Lace up your sneakers, roll up your sleeves, and take out your salad spinner. . . let’s get back into it with these 4 strategies for success to achieve a healthier you.
A couple months into the year and it seems like the goals you set to ring in a new year are a just a distant memory like a wispy cloud floating far, far away. If you are thinking about abandoning those resos, don’t! Time to regroup and reset for a healthier you.
You made it through January. And you survived February, the month of the 7-layer and artichoke dip big game (Super Bowl), boxes of chocolate in the name of love (Valentine’s Day) and bored hibernation (it’s still winter!).
They all stared us squarely in the face tempting us to throw in the towel on our goals, but we survived. Now it’s the month of spring, a time of renewal, new beginnings, blossoms and a healthier you!
Dr. Wendy’s Strategies for Success On A Healthier YOU:
- Multi-purpose your weekly menu.
- Turn your menu into your shopping list into your food record—a three-for-one on proven practices that helps ensure diet success.
- When you plan your menu for the week, plan it out as if you’re doing your food record in advance. Create your shopping list from the menu and then just follow the menu for the week. Then all you have to do later is notate any changes you made to the plan or extras you may have eaten.
We know a shopping list helps with keeping you on track and recording what you eat ensures better success. But turning the menu INTO the food record is the ultimate win-win.
- Aim for veggies and/or fruits at every meal and at least one snack.
- We know that more fruits and veggies helps increase the nutrition in our diet, reduce the risk of chronic disease and help us manage a healthy waistline (and lose weight if we need to resize).
- Easy strategy: remember to include a fruit and/or veggie at EVERY meal and aim for half the plate.
- Here are some easy inspirations for savory salads.
- Eat, don’t drink your calories.
- Liquid calories comprise 1 of every 5 calories consumed in the American diet. That’s like an automatic 20% savings if you keep it calorie-free.
- Except for low-fat milk or milk alternative included as part of a nutritious meal, stick with water, sparkling water, or tea.
- If you need some flavor for only a few calories, add a splash of 100% juice or a squeeze of orange to ‘top off’ your tea or water.
- Eat REAL for our ‘real world, real busy’ lives.
Convenience foods can be AOK when you keep these in mind:
- Recognizable ingredients, short ingredient lists!
- Just say “No” to added trans fat, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners.
- Get those fruits and veggies, beans, nuts and seeds on the plate for nutrition that satisfies!
- Check out my new book from the Editors of Prevention, Eat Clean, Stay Lean for straight talk on real food, chemical-free approach to eating and health.
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