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Featured Healthy Eating Articles

10 Easy ways to Cut Calories
1. Read labels before you buy You'll be astounded at how many calories some foods contain. Don't just check out the amount per 1oz or per 100g but the amount the whole package contains and think about how much of it you would normally eat. Then decide ...

Attack the Snacks to Lose Weight
Did you know that when you are on a diet, if you eat something and no one sees you - it doesn't contain any calories! Of course that's not true...but it is how many of us think! Do you eat when you are bored, upset or angry? Do you find that every day ...

Supplements and Drugs: A Hazardous Combination
As I have become more involved in using functional nutritional therapy in my practice, I have come to realize that many people are still confused about the safety and effectiveness of various dietary supplements. Because these products are "natural", ...




10 Easy Ways to Kick-Start a New Healthy Eating Lifestyle
 
Easy Ways to Kick-Start a New Healthy Eating Lifestyle
There is a huge amount of sometimes conflicting, often confusing, nutrition and diet information available. Therefore, itÕs very understandable when people become discouraged about selecting an eating plan for themselves. Even scientific studies often contradict each other. How can we figure out how best to eat for overall health or weight loss?
We can focus on the basics. Unless youÕre going to follow a strict diet that restricts or eliminates certain food groups (which should be carefully studied prior to starting), you can begin by striving for balance in your diet. Below are some common-sense guidelines that you can use to identify what kind of an eating plan works best for your lifestyle and your body. 1. Start drinking more water. Most experts recommend eight (8-ounce) glasses per day. The easiest way to do this is to spread out your water intake throughout the day and use containers that will help you keep track how much you drink. If you arenÕt drinking much water currently, try easing into it. You can add one cup every few days until you reach 8 or more per day.
2. Strive to eat 1-2 servings of fruits or vegetables at each meal or snack. This will add up to several servings a day which is recommended for optimal nutrition.
3. Switch to whole grains. Go for the healthier whole grains in breads, pasta, tortillas, and cereals. Also eat brown rice instead of white. YouÕll be taking in more beneficial fiber and gaining all the other benefits of whole, rather than processed, grains.
4. Get your sweet tooth under control. Start to slowly reduce the portion sizes and frequency of your intake of any sugared treats. Try switching to unsweetened breakfast cereals. Go from full-sized candy bars to bite-size. And, if you are accustomed to eating dessert after every meal, switch to fruit as a dessert a few times per week. The less you eat the sweets, the less youÕll crave over time (really!).
5. Switch to lean meats. Avoid highly marbled beef, high fat pork ribs and chops, regular ground beef and other fatty cuts. Try substituting lean ground beef and turkey, pork tenderloin and flank steak, along with fish and shellfish.
6. Switch to lower fat dairy products. You can really influence your calorie and fat daily totals by switching to lower fat milk, cottage cheese, cheese, sour cream and more. If you enjoy fat-free, work your way down to that. If you really donÕt enjoy the taste, then go to the lower fat varieties (thatÕs what I do!).
7. Find a couple of lower fat salad dressings that you enjoy. With all the vegetable youÕll be eating as part of your new eating style, a couple healthier dressing options will go a long way toward making them more enjoyable. In addition to using on salads, you can use dressings for marinade, dips, sandwich spreads, and whenever you can use some extra flavor.
8. Slowly reduce your portion sizes. Most people who are carrying around some extra weight probably are eating too much food. By slowly reducing your portion sizes, youÕll feel less deprived as you make your way down to a portion size you feel comfortable and satisfied eating.
9. Learn how to read and compare nutrition label information. This will help avoid common mistakes made by people experimenting with healthier foods, such as overeating low fat items even though they contain as many calories as the full-fat varieties. Look at things like fiber, protein and sugar content to help you understand what youÕre feeding your body and how it makes you feel.
10. Although this isnÕt directly an eating issue, increase your activity! Healthy eating is only half of the equation. For ideal health, your body needs to move and move often. Again, start slowly and gradually increase your activity. This doesnÕt necessarily mean hard exercise walking, housework, gardening and running around with your kids can lead to healthy changes in your fitness level. Many experts recommend 30 minutes of exercise three times a week as a minimum for overall health. Each person should talk with their doctor, and determine what type and level of exercise will best suit them.
Even though you may determine you want to make additional lifestyle changes, these basic healthy tips will give you a great start toward improved health. Take it at your own pace and make changes that fit into your lifestyle. You donÕt need to eat foods you donÕt enjoy just because they are healthy. It would be better for you to experiment to find foods you do enjoy, so that you are motivated to keep eating them. Always keep in mind that youÕre making these changes to become a healthier person that will live a longer, more active life!
About the Author
Erin Rogers, a work-at-home mom of two, is the founder of Health-E-Meals.com, providing practical healthy living resources for busy people. She's also the author of the Healthy Express Cookbook: 101 Fresh, Light & Quick Dinners (http://www.health-e-meals.com/ebook.html). Visit her website (http://www.health-e-meals.com/DOTD.html) to sign up for her FREE electronic newsletter, 'Dinners on the Double' - offering a quick and healthy, no-recipe dinner idea and more each week. Erin can be reached via email at erin@health-e-meals.com.




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Healthy Eating News


TopNews United States

Walmart to highlight healthy foods
Financial Times
The initiative was endorsed by Michelle Obama, the first lady, who is leading a US government drive to fight childhood obesity, and backed Walmart when it launched a broader healthy eating campaign last year. Walmart has turned to health initiatives to ...
Wal-Mart plans simple label to identify healthier foodsmsnbc.com
US: Walmart Launches Healthy-Eating Icon For Pack LabelsNamnews
The Walmart Foundation Donates $9.5 Million to Help US Families Access the ...MarketWatch (press release)
24/7 Wall St. -TopNews United States
all 231 news articles »

Dr. Oz brings healthy eating tips to Central Florida
WFTV Orlando
Dr. Mehmet Oz has put together a list of 100 foods he says we should all be eating to stay healthy and lose weight, and he was here in Central Florida to show how it can work. WFTV's Vanessa Welch went grocery shopping with him in Winter Park to find ...

and more »

USC promotes healthy eating, doesn't deliver
Daily Trojan Online
We live in a fast food desert: healthy dining is hard to find, and it is often very far away. When the Ronald Tutor Campus Center opened, it seemed logical that it would be stocked with the healthy dining options that are so scarce in the surrounding ...


ThirdAge

Wal-Mart Debuts 'Great for You' Seal to Promote Healthy Eating
ThirdAge
The company said 20 to 25 percent of its Great Value-brand foods meet the criteria for the new seal, though it didn't say how many products will carry it. "It helps customers see very, very quickly what healthier choices are for them," Andrea Thomas, ...


Healthy eating program's uplifting
Fraser Coast Chronicle
Eat It was a six-week program designed to help members of the community make positive food choices daily. It would teach people how to read food labels, understand healthy eating habits and modify recipes. Diabetes Queensland chief executive Michelle ...