Ten Healthy Eating Tips for The New Year
Healthy Eating
by
Marjorie
Dorfman
There are probably many things you would like to do differently in 2007. Like most people, you will be fortunate if you stick to one new resolution, and even that one is in peril after the novelty of the promise wears off. Here are a few tips about sensible eating meant to bring good cheer. They probably won’t, but read them anyway and…at least think about doing some of them to establish for all time the new and healthier YOU buried somewhere deep inside.
1. Think beyond the next diet.
Instead of worrying about which new diet to go on, decide to educate yourself about healthy foods. Stay away from the mirror and the scale if you are unhappy about your weight and the way your clothes fit. If necessary, throw them all out the window. Just make sure no one is standing underneath. (On second thought, make sure someone is below. The stress induced from a wrongful-death lawsuit is sure to provide more than a sufficient loss of appetite.)
2. Eat smaller meals, more often.
Eat something small every two or three hours; four or five times per day. It can be a container of yogurt, an energy bar or a piece of fruit. Aim for one full meal of the day. This will give your body a chance to burn calories when you are the most active. Stop eating late at night before you go to bed. If not, you might as well take the whole meal and slap it directly onto your thighs and buttocks because that’s where it’s all going end up anyway. If you watch late night television and get hungry, snack on a piece of fruit. (Leave your spouse alone.)
3. Don’t stuff yourself when you are dining out.
You don’t have to eat absolutely everything on your plate because you “paid for it” or because your grandmother told you that people are starving in far away places. Many restaurants serve enormous portions, and all you have to do is take home whatever you don’t finish and eat it the next day. People may still be starving in far away places, but at least you won’t be the next time hunger pangs arise with intent to conquer. We are not the world and we are not the children. We are, alas, our bodies ourselves.
4. Eat more salad and vegetables.
Fill yourself up on the stuff that won’t cause you to escalate to the next dress or trouser size. Whatever amount of protein you are used to eating, cut it in half and fill up on salads and vegetables. Try it for a while. Steam vegetables to get the most nutritional value from them. You can always go back to eating the wrong way. It’s a dark and dirty option, somewhat like free will, always there and ready to pounce on unsuspecting body parts.
5. Pick quality protein.
Become a “health snob.” Buy lean meat and incorporate fish into your weekly diet. You should eat seafood two to three times per week, as the omega 3 oils fish provide are often deficient in our daily diets. Stick with baked fish and chicken. (Take that skin off!) One culinary trick to keep the flavor of the skin without the calories is to prepare the chicken with the skin and then take it off before serving. Baked fish and chicken are healthier than fried, and lean meats like bison or venison are better for you than higher-fat beef. Watch out for processed luncheon meats, hot dogs and bacon because they contain a lot of junk your arteries can well live without. If you must have them in your life, find lower-fat, healthier versions and pretend you are eating the real thing. (I won’t tell if you won’t)
6. Eat more fruit.
You have to make up your mind to do this quickly before the fruit has a chance to strike back and eat you! Try exotic varieties like kiwis, papaya, pluots, pepinos, star fruit and mangos for a change, and challenge your taste buds! You might even be able to fool yourself into thinking you are in some tropical paradise. Add fresh berries to unexpected dishes, like tofu and even plain yogurt. They will make you feel fuller without adding additional fat to your diet. (If you put the berries on cake or ice cream, proceed at your own risk.)
7. Avoiding frying foods.
Once in a while, if you have a craving for fried chicken, by all means indulge. Once a month or so it won’t hurt you, but on a daily basis make up your mind to steam, bake or grill your protein.
8. Carefully choose pasta and breads.
Pick pasta and breads made from whole grains. Avoid white breads and noodles as if they were the bubonic plague because the flour from which they are made has little nutritional content and the high starch content in processed white bread has the same affect as sugar in your bloodstream. Avoid pastries and other sugary snacks. Tell yourself, “apple” and not “apple pie”.
9. Don’t rely on vitamins to provide you with important nutrients.
There is no substitute for good eating habits although some people may need vitamin and mineral supplements. Foods can provide the necessary nutrients your body needs by choosing a diet in the proper proportions from the five major food groups. These include: breads, cereal and potatoes, fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy foods, meat fish and alternatives and fatty and sugary foods. To remain healthy, you should choose a variety of foods from the first four groups every day, but the foods from the fifth group are optional and should be very carefully selected,
10. Healthy food + and active lifestyle= success.
Unless you work for the circus or are in training for the Olympics, the chances are that your life style could be more active. Do small things to burn up calories. Some activities might include: parking a bit further away than usual from work, the supermarket and/or bank. If you commute by bus or train and it is possible, get off the stop before and walk the rest of the way to work. Take a walk at lunchtime or after dinner, if you can.
Make 2007 your healthiest year ever. You can do it. Just think of yourself as the little engine from that children’s story that really, really could!
Happy healthy eating to all for the New Year and always!
Internet sources: Jegtvig, Shereen, “Choose Healthy foods To Fit Your Lifestyle,” http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutrition101/a/keepitsimple.htm
Ten Healthy Eating Tips for The New Year