- What does it mean to have a healthy diet? Eating well means focusing on a balanced eating plan that will meet your unique nutritional needs. Keeping in mind your individual needs is important. Several factors determine nutritional requirements – age, gender, lifestyle, activity level and overall health are a few of these factors. Talking with your doctor or a nutritionist might be helpful to determine what special needs you have and what your options are. Your eating plan should evolve from meeting your special nutritional requirements.As I said previously, the basis of a healthy diet is eating a wide variety of foods. The following suggestions come from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). Every day, you should try to eat:
- 6 to 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, or pasta. One serving equals one slice of bread, about 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta.
- 3 to 5 servings of vegetables. One serving equals 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables, or 1/2 cup of other vegetables, cooked or raw.
- 2 to 4 servings of fruit. One serving equals one medium apple, banana, or orange; 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit; or 3/4 cup of fruit juice.
- 2 to 3 servings of milk, yogurt, or cheese. One serving equals 1 cup of milk or yogurt, 1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese (such as Cheddar), or 2 ounces of processed cheese (such as American). Choose low-fat or fat-free products most often.
- 2 to 3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, or nuts. One serving equals 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry without skin, or fish. You should eat no more than 5 to 7 ounces per day. One half cup of cooked dry beans, one egg, or 1/2 cup of tofu counts as 1 ounce of meat. Two tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts counts as 1 ounce of lean meat.
The larger number of servings is for active men. Eat a smaller number of servings if you are a woman, inactive, or trying to lose weight.You can not always measure your food. Here are some ways to help you estimate serving sizes. - 1/2 cup of rice or pasta = size of ice cream scoop
- 1 cup of salad greens = size of a baseball
- 1/2 cup of chopped fruit or vegetables = size of a light bulb
- 1 1/2 ounces of cheese = size of four dice
- 3 ounces of meat or fish = size of a deck of cards or cassette tape
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter = size of a ping pong ball
Some Sensible Tips
- Start your diet with a food diary, record everything you eat, what you were doing at the time, and how you felt. That tells you about yourself, your temptation, the emotional states that encourage you to snack and may help you lose once you see how much you eat.
- Instead of eating the forbidden piece of candy, brush your teeth. If you’re about to cheat, allow yourself a treat, then eat only half a bite and throw the other half away. When hunger hits, wait 10 minutes before eating and see if it passes.
- Set attainable goals. Don’t say, “I want to lose 50 pounds.” Say, “I want to lose 5 pounds a month.”
- Get enough sleep but not too much.
- Try to avoid sugar. Highly sweetened foods tend to make you crave more.
- Drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Water itself helps cut down on water retention because it acts as a diuretic. Taken before meals, it dulls the appetite by giving you that “full feeling.”
- Diet with a buddy. Support groups are important, and caring people can help one another succeed.
- Substitute activity for eating. When the cravings hit, go to the “Y” or health club if possible; or dust, or walk around the block.
- If the pie on the counter is just too great a temptation and you don’t want to throw it away, freeze it. If you’re a late-night eater, have a carbohydrate, such as a slice of bread or a cracker, before bedtime to cut down on cravings. Keep an orange slice or a glass of water by your bed to quiet the hunger pangs that wake you up.
- If you use food as a reward, establish a new reward system. Buy yourself a non-edible reward.
- Write down everything you eat – – everything – including what you taste when you cook. If you monitor what you eat, you can’t go off your diet.
- Weigh yourself once a week at the same time. Your weight fluctuates constantly and you can weigh more at night than you did in the morning, a downer if you stuck to your diet all day.
- Make dining an event. Eat from your own special plate, on your own special placemat, and borrow the Japanese art of food arranging to make your meal, no matter how meager, look attractive. This is a trick that helps chronic over-eaters and bingers pay attention to their food instead of consuming it unconsciously.
- Don’t shop when you’re hungry. You’ll only buy more fattening food.
- Avoid finger foods that are easy to eat in large amounts.
- Avoid consuming large quantities of fattening liquids, which are so easy to overdo. And this includes alcoholic beverages.
- Keep plenty of crunchy foods like raw vegetables and air-popped fat-free popcorn on hand. They’re high in fiber, satisfying and filling.
- Leave something on your plate, even if you are a charter member of the Clean The Plate Club. It’s a good sign that you can stop eating when you want to, not just when your plate is empty.
- Loose weight for yourself, not to please your spouse, your parents or your friends.
- Make the kitchen off-limits at any time other than mealtime. Always eat at the table, never in front of the TV set or with the radio on. Concentrate on eating every mouthful slowly and savoring each morsel. Chew everything from 10 to 20 times and count! Never, never skip meals.