EATING HEALTHY HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER!

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult nor complicated. After you start making healthy choices, and make it a daily habit, you won’t have to think about it much again. All you need to do is have healthy food choices available and the rest is easy.

When thinking about a meal or a snack, it needs to incorporate a proper balance between a protein, carbohydrate and fat.

Have you established for yourself your caloric consumption needs? I know for myself, if I want to maintain my weight, I should not eat any more than 1500 calories per day. If I want to lose, my daily calorie intake is no more than 1200 calories per day.

After you determine how many calories you should be consuming, you then need to divide the calories out over 5-6 small meals/snacks throughout the day. Don’t forget to compliment each meal/snack with the proper balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. I will 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.

VISUAL EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT FOOD PORTIONS:

* 1 medium fruit — tight fist or tennis ball

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

* 1 cup of raw 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 — 4 dice or the top half of your thumb

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

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

BREAKFAST:

It is important to start the day with a good breakfast. A good breakfast is needed to maintain level blood sugars throughout the morning. Try to keep breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same calorie count and then add two to three snacks between meals to make up the 5-6 recommended meals.

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

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

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

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

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: Lean beef, pork, beans, chicken, fish, turkey, etc.

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

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

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

SNACKS:

Snacks are what make or break the weight loss. You need to maintain your metabolism in between meals so that is why 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: Low fat string cheese, hard boiled egg, small yogurt cup, 1 oz. low sodium, low fat luncheon meat, 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: 2 tbsp of peanut butter, handful of almonds, walnuts cashews or mixed nuts, 1 slice of avocado.

Doesn’t this sound easy? These are just guidelines for healthy foods. You do not have to eat 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!