How to Start Eating Healthier

15 Simple Ways to Eat Better Today

Reprinted from Sparkpeople.com | By Leanne Beattie, Health & Fitness Writer

Most people are creatures of habit. We go to the grocery store on the same day every week and fill our carts with the same stuff. If it’s Monday, chicken's for dinner and Wednesday always means spaghetti. We are comforted with knowing what to expect—even if our meals aren’t that exciting, we know what we’re going to eat.

That’s what makes eating healthier so scary sometimes. We are so used to eating a certain way that we rarely think about what we’re actually putting into our bodies. So to eat a healthier diet means actually waking up and paying attention to what's on your plate.

Make Healthy Eating a Habit
Eating healthier doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you want to adopt healthy habits that will last, then the easiest way to do it is by making small, gradual changes. Don’t expect too much from yourself too soon—it takes about a month for any new action to become habit.

Before you start making any changes to your diet, take a week or two to observe your current eating habits. Track everything that goes in your mouth, including drinks and treats, no matter how small. Keeping a food journal will really open your eyes—realizing that you ate 10 cookies over the course of the week might make you think twice before reaching into the cookie jar again tonight, for example. You might not realize how bad your present eating habits are until you see an unhealthy pattern right there in black and white. Once you see that some changes are in order, then you're ready to take the next steps.

Small Changes Mean Big Rewards
If you can't stand the taste of broccoli, then vowing to eat it more often is pretty unrealistic. But if increasing the number of vegetables you eat each day is one of your goals, start by finding a few different ones that you can painlessly work into your diet. Make sure you select a variety of colors (dark green, red, orange, etc.) to get the most nutrients per bite. Add some shredded carrots to your muffin batter or top your pizza with fresh tomatoes, for example.

If you know you need to eat more fruit, start by adding some sliced bananas to your cereal in the morning or bake an apple with a bit of brown sugar for a yummy, low-cal dessert. Fresh berries and yogurt make a nice, light breakfast or snack too.

As you adopt this new style of eating, you will find that your food preferences will gradually change—when you cut out high-sugar, high-fat goodies, your cravings will actually go away in time. Your body wants healthy food!One of the biggest challenges to eating healthier is finding substitutions for existing foods in your diet. Here are some tips to make the transition easier:

• Use mustard instead of mayo on your sandwiches. You’ll get lots of flavor with much fewer calories and fat.
   
• Select whole wheat bread over white bread. Be sure to read the label to ensure you’re getting whole grains, not just colored white bread.
   
• Eat the white meat of turkey or chicken, which is lower in fat than dark meat, red meat and pork. Animal fat is the number one dietary source of unhealthy saturated fat. If you do choose to eat meat, pick lean ground beef, pork tenderloin or chicken breast instead of high-fat cuts of meat.
   
• Substitute fish fillets for higher-fat proteins--and get a boost of omega-3s in the process. Added bonus: seafood often cooks quicker and more easily than chicken or beef!
   
• Change your cooking methods. Bake, grill or broil your meals instead of frying. Use non-stick sprays—or better yet, non-stick pans—instead of oil.
   
• Drink more water. Slowly reduce the amount of soda you drink and replace it with herbal tea or water. Aim for eight cups of pure water each day.
   
• Don't drink your calories. Eat a whole orange instead of drinking a glass of juice, for example. Real food is usually more filling and more nutritious than juices, fruit drinks, and other high-calorie beverages.
   
• Serve sauces and dressings on the side. Dip your fork into the sauce, then dip your fork into the food. You’ll still have the flavor but with fewer calories.
   
• Gradually switch to skim milk. Milk commonly comes in four varieties: whole (4% fat), 2%, 1% and skim (0% fat). Gradually wean yourself from the higher-fat varieties to the lower fat milk every two weeks. For example: continue drinking your normal 2% milk for two weeks, then move to 1% for two weeks, and then your palate will be ready for the consistency of skim milk.
   
• Switch from full-fat cheeses to reduced-fat or fat-free cheeses the same way you would with milk (see tip above).
   
• Order vegetables on the side instead of fries. Flavor them with lemon juice or herbs instead of butter.
   
• Snack on fruit and nuts instead of sugary treats. The fiber, protein and healthy fats in this combo will sustain you to your next meal and you won’t have the energy slump that comes after eating candy.
   
