Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet and Sticking to It
Healthy eating is not about strict dietary
limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the
foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy,
and stabilizing your mood. If you feel overwhelmed by all the
conflicting nutrition and diet advice out there, you’re not alone. It
seems that for every expert who tells you a certain food is good for
you, you’ll find another saying exactly the opposite. But by using these
simple tips, you can cut through the confusion and learn how to create a
tasty, varied, and healthy diet.
Healthy eating tip 1: Set yourself up for success
To set yourself up for success, think about
planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather
than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and
with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.
-
Simplify. Instead of
being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion
sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness.
This way it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding
foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh
ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more
delicious.
-
Start slow
and make changes to your eating habits over time.
Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart.
Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on
your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of
different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from
butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit,
you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.
-
Every change you make to improve your diet matters.
You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate
foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long term goal is to feel
good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t
let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.
Think of water and exercise as food groups in your diet.
Water. Water helps
flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many people go
through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches.
It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will
also help you make healthier food choices.
Exercise.
Find something active that you
like to do and add it to your day, just like you would add healthy
greens, blueberries, or salmon. The benefits of lifelong
exercise are abundant and regular exercise may even motivate you to make healthy food choices a habit.
Healthy eating tip 2: Moderation is key
People often think of healthy eating as an
all or nothing proposition, but a key foundation for any healthy diet is
moderation. But what is moderation? In essence, it means eating only as
much food as your body needs. You should feel satisfied at the end of a
meal, but not stuffed. Moderation is also about balance. Despite what
certain fad diets would have you believe, we all need a balance of
carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to sustain a
healthy body.
The goal of healthy eating is to develop a
diet that you can maintain for life, not just a few weeks or months, or
until you've hit your ideal weight. For most of us, that means eating
less than we do now. More specifically, it means eating far less of the
unhealthy stuff (refined sugar, saturated fat, for example) and
replacing it with the healthy (such as fresh fruit and vegetables). But
it doesn't mean eliminating the foods you love. Eating bacon for
breakfast once a week, for example, could be considered moderation if
you follow it with a healthy lunch and dinner—but not if you follow it
with a box of donuts and a sausage pizza. If you eat 100 calories of
chocolate one afternoon, balance it out by deducting 100 calories from
your evening meal. If you're still hungry, fill up with an extra serving
of fresh vegetables.
-
Try not to think of certain foods as “off-limits.”
When you ban certain foods or food groups, it is natural to want those
foods more, and then feel like a failure if you give in to temptation.
If you are drawn towards sweet, salty, or unhealthy foods, start by
reducing portion sizes and not eating them as often. If the rest of your
diet is healthy, eating a burger and fries once a week probably won’t
have too much of a detrimental effect on your health. Eating junk food
just once a month will have even less of an impact. As you reduce your
intake of unhealthy foods, you may find yourself craving them less or
thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.
-
Think smaller portions.
Serving sizes have ballooned recently, particularly in restaurants.
When dining out, choose a starter instead of an entree, split a dish
with a friend, and don't order supersized anything. At home, use smaller
plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms, and start small.
If you don't feel satisfied at the end of a meal, try adding more leafy
green vegetables or rounding off the meal with fresh fruit. Visual cues
can help with portion sizes–your serving of meat, fish, or chicken
should be the size of a deck of cards and half a cup of mashed potato,
rice, or pasta is about the size of a traditional light bulb.
Healthy eating tip 3: It's not just what you eat, it's how you eat
Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate—it is also about how you
think about food. Healthy eating
habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about
food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between
meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.
-
Eat with others whenever possible.
Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional
benefits—particularly for children—and allows you to model healthy
eating habits. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to
mindless overeating.
-
Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes.
Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our
meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of
our food. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
-
Listen to your body.
Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see
if you are thirsty instead of hungry. During a meal, stop eating before
you feel full. It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell
your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.
-
Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day.
