A large percentage of Americans desire to eat more healthy and/or lose weight. If you're anything like me, you've probably wasted lots of money on weight loss drinks, programs and foods that you ate for a little while, but ended up throwing away later because they were, for lack of a better word - yucky. Well, you can eat healthy and lose weight - it's easy! Here are some simple steps to improve your daily diet.
1. Shop mainly in the outer aisles of the grocery store. In other words, just shop one big square. The truth is that most grocery stores are set up the same. Fresh items like fruits, vegetables, juices and fresh meats are in the outer aisles. The inner aisles house mostly processed and sugary foods. Filling your basket with items mostly from the outer aisles is a simple way to be more conscious about what you're eating.
2. At home I drink water or green tea with a little lemon and a touch of brown sugar. I stay away from colas, sodas and even juices (because they are full of sugar). When I go out to eat there are usually very few healthy choices, so I typically drink water. You'd be surprised the number of empty calories and sugar in beverages. Sticking with water and/or low calorie beverages can improve your diet and aid in weight loss.
3. Visit your local fruit/farmer's market once or twice a week. This will motivate you to try new fruits and vegetables, and will ensure that you always have fresh produce in your home. Talk with the vendors and other patrons. You can get great recipes and cooking ideas this way.
4. Make individual fruit, veggie and snack bags. Take a zip loc bag and fill it with broccoli, cauliflower, celery and carrots for snacking. Do the same with fruit, like apples, oranges, peaches and nectarines. Make a bag filled with almonds and raisins/or dried cranberries yummy. Pull these out for snacks instead of a cookie or candy bar.
5. We usually refer to meat as the main course and vegetables, pastas, salads, etc. as sides. Renew your thinking. Consider your vegetable(s) and/or sides as your main course, and your meat as your side. Fix your plate according to this renewed way of thinking - mostly veggies and sides and a little piece of meat.
6. Treat yourself to dessert with most of your meals. Instead of pie or cake, serve yourself a bowl of jello with fat-free whip cream, nuts and a cherry on top. You can also layer this, jello, granola, whip cream and nuts, making it like a parfait. Check your local grocer for sorbets, or make yourself a smoothie. This will satisfy your sweet tooth and not make you feel like you're dieting.
7. Serve some type of salad with every meal. This can be as simple as a few fresh spinach leaves served with mandarin orange slices and a little honey mustard sauce, or try a simple fruit salad like watermelon and cantaloupe. Serving a salad with each meal will help you to fill up on fruits and vegetables instead of high calorie foods.
8. Give up something for something else, here's what I mean. You're going to the bagel shop and you know you want that deep dish apple muffin. If you have an option, don't get the jumbo, get the smaller instead. If only the jumbo is available, have a water instead of a latte. Or later that day you might want to sacrifice something else to make up for having had that jumbo muffin.
9. Limit the number of times you eat out per week, especially the fast food stops.
10. Go open face. Instead of having a sandwich with two pieces of bread, opt for an open face sandwich. You'd be surprised how much you'd cut back in calories in one week following this tip alone.
1. Shop mainly in the outer aisles of the grocery store. In other words, just shop one big square. The truth is that most grocery stores are set up the same. Fresh items like fruits, vegetables, juices and fresh meats are in the outer aisles. The inner aisles house mostly processed and sugary foods. Filling your basket with items mostly from the outer aisles is a simple way to be more conscious about what you're eating.
2. At home I drink water or green tea with a little lemon and a touch of brown sugar. I stay away from colas, sodas and even juices (because they are full of sugar). When I go out to eat there are usually very few healthy choices, so I typically drink water. You'd be surprised the number of empty calories and sugar in beverages. Sticking with water and/or low calorie beverages can improve your diet and aid in weight loss.
3. Visit your local fruit/farmer's market once or twice a week. This will motivate you to try new fruits and vegetables, and will ensure that you always have fresh produce in your home. Talk with the vendors and other patrons. You can get great recipes and cooking ideas this way.
4. Make individual fruit, veggie and snack bags. Take a zip loc bag and fill it with broccoli, cauliflower, celery and carrots for snacking. Do the same with fruit, like apples, oranges, peaches and nectarines. Make a bag filled with almonds and raisins/or dried cranberries yummy. Pull these out for snacks instead of a cookie or candy bar.
5. We usually refer to meat as the main course and vegetables, pastas, salads, etc. as sides. Renew your thinking. Consider your vegetable(s) and/or sides as your main course, and your meat as your side. Fix your plate according to this renewed way of thinking - mostly veggies and sides and a little piece of meat.
6. Treat yourself to dessert with most of your meals. Instead of pie or cake, serve yourself a bowl of jello with fat-free whip cream, nuts and a cherry on top. You can also layer this, jello, granola, whip cream and nuts, making it like a parfait. Check your local grocer for sorbets, or make yourself a smoothie. This will satisfy your sweet tooth and not make you feel like you're dieting.
7. Serve some type of salad with every meal. This can be as simple as a few fresh spinach leaves served with mandarin orange slices and a little honey mustard sauce, or try a simple fruit salad like watermelon and cantaloupe. Serving a salad with each meal will help you to fill up on fruits and vegetables instead of high calorie foods.
8. Give up something for something else, here's what I mean. You're going to the bagel shop and you know you want that deep dish apple muffin. If you have an option, don't get the jumbo, get the smaller instead. If only the jumbo is available, have a water instead of a latte. Or later that day you might want to sacrifice something else to make up for having had that jumbo muffin.
9. Limit the number of times you eat out per week, especially the fast food stops.
10. Go open face. Instead of having a sandwich with two pieces of bread, opt for an open face sandwich. You'd be surprised how much you'd cut back in calories in one week following this tip alone.
About the Author:
Dee Dee Smith will give you the gut honest truth about weight loss and the best and worst ways to go about shedding those extra pounds. If you are anxious about losing those dreaded pounds learn about the extreme benefits and side effects of Clenbuterol Weight Loss.
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