Healthy eating tip of the day: Set yourself up for success

To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.

• Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness. This way it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.
• Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking.  As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.
• Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.

Healthy breakfast

It might be the last thing on your morning to-do list, or worse, it might not be on your list at all. But a healthy breakfast refuels your body, jump-starts your day and may even benefit your overall health. So don’t skip this meal — it may be more important than you think.

Even if you’re short on time, quick and flexible options you can grab at home give you plenty of healthy ways to put breakfast back on your daily menu.

The benefits of a healthy breakfast

Breakfast gives you a chance to start each day with a healthy and nutritious meal. It also lays the foundation for lifelong health benefits.

Benefits for adults
When you eat a healthy breakfast, you’re more likely to:

• Eat more vitamins and minerals
• Eat less fat and cholesterol
• Have better concentration and productivity throughout the morning
• Control your weight
• Have lower cholesterol, which may reduce your risk of heart disease

Benefits for children
Breakfast is especially important for children and adolescents. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to:

• Concentrate better
• Have better problem-solving skills
• Have better hand-eye coordination
• Be more alert
• Be more creative
• Miss fewer days of school
• Be more physically active

The basics of a healthy breakfast

Even though you know a healthy breakfast has many benefits, you may not be sure what exactly counts as a healthy breakfast.

Here’s what forms the core of a healthy breakfast:

• Whole grains. Options include whole-grain rolls, bagels, hot or cold whole-grain cereals, low-fat bran muffins, crackers, or melba toast.
• Low-fat protein. Options include hard-boiled eggs, peanut butter, lean slices of meat and poultry, or fish, such as water-packed tuna or slices of salmon.
• Low-fat dairy. Options include skim milk, low-fat yogurt and low-fat cheeses, such as cottage and natural cheeses.
• Fruits and vegetables. Options include fresh fruits and vegetables or 100 percent juice beverages without added sugar.

Together, these core groups provide complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein and a small amount of fat — a combination that packs big health benefits and that also can leave you feeling full for hours.

Try to choose one or two options from each category to round out a healthy breakfast.

What to look for in dry cereals

Cereal may frequently be your go-to item for breakfast, whether your grab a handful to eat dry while on the run, or you have time for a quick bowl with milk. But not all cereals are created equal. So when choosing a breakfast cereal, try to put a little thought into your decision by reading the nutrition label and ingredient list. Remember that a serving size is typically 3/4 cup to 1 cup. The key items to look for are:

• Fiber. Choose cereals with at least 3 grams (g) of fiber per serving, but if possible, aim for 5 grams per serving or even higher.
• Sugar. Added sugar doesn’t automatically make a cereal unhealthy. But try to choose cereals that have 13 grams or less of sugar per serving.
• Calories. If you’re counting calories, choose cereals lower in calories, ideally less than 120 calories per serving.

Sources: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 21; USDA What’s in the Foods You Eat, 3.0

Remember to top off your bowl of cereal with some sliced fruit and low-fat or skim milk. Or if you’re on the go, take along a piece of fruit and a carton of milk with your dry cereal.

Cereal bars
Cereal bars also may be a good breakfast option. Just be sure to look for those that meet the same guidelines as dry cereal. Also, don’t forget some fruit and low-fat milk or yogurt to round things out. Even fruit or yogurt cereal bars won’t satisfy all your nutrition requirements for breakfast.

Quick and flexible breakfast options

Whether you tend to stick with traditional breakfast options or you prefer the variety offered by nontraditional breakfast fare, you have plenty of ways to get in a healthy breakfast each day.

Here are some specific examples of healthy breakfast options:

• Cooked oatmeal with almonds or dried cranberries
• Cold cereal with a side of fruit
• A whole-wheat pita stuffed with hard-boiled eggs
• Leftover vegetable pizza
• Vegetables, salsa and low-fat shredded cheese wrapped in a tortilla
• A smoothie blended from exotic fruits, some low-fat yogurt and a spoonful of wheat germ
• Whole-wheat crackers with low-fat cheese or peanut butter
• A microwaved potato topped with broccoli and grated Parmesan cheese
• A whole-wheat sandwich with lean meat and low-fat cheese
• Multigrain pancakes with fruit and yogurt
• A whole-grain waffle with peanut butter

Fitting in a healthy breakfast

If you skip breakfast because you think you don’t have time in the morning, plan ahead. The night before, figure out what you’ll eat, and if necessary, get up 10 minutes earlier to enjoy it. Or pack something the night before to take with you the next morning. If your kids don’t get a nutritious breakfast at school, don’t let them leave home without it.

