Downsize Unhealthy Eating Habits

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

24 Jul 2007 09:37 AM

You can sneak hundreds of unhealthy things out of your diet and not even notice the absence! Are you ready to give unhealthy eating the pink slip? Try these sneaky tips to downsize your diet.

• Eat the actual fruit instead of the juice. You'll get lots of vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber -- the fiber will help you feel fuller longer.
• Snack on healthy fiber cereal instead of cookies or chips. Add fruit for extra sweetness and you'll save a bunch of calories and cut a ton of sugar.
• Slow down! If you take your time with your meals, you'll eat less.
• Use a Japanese trick: eat until you're hara hachi bu -- eighty percent full. Within fifteen minutes of finishing, you should feel satisfied.
• Divide your snacks. When you get home from the store, divide your munchies and sweets into single serving sizes immediately. That way, you won't be tempted to eat right out of the bag or box (and throw portion control out the window).
• Try Egg Beaters instead of an actual egg for breakfast. Scrambled, you'll hardly notice the difference -- but Egg Beaters are fat free and contain no cholesterol.
• Use a spice rub instead of a marinade. Marinades with oil add flavor but lots of calories.
• Start your meal with veggies or a salad. Your body needs the vitamins, and a healthy choice like veggies will help you take the edge off your hunger and save you from gorging.
• Eat fish for lunch. Recent studies have shown that people who eat fish for lunch tend to eat smaller dinners.
• Switch bread for a wrap. If you've been counting carbs, you'll find fewer carbs and fewer calories in a whole grain tortilla.
• Eating out? Bring half your entrée home or eat from the children's menu. Either way, you'll fill up without a lot of extra (unnecessary) calories. Restaurant portions are HUGE!
• Cook extra. When you cook dinner, make enough for a few lunches or dinners later in the week. Package them in serving sizes and microwave something healthy rather than heading to the drive through.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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