Healthy Foods for Snackers
If you are an emotional eater, keep the junk food like potato chips, tortilla chips, ice cream, and candy out of the house. Keep healthy snacks like fruits, crunchy vegetables with dips, or nuts handy. If you absolutely feel the need for a treat, then purchase a small piece of high quality chocolate or your favorite treat and enjoy it, just don’t buy any to bring home.
The same tips are helpful for those who enjoy TV snacking at home. If you don’t want to give up nibbling while watching your shows, keep close by, because it is very easy to eat too much when you are entranced by your favorite drama, football game or cooking show.
Healthy Foods When Eating Out
It is difficult to maintain good health if you eat out a lot. Those salads might not be as appealing as a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Restaurants frequently serve huge portions of food too, much more than you need. If you can’t hold your resolve to stick to the salads, compromise; pick out an appetizer that you love, combine it with a salad or a cup of soup, and skip the larger entrees. You can also share a meal or take half of it home. You could die for dessert? Order as small a size as possible, or maybe just one scoop of ice cream, rather than a larger, heavier dessert. Try a dish of mixed berries topped with nuts and a small bit of whipped cream. Be careful with the after-dinner drinks as well. Maybe just have one glass of wine with your meal.
If you eat a lot of fast food, you have found out how difficult it is to feel good and stay healthy.
Some places have added salads and some better choices, but it really isn’t a good way to eat. Keep fast food dining to a minimum, don’t go with the super sizes and choose places that offer more fresh ingredients.
Eating Healthy Foods at Home
If you hate to cook, all that fresh produce you bought may just rot in your refrigerator. You might prefer to purchase prepared foods from markets that specialize in healthier whole foods, or even hire a personal chef to prepare meals that only need to be heated and served. If you have a tighter budget, perhaps you can set aside some time on weekends to prepare meals and freeze them to be reheated later that week.
It is important to be prepared if you are going to eat good foods at home and not run out for fast food when you don’t feel like cooking. Unfortunately, grocery shopping can be very tedious. Set aside enough time to do your shopping for a few days’ worth of healthy food and ingredients. Make a list and stick to it. Don’t go shopping when you are hungry, and once you are at the store, stay away from the junk and the processed food aisles. Buy lots of fresh produce and choose lean meats and fish. Stay away from processed meats, fake cheese products, processed boxed and canned meals and avoid the snack aisle. Better yet, shop for organic products whenever possible. If you have no choice but to shop infrequently, choose frozen fruits and vegetables over canned, as they may retain more of their nutrients and don’t have the extra sodium.
Don’t Skip Meals
If you skip breakfast, you may find that you lose energy by midmorning. Rather than skipping breakfast completely, split it in half. Eat a small breakfast early, such as an egg, small serving of oatmeal, or a slice of whole grain bread. Have a small snack on hand such as raisins and 10 or 12 almonds to eat at midmorning. This split breakfast is a much better solution than reaching for coffee and candy bars to perk yourself up.
Control Portion Size
Our stomachs really aren’t that big. Without stretching, the stomach will hold about two cups of food, but because the stomach will stretch, it can hold considerably more food than we need at any given meal.
When you eat at home, serve your meals already dished up on individual plates rather than family style at the table. You will be less likely to reach for "seconds" that way. At restaurants, ask for "take home" containers and take half of your meal home to heat up tomorrow. Avoid buffets, unless you are very disciplined. It is way too tempting to load up three or four plates plus dessert.
Tame Your Sweet Tooth
Curb your cravings for sweets with fruits and stay away from sugary snacks and pastries. These treats have lots of calories and can be loaded with unhealthy fats. If the fruits and berries aren’t sweet enough for you, add just a bit of Splenda, stevia or even a tiny sprinkling of sugar. Avoid sugary sodas and try iced herbal teas or ice water with lemon or lime. If you miss the carbonation, add some fruit juice to carbonated water like I mentioned earlier.
Things You Won’t Give Up
Do you feel like you can’t live without your chocolate, or your mornings just can’t begin without a cup of coffee? If there are foods you won’t give up, enjoy them in smaller amounts. Buy one tiny high quality piece of candy and enjoy it, but don’t buy a bag full of snacks to take with you. Love your coffee? Stick with just one regular sized cup, instead of a giant 20 ounce mug. You can also switch to decaffeinated coffee, or drink a blend of half regular coffee and half decaffeinated coffee. Limit other treats or favorite foods that aren’t healthy, maybe let yourself eat them one time per week, or search for healthier versions at natural foods markets.
