10 Tips To Eat Healthier in 2013

January 22, 2013 - Diet Foods, Healthy Lifestyles, Nutrition - Tagged: healthy snacks, weight loss, weight loss tips - 12 comments

As life gets busier and busier, eating right seems to get harder and harder. Cooking a healthy meal at home is becoming a rarity, as more often than not we’re just grabbing a bite on the run – be it from a vending machine, drive-thru or delivery.

As I’ve struggled with my weight and mental disposition from eating un-healthy, I’ve picked up a few tips to help make it easier to eat right.

Keep a food diary. Once you have it on paper and in front of you, you start to think twice about what it is you’re eating. You might think 1 cookie won’t make a difference, but when you’re tracking that across the week you start to notice.
Eat breakfast. Your mom always said it and it actually is true – breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Make sure that it’s something high in fibre and protein – such as oatmeal, whole grain toast with peanut butter, or eggs.
Eat slowly. Take the time to really savor and taste your food. And by chewing your food well, it’s digested better by your body, reducing the likelihood of stomach aches and indigestion.
Eat chocolate! Eating healthy doesn’t mean you need to give up your sweet tooth. Just remember to keep it in moderation and enjoy what you love.
Eat seasonally. Enjoy fruits and vegetables as they’re in season. They will be at their tastiest, most affordable and readily available.
Everyone’s needs are different. Sure, there are lots of experts who can give you nutritional plans and diets to follow, but if they don’t fit your lifestyle you won’t stick to them.
Don’t starve yourself. You make think that by cutting back on the number of times in a day that you eat you’re doing your body some good. Nothing could be further from the truth – infrequent eating makes your body hold onto anything it gets because it thinks it’s in a famine. Eat small meals regularly and frequently throughout the day.
Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and eat plenty of watery foods such as vegetables and fruits.
Eat the good carbs. Put down the white bread and instead pick up some whole grains such as oatmeal, buckwheat, bulgur or barley.
Practice portion control. Even healthy foods can be bad for you if you’re consuming them in large quantities. Begin measuring everything when you’re cooking to get a visual idea of how much you’re eating and how much you really need. Changing your dishware can help with the psychological side of seeing your smaller portion in a smaller dish makes it actually seem like a larger portion.