\n I was born in Italy, but we moved to America when I was young, and one of the things we brought with us was the Italian idea of a big weekend lunch, a meal that can start anytime after one-thirty in the afternoon and might stretch on into the early evening.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the prelude to the day\u2019s activities, it\u2019s the main event.<\/p>\n Sunday afternoons we\u2019d gather at my grandfather\u2019s and everybody would crowd into the kitchen. One of my earliest memories of cooking was making pizza.<\/p>\n My grandfather, Dino, gave each of us kids a ball of dough and we would roll it out with a rolling pin\u2013think of how fun that was\u2013and then add toppings: salami, olives, peppers, cheese. He\u2019d put them in the oven and we\u2019d laugh and play and joke until they were ready.<\/p>\n A meal wasn\u2019t just about food, it was about togetherness. About love.<\/p>\n Those family meals always began with a blessing from Grandfather, a big spiritual thank-you for the food and for us. He had survived tough times during World War II and knew what it was to go hungry. He was grateful.<\/p>\n When you eat slowly, talking to people you love, bonding with them, appreciating what\u2019s on your plate, you eat healthier. You live better.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have family close by? Invite friends to share a meal with you. Welcome them into the kitchen. I\u2019m honored when someone asks me to help them cook. That\u2019s when I know they\u2019re really letting me into their life.<\/p>\n 2. Eat a little of everything, but not a lot of anything.<\/strong> I\u2019m not a yo-yo. You don\u2019t need to be one either. Instead adopt a balanced way of cooking and eating that works for you. If you make smart choices, your taste buds will grow used to them. Your body will tell you what it needs.<\/p>\n I learned a lot about good eating from my mom. She always made dinner from scratch. Not fancy things, basic things. Meatloaf, pasta, lasagna, chicken, risotto, polenta, meatballs, and always <\/em>something green on the plate\u2013broccoli, spinach, arugula.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My parents never really overindulged. It\u2019s hard not to when you go out to eat. Restaurants serve giant portions and you feel compelled to eat every bite.<\/p>\n At home, you have more control over the portion sizes. And when you cook it yourself, you\u2019re more likely to appreciate all the good flavors. Besides, it\u2019s cheaper.<\/p>\n Even today, cooking all day long in a TV studio, I can\u2019t wait to cook at home for my family. I feel like a dancer following my own choreography, reaching for a little of this, a little of that.<\/p>\n My husband, Todd, is from the Midwest and loves meat, so I\u2019ll grill a small steak for him and add a fried egg on top. I\u2019ll do a quick penne with spinach sauce or fettuccine with broccoli rabe for our daughter, Jade.<\/p>\n It makes me happy to know I can make them happy. I nourish my soul by nourishing my family.<\/p>\n 3. Grazing is good.<\/strong> Instead of the highs and lows and feeling like you\u2019re starved or stuffed, you stay even-keeled throughout the day. Try it. Your body adapts to this routine and begins to work much more efficiently.<\/p>\n Vegetables, legumes and fruits\u2013all packed with fiber\u2013make up most of what I eat. When I want pasta (which is often), I have it at lunch so I have more time to use its fuel during the day.<\/p>\n At dinnertime, I pack in a little more protein to hold me until morning, and I make sure to give myself plenty of time to digest before I go to bed; I aim for three hours or so before falling asleep. Most doctors will tell you that\u2019s best.<\/p>\n For snacks I always have a ziplock bag of almonds handy. If I go out, I tend to order several appetizers instead of an entr\u00e9e. If we\u2019re invited to a buffet, I pick up a small plate and fill it. That way I don\u2019t overeat. The ideal serving should be about the size of your palm.<\/p>\n 4, Tune in to your body.<\/strong> I put tons of sugar in my coffee and iced tea. I was also into the Italian custom of dipping sugar cubes in espresso and sucking on them.<\/p>\n This didn\u2019t affect me much when I was in my twenties. I had more energy in general and didn\u2019t see a huge downside to eating that way.<\/p>\n When I became pregnant, however, everything changed. I was responsible for this little life inside of me and I took the saying \u201ceating for two\u201d to heart. My body needed\u2013and my baby deserved\u2013better. This made me rethink my whole lifestyle, my whole relationship with food.<\/p>\n So I started making little adjustments here and there, changing bit by bit. I cut down on my sugar intake. I ate more, which makes sense because I was pregnant, but I was eating more vegetables, protein and whole grains and a lot less junk. I started using organic ingredients and produce.<\/p>\n And guess what? I felt better\u2013even better than better. Pregnant. It was a miracle.<\/p>\n
\nIn my family, as in many Italian families, meals aren\u2019t just about eating, they\u2019re about sharing and connecting. Maybe that\u2019s why it takes us so long to eat! We\u2019re too busy talking and laughing. We love each other and we love food. It\u2019s in our genes.<\/p>\n
\nThis is my number one rule about eating. I don\u2019t believe in diets. Food is not the enemy. Diets are tough to stick to and cause a sense of deprivation, often resulting in roller-coaster weight loss and gain, not to mention mood swings.<\/p>\n
\nWhile breakfast is absolutely the most important meal of the day, you can forget that old rule about not snacking between meals. Five smaller meals are so much better for you; they are easier for you to digest than three big ones, and make for a healthy metabolism.<\/p>\n
\nWhen I was younger I was totally addicted to sugar. I relied on it to give me energy boosts throughout the day. In fact, I would eat less \u201cregular\u201d food in order to leave room for dessert. If it was chocolate, it was for me: chocolate-covered almonds, graham crackers, cookies, chocolate anything.<\/p>\n