Healthy Eating

Carla’s simple guide to healthy eating and changing the way you feel about food.

Nutrition starts with color. The more colorful the food the healthier it is. When you go to the market look around, the most colorful food is in the produce area. Fruits and vegetables are vibrant in color, which in return makes them loaded with vitamins and minerals and lower in calorie. I can advise you on some very simple ways to change your diet and to keep track of what you are eating but only YOU can make the change by changing your attitude towards what you eat, why you eat and when you eat. Here are some easy tips to help change your environment, along with some basic nutritional information. With a positive change of diet and an addition of an exercise program, YOU will meet your weight loss goals.

Download a Food Journal

Set realistic goals on what you need to change. Is it choices, portion size, or both?
Set short term and long-term goals. These goals should be measurable. Start by understanding your body composition.
Start keeping a food journal. Include how you felt that day. Emotions can and do influence our eating habits.
Do not skip meals, start with breakfast. Eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. Use the analogy that your body is a furnace and the fire needs to be fed to burn and the fire is your metabolism. The meals should include protein, complex carbohydrates and fat. Your calorie intake should not be lower then 1200 to 1400 for women and 1400 to 1800 for men.
Do no eat after 7:00 PM.
Eliminate one unhealthy food choice from your diet each week and replace with a healthier choice.
Moderation is the secret; make changes that you can live with; depriving yourself is not the answer.
Develop a list before you go to the grocery, buy fresh non-processed foods and remember healthy foods are rich in color. Don’t shop on an empty stomach, stay on the outer perimeter of the store, this is where the healthiest foods are stocked. Understand and read your food labels.

Recipe of the Month

Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken*

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup (condensed)
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

Directions:

Add chicken to slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Pour salsa and soup over chicken. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Serve with rice. NOTES: You may use half the packet of taco seasoning to reduce sodium content. Some slow cookers cook faster than others.

*Courtesy of SparkRecipes.com.

More of Carla's healthy selections can be viewed here.

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