In terms of nutrition, weight loss products and programs often seem to offer a bewildering array of choices. How do you cut through the noise to choose the best options?
Really, it’s not all that hard. Good nutrition and healthy weight loss are both primarily products of common sense and persistence. Here are some tips to help you get started.
1. Review the Food Pyramid. The Food Pyramid encourages people to load up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. In addition, it recommends that they stay away from excess fats, sugar and salt. This is good advice for anyone, whether they are trying to lose weight or not. Follow the Food Pyramid and you will likely get all the vitamins, minerals and good nutrition you need. You will also probably lose weight.
2. Get rid of the junk food. There’s a reason it’s called “junk food”. Candy, cookies, pastry and salty snacks offer absolutely nothing of nutritional value. They only fill you up and perhaps give you a brief “sugar buzz”. Next time you think you’re hungry, grab a piece of fruit, a handful of veggies or a piece of low-fat cheese and give your body what it craves.
3. Drink plenty of water. Those hunger pangs you may be feeling may not actually be signs of hunger but signs of thirst. Some experts believe that by the time you feel thirsty, you are already 1 percent dehydrated. Water is the easiest and best way to solve that problem: Water has no calories or fat. It fills you up and flushes fat from your body.
4. Say no to seconds. As the saying goes, “Enough is as good as a feast.” Grabbing a second helping of a special treat won’t help you to enjoy it more. Instead slow down and really savor the flavors.
5. Learn more about nutrition and healthy cooking. Sadly, many of us have not learned the basics of good nutrition. But it is fascinating to learn how different foods affect the body and to learn how to prepare them. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available, both online and in stores. Just be sure to use reputable sources to avoid falling for the latest hype.
6. Have healthy alternatives available. Those of us who are stress eaters know what it’s like to search the kitchen or vending machines in those crisis moments. Be sure to have a healthy alternative on hand for those times and clear out the tempting stuff. If you don’t have it, you won’t eat it.
7. Allow yourself a small treat occasionally. Constantly depriving yourself of the treats you love will only leave you feeling deprived and set you up for bingeing later on. Instead, allow yourself a single bite of your favorite treat, then set aside the rest of it for later. If you eat that bite slowly, you may decide that small taste was just enough and you may not even want the rest.
If you consistently follow these steps for good nutrition, weight loss is sure to follow.
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