Ten tips for healthy eating
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EmailIf your goal is to eat a healthy diet, don't throw away everything in the cupboard! Try these ten tips and look to MyPlate for accurate and helpful information.
Eating healthy and increasing the amount of physical activity you get can put you on path to a healthier life. Before throwing out all the food you have and buying the new diet craze “must haves”, try some of these ways to eat better – now.
- Use the smallest plate that will accommodate the food. A large plate begs to be filled from edge to edge! Smaller plates can train your eye to serve smaller portions.
- Switch to whole-wheat pasta. Today’s whole-wheat pastas taste much better than their predecessors, and you will gain the health benefits from eating whole grains.
- Go vegetarian one night a week. Many vegetarian meals can help you cut back on saturated fats and increase your intake of fiber. Beans can also be much less expensive than meat.
- Brew you own cold beverages. By keeping home-brewed iced tea on hand. You can more easily avoid high-calorie soft drinks and sweetened juices.
- Switch from whole milk to low-fat or skim (fat-free) milk. If you’re already drinking 2 percent milk, see if you can make the change to 1 percent or skim. You can still get the health benefits of dairy products without the saturated fat and excess calories.
- Make your coffee black. Stop drinking you calories by forgoing the sugar and cream. If you can’t stand black coffee, switch to two percent or skim milk instead of cream or sugar-laden products.
- Eat fish one day a week. Most experts advise eating fish, especially those high in omega-three fats like salmon, twice a week. Designating a weekly fish night is a good start. Fish sticks don’t count, and neither does fried fish!
- Switch to brown rice. If cooking brown rice from scratch takes too long or gives you gummy results, try the instant variety. Brown rice provides more fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- Eat breakfast. If you’re not eating it every day, now is a great time to start eating in the morning. Studies show that people who eat a healthy breakfast are less likely to gain weight.
- Slow down! It can take 20 minutes for the food you eat to be digested enough for the glucose to enter your bloodstream and for your body to register a sense of fullness. Practice mindful eating. Pausing to taste and savor your food can give your body time to give the stop signal.
Visit MyPlate for a wealth of information on a healthy food choices and physical activity.
