You know what
you should be eating because you’ve heard most nutrition advice before – but
you just can’t quite figure out how to apply that advice to make it part of
your daily eating routine. Here are some tips to help you put your
nutrition knowledge into action.
First let me
take you back to mid-April, which means one thing “tax time.” Many dread
it, and put it off to the last minute – in large part because completing your
own tax return is difficult,
it’s complicated, and just so….
well, taxing. But as tough
as it may be, it’s apparently not nearly as
hard as figuring out how to eat well… in an online survey of more than
1,000 Americans that was released last year, 52% said that it was harder to
figure out “what you should and shouldn’t eat to be healthier” than it is to
figure out “how to do your own taxes.”
Choosing a
healthy diet just shouldn’t be that hard.
And, it’s not for lack of knowledge. In general, people seem to
know what they should be
doing – in the same survey, for instance, most people said they were trying to
limit their intake of salt, fat and sugar and were trying to eat more fruits
and vegetables. [Maybe we should stop trying…… and start doing, but that
is topic for another time.] We may be able to “talk the talk”, but we don’t
seem to be “walking the walk” – the majority of Americans don’t get the
recommended number of fruits and veggies every day, intake of added fats
and sugars is at an all-time high, and 44% of Americans eat fast food at least
once a week.
So when people
say it’s hard to figure out what to eat, the problem isn’t really that they
don’t know what to do –
it’s more that they just don’t know how.
(Of course, you also have to want to
do it, too…). But the bottom line is this – all the knowledge in the
world isn’t going to do you much good if you can’t figure out how to put it
into practice.
How to put nutrition advice into
practice
Nutrition advice: Eat more fruits and vegetables
How to:
- Make it convenient to eat them – keep a bowl of fresh fruit on your kitchen counter and keep cut up veggies on a shelf in the refrigerator. If preparing them is too time-consuming, you might opt for pre-cut fruits and veggies and ready-to-eat salad greens.
- Frozen fruits and vegetables are nutritious and convenient – you can add frozen fruits to a protein shake, or thaw and stir into yogurt, cottage cheese or hot cereals.
- Add extra veggies to mixed dishes, soups, stews, omelets .
- At restaurants, skip the starch and order double veggies for your side dish, and start your meal off with a salad.
Nutrition advice: Reduce fat intake
How to:
- Fried foods are a big offender here – so that means that a good place to start would be limiting your intake of things like chips and French fries.
- Choose low fat dairy products – milk, cottage cheese, yogurt – over the full-fat versions, and opt for fish and poultry more often than fattier red meat.
- Added fats – sauces, dressings, mayonnaise, butter, margarine – add up quickly, too, so use sparingly or find lower fat alternatives.
- And watch for “hidden fats” – there’s plenty of fat lurking in foods like desserts, snack foods, breads and pastries. Watch this video for tips on snacking.
- When you’re cooking at home, use fats sparingly when you cook, search out low fat recipes.
Nutrition advice: Reduce added sugar intake
How to:
- A lot of the sugar we take in comes from beverages, so choose calorie-free water or tea as often as possible, and limit your intake of fruit juices.
- If plain water doesn’t appeal to you, add a slice of lemon or lime, a few pieces of fresh fruit, or a tiny splash of fruit juice to your water for a bit of flavor.
- Let fruit take the place of dessert, and limit the amount of pre-sweetened foods that you buy.
- Pre-sweetened cereals and yogurt, for example, can have a lot of added sugar – you’ll take in much less if you buy plain yogurt or unsweetened whole grain cereals and sweeten it yourself – preferably with fresh fruit. Don’t worry about the natural sugars in fruit, milk and dairy products – just focus on reducing the amount of sugar that’s added to everyday foods.
Nurition advice: Eat more fiber
How to:
- See item #1 above - “eat more fruits and vegetables”. Fruits and vegetables are great sources of fiber, and when you make a point to eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal or snack, that can go a long way towards meeting your daily fiber goals.
- Beans and whole grains are also good sources of fiber – try adding some canned beans to soups and salads, or mashed into a hummus dip to eat with raw veggies.
- Turn to whole grains – like brown rice, barley, quinoa, millet – and whole grain foods (100% whole grain breads, pasta, cereals) rather than the refined “white” versions to boost your fiber intake.
Nutrition advice: Watch your sodium intake
How to:
- Most people get much more salt from processed foods than they do from the salt shaker – so a good first step is to eat most of your foods as close as possible to their natural state.
- If you buy canned foods – like veggies, tuna or soups – look for reduced sodium versions.
- Cut back on processed meats which are often loaded with sodium (even the so-called low-sodium versions), and lean towards fresh meats and poultry which naturally contain very little.
- You can also ‘dilute’ the sodium in convenience foods by adding extra veggies to canned soups or doubling the amount of grains when you prepare something like a packaged seasoned rice mix (and use brown rice when you do….).
- And find other ways to season foods rather than always relying on salt. Herbs, spices, onions, garlic and citrus add flavor without sodium – and you get a nutrition boost, too.
Cinnamon Ground Turkey Lettuce
Wraps with Quick Apple Chutney
Dinners
like this will help you quickly reach your fat loss goal. The shredded
cauliflower, rice and onions in this recipe make an amazing substitution for
grain-based pilaf. With the addition of lean, ground turkey and lettuce this
comfort-food tasting meal is actually quite lean and green. Servings: 6
Here's what you need:
- 12 large Romaine lettuce leaves
For
the Cinnamon Ground Turkey Rice:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1/2 yellow onion, minced
- dash of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 lb ground, organic turkey
- 1 head cauliflower, shredded (To shred: cut into florets and run
through a food processor with the grating attachment)
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup chicken broth
- dash of freshly ground pepper
For
the Quick Apple Chutney:
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, minced
- 2 green apples, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon coconut crystals
- 1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
- sprinkle of sea salt
1. For the
Cinnamon Ground Turkey Rice: In a large skillet place the olive oil over medium
heat. Add the carrots and onions, cook for 3 minutes, until soft. Add salt,
cinnamon and ground turkey. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add the head
of shredded cauliflower, raisins, broth and pepper. Cook for another 4 minutes,
until heated through.
2. For the Quick
Apple Chutney: In a medium skillet place the coconut oil over medium heat. Add
the onion and apples. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, add the cinnamon,
coconut crystals, apple juice and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for
another 4 minutes until apples are tender.
3. Assemble Your
Lettuce Wraps: Spread a generous spoonful of the turkey mixture along the
center of a Romaine lettuce leaf, top with a spoonful of chutney. Enjoy!
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 248 calories, 9g fat, 156mg sodium, 25g
carbohydrate, 5g fiber, and 17g protein
CONGRATULATIONS to Mary Ann Chapman
Our 6WK Body Transformation Challenge Winner!
Mary Ann lost 18.4lbs, 16.25 inches and 8.32% of her total body weight. Great job Mary Ann we are so proud of you!
Call For Your Free Body Transformation Analysis (219)-548-3480
Pumpstrainigandpilates@gmail.com
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