Also, if you skip breakfast because you want to save calories, realize that you may be setting yourself up for failure later in the day. Chances are you’ll be ravenous by lunchtime, which may lead you to eat more or turn to fast but unhealthy options — such as the doughnuts or cookies a co-worker brings to the office.

Your morning meal doesn’t have to mean loading up on sugar and fats, and it doesn’t have to be time-consuming to be healthy. Keep the breakfast basics in mind and set yourself up for healthier eating all day long.

Start the Day Right – Don’t Skip Breakfast

Studies show that children who eat breakfast do better in school. It doesn’t take much further thought to realize adults will feel better and perform better at work as well. Whether you work at home, on the farm, at the office, at school, or on the road, it is not a good idea to skip breakfast. Eating a good breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day.

When you skip breakfast, you are likely to become tired when your brain and body run low on fuel. By mid-morning, you might grab a cup of coffee or wolf down a sugary candy bar to wake up again. This might work for a few minutes, but by lunch time you are hungry, crabby, and perhaps your mood might make you a little more prone to make unhealthy choices at lunch.

Skipping breakfast is a common strategy for losing weight, but not a smart one. Many people believe that they will lose weight if they skip meals, but that just isn’t true; the body expects to be refueled a few times each day — starting with breakfast.

Actually, eating breakfast is good for weight loss. In fact, people who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.

Making a Healthy Breakfast
A healthy breakfast should contain some protein and some fiber. Protein can come from low fat meats, eggs, beans or dairy. Fiber can be found in whole grains, vegetables and fruits. A good example of a healthy breakfast might be something simple like a hard boiled egg, an orange, and a bowl of whole grain cereal with low fat milk.
Stay away from the sugary cereals, syrups, pastries, and white breads because they are digested quickly and will leave you hungry and tired in a couple of hours. Protein and fiber satisfy your hunger and will keep you feeling full until lunch time.

If you really don’t like to eat breakfast, you can split it up into two smaller meals. Eat a hard boiled egg at home, and an hour or two later, take a break from work and snack on an apple and a handful of healthy nuts like pecans or walnuts.

Breakfast Every Morning
Remember that eating a healthy breakfast is the best way to start off your day, and be good to yourself by eating a healthy breakfast. Notice how much better you feel through the morning and the rest of the day when you don’t skip breakfast.

How to Lose Weight – The Basics of Weight Loss

Despite the way it feels, losing weight isn’t a mysterious process. It’s a simple matter of burning more calories than you eat. But, if it were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem, would we? Weight loss can be such a struggle that we start thinking we have to do something drastic to see results — diets, pills or those weird fitness gadgets on infomercials that promise instant success. The true secret to weight loss is this: Make small changes each and every day and you’ll slowly (but surely) lose those extra pounds. The key is to forget about instant results and settle in for the long run.

Rules of Weight Loss

To lose one pound of fat, you must burn approximately 3500 calories over and above what you already burn doing daily activities. That sounds like a lot of calories and you certainly wouldn’t want to try to burn 3500 calories in one day. However, by taking it step-by-step, you can determine just what you need to do each day to burn or cut out those extra calories. Below is a step by step process for getting started.

1. Calculate your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Your BMR is what your body needs to maintain normal functions like breathing and digestion. This is the minimum number of calories you need to eat each day. Keep in mind that no calculator will be 100% accurate, so you may need to adjust these numbers as you go along.

    

2. Calculate your activity level. Use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you burn while sitting, standing, exercising, lifting weights, etc. throughout the day. It helps to keep a daily activity journal or you could even wear a heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned. 
3. Keep track of how many calories you eat. You can use a site like Calorie Count or use a food journal to write down what you eat and drink each day. Be as accurate as possible, measuring when you need to or looking up nutritional information for restaurants, if you eat out. 
4. Add it up. Take your BMR number, add your activity calories and then subtract your food calories from that total. If you’re eating more than you’re burning, (your BMR + activity is 2000 and you’re eating 2400 calories) you’ll gain weight. If you’re burning more than you eat, you’ll lose weight.