A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small,
healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large
meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.
-
Avoid eating at night.
Try to eat dinner earlier in the day and then fast for 14-16 hours until
breakfast the next morning. Early studies suggest that this simple
dietary adjustment—eating only when you’re most active and giving your
digestive system a long break each day—may help to regulate weight.
After-dinner snacks tend to be high in fat and calories so are best
avoided, anyway.
Healthy eating tip 4: Fill up on colorful fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a
healthy diet. They are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means
they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
Unfortunately, most people are falling short of the recommended daily
minimum of five servings of fruit and vegetables. In fact, most of us
need to double the amount we currently eat.
Try to eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables
every day and with every meal—the brighter the better. Colorful, deeply
colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of
vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—and different colors provide
different benefits, so eat a variety. Aim for a minimum of five portions
each day. Try adding berries to breakfast cereals, eating fruit as a
healthy dessert, and snacking on vegetables such as carrots, snow peas,
or cherry tomatoes instead of processed snack foods.
-
Greens. Branch out
beyond bright and dark green lettuce. Kale, mustard greens, broccoli,
and Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options—all packed with
calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.
-
Sweet vegetables.
Naturally sweet vegetables—such as corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes,
yams, onions, and squash—add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce
your cravings for other sweets.
-
Fruit. Fruit is a
tasty, satisfying way to fill up on fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos
offer vitamin C, and so on.
The importance of getting vitamins from food—not pills
The antioxidants and other nutrients in
fruits and vegetables help protect against certain types of cancer and
other diseases. And while advertisements abound for supplements
promising to deliver the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables
in pill or powder form, research suggests that it’s just not the same.
A daily regimen of nutritional supplements is
not going to have the same impact of eating right. That’s because the
benefits of fruits and vegetables don’t come from a single vitamin or an
isolated antioxidant.
The health benefits of fruits and vegetables
come from numerous vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals working
together synergistically. They can’t be broken down into the sum of
their parts or replicated in pill form.
Healthy eating tip 5: Eat more healthy carbs and whole grains
Choose healthy carbohydrates and fiber
sources, especially whole grains, for long lasting energy. In addition
to being delicious and satisfying, whole grains are rich in
phytochemicals and antioxidants, which help to protect against coronary
heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes. Studies have shown people
who eat more whole grains tend to have a healthier heart.
A quick definition of healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs
Healthy carbs (sometimes
known as good carbs) include whole grains, beans, fruits, and
vegetables. Healthy carbs are digested slowly, helping you feel full
longer and keeping blood sugar and insulin levels stable.
Unhealthy carbs (or bad
carbs) are foods such as white flour, refined sugar, and white rice that
have been stripped of all bran, fiber, and nutrients. Unhealthy carbs
digest quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar levels and energy.
Tips for eating more healthy carbs
-
Include a variety of whole grains in your healthy diet, including whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and barley. Experiment with different grains to find your favorites.
-
Make sure you're really getting whole grains.
Be aware that the words stone-ground, multi-grain, 100% wheat, or bran
can be deceptive. Look for the words “whole grain” or “100% whole wheat”
at the beginning of the ingredient list. In the U.S., Canada, and some
other countries, check for the Whole Grain Stamps that distinguish
between partial whole grain and 100% whole grain.
-
Try mixing grains as a first step to switching to whole grains.
If whole grains like brown rice and whole wheat pasta don’t sound good
at first, start by mixing what you normally use with the whole grains.
You can gradually increase the whole grain to 100%.
Avoid: Refined foods such as breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals that are not whole grain.
Healthy eating tip 6: Enjoy healthy fats & avoid unhealthy fats
Good sources of healthy fat are needed to
nourish your brain, heart, and cells, as well as your hair, skin, and
nails. Foods rich in certain omega-3 fats called EPA and DHA are
particularly important and can reduce cardiovascular disease, improve
your mood, and help prevent dementia.
