Fit: Dishing on Dining

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STARING AT A BUNCH of kale, Elizabeth McBurney realized how rarely she cooked with greens. "That's a new ingredient for me," said the 37-year-old mom of two, who spent Saturday at Arlington's Sur La Table for a class titled "Fast and Easy: Healthy Meals for a Week."

As with most of the other students, preparing nutritious yet tasty dishes is a goal of McBurney's for the new year. And it appeared that the oven-roasted salmon over kale with dill and parsley would soon become a regular fixture on her dining room table. "A three-and-a-half-year-old would think this was fun," she marveled as she separated the kale leaves from the stem. "Ripping your food. He could get into that."

Playing with produce gets the stamp of approval from Isabel Clark, the wellness counselor who led the class. While boredom with veggies was a common complaint from the students, Clark said that only happens when folks limit their options. "For people who get in a rut, go to a farmer's market and look for the weirdest produce item you can and try it," she suggested. (That's how she became acquainted with Jerusalem artichokes and celery root.) Whoever's working the stall can probably offer up some simple recipe suggestions, and maybe you'll find a new diet staple.

Including more veggies and other wholesome goodies in your eating rotation is an easier way of overhauling your diet than banning foods, Clark said. "Drink an extra three glasses of water a day, have whole grains, eat more sweet potatoes," she advised. Positive language lets a meal makeover sound more doable, and the more good stuff you're eating, the less likely you are to gorge on fatty and sugary stuff.

Her guidelines jibe well with "The Best Life Diet" by Bob Greene, Oprah's personal trainer, which promises to be the next big diet book — look for Best Life labels on products all over the grocery store, including fat-free yogurts, grapefruits and whole-grain pasta. Greene asks readers to drop just six foods, which are all easily replaced with healthier options (whole-grain bread instead of white bread, for instance). Even banned foods are permissible as "anything goes calories."

Greene also emphasizes that physical changes won't necessarily come immediately, but they will eventually transform your body. "If you do it right, it'll be more sustainable," Clark agreed.

Doing it right requires cooking at home, because it's only when meals originate in one's own kitchen that you can be sure what went into them. That can be daunting for the uninitiated, so Clark encourages would-be chefs to peruse for inspiration. One of her favorites is "The Saucy Vegetarian" by Joanne Stepaniak, which suggests simple condiments (ideal for dipping veggies) that can be made with a whisk or a blender.

When the hunger for naughty foods comes, simply give yourself a zero-calorie reward. "I recommend a grandma-style, old-school hot-water bottle," Clark said. "Place it on your abdomen. It brings attention and balance to that part of your body. It's just a nice soothing treat."

Hopefully, by 2008, you'll just be craving heaps of leafy kale anyway.