Progress not perfection
Just like saving for retirement, little changes = big changes over time
Just a 5% decrease in body weight can reduce the risk for chronic diseases
How can you make what you are already eating a little bit better? Try one each week:
- Add a vegetable to one meal
- Add a piece of fruit to one meal
- Add a quality protein to a meal – dieticians suggest:
- Unsweetened Greek yogurt, salmon and sardines, eggs, cottage cheese, legumes (beans and lentils), lean meats, nuts and seeds
- Savor your food by eating slowly and mindfully at a table
- Learn to listen to hunger and fullness cues
- Stop eating when still slightly hungry
- Getting too hungry can lead to less healthy choices
- Swap a whole food for a processed one
- Swap a glass of water or unsweetened tea for a soda or juice
- Swap a side salad for chips or fries
- Swap one restaurant or processed meal with a meal prepared at home
- Keep healthy snacks visible and accessible on your kitchen counter
- Swap veggies and hummus for chips
- Swap fruit for candy or cookies
- Try one new healthy recipe each week
- Use smaller plates