The new year has rung in, bringing with it the promise of change and a better tomorrow. Everyone is looking for ways to stick to resolutions of healthy eating and behaviors. Here are ten tips to help make that happen.
- Eat breakfast … really! If your start your day off right you’ll feel better.
- Prepare for snack attacks. A new diet is not really on iron will alone. Diet smarter not harder. Keep smart snacks on hand for those times when you really want a little something. Snacks to consider; Dried fruit and nuts, Greek yogurt, and hummus with carrots.
- Watch your portion size by reading labels and measuring until you can “guesstimate”. Healthy does not mean calorie free.
- Enjoy your food! Chew more slowly, concentrate on what you’re Eating and you’ll do more with less.
- “Drown out” the good with the bad. No one is perfect all the time so aim for a 90/10 approach. Ninety percent of your diet should be comprised of the “good foods” such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, while ten percent can be some of your old favorites.
- Swap! If you can’t stick to just 10% favorites or they are trigger foods that will send you on a binge, find ways to revamp those recipes or dishes so that you can include them more often.
- Don’t sabotage what you eat with what you drink. Pop, alcohol and even juices can be very caloric. A Long Island iced tea can have as many calories as a burger! If you must indulge, dilute with ice and or water. Anything made with more than one type of liquor, will have more calories. Dilute juice with water o better yet, drink straight water and try flavored seltzers instead of diet soda.
- Be smart, use your smartphone. Put that wonderful toy to good use. I Phones and Droids have some wonderful apps to help you track your calories, intake and even scan foods by bar code using your phone’s optical lens. No writing required!
- Don’t fall in to the salad traps. First off, you need a protein with that, or you’ll be heading for a Snicker’s later- martyrdom is not rewarded! The most common salad disaster is what’s on it. Full fat creamy dressing, croutons, crunchy onions things etc… are not your friends. Look for basic vinaigrettes and try adding beans for texture.
- Focus on whole foods. The less ingredients the better. You don’t have to buy the latest health bar concoction. Real food is really good.
