I have a theory when it comes to choosing what I put into my body, and it goes something like this: You only have ONE body- for your WHOLE life. You only get the one (theories on reincarnation aside), so why wouldn’t you want to make it the best it can be? Why not nourish it and exercise it and take care of it? If you only have this once chance why not make the most of it?

We all know that diets don’t work. Meaning: nobody can be on a diet forever. Sure, dieting might work to take off weight in the short run, (who hasn’t tried SlimFast?), but once that weight is off you cannot continue dieting forever into infinity! If you were actually able to continue dieting forever it would mean that you would end up shriveling up into nothingness! You would be a mere carcass of your former self! Nobody wants to be a shriveled carcass. Hopefully we, as smart-minded people, are comfortable with our curves without going overboard on the cheesecake every day. To find this elusive “healthy medium” that everyone is always talking about, you have to find a way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You have heard it all before, but having healthy eating habits is so important for a well-balanced life. If your eating habits are under control you will have more energy, less stress, better health now and in the long run, more brain power and let’s face it, a hotter bod.

Here are some of my personal tips for tweaking your diet for the better. Not all tips will be right for everyone, but if you can make even a few adjustments to some not-so-great habits it is for the greater good. It’s all about baby steps. Without further ado- behold: Nutrition advice from a food lover:

- Eat your fruits and vegetables. This seems like a no-brainer but it is so easy to fall out of the habit of eating them. You need as little as 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and as many as 12. Probably one of the easiest ways to make sure you get your produce in is to try to eat something at each meal. Have a berry and banana smoothie for breakfast with some yogurt and orange juice and that’s 2-3 servings of fruits right there. For lunch, grab some baby carrots and broccoli and that’s another 2 servings. For a snack try having applesauce and a handful of trail mix with nuts and dried berries- another 1-2 servings. At dinner try to have a handful of greens as a salad as well as another veggie of your choice. That’s a total of 8 servings! If adding all these veggies in at once seems overwhelming, just try one serving per meal and one snack and go from there. Mix it up- you want a full rainbow of produce for optimal nutrition.

- Eat (at least) THREE meals a day. I fight with people about this all the time, especially my mom. So many people don’t eat breakfast because they are not hungry in the morning. That’s (sort-of) a fair argument, but it’s so bad for your metabolism. Your body needs fuel. That’s just how we are built. Eat your breakfast. It has been proven that people who eat breakfast have fewer weight and health issues than those that don’t. Even if it’s just a piece of whole wheat peanut butter toast and a glass of orange juice and/or coffee. If eating breakfast makes you feel hungry later in the morning then GOOD! That means your metabolism is working correctly and you have earned a snack!

- Avoid buying junk food that you tend to reach for instead of healthy options. You can’t eat it if it’s not available, right? All calories add up over time, and there are 3,500 calories in a pound. So even if you just cut out that handful or two of chips a day (150-200 calories) that adds up to a pound or two lost after just one month! I know a lot of people use the excuse that they have children who eat chips for snacks so that is why they keep them in the house. Now, I am not going to argue with people over what they are feeding their children, however I would urge them to look for healthier options like rice cakes (so low cal!), whole wheat crackers, or baked pita chips. Even kids should be learning the lesson of moderation.

- If you want dessert, eat dessert. I know from personal experience that denying yourself does not work in the long run. I also know from personal experience that there are TONS of low-calorie dessert options out there. I know that South Beach and SlimFast both make several yummy snack bars that taste like candy. You can also find low calorie single-serving options in your freezer section. Weight Watchers makes several desserts that are delicious and satisfying, yet not over the top calorie-wise.

- Plan ahead. Do all of your grocery shopping for the week all at once. Yes, it takes time and brain power to plan your meals and menus ahead of time. However, once you get in the habit of it you will save not only TIME during your week, but also MONEY. Who couldn’t use a break in their budget, right? I have found that I spend HALF as much money on weeks that I plan my meals ahead of time than on weeks that I don’t. On weeks that I don’t plan I end up going to the store without a plan and get stuff I end up wasting (or I eat a loaf of French bread for dinner)- or we go out to eat and then I end up eating extra calories AND paying dearly for them out of my pocket book. CookingLight.com is a great resource for menu planning and recipe searching. All recipes include their nutrition information as well if you are keeping close track.

- Change it up- and set goals. I find that it is helpful to constantly change things up and set new goals. If you can make healthy dietary choices and stick to them day after day, week after week- good for you! However, not everyone has that much stamina. If you make a goal to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables one week then great! The next week if you’re busy and miss a few- don’t sweat it! Just make a new goal for the next week such as eating fruit for your snacks instead of whatever else you would usually have. Make a goal to get your 8 glasses of water a day. Make a goal to set your menu for the whole week…. goals goals GOALS. If you keep working at it you will achieve the results you are looking for. Guaranteed.

Sources:
• Cooking Light
• Food guide pyramid
• Fruits and Vegetables: Do You Get Enough?
• Diet Bites
• 11 Tips to Boost Your Metabolism

– article by Jen, who writes at Lost in Translation

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 at 10:08 pm and is filed under Bite-sized, Nutrition & Diet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.