The US obesity prevalence has increased to 42.4%. Obesity can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Your risk of cancer and premature, preventable death could increase, too.
Making the wrong lifestyle choices now could benefit your health for years to come.
Here are eight simple dieting tips that can make eating healthy simple. With these easy diet tips, you can make your priority a priority this year.
Making a plan to lose weight and eat healthy doesn’t have to feel stressful. Instead, set yourself up for success with these easy tips today.
1. Remove Temptation
Once you make the decision to eat healthy this year, make life a little easier on yourself. Walk throughout your house and remove any signs of temptation. Removing unhealthy foods from sight can help you stick to your dieting plan.
First, remove any foods that say “fat-reduced,” “low-calorie,” “fat-free,” or “fat-fat.” Many of these foods compensate for fat by adding unhealthy ingredients or more sugar. Don’t believe every marketing claim you read.
Focus on the nutritional facts instead.
For example, you should limit foods with high amounts of:
- Saturated fat
- Trans-fat
- Added sugars
- Sodium
Remove any starchy foods from your pantry and freezer. That includes chips, fries, and cookies.
Remove salty foods that are high in sodium from your fridge, too. For example, you might want to remove
- Soups
- Cold cuts, cured meats, and sandwich ingredients
- Breads and rolls
- Pizza
- Burritos and tacos
- Pancake and waffle mix
These foods could add unwanted sodium to your diet. About 90% of children already eat too much sodium. Sodium could increase your risk of heart issues in the future.
Once you’ve removed any temptations from your home, you can move on to the rest of these easy dieting tips.
2. Draft Your Shopping List
First, make sure to go shopping when you’re not hungry. Otherwise, the sweets and treats around you could become all too tempting. You might make impulse purchases.
Instead, plan your meals for a week. Try to find meals that overlap. For example, you can create chicken tacos and chicken noodle soup within the same week.
Make a list of all the ingredients you need.
Look for healthy alternatives to the usual foods you eat. For example, you can replace refined grains with whole-grain items. Whole grains can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
Adding whole grains to your diet can also give you a number of essential vitamins and minerals.
Eat clean this year by focusing on fruits, vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats. Make sure to avoid processed foods while you’re shopping.
Instead, use this as an opportunity to learn new dishes!
Make sure to add plenty of protein to your diet. Increasing your protein intake from 15 to 30% could help you eat 441 fewer calories each day. Without protein, however, your body might lose muscle mass.
Give yourself a healthy treat option, too.
3. Stay Hydrated
As you start using these healthy eating tips, make an effort to drink more water each day. Try to drink half your body weight in ounces.
Drink a glass of cold water at the start of every day, too.
Water can fill your stomach, which might curb your cravings. It could benefit your weight loss goals as a result. Water can flush harmful toxins out of your body, too.
4. Adjust How You Cook
Once you start using these dieting tips, consider your cooking habits.
For example, try to avoid frying and deep-frying. Broil or grill foods instead. You can also bake, pressure cooker, stew, and slow cook.
Otherwise, frying can cause toxic compounds to form within your food. These toxins could increase your risk of cancer and heart disease.
5. Start Taking Supplements
Supplements can benefit your healthy eating goals, too.
First, try to consume more vitamin D. Vitamin D can benefit your immune system and bone health. Consider eating more salmon this year.
Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omegas can reduce inflammation, boost your heart health, and promote brain function.
Talk to your doctor before adding supplements to your routine. They can help you determine if you’re vitamin deficient. Make sure the vitamins you want to take won’t interact with the medications you’re taking, too.
6. Consider Where You Eat
You don’t have to cut out eating at restaurants completely. Instead, look for places where you can eat clean.
Instead of fast-food joints that offer greasy foods, look for all-natural options instead.
7. Use Smaller Plates
Once you start cooking, consider using smaller plates. Smaller plates can make your portion sizes look larger than they are. You can eat with your eyes and trick yourself into thinking you’re eating bigger portions.
Make sure to consider your portion sizes, too. Try to cut your portions in half.
Don’t rush to eat. Instead, sit down together as a family and make it a social affair.
8. Consult a Pro
You don’t have to learn how to eat healthy alone. Instead, consider consulting a professional. For example, you might want to visit your doctor or a nutritionist.
They can help you review the pros and cons of different options.
Everyone’s bodies are different. What works for one person might not work for you. Speaking with a professional can help you make more informed decisions.
You can also avoid decisions that might prove detrimental to your health.
Work with a professional to build a dieting plan that works best for your goals and lifestyle.
Shed Those Pounds: 8 Dieting Tips for Healthy, Lasting Success
Losing weight and eating healthy doesn’t have to feel stressful. Instead, keep these eight dieting tips in mind. With these tips and your grocery list in hand, you can make smarter decisions with your health in mind.
You can start accomplishing your weight loss goals with ease!
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