Add to your healthy diet:
-
Monounsaturated fats,
from plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil, as well as
avocados, nuts (like almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans), and seeds (such as
pumpkin, sesame).
-
Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and
Omega-6 fatty acids,
found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies,
sardines, and some cold water fish oil supplements. Other sources of
polyunsaturated fats are unheated sunflower, corn, soybean, flaxseed
oils, and walnuts.
Reduce or eliminate from your diet:
-
Saturated fats, found primarily in animal sources including red meat and whole milk dairy products.
-
Trans fats, found in
vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies,
snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made
with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
What is a healthy daily limit for saturated fat and trans fat?
Experts recommend you limit the amount of
saturated fats you eat to less than 7 percent of total daily
calories. That means, for example, if you need about 2,000 calories a
day, no more than 140 of them should come from saturated fats. That’s
about 16 grams of saturated fat a day.
No more than 20 of those calories should come from trans fat. That’s
less than 2 grams of trans fat a day. Given the amount of naturally occurring trans fat you probably eat every day, this leaves virtually
no room at all for industrially manufactured trans fat.
Source: American Heart Association
Healthy eating tip 7: Add calcium for bone health
Calcium is
one of the key nutrients that your body needs in order to stay strong
and healthy. Your body uses it to build healthy bones and teeth, keep
them strong as you age, send messages through the nervous system, and
regulate the heart’s rhythm. If you don’t get enough calcium in your
diet, your body will take calcium from your bones to ensure normal cell
function, which can lead to osteoporosis.
Recommended calcium levels are 1000 mg per
day, 1200 mg if you are over 50 years old. Try to get as much of your
daily calcium needs from food as possible and use only low-dose calcium
supplements to make up any shortfall. Eat plenty of calcium-rich foods,
limit foods that deplete your body’s calcium stores (caffeine, alcohol,
sugary drinks), do weight-bearing exercise, and get a daily dose of
magnesium and vitamins D and K—nutrients that help calcium do its job.
Good sources of calcium include:
-
Dairy: Dairy products
are rich in calcium in a form that is easily digested and absorbed by
the body. Sources include milk, yogurt, and cheese.
-
Vegetables and greens:
Many vegetables, especially leafy green ones, are rich sources of
calcium. Try turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale,
romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, summer squash, green
beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and crimini mushrooms.
-
Beans: For another rich source of calcium, try black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, or baked beans.
For more on the importance of calcium, see Calcium and Bone Health.
Healthy eating tip 8: Put protein in perspective
Protein gives us the energy to get up and
go—and keep going. Protein in food is broken down into the 20 amino
acids that are the body’s basic building blocks for growth and energy,
and essential for maintaining cells, tissues, and organs. While too much
protein can be harmful to people with kidney disease, the latest
research suggests that most of us need more high-quality protein than
the current dietary recommendations. It also suggests that we need more
protein as we age to maintain physical function.
How much protein do you need?
Protein needs are based on weight rather
than calorie intake. Adults should eat at least 0.8g of lean,
high-quality protein per kilogram (2.2lb) of body weight per day. A
higher intake may help to lower your risk for obesity, osteoporosis,
type 2 diabetes, and stroke.
- Older adults should aim for 1 to
1.5 grams of lean protein for each kilogram of weight. This translates
to 68 to 102g of protein per day for a person weighing 150 lbs.
- Divide your protein intake equally among meals.
- Nursing women need about 20
grams more high-quality protein a day than they did before
pregnancy to support milk production.
Source: Environmental Nutrition
The key to ensuring you eat high-quality
protein is to try different types, rather than relying on red meat and
whole milk dairy products which are high in saturated fat. Replacing
processed carbs with high-quality protein can improve your good
cholesterol and reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. You’ll
also feel full longer, which can help you lose weight.
- Replace red meat with fish, chicken, or plant-based protein such as beans, nuts, and soy.
