A Healthy Life Style Diet
Here are some ideas to keep in mind:
1. Plan your eating ahead of time – Eating without a plan in mind is like driving without a map. Create eating strategies for home, work, traveling, or dining out. Fill your refrigerator with fresh produce….that way, they are RIGHT THERE staring you in the face every time you open the fridge! Put the foods with high fat and sugar up on the top shelf of the pantry (or, better yet… in the trash!) so you can’t get to them easily. Buy lean protein, low-fat, high-fiber cereals. Purchase frozen dinners that are low in sodium and fat so that you always have a healthy choice available when you’re hungry.
2. Eat more portions, but make them smaller – This area is crucial to any lifestyle diet. It’s easy to tire of “rabbit food” and fall into the trap of eating whatever is available socially, and of course, most of the food is not conducive for weight loss. Reduce portions significantly by leaving a third of what you would normally eat on your plate.
3. Increase fiber intake – Added fiber will help you lose weight because it makes you feel full. It also aids in digestion and excretion of food. Always look for 5 grams or more of fiber per serving when purchasing cereals. Fruits and vegetables also are an excellent source of fiber.
4. Breathe deeply and hydrate – Most of the time, binge eating comes from emotion rather than hunger. If you feel this temptation coming on, stop and take 3 long, slow, deep breaths… exhaling as slowly as possible. Drink a big glass of water and wait 10 minutes before you give into the impulse to binge. You might be surprised… the impulse may go away!
5. Make balanced food choices – Have some protein and carbohydrates with every meal. This will keep blood sugar levels under control and make sure that you get the nutrients you need.
6. Control the splurge – Every now and then, we ALL need a break. If you NEVER eat the foods you enjoy, your eating habits will make you rebel, and you’ll go crazy and binge. Give yourself free meal passes one day each week, so you won’t let the binge get out of control and undo days of hard “work”.
For most people, eating is a source of great pleasure and an environment for great relational communiction. But for those intent on living a healthy life, it’s also important to make wise choices about eating… to eat in moderation, and to give your body the nutrition it needs to survive and even to thrive!
August 26th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I think it can be beneficial to eat smaller portions of food on a regular basis. This will keep your metabolism going throughout the day.
September 7th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I have a small handful of unsalted almonds each day. Good fiber and lowers cholesterol, too. Also, when those small tangerines from Australia are in season, they are a great source of vitamin C and fiber.
September 11th, 2009 at 6:15 am
An interesting and very good article.A balanced diet with meals at regular intervals and in reasonable proportions should ensure that a healthy weight can be maintained and help reduce weight in the overweight. Unfortunately this message is not only difficult to get across, it’s even more difficult to maintain the motivation and momentum. The benefits are stressed at our clubs but even with the group motivation etc, people find it hard to resist the massive amount of temptation all around. A change of tastes and attitude are needed by the overweight population, and without these changes the average weight will only continue to rise. All dieters would love a magic wand, but they are only in fairy stories.