These tips may help you stay on track with your
plan to eat better :
- Have low-fat, low-sugar snacks on hand. Whether you are at home, at work, or on the go, healthy snacks may help to combat hunger and prevent overeating.
- Select a mix of colorful vegetables each day. Choose dark leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, collards, and mustard greens, and reds and oranges such as carrots, sweet potatoes, red peppers, and tomatoes.
- Eat breakfast every day. People who eat breakfast are less likely to overeat later in the day.
- Choose whole grains more often. Try whole-grain breads and pastas, oatmeal, brown rice, or bulgur.
- Choose fresh fruit more often than fruit juice. Fruit juice has little or no fiber, the calories may be high, and many juices have added sugar.
- Use fats and oils sparingly. Olive, canola, and peanut oils; avocados; nuts and seeds; olives; and fish provide heart-healthy fat as well as vitamins and minerals.
- Limit foods and beverages that are high in sugar.
How much should I eat?
How much you should eat depends on your genes, sex,
age, and how active you are. In general, men need more calories than women do,
and younger adults need more calories than adults in midlife and older. At all
ages, adults who are more physically active need to eat more calories than
those who are less active.
What if I need to lose weight?
What defines a healthy weight varies from person to
person. Ask your health care provider about what a healthy weight is for you.
If you are overweight or are experiencing health
problems linked to overweight or obesity, ask your health care provider if a
modest weight loss would be helpful. A weight loss of 5 to 7 percent of your
body weight over 6 months or longer has been shown to improve health .
Use a food diary to track what you eat
To keep a food diary, write down all the food you
eat in a day. Also write down the time you eat and your feelings at the time.
Writing down your feelings may help you identify your eating triggers. For example,
you may notice that you sometimes overeat when you are in a big group, simply
because everyone around you is eating. The next time you are eating with a big
group, be mindful of that trigger and try to limit how much you eat.
By Hmad