Healthy Foods When Eating Out
It is difficult to maintain good health if you eat out a lot. Those salads might not be as appealing as a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Restaurants frequently serve huge portions of food too, much more than you need. If you can’t hold your resolve to stick to the salads, compromise; pick out an appetizer that you love, combine it with a salad or a cup of soup, and skip the larger entrees. You can also share a meal or take half of it home. You could die for dessert? Order as small a size as possible, or maybe just one scoop of ice cream, rather than a larger, heavier dessert. Try a dish of mixed berries topped with nuts and a small bit of whipped cream. Be careful with the after-dinner drinks as well. Maybe just have one glass of wine with your meal.
If you eat a lot of fast food, you have found out how difficult it is to feel good and stay healthy.
Some places have added salads and some better choices, but it really isn’t a good way to eat. Keep fast food dining to a minimum, don’t go with the super sizes and choose places that offer more fresh ingredients.
Eating Healthy Foods at Home
If you hate to cook, all that fresh produce you bought may just rot in your refrigerator. You might prefer to purchase prepared foods from markets that specialize in healthier whole foods, or even hire a personal chef to prepare meals that only need to be heated and served. If you have a tighter budget, perhaps you can set aside some time on weekends to prepare meals and freeze them to be reheated later that week.
It is important to be prepared if you are going to eat good foods at home and not run out for fast food when you don’t feel like cooking. Unfortunately, grocery shopping can be very tedious. Set aside enough time to do your shopping for a few days’ worth of healthy food and ingredients. Make a list and stick to it. Don’t go shopping when you are hungry, and once you are at the store, stay away from the junk and the processed food aisles. Buy lots of fresh produce and choose lean meats and fish. Stay away from processed meats, fake cheese products, processed boxed and canned meals and avoid the snack aisle. Better yet, shop for organic products whenever possible. If you have no choice but to shop infrequently, choose frozen fruits and vegetables over canned, as they may retain more of their nutrients and don’t have the extra sodium.
Don’t Skip Meals
If you skip breakfast, you may find that you lose energy by midmorning. Rather than skipping breakfast completely, split it in half. Eat a small breakfast early, such as an egg, small serving of oatmeal, or a slice of whole grain bread. Have a small snack on hand such as raisins and 10 or 12 almonds to eat at midmorning. This split breakfast is a much better solution than reaching for coffee and candy bars to perk yourself up.
Control Portion Size
Our stomachs really aren’t that big. Without stretching, the stomach will hold about two cups of food, but because the stomach will stretch, it can hold considerably more food than we need at any given meal.
When you eat at home, serve your meals already dished up on individual plates rather than family style at the table. You will be less likely to reach for "seconds" that way. At restaurants, ask for "take home" containers and take half of your meal home to heat up tomorrow. Avoid buffets, unless you are very disciplined. It is way too tempting to load up three or four plates plus dessert.
Tame Your Sweet Tooth
Curb your cravings for sweets with fruits and stay away from sugary snacks and pastries. These treats have lots of calories and can be loaded with unhealthy fats. If the fruits and berries aren’t sweet enough for you, add just a bit of Splenda, stevia or even a tiny sprinkling of sugar. Avoid sugary sodas and try iced herbal teas or ice water with lemon or lime. If you miss the carbonation, add some fruit juice to carbonated water like I mentioned earlier.
Things You Won’t Give Up
Do you feel like you can’t live without your chocolate, or your mornings just can’t begin without a cup of coffee? If there are foods you won’t give up, enjoy them in smaller amounts. Buy one tiny high quality piece of candy and enjoy it, but don’t buy a bag full of snacks to take with you. Love your coffee? Stick with just one regular sized cup, instead of a giant 20 ounce mug. You can also switch to decaffeinated coffee, or drink a blend of half regular coffee and half decaffeinated coffee. Limit other treats or favorite foods that aren’t healthy, maybe let yourself eat them one time per week, or search for healthier versions at natural foods markets.
