Set yourself up for success
• Start slow & make changes to your eating habits over time. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy, & reduce the risk of cancer and disease.
Moderation is key
• The goal of healthy eating is to develop a diet that you can maintain for life. Moderation means eating less of the unhealthy (unrefined sugar, saturated fat, for example) and more of the healthy.
• If you are drawn towards sweet, salty, or unhealthy foods, start by reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often.
It's not just what you eat, it's how you eat
• Chew your food slowly.
• Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry.
• Eat breakfast. A healthy breakfast can jump-start your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.
Fill up on colourful fruits and vegetables
• Aim for a minimum of five portions each day.
•A daily regimen of vitamin supplements is not going to have the same impact of eating right.
Eat healthy carbs, fats & whole grains
• Healthy carbs include whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables.
•Unhealthy carbs are foods such as white flour, refined sugar, and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fibre, and nutrients.
•Foods rich in certain omega-3 fats can reduce cardiovascular disease, improve your mood, and help prevent dementia. These can be found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, unheated sunflower, corn, soybean, flaxseed oils, and walnut
Vegetarian options.
Try different protein sources
Beans: Black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and lentils are good options.
Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans are great choices.
Soy products: Try tofu, soy milk, tempeh and veggie burgers for a change.
Avoid: salted or sugary nuts and refried beans.
Eat breakfast for a healthy lifestyle
Breakfast boosts your metabolism at the beginning of the day so you can start burning the most calories possible.
If you’re hungry in the morning. This combination will keep you feeling full until lunch time:
• Eggs on toast with tomatoes, spinach and
mushrooms
• Whole-grain cereal with berries, low-fat
milk
• Yoghurt and fruit
• Pancakes (whole meal flour) with fruit
• Peanut butter on multi-grain toast
• Egg banana smoothie
• Berry yoghurt smoothie
If you don’t like a big breakfast: Don’t force yourself to start eating a big breakfast. Instead move towards a healthy lifestyle by splitting your breakfast into two smaller meals.
TIPS FOR A HEALTHY LIFE
LIVE WELL 29
EAT HEALTHY