Healthy Diet Tip #10

These days, you don't have to go far to see an inordinate number of products competing for your consumption, and beverages are certainly one of those categories.  But among all of the various soft drinks with and without sugar, or caffeine, or artificial flavors, or carbonation, the only one that is really natural, the only one your body craves, the only one that is healthy, is water.  There is nothing wrong with having a commercial beverage as a treat, for recreation, or socialization; but at mealtime, drink water.  It goes with everything, and helps to promote good digestion.  Not only that, it has no calories, no caffeine, and nothing else to get between you and good nutrition.  And, for the most part, tap water is fine.  If there is a suggestion of chlorine, or fear of contaminates, using a filter on your tap or a filtered pitcher can solve that issue.  But buying water in bottles does not, as bottled water is not subject to the stringent requirements that tap water must satisfy, and those plastic bottles have to go somewhere.  And bottled water is not cheap, often approaching the price of gasoline in some brands.  Save the money, save the planet, save your health, and drink the water! Do you want more evidence?  See my post called Water - Enough or Too Much Of A Good Thing!

Healthy Diet Tip #9

We live in a world where multitasking has become the norm.  Checking the computer while talking on the phone, grabbing a bite to eat on the way to the car, is not farfetched.  But when eating becomes a secondary action, accurate monitoring and control of that action is lost. This even can occur just with reading the newspaper or watching television while eating.  One so concentrates on the accompanying process that the eating fades into the background as a mechanical act.  The food is not really enjoyed, and normal limits on consumption may be ignored.  But if eating becomes the primary activity, without distractions, then the food can be enjoyed, portions and selections can be appropriate, and control of intake can be achieved.  I am not suggesting sitting at a table quietly eating your food; there is nothing wrong with a social meal, that is likely preferable, even background music is nice, it's the direction of attention and concentration that becomes the issue.  By keeping the meal as the primary activity, other distractions won't grab your attention, so that you can control what, and how much, you consume.

Healthy Diet Tip #8

For many, there is an unwritten rule that you have to clean your plate, not leave a morsel of food behind.  This can be a problem when there is no quantification of how much is on that plate.  If you look at the nutrition labeling of packaged foods, they always start out by defining a "portion." It is that portion size, expressed in ounces, cups, grams, pieces or whatever, that form the basis for all of the nutrition facts that follow.  And it is that portion size that nutritionists feel is the right amount of that food to eat at a meal.  No more, and no less.  Now you may say that it is not enough for you, or maybe it's too much.  Here is where an individual plan needs to be constructed, to understand what your nutritional needs are, and the best way to satisfy them in a healthy fashion.  Clearly, you can't follow the suggestions strictly, without question; but you can use them as a guide to help prevent overeating, and supply the correct level of nutrients to maintain good health.  

 

Healthy Diet Tip #7

 Anyone with a pet, or anyone who has been to the zoo,  knows that animals, in general, eat standing up.  People, in general, don't, or at least, shouldn't.  Standing up while munching a meal makes it difficult to quantitate and control just what you are eating.  Sitting down at a table, with a plate - even a paper one - allows you to define the time and space for eating.  And, after all, placing some definition on your eating is what getting a diet into a healthy mode is all about.  So even if you go out for some fast food, find a way to sit down and enjoy it.

Healthy Diet Tip #6

Getting your diet under control take some structure, and one such structure is where you eat.  If you associate your eating with only one place in your home, and keep it there, you can go a long way to break the pattern of snacking, or even eating meals, all over the place.  In addition, by defining the place that you can eat, you will likely restrict the amount that you eat, as you cannot eat when you are not in that place.  And that can give a natural boost to your achieving a more healthy diet.
 

Healthy Diet Tip #5

I know which food I find hard to resist, do you know your favorite?  You just can't resist some foods, and always take one more bite, just a bit more, until you are overboard and sinking because of it.  You have a problem setting a limit for such foods, but that is exactly what you need to do.  Such a limit can be accomplished by deliberately setting aside a small portion of that favorite food, and set it aside.  Don't eat it.  Leave it on the plate.  You can do this, and by leaving what you love the most, you can gain control on what you eat overall.
 

Healthy Diet Tip #4

Are you sensing a pattern here?  First, you took a pause in the meal, then a little pause with each bite.  Now I'm asking you not to overlap your actions.  The idea is not to wolf your food down, eating was never meant to be a race.  The only prize for finishing your food in record time is heartburn, or packing in calories that you don't need.  Slow down and enjoy your food.  All of these actions help to let your stomach send those signals of fullness to your satiety center, allowing you to feel more full even though you've eaten less.  Finishing what's in your mouth before putting your hands in gear helps with that effort