• Reduce your portion size. Most people will eat whatever amount of food is in front of them, so start putting your meals on smaller plates. You will be just as satisfied because your mind "sees" that you’re eating a full plate of food.
  
  Check out the infographic below for more great tips! 
  
  
  Eating a healthier diet doesn’t have to mean deprivation. You don’t have to cut out your favorite foods completely—you just have to make a few changes. Treat yourself to a mini chocolate bar instead of a full-sized one, for example. By trying to eat the most nutritious foods possible, you are creating a healthy lifestyle that will help you reach your best weight. You deserve the very best!
  

• Reprinted from Sparkpeople.com

Healthy Children's Snacks for Valentine's Day

Livestrong.com | By Sara Ipatenco

Valentine's Day is a holiday to show your loved ones how much you care about them. Creating entertaining snacks will please your child and allow you to show your love in a creative way. Choosing healthy ingredients enables you to prepare a snack that is also filled with vitamins and minerals.

Valentine's Muffin

Using food to create a heart-shaped surprise is an entertaining way to celebrate Valentine's Day with your child. In their book, "Snack Art," Elizabeth Meahl and Barb Lorseyedi note many nutrient-filled foods you can include in your Valentine's snack. Start by toasting a whole wheat English muffin for fiber and spreading it with low-fat cream cheese for calcium. Cut a strawberry slice into a heart shape and place in the center of each muffin. To make the snack even more interesting, dye the cream cheese using a small amount of red or pink food coloring or cut the English muffin into a heart shape using a cookie cutter.

Vegetable Hearts
Creating a bouquet of heart shaped vegetables will please your child and provide several different vitamins and minerals as well, Sara Perry and Kathlyn Meskel note in their book "Valentine Treats: Recipes and Crafts for the Whole Family." Choose vegetables that can be sliced flat, such as cucumbers, zucchini and carrots. Cut the vegetables into thin slices and form each into a heart shape using a small cookie cutter. Arrange the hearts on your child's plate like a bouquet of flowers using thin strips of cucumber peel as the stems. Stack several hearts on top of each other as an alternate way to serve the snack.

Cinnamon Toast Hearts

Turn whole-grain slices of bread into an attractive, fiber-filled Valentine's Day snack. Toast one or two slices of whole wheat bread until golden brown. Use a large, heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut the toast into shapes. Spread with a thin layer of honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place each heart flat on a plate and surround with fresh raspberries to lend some Valentine's Day color and additional fiber to the snack.

Valentine Faces

Creating a face using fruits cut into hearts is another way to prepare a nutritious and satisfying snack for your little Valentine. Slice a large strawberry, then cut two of the slices into heart shapes for eyes using a sharp knife. Place on a plate. Use a raspberry for the nose and blueberries for the mouth. Arrange the blueberries in the shape of a heart to make an entertaining face for your child. Additional heart strawberries can become hair or cheeks to enhance your Valentine face.

Reprinted from Livestrong.com

Baby, it's cold outside!

How Cold Is TOO Cold to Exercise Outside?

BY ESTHER CRAIN | womenshealthmag.com

Winter is officially here: days are shorter, temperatures are plunging, and your early morning or evening run, ride, or other outdoors workout is potentially under threat by mother nature.

The good news is you don’t have to give up your outside sweat sessions just because it’s below freezing. In fact, it’s generally safe to work out outdoors until the thermometer hits a bone-chilling 20 degrees below zero, says Susan Paul, exercise physiologist and program director for the Orlando Track Shack Foundation. This is assuming, of course, that you’re comfortable, dressed properly, and aren’t a novice who thought the night of winter solstice would be a fabulous time to start training for your first half-marathon.

Follow these ground rules to minimize injuries and boost performance.

Layer up in moisture-wicking fabrics that will keep you warm and dry. But since the temperature will feel about 20 degrees warmer to you when you’re running or moving at full intensity, be careful not to pile on too many sports tops and jackets. “Wear a face mask or a scarf wrapped around your nose and mouth; this will help heat and moisturize the air before it hits your lungs,” says Paul.

Protect your extremities with mittens, gloves, wool socks, and a snug-fitting hat. “Make sure you allow your body to warm up thoroughly, since it will take more time in cold weather, rising your injury risk” says Paul.

Finally, this is not the time to break your distance record or beat your best time. Adds Paul: “Better to run long and easy in cold temps than try a speed workout.”

Reprinted from womenshealthmag.com