Example:

Mary’s BMR is 1400 calories and she burns 900 calories in daily activity with regular exercise, walking around and doing household chores. To maintain her weight, she should be eating 2300 calories but, after keeping a food journal, Mary finds that she’s eating 2550 calories every day. By eating 250 more calories than her body needs, Mary will gain one pound every 2 weeks.

This example shows how easy it is to gain weight without even knowing it. However, it’s also easy to lose weight, even if the process itself can be slow. You can start by making small changes in your diet and activity levels and immediately start burning more calories than you’re eating. If you can find a way to burn an extra 200 to 500 calories each day with both exercise and diet, you’re on the right track. Try these ideas:

Instead of…	Do this…
An afternoon Coke	Drink a glass of water. (calories saved: 97)
An Egg McMuffin	Eat a small whole wheat bagel +1 Tbsp of peanut butter (calories saved: 185)
Using your break eat sweets	Walk up and down a flight of stairs for 10 minutes (calories burned: 100)
Hitting the snooze button	Get up 10 minutes early and go for a brisk walk (calories burned: 100)
Watching TV after work	Do 10 minutes of yoga (calories burned: 50)

Total Calories Saved: 532 (based on a 140-pound person)

10 Tips For Faster Weight Loss

Losing weight can be a challenge, especially if you have many pounds to shed. It can be difficult to sift through all the fad diets, and downright dangerous supplements and pills on the market today. How do you know what works and what doesn’t? Whom should you believe?

Here are 10 no-nonsense tips for fast:

1) Drink 8-10 glasses of water each day – this helps flush your body of impurities and fat. You can also substitute a few glasses of water for green or herbal tea.
2) Break up your meals into 5 or 6 smaller ones – this will help speed up your metabolism and keep you from getting too hungry in between meals.
3) Increase your fruit and vegetable intake – these are packed with vitamins.
4) Decrease your fat intake – try for no more than 20 grams per day.
5) Exercise for 30 minutes each day – take a walk, or play a game with your kids. Just get moving.
6) Find a hobby – take up knitting or painting to keep your hands busy.
7) Don’t eat that late night snack – Try not to eat for at least 2 hours before going to bed.
8) Listen to your body – your body will tell you when it is full, hungry, stressed, tired. Learn the signs and obey what your body is telling you.
9) Increase your fiber – choose whole grain pasta and bread.
10) Cleanse and detoxify – this may be the most important. Rid your body of harmful toxins and chemicals, while allowing it to function normally.

How to Stop Food Cravings At Night

A great way to curb your appetite and control your weight gain issue is to stop food cravings at night. Many overweight people struggle with nighttime eating, which is a habit more than anything. When you consume food after 8pm or so, your body doesn’t break down the calories you ingested as effectively as it does during the day. You may even go to sleep right after you snack, obstructing your body’s ability to break down carbs. Learn how to stop those annoying food cravings at night.

Step 1 – Eat a healthy, well-balanced supper around 6pm and no later, if possible. Include lean protein, vegetables, and some carbohydrates in your dinner. Protein helps you feel full…longer.

Step 2 – If you like to eat dessert, keep it in moderation. Eating an entire bowl of fudge ice cream may leave you feeling full, but the high sugar content can leave you even hungrier several hours after you consumed it.

Step 3 – Drink lots of water. After dinner, have at least two bottles of water before you head to sleep. You’ll help wash out toxins and keep yourself feeling full.

Step 4 – Distract yourself. If it’s close to midnight and the thought of chocolate cake saturates your mind, distract yourself. Put in a movie, take a bubble bath, or open a good book. Before you know it, your craving will subside.

Step 5 – Have a mug of warm tea, preferably green tea. Don’t add sugar or cream, either. Not only will it calm you down, ingesting something other than water can fill your stomach up and curb cravings.

Step 6 – When you’re in bed, read or listen to soft, soothing music. The quicker you fall asleep and STAY asleep, the less likely you’ll be to sneak into the kitchen for a snack.

Step 7 – Chew gum,  A lot of times people eat just because they think they need to be chewing on something. Sugar-free gum is a perfect solution

Step 8 – Ask for help, Using food as a source of comfort is something most of us do at one point or another. However, if food is your ONLY source of comfort, this is a sign of a bigger problem. Talking to someone about it can help you get past these issues so you can focus on your health. I’ve been there many times, and I found that something as simple as picking up the phone and talking to a friend or family member really helps.

2012 Unhealthy.
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