HEALTHY EATING HABITS
EASY TIPS FOR PLANNING A HEALTHY DIET
AND STICKING TO IT
Set yourself up for success
To
set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of
small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the
changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than
you think.
v Simplify. Instead of
being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think
of your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness. This way it should be
easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy
recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will
become healthier and more delicious.
v Start slow and
make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet
healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually
leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like
adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or
switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes
become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.
v Every change you make
to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t
have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long
term goal is to feel good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of cancer and
disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make
counts.
Think of water and exercise as food groups in your diet.
Water: Water
helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many people go
through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches. It’s
common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help
you make healthier food choices.
Exercise: Find
something active that you like to do and add it to your day, just like you
would add healthy greens. The benefits
of lifelong exercise are abundant and regular exercise may even motivate you to
make healthy food choices a habit.
People
often think of healthy eating as an all or nothing proposition, but a key foundation
for any healthy diet is moderation. Despite what certain fad diets would
have you believe, we all need a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber,
vitamins, and minerals to sustain a healthy body.
v Try not to think of
certain foods as “off-limits.” When you ban certain foods or food groups,
it is natural to want those foods more, and then feel like a failure if you
give in to temptation. If you are drawn towards sweet, salty, or unhealthy
foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often. Later you
may find yourself craving them less or thinking of them as only occasional
indulgences.
v Think smaller
portions. Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in
restaurants. When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a
dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything. At home, use smaller
plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms, and start small.
Visual cues can help with portion sizes—your serving of meat, fish, or chicken
should be the size of a deck of cards. A teaspoon of oil or salad dressing is
about the size of a matchbook and your slice of bread should be the size of a
CD case.
It's not just what you
eat, it's how you eat
Healthy eating is about more than the
food on your plate—it is also about how you think about food. Healthy
eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about
food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings
or on the way to pick up the kids.
v Eat with others
whenever possible. Eating with other people has numerous social and
emotional benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model healthy
eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless
overeating.
v Take time to chew
your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite.
We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and
feel the textures of our food. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
v Listen to your
body. Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to
see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before you
feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body
that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
v Eat breakfast, and
eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart
your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather
than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism
going.
Fill up on colorful
fruits and vegetables
Fruits
and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet. They are low in calories
and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants, and fiber.
Try
to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day and with every meal—the
brighter the better. Colorful, deeply colored fruits and vegetables contain
higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—and different
colors provide different benefits, so eat a variety. Aim for a minimum of five
portions each day.
Some
great choices include:
v Greens. Branch
out beyond bright and dark green lettuce. Kale, mustard greens, broccoli, and
Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options—all packed with calcium,
magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.
v Sweet vegetables. Naturally
sweet vegetables—such as corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, yams, onions,
and squash—add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for
other sweets.
v Fruit. Fruit is
a tasty, satisfying way to fill up on fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos offer
vitamin C, and so on.
The importance of getting vitamins from
food—not pills
The
antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help protect against
certain types of cancer and other diseases. And while advertisements abound for
supplements promising to deliver the nutritional benefits of fruits and
vegetables in pill or powder form, research suggests that it’s just not the
same.
A
daily regimen of nutritional supplements is not going to have the same impact
of eating right. That’s because the benefits of fruits and vegetables don’t
come from a single vitamin or an isolated antioxidant.
The
health benefits of fruits and vegetables come from numerous vitamins, minerals,
and phytochemicals working together synergistically. They can’t be broken down
into the sum of their parts or replicated in pill form.
Eat more healthy carbohydrates
and whole grains
Choose
healthy carbohydrates and fiber sources, especially whole grains, for long
lasting energy. In addition to being delicious and satisfying, whole grains are
rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help to protect against coronary
heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. Studies have shown people who eat
more whole grains tend to have a healthier heart.
A quick definition of healthy carbohydrates
and unhealthy carbohydrates
Healthy carbohydrates (sometimes known
as good carbohydrates) include whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables.
Healthy carbohydrates are digested slowly, helping you feel full longer and
keeping blood sugar and insulin levels stable.
Unhealthy
carbohydrates (or bad carbohydrates) are foods such as white flour, refined
sugar, and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fiber, and
nutrients. Unhealthy carbohydrates digest quickly and cause spikes in blood
sugar levels and energy.
Tips for eating more healthy carbohydrates
v Include a variety of
whole grains in your healthy diet, including whole wheat, brown rice, millet,
quinoa, and barley. Experiment with different grains to find your favorites.
v Make sure you're
really getting whole grains. Be aware that the words stone-ground,
multi-grain, 100% wheat, or bran can be deceptive. Look for the words “whole
grain” or “100% whole wheat” at the beginning of the ingredient list.
v Try mixing grains as
a first step to switching to whole grains. If whole grains like brown rice
and whole wheat pasta don’t sound good at first, start by mixing what you
normally use with the whole grains. You can gradually increase the whole grain
to 100%.
Avoid: Refined
foods such as breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals that are not whole grain.
