The Best Healthy Eating Tips

Our resident Fitness Guru, Donna Martelli, has some healthy eating tips for you today.  Just in time for all the healthful changes most women commit to for the new year, she spells it out for us in small, doable tasks.  Remember when making changes to your diet and lifestyle, always consult your healthcare provider for advice first, especially if you have a medical condition.  Be well-be beautiful.

The Best Healthy Eating Tips

By Donna Martelli (Certified Personal Trainer)

Healthy eating, portion control – we all know we should do it but how?  What are the practical steps we should take?  First, knowledge is power!  Understanding some basic nutritional guidelines will set you on the right track for any changes you want to make. Follow me through these steps for a healthy, new you in 2010!

Mastering Portion Control

What is a healthy portion? Your entire meal should be 2 handfuls!  Ouch!  Sorry.  BUT, the good news is, you can have 4-6 meals a day.  Does that help? Know that your body is adaptable. It can be trained; and you are the master!  Stay motivated by setting attainable goals.  In other words, don’t try to do everything at once.  Start by simply cutting back portion size on one meal a day.  You can do it and you will feel so much better!  Stuffed is out – lean is in!

Here’s a few comparisons to help you remember what a “portion” should be:

1 small baked potato – computer mouse

1½ ounces hard cheese – 3 dice

¼ cup almonds (12 nuts) – golf ball

1 medium sized apple – baseball

1 Tbs butter, margarine or salad dressing – poker chip

1 cup soup – baseball.

If you like meat, it’s OK, but a serving is to be the size of your fist!

All You Can Eat (or Drink)

You can have lots of green and yellow veggies and salads but use olive oil and red wine vinegar as a dressing.  Olive oil is so good for you and it tastes great!  What do you do if you are hungry while out  – no food in sight?  Drink water, water, and more water!  It fills you up and takes care of the problem until you get to your healthy food!

Hunger Control

Feeling tired and hungry?  Enjoy a teaspoon of natural peanut butter or a handful of  walnuts.  Yum!  You’ll be amazed at how these curb your hunger.  I find that eating even a small amount of protein eases hungry for several hours.  Snack suggestions:  1 oz of low fat cheese, 2 tsp hummus, 1 tsp natural peanut butter.

If you will be away from home for awhile and are afraid you may get hungry, take your own snack of nuts and fruit…use your imagination and create your own healthy delight.  Note:  nuts are to be natural, without salt or additives!  Walnuts are just wonderful!

IF YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY, DO NOT EAT!  We eat because “it’s time” or because everyone else is hungry.  So, go along with your hungry friends and drink your water or green tea!  Why should what you put in your mouth (or don’t put in your mouth) affect your ability to have an enjoyable time with others?

What to Eat and How

If you ARE hungry, do eat and enjoy!  Choose veggies, fruits, whole grains and love your life!  Find recipes on the Internet and experiment!  Spices and herbs do wonders to make foods interesting and many offer great health benefits!

Make good choices when eating out!  When I go to a restaurant, the salad/soup, entrée and sides are too much – and they should be too much for you too!  Eat 1/2 or 1/3 of everything and take the rest home…makes a great lunch (or 2).  I love salads so often I eat the whole salad and take the rest home.  I get 2 lunches out of it!

If you are invited to a pitch-in or potluck, bring a salad or fruit dish – you will have something healthy to eat there!

No matter where you are eating,home or out, don’t stuff yourself!  Many Asian cultures eat only until they are 80% full.  I think this is a good rule.  You know feeling stuffed is a BAD feeling!  So, stop before you are stuffed; it’s OK,  I promise you will NOT starve!  Remember, you get to eat again in just a few hours, and if you are hungry before that, you can have your protein snack.

In Conclusion

Complete health won’t happen overnight, but if you eat better, your body will be happier almost instantly!   You’ll feel great and will have energy like never before!  Those processed, fatty, sugary foods will be a thing of the past.  And, believe it or not, they won’t even taste good to you after you’ve been eating differently for awhile!  I know; I no longer like cake!  (I used to think it was a food group)!

Photo by Ahermin