- Replace processed carbohydrates from
pastries, cakes, pizza, cookies and chips with fish, beans, nuts, seeds,
peas, tofu, chicken, low-fat dairy, and soy products.
- Snack on nuts and seeds instead of chips,
replace baked dessert with Greek yogurt, or swap out slices of pizza for
a grilled chicken breast and a side of beans.
For more, see Good Ways to Get Quality Protein.
Healthy eating tip 9: Limit sugar and salt
If you succeed in planning your diet around
fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and good
fats, you may find yourself naturally cutting back on foods that can get
in the way of your healthy diet—sugar and salt.
Sugar
Sugar causes energy ups and downs and can add
to health and weight problems. Unfortunately, reducing the amount of
candy, cakes, and desserts we eat is only part of the solution. Often
you may not even be aware of the amount of sugar you’re consuming each
day. Large amounts of added sugar can be hidden in foods such as bread,
canned soups and vegetables, pasta sauce, margarine, instant mashed
potatoes, frozen dinners, fast food, soy sauce, and ketchup. Here are
some tips:
-
Avoid sugary drinks.
One 12-oz soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it, more than the
daily recommended limit! Try sparkling water with lemon or a splash of
fruit juice.
-
Sweeten foods yourself.
Buy unsweetened iced tea, plain yogurt, or unflavored oatmeal, for
example, and add sweetener (or fruit) yourself. You’re likely to add far
less sweetener than the manufacturer would have.
-
Eat naturally sweet food
such as fruit, peppers, or natural peanut butter to satisfy your sweet
tooth. Keep these foods handy instead of candy or cookies.
How sugar is hidden on food labels
Check food labels carefully. Sugar is often disguised using terms such as:
- cane sugar or maple syrup
- corn sweetener or corn syrup
- honey or molasses
- brown rice syrup
|
- crystallized or evaporated cane juice
- fruit juice concentrates, such as apple or pear
- maltodextrin (or dextrin)
- Dextrose, Fructose, Glucose, Maltose, or Sucrose
|
Salt
Most of us consume too much salt in our
diets. Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure and lead to
other health problems. Try to limit sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,300 mg
per day, the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt.
-
Avoid processed or pre-packaged foods. Processed foods like canned soups or frozen dinners contain hidden sodium that quickly surpasses the recommended limit.
-
Be careful when eating out.
Most restaurant and fast food meals are loaded with sodium. Some offer
lower-sodium choices or you can ask for your meal to be made without
salt. Most gravy and sauces are loaded with salt, so ask for it to be
served on the side.
-
Opt for fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned vegetables.
-
Cut back on salty snacks such as potato chips, nuts, and pretzels.
-
Check labels and choose low-salt or reduced-sodium products, including breakfast cereals.
-
Slowly reduce the salt in your diet to give your taste buds time to adjust.
Healthy eating tip 10: Bulk up on fiber
Eating foods high in dietary fiber can help
you stay regular, lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, and
diabetes, and help you lose weight. Depending on your age and gender,
nutrition experts recommend you eat at least 21 to 38 grams of fiber per
day for optimal health. Many of us aren't eating half that amount.
- In general, the more natural and unprocessed the food, the higher it is in fiber.
- Good sources of fiber include whole
grains, wheat cereals, barley, oatmeal, beans, nuts, vegetables such as
carrots, celery, and tomatoes, and fruits such as apples, berries,
citrus fruits, and pears—more good reasons to add more fruit and
vegetables to your diet.
- There is no fiber in meat, dairy, or
sugar. Refined or “white” foods, such as white bread, white rice, and
pastries, have had all or most of their fiber removed.
- An easy way to add more fiber to
your diet is to start your day with a whole grain cereal, such as
Fiber-One or All-Bran, or by adding unprocessed wheat bran to your
favorite cereal.
