Happy New Year!

2009 is here and so is the traditional time for resolutions. In past years, as I have watched the ball drop I had a firm conviction to the list of resolutions I had made that day. This year I am delaying my decision for some careful thought. Most of the resolutions I made over the years have fallen faster than the aforementioned Waterford crystal ball. Waterford's own New Year's slogan "Let There Be Joy", sounds like a good resolution. Be more Joyful, anyway it's sounds a lot better than the life altering, perfect person, overnight change resolutions of the past.

On top of everyones New Year's resolutions is that famous four-letter word. The Scourge of January, The Plague of the New Year. Yes...it's the evil DIET. Grapefruit, Cider Vinegar, Carbs, No-carbs, who knows what is next. I do know that yo-yo dieting is counter productive. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on fad dieting. Eat in moderation, eat smaller meals, and most importantly eat your vegetables. Most Americans don't get recommended daily servings of vegetables. Getting your veggies in is very important. Green Leafy veggies, fiber filled carrots and beans, the venerable sweet potato, of course.

This chart from World's Healthiest Foods shows some of the benefits of Sweet Potatoes. They are low in calories and have no fat. They are rich in beta-carotene with, 2.6 times the RDA of Vitamin A per serving and are loaded with potassium. These nutrients help to protect against heart attack and stroke. The potassium helps maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body cells, as well as normal heart function and blood pressure. Sounds good to me. In short, I resolve not to diet, but to eat more healthily and sweet potatoes are just one way that I can do that. In year's past, people had to wait all year to taste fresh strawberries or buy mustard greens. Now all of of favorite veggies are fruits are available year round. They are out there folks. Now go get some. Happy New Year!!