Five Easy Steps to Healthier Eating
Read more articles on Healthy Eating.August 2, 2006
Posted by Emma
August 2, 2006
Posted by Emma
1 Views
Dieting is a multi-billion dollar industry, and there’s a never-ending supply of diets and diet advice out there. It’s been proven time and time again that restrictive diets don’t work, though. So what does? The best approach is to get away from the whole diet mindset, and instead opt for healthier eating by making small changes to the way you shop and cook.
1) When you shop, buy the majority of your foods from the outside aisles. Most snack foods and processed convenience foods are located in the inner aisles of the supermarket. Fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, and dairy products are located around the edges of the store, and whole, fresh foods are better for you than anything that’s processed and pre-packaged. As a general rule - if it grew that way, it’s good to eat. Instant mashed potato doesn’t grow like that in the box, so leave it on the shelf and buy fresh potatoes instead.
2) Having said that…sometimes, you just crave a certain food, and healthy alternatives won’t satisfy you. If that’s the case, it’s okay to eat whatever you’re craving. Diets often fail because they’re restrictive - when you label certain foods as forbidden, it only makes you want them more, and you tend to overeat because you don’t normally let yourself have them.
3) Eat when you’re hungry. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Many diets are based on eating certain foods at certain times of the day, or on not eating when you’re hungry, or eating frequent small meals so that you don’t get hungry at all. Eating when you’re hungry is much more satisfying, both physically and psychologically, than eating on a time-table.
4) Spice it up! You can add fantastic flavor to your food with herbs and spices instead of fats and oils. Aromatic, flavorful food that appeals to all your senses is satisfying food, and it doesn’t have to be a fatty nightmare.
5) Read nutrition labels carefully. Many products that are advertised as “fat free” contain additional sugars to compensate for the reduction in flavor that comes with a lower-fat product. “Fat free” food isn’t neccessarily more healthy, so check out the nutritionals before you buy. And don’t forget to look at the portion size - even small bags of snack foods may contain more than one portion, and the nutritional information might not give you the statistics for the entire bag.
Copyright © 2006
Terms & Conditions
