Have you been feeling like your eating habits could use a tune-up, but don’t know where to begin? Here are six steps you can take now to get your eating on a healthier track.
A first step in eating right is getting prepared. Go through your fridge and pantry and toss the super-unhealthy stuff you want to eat less of. Then, get ready to cook up healthy meals by stocking your pantry with healthy-cooking essentials.
2. Make a meal plan
Get organized about your eating habits. Make a meal plan at the beginning of the week, shop for it and follow it. You can leave a couple of nights open for eating out or takeout, if you like, but planning it ahead of time will help you make intentional, healthy choices.
3. Eat vegetables or fruit at every meal
Simply upping your consumption of fruits and vegetables–foods packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants–helps lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Not to mention all the other benefits: For example, beta carotene in carrots and sweet potatoes helps keep your eyes, bones and immune system healthy, and lycopene in tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit may help protect against prostate and breast cancers. How much you should eat depends on your age and size, but many adults need roughly 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables daily.
4. Pack your lunch
A packed lunch isn’t just for kids. Packing a healthy lunch to take to work will make it easier to eat more healthfully throughout the day. Remember to pack nourishing, satisfying snacks, too, so you don’t give in to the afternoon lure of the vending machine (or cafeteria cookie, sweet coffee drink or whatever your particular vice may be). Think about taking leftovers from last night’s dinner and adding some cut-up vegetables, fruit and nuts for snacks.
5. Hide tempting foods
One study found that keeping unhealthy food hidden can help you eat less of it: When secretaries were given candies in clear dishes to place on their desktops, they helped themselves to candy 71 percent more often than a similar group that was given the same candy in opaque dishes so the candy wasn’t visible. At home, stash tempting treats inside a cabinet where you can’t see them–or better yet, get rid of them altogether and keep the apples–and other healthy eats–out on the counter.
6. Schedule your exercise
If you wait for the mood to strike or for a lull in your day, you might not get in an optimal amount of exercise. Make sure you get enough by checking your schedule at the beginning of the week and penning in appointments to exercise. Need some incentive? Just remember that in addition to boosting your energy, exercise can help keep your heart healthy, lengthen your life and lower your risk of chronic disease.
How much exercise do you need? Experts recommend getting at least 150 minutes per week of moderate activity (like brisk walking) or 75 minutes per week of vigorous activity (jogging/running), as well as strength-training twice a week. You can break that total time up into chunks that work for you–10-minute walks at lunch 5 times a week would knock out 50 of those minutes, a longer hike on the weekend or a couple of bike rides or dance classes could fill out the rest (just make sure the segments are at least 10 minutes long).
Try a New Activity. Embrace change and try something new to you: Take a yoga or meditation class, hit the climbing gym.
– Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.
EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.
(c) 2013 Eating Well, Inc. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.