Health and Exercise

Eating healthy can be easy and simple to implement. Once you start making choices that are healthy and incorporate the habit into your life, it becomes second nature and you won’t have to think about it much again. Make sure you always have healthy food choices available and the rest is a piece of cake.

When considering a meal or a snack, always strive for a proper balance between a protein, carbohydrate and fat.

What have you established for your caloric consumption needs? I know for myself, that if I want to lose weight, my caloric intake cannot exceed 1200 per day. If I’m trying to maintain my current weight, I should not eat anymore than 1500 calories per day.

Once you figure out how many calories you should be eating, you then need to divide them out over 5-6 small meals/snacks throughout the day. Remember that the meals/snacks should compliment each other with a adequate balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Let me give you an example of these choices to make during the day.

I should quickly mention something about portion sizes. Do you know what a serving of protein looks like? No, it’s not the 16 ounce Prime Rib at your local steak house. A portion of protein is 3 ounces, the size of a woman’s palm.

SOME VISUAL EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT FOOD PORTIONS:

* 1 medium fruit — tennis ball or tight fist

* 1/2 cup of rice, pasta, cooked cereal, fruit, or veggie — cupcake size or tight fist

* 1 cup of tossed salad — the amount you can hold in two hands cupped together.

* 1 medium baked potato — computer mouse

* 1 cup of cold cereal — large handful or tight fist

* 3 ounces of meat, poultry or fish — palm of a woman’s hand or deck of cards

* 1 ounce of cheese — top half of your thumb or 4 dice

* 1 ounce of meat, fish, chicken or poultry — 1 egg

* 1 tsp — the tip of a medium-framed woman’s thumb. Also, 3 tsp is equal to 1 tbsp.

BREAKFAST:

A good breakfast is key to starting your day off right. Skipping breakfast is a surefire way to setting ourselves up for failure to maintain level blood sugars. I suggest keeping breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same calorie count and then adding two smaller snacks between meals.

Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced breakfast.

Protein: 1 hard boiled egg, 1 cup nonfat milk, 1 cup low fat yogurt, 1 oz of low fat cheese

Carbohydrate: 1/2 cup of whole grain cereal or oatmeal, granola bar, 1 slice of whole grain toast, bagel or muffin.

Fruit: 3/4 cup of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, 1/2 banana, small apple, orange, grapefruit,

LUNCH AND DINNER:

Preparing lunch and dinner is very simple. Pick a lean protein, add some vegetables and top it off with some fruit for dessert.

Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced lunch or dinner.

Protein: Chicken, fish, turkey, lean beef, pork, beans, etc.

Vegetable: Cauliflower, green beans, spinach, zucchini, broccoli, and salad greens, etc. For a serving size, fill about 1/2 of your plate with vegetables, 1/4 of your plate with healthy carbohydrates, and the other quarter with a lean protein.

Carbohydrate: Sweet potatoes, white potatoes, brown rice, corn, 1 slice of whole grain bread etc.

Dessert: 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup of strawberries or raspberries with a dollop of nonfat whipped topping, pear, apple.

SNACKS:

Snacks are essential to successful weight loss. In order to maintain your metabolism in between meals, healthy snacks are essential. For your snack, consume between 100 to 125 calories.

Choose an item from each of the food groups for a healthy balanced snack.

Protein: 1 oz. low sodium, low fat luncheon meat, low fat string cheese, hard boiled egg, small yogurt cup, 1/4 cup of low fat cottage cheese.

Carbohydrate: 1 slice of whole grain bread, 1/2 banana, apple, grapes, plum, baby carrots, etc.

Healthy fats: 1 slice of avocado, 2 tbsp of peanut butter, handful of almonds, walnuts cashews or mixed nuts.

This doesn’t have to hard. These are just guidelines for healthy foods. Don’t make this boring by eating the same thing every day. There are so many more foods then what I listed here but be creative. Try a new fruit and vegetable every week. Remember, this is easy!