Some ideas about developing good eating habits.
Posted on 29 July 2009 by admin
Most everyone knows that good eating habits are essential to good health and well being and while many people seem to ignore this fact, lots of people really do try to eat properly but part of the problem and the main reason a lot of people just don’t seem to be able to maintain good eating habits is both misinformation as well as lack of information. With the vast variety of foods out there and the vast amount of advertising done for many of these foods with oftentimes misleading statements regarding their dietary values it would stand to reason that it is so easy to be guided off track and right into bad food choice territory. Add to the equation the vast amount of diet plans for weight loss as well as the amount of trendy new cookbooks extolling the virtues of the latest fad revolutionary healthy foods to eat and you have a vast array of contradicting information coming at you from all sides!
So what should you do to develop good eating habits? Well, here are some guidelines to follow to get you well on your way to making better, more health minded food choices.
1) PREPARE YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS
In order to begin you need to prepare yourself mentally. Plan in advance what you will be eating during the week, write it out for yourself, stock up on those foods and make it happen!
2) PROTEIN IS VITAL
Make sure you eat protein in some form at every meal, including breakfast.
3) EAT LESS REFINED BREADS AND STARCHES
Cut back on the amount of bread and pasta you consume. Eat your pasta as your mid-day meal and if you do eat pasta or bread it comes from whole grains.
4) LIMIT YOUR DAIRY CONSUMPTION
Drink non-fat milk, eat low fat or fat free cheese and low fat yogurt but check the yogurt, some low fat yogurt has a very high sugar contant!
5) DON’T OVERDO THE FRUIT
No more than 2 a day and use just the good fiber kinds. Apples, pears, plums, and berries are best. Avoid fruit juices, they’re loaded with sugar!
6) EAT NUTS
Just stay in moderation here. A quarter cup of pistachios, almonds or cashews are not only tasty, but a good source of protein.
7) REDUCE THE PORTIONS
When at home, use smaller plates. If you go out, order the smaller size or if one size fits all, get a doggie bag in advance and put half your meal in it before you start to eat. You will fell better and have a good meal to eat again later.
8) DRINK LOTS OF WATER
Water has great dietary and overall health benefits. Many hunger pangs are due to lack of water. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will keep you hydrated and will reduce food cravings.
9) GO MEATLESS FOR A MEAL A DAY
Try eating one meal per day with no meat. For example, have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich rather than a hamburger. You reduce bad fat and increase fiber and protein.
10) NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST
A proper breakfast gets your metabolism going. Use cereals with at least 5 grams of fiber and no more than 8 grams of sugar and use non-fat milk.
11) EAT MORE SEAFOOD
Eat water packed tuna and salmon, they are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids that help protect the heart. You should have these seafoods 2-3 times per week.
12) BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH
Rather than eating lunch out all the time, make your lunch and only eat out for lunch once a week. You’ll save money and know your eating good things like whole grain bread, lean chicken or ham and fruit or veggies.
The fact is, if you use these simple guidelines as a means to put together a plan of good eating habits you will be well on your way to developing them with sound nutrition and you will be paving the way for a life long journey of better health.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Thanks for the article. This has a lot of great, insightful info in it. It is very difficult for college kids to lose weight because of the environment and eating habits.
December 17th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Good, simple advice. Very effective. Nice looking site, BTW.
December 28th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Thanks for the advice! It is hard for me to always commit to a diet. I am going to use some of these tips for a new approach!!
January 5th, 2010 at 1:24 am
Only 2 fruits pr. day… oh well I think i have overdone my fruit intake then… found out that I tend to eat more sweets when i’m on a diet, and usually use fruits as a substitute for the sweets hmmm
January 18th, 2010 at 10:18 am
This is such a helpful, concise list. Thank you! Plan to incorporate into my life.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Nice article just what I was looking for, definitely going to print off and stick on my desk at the office.
May 3rd, 2010 at 5:38 pm
This is very true and I do all of this!
I have to say eat protein with everymeal is best because keeps me full and I do not crave anything sweet when I just eat that bit more of protein!
Good artical and nice blog,please do keep it up!
Also I think if you look at diet for your health rather then I need lose weight and all that,should click?I found that worked for me.eat for my health,fitness and energy.
May 17th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
Very good point about the the intention to eat well, I want to get to the stage where say 95% of what I eat fuels my body and is good for me.
May 23rd, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Why do you recommend only 2 fruits per day? I understand about limiting juices, but why limit fresh fruit?
June 5th, 2010 at 3:24 am
Bad fat in a hamburger? If its from a box yes, but not if home made from a good quality mince.
Water packed tuna from a tin? There’s no omega 3 left after the processing!
July 9th, 2010 at 2:30 am
Thank you very much for your post!
Men and woman always have no idea why they couldn’t lose weight or have a better figure. The point is they never stop searching for a magic bullet which gives them what they really desire in no time meanwhile all they should do is keep reading useful posts like this as well as implement the workout.
July 11th, 2010 at 4:04 am
Nice layout. Even though I am raw vegan, my husband is not. We both like to workout and eat very healthy. So there is good info here for the both of us. Can’t wait for more.
August 26th, 2010 at 3:20 am
Very helpful, but I have to say after following healthy eating advice over the years I just seem to put weight on, probably because I’m trying to eat so much healthy food to ensure I get my so called daily intake.
A year ago I started to ignore all advice and eat what I wanted and seem to be getting back to normal.
I’m enjoying following your post and hopefully I can find a nice balance.
I would be interested to know what I should have for breakfast as milk and yogurt make me feel really ill, cereal is too dry without milk. Loving butter on toast
August 28th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Love this man, I’m a health major keep it up this is some real stuff.
September 16th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Hi, this is a very exciting article. I’m really finding it hard to lose my excess weight and cellulite in the past few months and it’s motivating to take in as much about the subject as possible. Do you think at any point there’ll be a reliable and affordable solution? Thank you so much for publishing my comment!
September 21st, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Thanks for the article.i’vebeen searching such for long time so that i could knew good habits since I am attending gym ssessions.
October 1st, 2010 at 5:55 am
Nice article, some really helpful advice. Though you forgot to mention eating 5-6 small meals per day, as opposed to the 2.4 big meals Americans eat on average.
Also, would you consider the benefit of nuts protein or fat? just curious.
November 17th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Thanks for the article. It is amazing how little changes can make a dramatic difference in the long run. Jim Rohn once said that 70% of deaths related to heart disease are due to neglect. Your article gives good advice on how to not neglect our body. That is interesting about having too much fruit.