Healthy Eating Habits

Archive for the ‘Healthy Eating’ Category

Two Healthy Eating Facts You Shouldnt Ignore

There are certain healthy eating facts or practice that you shouldn’t ignore or change no matter what kind of a diet you follow, or what kind of lifestyle you have.  Whether you’re sedentary or active, too much saturated fat isn’t good for you.  Whether you eat 1600 calories a day or 2500, depending on your activity level, trans fats are unhealthy, for example.  And whether you’re trying to lose weight quickly or jump start a long-term weight loss program, fasting isn’t a good choice for your body.

One of the healthy eating facts that we didn’t have to worry about years ago is that trans fats are unhealthy.  Some trans fats occur naturally in food, but those aren’t the same as the man-made trans fats that make up margarine and shortening, and are found in almost every commercially produced baked good you can find.  Trans fats are also often included in boxed mixes that you prepare at home, and things like instant cocoa, because of its long shelf-life. 

Hydrogenated fats like margarine and shortening became available in 1911.  Before then trans fats weren’t something the average consumer had to worry about.  Now, though, hydrogenated oils or trans fats are present in almost every type of food you can think of.  The hydrogenation process keeps fats from going rancid for a longer period of time.   But the link between hydrogenated oils and heart health is clear—it’s worse for you than saturated fat. 

This is one of the healthy eating facts that has prompted the government to step in.  They’ve insisted that fast-food restaurants reduce the amount of trans fats in their food.  Food manufacturers also have to include the amount of trans fats on their food labels, too. Carefully read food labels so that you’re at least aware of what you’re eating.  Anything that says hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated is a trans fat, and something you want to avoid as much as possible. Eliminate these trans fats from your diet completely if you can.

Another one of the healthy eating facts that not too many people think about is how bad regular soft drinks are for your health.  A can of regular soft drink contains about 9 teaspoons of sugar. And how often do you drink more than one soda in a day?  Some people drink several sodas per day, preferring soda to beverages like water or tea. 

Everyone’s going to eat sugar in some form, but moderation is called for.  And when one soda provides you with 9 teaspoons of sugar, that’s pretty much the sugar limit for the day—that we don’t need refined sugar at all is one of the most ignored healthy eating facts.  But most people have sugar in other forms, too, raising their daily total of sugar intake much higher.

Considering the rising rates of obesity, diabetes and other diet-related illnesses, cutting back on trans fat and soda in our diets is important.  These healthy eating facts can make a huge difference in our weight and overall health if we don’t ignore them.

Many people have “healthy eating” as a goal, but what does that mean?  Eating healthier can mean any number of things, and usually something different to everyone.  Defining what you mean will help you achieve it.

 

As with any destination, if you are not clear about where you are going how will you know when you have arrived. Being clear about your goal helps you know what to do and when you have done it.

 

Healthy eating can mean:

eating smaller amounts/portions – Many Americans eat too much food, whether healthy foods or not.  Eating smaller amounts of foods, and therefore calories, can help many people lose weight and minimize their blood sugar and insulin swings.

 

eating enough food/calories – For people who have severely limited their caloric intake, for them the best thing they can do is eat more quality food.

 

eating often enough – This means eating frequently enough to prevent the ferocious hunger feeling that can lead to poor food choices and eating too quickly.

 

eating a variety of foods – Expanding your repertoire of foods gives you a bigger variety of nutrients and antioxidants.  Eating the same few foods over and over, even if they are healthy foods, limits the vitamins and nutrients your body has to work with.

 

increasing fiber – Many Americans do not come close to getting the recommended 20 – 35 grams of fiber daily.  Fiber helps keep you full longer, stabilizes your blood sugar, and keeps your bowels moving regularly.  Some types of fiber can help lower LDL (the “bad” cholesterol).

 

eating more antioxidants – The more variety of antioxidants you eat gives your body more to work with in running smoothly and warding off diseases.

 

eating more protein – Protein is a vital building block, but also helps keep us feeling full and stabilizes our blood sugar because it is digested more slowly than carbohydrates.

 

balancing the types of fats eaten –Switching to mono-unsaturated and omega 3 fatty acids are better for us than eating transfats and too many saturated fats.

 

making better snack choices – Snacks are ideally 100-200 calories and provide some nutritional value.  They give us energy between regular meals.  Snacks with both fiber and protein make great choices (an apple with peanut butter, or cheese and whole grain crackers).

 

prepping foods – Our food choices are often dictated by convenience.  We may have healthy food in the house but do not feel like washing and cutting it.  Having food ready to go and easy to use (whether buying pre-chopped vegetables or chopping them yourself when you have the time) will make you more likely to choose those foods.

 

pre-planning (shopping, prepping, having good choices available) – Spending the time planning meals and snacks, shopping for them, and preparing what you can in advance goes a long way to making those foods more appealing once you are tired and hungry. Simply having them available increases your chances of eating them.

 

paying attention to how you eat – Sitting down, eating slowly and enjoying your food can help you eat less and feel more satisfied.  Eating should be a pleasant experience.

 

noticing why you eat – Ideally you should eat only when you are hungry.  This means eliminating emotional and habitual eating.  Think about whether you are really hungry before you reach for the chips when settling into your favorite TV chair, or munch when a deadline is looming.

 

changing what you eat when – Try eating more substantial food for breakfast.  Coffee and toast or cereal may not be enough to keep you going comfortably until lunch.  Dinner leftovers or a sandwich are not off limits for breakfast.  And a small bowl of cereal can be a great snack.

 

 

So what does healthy eating mean to you; on which aspect of healthy eating do you really want to focus?  With that answer you should be better able to make clear and specific goals.  When you are clear about your objective you can more easily get there.