Enjoy healthy fats & avoid
unhealthy fats
Good
sources of healthy fat are needed to nourish your brain, heart, and cells, as
well as your hair, skin, and nails. Foods rich in certain omega-3 fats
called EPA and DHA are particularly important and can reduce cardiovascular
disease, improve your mood, and help prevent dementia.
Add to your healthy diet:
v Monounsaturated fats, from
plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil, as well as avocados,
nuts (like almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans), and seeds (such as pumpkin, sesame).
v Polyunsaturated fats,
including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, found in fatty fish
such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and some cold water
fish oil supplements. Other sources of polyunsaturated fats are unheated
sunflower, corn, soybean, flaxseed oils, and walnuts.
Reduce or eliminate from your diet:
v Saturated fats, found
primarily in animal sources including red meat and whole milk dairy products.
v Trans fats, found
in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack
foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with partially
hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Put protein in
perspective
Protein
gives us the energy to get up and go—and keep going. Protein in food is broken down
into the 20 amino acids that are the body’s basic building blocks for growth
and energy, and essential for maintaining cells, tissues, and organs. A lack of
protein in our diet can slow growth, reduce muscle mass, lower immunity, and
weaken the heart and respiratory system. Protein is particularly important for
children, whose bodies are growing and changing daily.
Here are some guidelines for including
protein in your healthy diet:
Try
different types of protein. Whether or not you are a vegetarian, trying
different protein sources—such as beans, nuts, seeds, peas, tofu, and soy
products—will open up new options for healthy mealtimes.
v Beans: Black
beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and lentils are good options.
v Nuts: Almonds,
walnuts, pistachios, and pecans are great choices.
v Soy products: Try
tofu, soy milk, tempeh, and veggie burgers for a change.
v Avoid salted or
sugary nuts and refried beans.
Downsize
your portions of protein. Many people in the West eat too much protein.
Try to move away from protein being the center of your meal. Focus on equal
servings of protein, whole grains, and vegetables.
Focus
on quality sources of protein, like fresh fish, chicken or turkey, tofu, eggs,
beans, or nuts. When you are having meat, chicken, or turkey, buy meat that is
free of hormones and antibiotics.
Add calcium for strong bones
Calcium is one of the key nutrients
that your body needs in order to stay strong and healthy. It is an essential
building block for lifelong bone health in both men and women, as well as many
other important functions.
You and your bones will benefit from
eating plenty of calcium-rich foods, limiting foods that deplete your body’s
calcium stores, and getting your daily dose of magnesium and vitamins D and
K—nutrients that help calcium do its job.
Recommended
calcium levels are 1000 mg per day, 1200 mg if you are over 50 years old. Take
a vitamin D and calcium supplement if you don’t get enough of these nutrients
from your diet.
Good sources of calcium include:
v Dairy: Dairy
products are rich in calcium in a form that is easily digested and absorbed by
the body. Sources include milk, yogurt, and cheese.
v Vegetables and greens:
Many vegetables, especially leafy green ones, are rich sources of calcium. Try
turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, celery,
broccoli, fennel, cabbage, summer squash, green beans, Brussels sprouts,
asparagus, and crimini mushrooms.
v Beans: For another
rich source of calcium, try black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white
beans, black-eyed peas, or baked beans.
If you succeed in planning your diet
around fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and good
fats, you may find yourself naturally cutting back on foods that can get in the
way of your healthy diet—sugar and salt.
Sugar causes energy ups and downs and
can add to health and weight problems. Unfortunately, reducing the amount of
candy, cakes, and desserts we eat is only part of the solution. Often you may
not even be aware of the amount of sugar you’re consuming each day. Large
amounts of added sugar can be hidden in foods such as bread, canned soups and
vegetables, pasta sauce, margarine, instant mashed potatoes, frozen dinners,
fast food, soy sauce, and ketchup. Here are some tips:
v Avoid sugary drinks.
One 12-oz soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it, more than the daily
recommended limit! Try sparkling water with lemon or a splash of fruit juice.
v Eat naturally sweet
food such as fruit, peppers, or natural peanut butter to satisfy your
sweet tooth.
How sugar is hidden on food labels
Check
food labels carefully. Sugar is often disguised using terms such as:
ü cane sugar or maple
syrup
ü corn sweetener or
corn syrup
ü honey or molasses
ü brown rice syrup
|
ü crystallized or
evaporated cane juice
ü fruit juice
concentrates, such as apple or pear
ü maltodextrin (or
dextrin)
ü Dextrose, Fructose,
Glucose, Maltose, or Sucrose
|
Most
of us consume too much salt in our diets. Eating too much salt can cause high
blood pressure and lead to other health problems. Try to limit sodium intake to
1,500 to 2,300 mg per day, the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt.
v Avoid processed or
pre-packaged foods. Processed foods like canned soups or frozen dinners
contain hidden sodium that quickly surpasses the recommended limit.
v Be careful when
eating out. Most restaurant and fast food meals are loaded with sodium.
v Opt for fresh or
frozen vegetables instead of canned vegetables.
v Cut back on salty
snacks such as potato chips, nuts, and pretzels.
v Choose low-salt or
reduced-sodium products.
v Try slowly reducing
the salt in your diet to give your taste buds time to adjust.
