You won’t get healthy by eating all junk food and topping the meal off with a carrot stick. You need to ensure you have nutritious food at every meal and minimize the food that’s not good for you. That requires your eating habits to change. Once something becomes a habit, you don’t have to think about it. You automatically do it. You can change a little at a time, making small changes every few weeks, or jump right in with both feet and change your diet entirely. The key to good health is consistency.
Drink more water and chew food longer.
You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference this makes. When you drink water frequently, you do more than quench your thirst. You boost your energy. Mild dehydration can make you feel tired and mentally confused. If seniors are mildly dehydrated, it can create the same symptoms of dementia. Drinking water before a meal can fill you so you don’t eat as much. That helps with weight loss. It’s far better than soft drinks, even diet soft drinks, that add inches to your waist.
Keep healthy snacks ready to eat.
Snacking doesn’t have to be bad for you. It’s all about the type of snack you eat. If you have vegetables and dip ready in the refrigerator, you’ll probably eat that instead of potato chips. When you bring home watermelon or cantaloupe, peel it and dice it. Keep it in a bowl in the fridge to satisfy your urge for something sweet. Frozen grapes can also be a delightful summer treat. Other healthy snacks include nuts, fresh fruit like apples or oranges, and cheese.
Try meal planning.
Planning meals, including snacks, makes it easier to stick with a healthy diet. You plan the meals one day, shop on another day, and cook everything for the week on your day off work. It saves you money since you use the ingredients in several meals. Bake a chicken for baked chicken one night, a chicken salad another, and chicken soup with leftovers. Chopped veggies can be snacks, used in meals, and if there’s any leftover, used in soup. Pack the week’s meals in individual serving sizes. When you’re ready to eat them, just heat and serve.
- Consider pasta substitutes. Spiralized vegetables such as zoodles or Mother Nature’s noodles from spaghetti squash are good substitutes for pasta. You can slice eggplant or zucchini for lasagna.
- Add extra vegetables to your dishes. If you’re serving rice, toss in some broccoli. Scramble your eggs with spinach and cheese. Mix boiled cauliflower with boiled potatoes for mashed potatoes.
- Switch to whole-grain bread. White flour uses just the starch endosperm off the grain and has few nutrients. Whole grains have the bran, germ, and endosperm. The bran is fiber. The germ contains all the nutrition.
- Use unsweetened applesauce to replace oil or sugar in a recipe. If you’re making a smoothie, sweeten it with a ripe banana. Cut fruit into pieces and freeze it. Put it in the blender to make a sorbet for dessert.
For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness