Healthy Foods Instead of a Diet!
You hear a lot about living a healthy lifestyle, but what does that mean? In general, a healthy person doesn't smoke, is at a healthy weight, eats healthy and exercises. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Rather than worry about the mirror and the scale, let's think about our lifestyle and our health. Being healthy doesn't mean you have to be a size four. It means feeling good physically and emotionally. It means having energy and enjoying every day.
The trick to healthy living is
making small changes...
taking more steps,
adding fruit to your cereal,
having an extra glass of water...
These are just a few ways you can start living healthy without drastic changes.
The BEST WAY to make healthy food choices is to have plenty of them available and to avoid or limit the number of unhealthy food choices at home, at work or wherever you are. Here are some simple tips:
- Serve and offer water most of the time. Limit soft drinks. If you get tired of plain water, add a slice of lemon or lime to enhance flavor. Try some 100% fruit juice with carbonated water.
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The closer a food is to its natural state, the better it is for you. Select more fresh fruits and vegetables and steam them to retain the most nutritional value. Choose frozen fruits and vegetables over canned, as they may retain more of their nutrients and don't have the extra sodium.
- Select whole grain foods; breads, pastas etc.
- Have an assortment of good snacks available, such as yogurt, applesauce, peanut butter and celery, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, rice cakes, whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese.
- Select lean meats, low-fat dairy and eat fish two or three times per week. Eat healthier versions of processed lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, and sausages. Avoid fried foods. Healthier cooking methods include broiling, grilling, roasting and steaming.
- Limit the amount of processed food you cook. As a general rule, buy products that have common ingredients found in your kitchen.
- Limit fast food and other low-nutrient snacks, such as chips and candy. You may make them "once-in-a-while" foods.
- Remember to eat a variety of healthy foods because some people become sensitive to foods they eat frequently. Try different grains, such as spelt, as a substitute for wheat and try rice milk or almond milk in place of cow's milk.
Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't have
to mean drastic changes! In fact,
drastic changes almost always lead to failure.
Making small changes in how you live
each day can lead to big rewards, so figure out
what you can to be healthy today.
Healthy and Unhealthy Foods (PDF) - A convenient list to carry on you
10 of the Healthiest 100-Calorie Snacks (PDF)
(http://exercise.about.com) (http://nutrition.about.com)
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