Weight Loss Diet
Easy ways to incorporate healthy eating habits in your daily life
By Molly Carter
In our fast-paced, bigger-is-better society that flaunts value meals, free breadsticks and extra scoops of ice cream, learning to incorporate healthy eating habits can feel overwhelming and daunting. The key is to start making little changes that lay the groundwork for big results.
The first step to eating healthier is limiting fast food and processed meals. It seems easier on your lunch hour to skate through McDonald’s or grab a candy bar from the snack machine, but the truth is, packing your lunch the night before will save you time, money and inches on your waistline.
Pick up a small cooler or a lunch bag from the store. Stock your fridge with veggies, fruit, yogurt and string cheese. If you like meat, buy some chicken breasts and bake them over the weekend. Chop them up and put them in Ziploc baggies to add to the tops of salads, to toss in a stir fry or to enjoy as a lean snack. If you have a microwave at your workplace, even look at frozen meals. Stores like Trader Joe’s have low-sodium, all-organic meals for only a few bucks.
Now, since you are eating a healthy, low-fat and reduced-calorie lunch, make sure you pack snacks to curb your appetite throughout the day and have a bottle of water constantly on hand. Most times, we eat because we are actually dehydrated, bored or just craving something to munch on out of habit. Have a Ziploc bag of carrots, an apple and a pack of gum constantly in your desk drawer.
At home, go through your pantry and get rid of fattening and processed foods. Keep a little treat on hand for when cravings hit, but limit yourself to a small indulgence ... a snack-sized pack of candy or a one-serving bag of chips. When we try to deny ourselves, we end up obsessing about what we are denying ourselves, so treat yourself occasionally.
Prepare for what moods may strike you. Freeze some grapes if you want a sweet treat. Stock your fridge with fruits and yogurt to blend into a smoothie. Make sure your cabinet is full of oats, wheat flour and sweeteners like honey for healthier baking. Get rid of oils rich in trans-fat and stick with olive oil, which has heart-healthy fatty acids.
Key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is constantly keeping a variety of food coming across our plate so that you don’t get bored. Healthy foods shouldn’t be tasteless. Take a heart-healthy cooking class, pick up a cookbook or hop online to look for recipes. By using spices and making small changes like using reduced-fat cream cheese or skim milk, we can make drastic changes in our diets. Chop up spinach and carrots to mix into your turkey meatballs, throw veggies instead of fattening meats on your pizza and choose whole-wheat instead of white bread.
Once you start incorporating vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins into your diet, you will start to see a pattern. You won’t crave the takeout meals of fried chicken or french fries, and a few bites of cake will seem rich enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. By training our bodies, we start to crave what makes us feel good. So have fun; look at eating healthy as a new experience, and use some creativity.
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