I want to start eating healthy...any tips?

Question

hi, me again...i really want to start being, living and especially eating healthy...saturday i'm going to go to the market to buy my weekly groceries...any recommandations? and also do you have an easy recepies? like i'm really lazy, this is a way, a beginning, to discipline myself...thank you for your help and wish me luck!!!

Answer 1

Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all. Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. How much you should eat depends on your calorie needs. Use the Food Guide Pyramid and the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels as handy references.

Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Surveys show most Americans don't eat enough of these foods. Do you eat 6-11 servings from the bread, rice, cereal and pasta group, 3 of which should be whole grains? Do you eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables? If you don't enjoy some of these at first, give them another chance. Look through cookbooks for tasty ways to prepare unfamiliar foods.

Maintain a healthy weight. The weight that's right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and heredity. Excess body fat increases your chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and other illnesses. But being too thin can increase your risk for osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities and other health problems. If you're constantly losing and regaining weight, a registered dietitian can help you develop sensible eating habits for successful weight management. Regular exercise is also important to maintaining a healthy weight.

Eat moderate portions. If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. Did you know the recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, similar in size to a deck of playing cards? A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and a cup of pasta equals 2 servings. A pint of ice cream contains 4 servings. Refer to the Food Guide Pyramid for information on recommended serving sizes.

Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you're very hungry, it's also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.

Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods. Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar, the key is moderating how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them.
Identify major sources of these ingredients in your diet and make changes, if necessary. Adults who eat high-fat meats or whole-milk dairy products at every meal are probably eating too much fat. Use the Nutrition Facts panel on the food label to help balance your choices.

Choosing skim or low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat such as flank steak and beef round can reduce fat intake significantly.

If you love fried chicken, however, you don't have to give it up. Just eat it less often. When dining out, share it with a friend, ask for a take-home bag or a smaller portion.


Balance your food choices over time. Not every food has to be "perfect." When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next. Your food choices over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern.

Know your diet pitfalls. To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what's wrong with them. Write down everything you eat for three days. Then check your list according to the rest of these tips. Do you add a lot of butter, creamy sauces or salad dressings? Rather than eliminating these foods, just cut back your portions. Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables? If not, you may be missing out on vital nutrients.

Make changes gradually. Just as there are no "superfoods" or easy answers to a healthy diet, don't expect to totally revamp your eating habits overnight. Changing too much, too fast can get in the way of success. Begin to remedy excesses or deficiencies with modest changes that can add up to positive, lifelong eating habits. For instance, if you don't like the taste of skim milk, try low-fat. Eventually you may find you like skim, too.

Remember, foods are not good or bad. Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is "good" or "bad." Don't feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health






Try this salad. It is very tasty, filling and nutritous.
Takes some effort, but well worth it.
You need a bunch of raw spinach.
A fresh garlic bulb.
Half an orange.
A handful of unsalted walnuts.
A few strips of bacon (if you really are that concerned about your health, leave this out, or substitute it for raw parma ham. but bacon tastes SO good!)

For the dressing:
5 ml of olive oil
10 - 15 ml. of balsamic vinegar (according to taste; I love it so I use more)
A dash of freshly ground black pepper
A sprinkling of dried peppermint leaves (or spearmint, or both!)
A generous sprinkling of roasted sesame seeds.

Wash and cut the spinach into bite-sized pieces. Grill the bacon and let any grease drain off.
Peel your garlic bulb and slice up the cloves into small slices. Pop them on some foil and grill them on low heat, turning as soon as one side becomes golden brown. (Note* I use a whole bulb because I am not very careful - some slices inevitably get burned. If any go black, discard them!)
Put the spinach leaves and stems into salad dish, add the grilled garlic, cut the bacon into strips, cut the half-orange into segments (you can leave the peel on.) Toss in a handful of walnuts. Add all.
It's ready!
Sometimes I add half an avocado to it (diced.) That's for extra vitamin E, although you get some from the olive oil and the sesame seeds ... but it might not be enough.

I know bacon is supposed to be a no-no these days, but I love it and it really sets off this salad. This small amount won't harm you!

