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January 2025 | Phonebox Magazine 29HEARTY START TO THE NEW YEARSo Christmas and New Year festivities are over for another year, and the decorations are being packed away again. It was a good holiday, full of roasts, buff ets, snacks and booze. So is now the time to think about getting your healthy eating back on track?Experts say that good nutrition and eating sensibly can go a long way towards lowering your cholesterol and giving your heart a bit of help. And straight after the festive period is as good a time as any to start thinking about doing just that.There are lots of things you can introduce into your diet to make a diff erence to your cholesterol levels, your weight and your health in general.So what should you be doing? It%u2019s not just about what you eat, it%u2019s about how you approach your whole dietary pattern and cycle. Help get your healthy eating regime back on track with these handy hints, devised with the help of cholesterol charity Heart UK. They are designed to get you raring to go this January. Some of these suggestions are not just good for you and your heart %u2013 they're also benefi cial for the environment. Get the balance rightConsider your diet as a whole and try to balance things in terms of variety, quantity, food packaging and ingredients. Aim to fi ll half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with starchy foods (preferably wholegrains) and a quarter with low fat protein foods such as fi sh, chicken (without the skin), nuts, lentils or beans. fi ink aheadPreparing nibbles of nuts or fruit for your workplace is one way of looking ahead, and stopping you going back to your old snacking ways. Checking out a restaurant menu online, when you%u2019re not hungry, is another. Don%u2019t rush inMake small, gradual changes rather than going full steam ahead with drastic new schedules that are diffi cult to maintain. Start with manageable changes, cutting out the foods you know you need to avoid, and build up from there.Make it enjoyableMaking dietary changes should be an enjoyable project, not a chore. It will be easier to keep going if you%u2019re feeling good about your decisions. Eating for a healthy heart is a long-term project and so enjoy the changes you are making. Perhaps view it as a voyage of discovery and be curious about how each change makes you feel.Go less processedLook for foods that made from basic ingredients rather than mass-produced, highly processed dishes that will inevitably have high salt and fat content. Buying fresh meat and vegetables also cuts down on packaging such as soft plastics.Savour the fl avourWhen you are hungry, and fi rst start eating a meal, that%u2019s when you get the most enjoyment. Then as you begin to fi ll up, the enjoyment diminishes. Take smaller portions and eat slowly to savour the food on your plate, it%u2019s textures and aromas.Don%u2019t always snackEven if you have changed your snacks for more healthy options, do you really need them? Or is it just a habit? Ask yourself if you are so hungry you can%u2019t go on any longer without food. That probably won%u2019t be the case and you can almost certainly put the snack away. Banish temptationAre there still biscuits and chocolate lying around your house after Christmas that you don%u2019t really want to eat? Give them away to others and get rid of the temptation niggling away in your head.But don%u2019t ban foodIf you put a blanket ban on a particular food or drink, you will probably start to miss it, and even develop a craving. Cutting down is the key to any dietary balancing plan %u2013 it%u2019s far more eff ective to include these foods in small portions, while improving the quality of your overall diet.Don%u2019t be harsh on yourselfNo diet is 100% perfect all the time and hardly anyone can stick to one every hour of every day. Have an occasional %u2018treat%u2019 and praise yourself for even making the changes you have and look forward to getting back to them again.More details from Heart UK: www.heartuk.org.ukHEALTHY HAM & CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTSIngredients: 4 ounces grated Swiss, or Mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons chopped ham, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, Freshly ground pepper, to taste, 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1 egg white, 4 ounces plain dry breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oilDirections: Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Use a baking sheet with sides and lightly coat it with cooking spray.Mix the cheese, ham, mustard and pepper together in a small bowl, ensuring everything is combined evenly.Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up the breast and place a quarter of the fi lling in the centre. Close the breast over the fi lling, pressing the edges fi rmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and fi lling.Lightly beat egg white in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in egg white, then cover in the breadcrumbs, discarding leftover crumbs when fi nished.Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the centre or registers 170 degrees F on a thermometer.Serve with boiled potatoes, broccoli or your favourite vegetables.