Have fun in the kitchen!

No, happiness is not in the freezer and the next ice cream container. It is in your health - if you are healthy, there is a good chance that you would be happy. 

Healthy eating can get you out of the doctor's office and off most medications. Start your transformation by committing to several decisions:

I will do healthy food swaps
Take a favorite recipe and transform it into a healthy recipe. When you cook, make your traditional/family recipes “healthy” by substituting ingredients. Or sign up for Pinterest and collect great recipes to experiment with.

I will grill the healthy way
If you do not want to give up red meat, you do not have to. However, the maximum recommended amount of meat a week is 18 ounces. A portion of red meat the size of a deck of cards can be served up to six times a week. Find some great grilling advice here.

I will not eat added sugar 
Be able to recognize the 50 names of sugar: avoid any added sugar; read the nutrition labels and know what NOT to buy.

B: Barley malt, Beet sugar, Brown sugar, Buttered syrup
C: Cane juice crystals, Cane sugar, Caramel, Corn syrup, Corn syrup solids, Confectioner’s sugar, Carob syrup, Castor sugar
D: Date sugar, Demerara sugar, Dextran, Dextrose, Diastatic malt, Diatase
E: Ethyl maltol
F: Fructose, Fruit juice, Fruit juice concentrate
G: Galactose, Glucose, Glucose solids, Golden sugar, Golden syrup, Grape sugar
H: High-fructose corn syrup, Honey
I: Icing sugar, Invert sugar
L: Lactose
M: Maltodextrin, Maltose, Malt syrup, Maple syrup, Molasses, Muscovado sugar
P: Panocha
R: Raw sugar, Refiner’s syrup, Rice syrup
S: Sorbitol, Sorghum syrup, Sucrose, Sugar
T: Treacle, Turbinado sugar 
Y: Yellow sugar  
I will make sure that I have complete protein
Different proteins have different combinations of the building blocks (amino acids). You need to consume proteins of different sources to obtain “complete” source of amino acids. Find sample menu on this website.

More on protein
How much protein do you need? Here is a quick estimate of your protein requirement: Take your weight (in pounds) and divide by 2. The number you get is the approximate number of grams of protein you need daily. Example: If you weigh 180 pounds, 180 ÷ 2 = 90 grams of protein daily. If you are receiving cancer treatment, you may need more protein. A dietitian can help you figure out your protein needs during treatment. This advice and more comes from this website.

Fun recipes
Golden Quick Barley with Sweet Peas and Corn: on this website.
Party time, “Create Your Own Beverage Bar”: on this website.