How fiber can help you lose weight
Since fiber stays in the stomach
longer than other foods, the feeling of fullness will stay with you much
longer, helping you eat less. Eating plenty of fiber can also move fat
through your digestive system at a faster rate so that less of it can be
absorbed. And when you fill up on high-fiber foods, you'll also have
more energy for exercising.
To learn more, read
High-Fiber Foods.
More help for healthy eating
Resources and references
Healthy eating: carbs and protein
What is protein? Information about what foods have protein and what happens when we eat more protein than we need. (Center for Disease Control)
Protein: Moving Closer to Center Stage – Article examines protein and health, and how not all protein is the same. (Harvard School of Public Health)
Optimal Dietary Protein Intake in Older People – New evidence that shows older adults need more dietary protein than do younger adults. (JAMDA)
Environmental Nutrition Newsletter
(subscription required) – June 2014 issue includes information on
latest guidelines for suggested daily protein intake. (Environmental
Nutrition)
Healthy eating: fat
Face the Fats
– (PDF) Describes the complicated relationship between good fats, bad
fats, and various diseases. (Nutrition Action Healthletter)
Omega-3 Fats: An Essential Contribution - What Should You Eat...
– All about health benefits of the important omega-3 fatty acids,
including the best food sources in which to find them. (Harvard School
of Public Health)
Saturated or not: Does type of fat matter? Article that outlines the health values of different fats. (Harvard School of Public Health)
Essential food groups in a healthy diet
Healthy Eating Plate And Healthy Eating Pyramid – The U.S. government has scrapped its MyPyramid icon in favor of the fruit-and-vegetable rich
MyPlate—an
improvement, yet one that still doesn't go far enough to show people
how to make the healthiest choices. This is Harvard’s remedy. (Harvard
School of Public Health)
The World’s Healthiest
Foods – Using the theory of nutrient density—a
measure of the amount of nutrients a food contains in comparison to the
number of calories—this site lists the 129 most healthy foods. (The
George Mateljan Foundation)
Vegetarian Diet – How to get the best nutrition for non-meat eaters. (Mayo Clinic)
Healing Foods Pyramid
– Emphasizes foods known to have healing benefits or essential
nutrients, including plant-based choices. (University of Michigan)
Eating smart: a key step to healthy eating
Mastering the mindful meal – Describes the importance of mindful eating, along with tips on how to eat more mindfully. (Brigham & Women’s Hospital)
The role of sugar and salt in a healthy diet
Sodium Content of Your Food
– How sodium affects your body and how to cut down on dietary sodium.
Included tips on reading nutrition labels, and suggestions for cooking
and shopping. (University of Maine – PDF)
Sugar Stacks – Photos showing the amount of sugar in different foods. (Sugar Stacks)
Public Health Takes Aim at Sugar and Salt – Article detailing evidence that too much of these ingredients can harm health. (Harvard School of Public Health)
Other tips and strategies for a healthy eating plan
Living the MediterrAsian Way
– People in Mediterranean and Asian cultures have long been known for
their healthy diets and longevity. Here's how you can incorporate their
dietary principles and lifestyle practices into your own life.
(Mediterrasian.com)
Ten Tips Nutrition Education Series
– A collection of tip sheets on healthy eating subjects like cutting
back on sugar and salt, following a vegetarian diet and adding
vegetables to your diet. (My Pyramid Nutrition Education Series)
Nutrition Data
(commercial site) – Provides searchable database of nutrition labels
for many different foods, including restaurant items. (Self.com)
Meal planning and stocking the kitchen
Stocking a Healthy Kitchen
– The basics on stocking a healthy kitchen and cooking easy, delicious
and nutritious meals. (Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Source)
Local Harvest – Information about finding local growers, farmer’s markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups in your area.
The Well-Stocked Pantry – List of basics for a well-stocked kitchen and
sample meal plans focused on adding more vegetables and fruits to your diet. (Fruits and Veggies More Matters)
Authors: Lawrence Robinson, Maya W. Paul, M.A. and Jeanne Segal