I always try to balance the vitamins in my food so that there is a wide range of them, and minerals too. It becomes very easy after a while; often just mixing colours works out - green and red and yellow and red ... (for veggies and fruit).
If you follow all the advice the other people have already sent you, about what to cut out and to include at least 5 different vegetables and fruit a day, you will be on your way.
A very good reference book is "The Food Doctor" (Healing foods for mind and body) by Vicki Edgson and Ian Marber,published by Collins and Brown. ISBN 1-85585-682-4. www.thefooddoctor.com
However, be warned, their recipes are a bit off measurement wise and time wise. Otherwise excellent for knowing just what your food contains and what it does for you. Very concise and clear, and they have sections for healthy eating according to various didorders and diseases too.
Enjoy!

Answer 2

Dried fruit is very good. I'm not sure if you can eat it with braces. Always eat a small salad or cup of soup before eating your meal because you will be too full to finish! Getting full on salad is much better than getting full on mashed potatoes. Don't drink pop. Even diet pop is bad for you. Don't drink juices that have added sugar. Stick to skim or 1% milk. Eat a small breakfast every morning to keep your metabolism up. If your metabolism is slow, ANYTHING you eat will make you gain weight.

Answer 3

Watch your portion servings. Otherwise also use olive oil and whatever the recipe calls for, cut it in half. You'll never notice the difference. Eat more veggies and skip anything that's processed. Too much sodium and preservatives. I lost 65 pounds this way and made me a better cook.

Oh, and walk about 4 days a week with a purpose, not just strolling.

Fat is not bad, we all need some in our food for energy, just watch where it comes from.

Answer 4

Congrats and best of luck. Start by resolving to eat the recommended 5 fruits/vegetable every day. Read all labels to check for serving sizes. Stay away from processed foods try to buy food as it came from nature. Try cooking with olive oil, and using olive oil and vinegar for dressing with lemons. Lemons will look great on your table even if you don't use them! For every bite of food you put into your mouth that is good for you say to yourself I am doing my body a favor over time you will look and feel better and the cravings for junk foods will diminish.

Answer 5

I would suggest drinking at least 8 glasses of water and eating bright and leafy vegetables and fruits! Eat grilled or baked chicken and baked or grilled seafood. Stay away from greasy stuff. And if you want to have sweets, get things that are fat free or sugar free, but don't eat too much of the suagr-free stuff. It wouldn't be pretty! Limit sweets overall. Try to eat them every once in a while! Keep us updated on your progress! I'm doing the same thing! Good luck!

Answer 6

To eat healthier you need a ton of fruits and vegetables and some nuts. Bread is okay, but not too much of it. You also want to stay away from soda and juices, unless the juice is made from you and naturally made. you also want to eat small portions, so for example if you are going to eat lunch, your plate should have a lot of fruit and veggies and then your protein, chicken, steak, or turkey, or fish, and then a small portion of rice, potatoes, or wheat noddles the size of your palm. Also you could always go online to see recipes and choose your favorite and then go shopping for those ingredients.

Answer 7

some good ways to start eating healthy are:instead of grabing a bag of chips grab a peach or a apple. you will get the nutriion and stay fuller longer. instead of soda drink more water and milk, your body stops bringing in calcium @ age 35 so drink up. u can also not get the fries @ Mcdonlds but get the salad instead. salad is very good for u and u can always bet fries on the side w/ the salad instead of a hambuger.

Answer 8

I have a parent who's been healthier and lost over 100 pounds because she started eating healthier and working out. Diets don't work. Losing weight and becoming healthy are all in the head, and you have to have a very strong goal to keep you going. And to do this, you'll probably want to get a gym membership to somewhere and start reading up about eating healthy foods. Good luck, always good to hear someone wanting to become healthy.

Answer 9

The best way to eat healthy is to shop on the outer aisles of the grocery store. Don't buy all the premade stuff and cook from scratch.

Try www.bigoven.com

I get lots of ideas from there.

Answer 10

I like to eat tofu, not only because I'm a vegetarian, but because it's good for you. But remember: too much of anything isn't good for you. Also, You'll only be healthy if you also exercise. When you go to the market, get fresh veggies, INCLUDING broccoli, spinach, and tomatoes. Also, I read somewhere that another healthy snack to eat are nuts and grains, and that Herbs are also good for you and your body.

Also, I would like to add that this information came from my mouth, not the web.

Answer 11

Hi Shlane!
You want some tips,eh?
Ok,you should start with some fresh fish and steam it(it's deliciouso!)and some vegetables.
Then,cool down with some custard or fresh fruits.
After that,some cold jelly would be ok.(it's for dinner)
That is a sample dish of mine and YOU can try it though.
All of my chubby best friends tried that and slowly they began to lose their fat.
It really works!Believe me,I know.