EATING HEALTHY IS EASY!

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult nor complicated. After you start making healthy choices, and make it a daily habit, you won’t have to think about it much again. All you need to do is have healthy food choices available and the rest is easy.

When thinking about a meal or a snack, it needs to incorporate a proper balance between a protein, carbohydrate and fat.

What have you established for your caloric consumption needs? I know for myself, that if I want to lose weight, my caloric intake cannot exceed 1200 per day. If I’m trying to maintain my current weight, I should not eat anymore than 1500 calories per day.

Once you figure out how many calories you should be eating, you then need to divide them out over 5-6 small meals/snacks throughout the day. Remember that the meals/snacks should compliment each other with a adequate balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Let me give you an example of these choices to make during the day.

I should quickly mention something about portion sizes. Do you know what a serving of protein looks like? No, it’s not the 16 ounce Prime Rib at your local steak house. A portion of protein is 3 ounces, the size of a woman’s palm.

SOME VISUAL EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT FOOD PORTIONS:

* 1 medium fruit — tennis ball or tight fist

* 1/2 cup of pasta, rice, fruit, veggie, or cooked cereal — tight fist or cupcake size

* 1 cup of tossed salad — the amount you can hold in two hands cupped together.

* 1 medium baked potato — computer mouse

* 1 cup of cold cereal — large handful or tight fist

* 3 ounces of fish, meat or poultry — deck of cards or a palm of a woman’s hand

* 1 ounce of cheese — top half of your thumb or 4 dice

* 1 ounce of fish, meat, chicken or poultry — 1 egg

* 1 tsp — the tip of a medium-framed woman’s thumb. 1 tbsp is equal to 3 tsp.

BREAKFAST:

We all know that we need a good breakfast to start our day. Without that, we are setting ourselves up for failure of maintaining our blood sugar levels. I would suggest keeping breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same calorie count and then adding smaller snack between meals.

Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced breakfast.

Protein: 1 hard boiled egg, 1 cup nonfat milk, 1 cup low fat yogurt, 1 oz of low fat cheese

Carbohydrate: 1 slice of whole grain toast, bagel or muffin, 1/2 cup of whole grain cereal or oatmeal, or granola bar.

Fruit: 3/4 cup of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, 1/2 banana, small apple, orange, grapefruit,

LUNCH AND DINNER:

Preparing lunch and dinner is very simple. Pick a lean protein, add some vegetables and top it off with some fruit for dessert.

Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced lunch or dinner.

Protein: Turkey, lean beef, pork, chicken, fish, beans, etc.

Vegetable: Spinach, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and salad greens, etc. For a serving size, fill about 1/2 of your plate with vegetables, 1/4 of your plate with protein and the other quarter with healthy carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate: Brown rice, corn, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, 1 slice of whole grain bread etc.

Dessert: 1/2 cup of strawberries or raspberries with a dollop of nonfat whipped topping, pear, apple, 1/2 banana.

SNACKS:

Snacks between meals are what make or break the weight loss. You need to maintain your metabolism in between meals so that you continue to burn calories throughout the day. For your snack, consume between 100 to 125 calories.

Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced snack.

Protein: 1 oz. low sodium, low fat luncheon meat, low fat string cheese, hard boiled egg, small yogurt cup, 1/4 cup of low fat cottage cheese.

Carbohydrate: Baby carrots, 1 slice of whole grain bread, 1/2 banana, apple, grapes, plum, etc.

Healthy fats: Handful of almonds, walnuts cashews or mixed nuts, 1 slice of avocado, 2 tbsp of peanut butter.

Doesn’t this sound easy? These are just guidelines for healthy foods. You do not have to eat the same thing every day. There are so many more foods then what I listed here but be creative. Try a new fruit and vegetable every week. Remember, this is easy!