Whether you want to eat healthy to try and lose weight or you just want to adopt a healthy lifestyle, these tips will get your started.  Healthy eating is a lifestyle change and should not be thought of as a short term diet.  Small changes in your eating habits can help you lose weight and become healthy.

Eating Healthy Tip #1

Alter Your Recipes to make them Healthier

There is no need to give up all your favorite recipes in order to eat healthy.  Take a look at the ingredients in your favorite recipes and make substitutions or alterations selecting healthier ingredients.

For instance, is fried chicken one of your favorite meals?  Try baking your chicken instead flavored with some of your favorite spices.  Use whole wheat bread crumbs for a shake and bake chicken that can still give you that crunchy tasty skin. 

Take a look at your baked goods recipes as well and substitute the veggie oil with applesauce.  Or replace a portion of the sugar with a sugar substitute to minimize the total calories.

Small changes to your recipes can make your meals more healthy with fewer calories and fat.  You can also find new healthy recipes to add to your favorite list of healthy recipes.

Eating Healthy Tip #2

Reduce Refined Sugars

Did you know that a regular flavored can of soda has approximately 100 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar?  Try replacing these drinks with diet soda or better yet, water.  Watch the amount of fruit drinks you have as well.  These are as high in calories as a can of soda.  Limit fruit juice drinks to just one 8oz glass a day or water them down.

Watch out for other foods with lots of refined sugars.  The refined sugar provides you no nutritional benefit and is high in calories.  Empty calorie foods offer no real benefits and the calories add up fast.  Try looking for the sugar free or low sugar alternatives to these foods.

Eating Healthy Tip #3

Keep it Natural

Foods in their natural state offer you the highest nutritional value.  Foods that have been processed lose some of their nutrients and often times increase the calorie content during the processing.

For example, an orange has about 86 calories, zero fat grams, 22 grams of carbs and 2 grams of protein.  However, a glass of orange juice has 134 calories, zero fat, 33 grams of carbs and only 1 gram of protein.  So you can see that the processing into a juice added both calories and carbohydrates and reduced the amount of protein.

Eating Healthy Tip#4

Select Whole Foods

Eating foods in their most natural state is always best but is not always an option.  For instance, breads are processed foods as this is not something that grows on trees.  However, when choosing foods that are processed you want to select whole foods. 

Make sure it’s 100% whole wheat or whole grain as many “whole wheat” foods still contain some form of processed flour.  Be careful of labeling as some foods will state whole wheat but may not be 100% whole wheat.  When you read the label it should read whole wheat and not processed whole wheat.  Wheat while in its unrefined and natural state offers many nutrients including dietary fiber.  These foods are a great addition to your healthy eating plan.

Eating Healthy Tip#5

Fruits and Vegetables

Everyone who is trying to lose weight knows you need to get your veggies in.  But you also want to get the fruit servings in your healthy meal plan as well.  Most people do not get the recommended servings a day of fruits and/or vegetables.

The recommendation from the experts is to get 5 – 9 vegetable and fruit servings a day.  So make sure you include these with every meal.  These foods are a great addition to any weight loss plan for several reasons.  First, fruits and veggies make you feel full and more satisfied so you are less likely to over eat or feel hungry soon after eating.  Secondly, they are packed with fiber and a wide variety vitamins and minerals.

And lastly, fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of certain medical conditions.  Research shows that eating fruits and vegetables along with a reduced fat and high whole grain diet can reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. 

Eating Healthy Tip#6

Don’t Drink and Diet

We all know you should not drink and drive, but many people do not know that dieting and drinking are also not a good mix.  The reason you want to limit your drinking while dieting is primarily due to the high calorie content in drinks as well as how your body processes alcohol.

When you introduce alcohol into the body your body will use the sugars it produces first for energy.  This means that the carbohydrates from your foods are not burned for fuel, which ultimately leads to these carbs being stored as fat.

Although it’s best not to drink while dieting there will be those special occasions where a little “toast” is in order.  If you have a special celebration, try drinking wine or beer.  Wine is your best bet with the fewest calories and beer is not too far behind.

As you begin to incorporate these healthy eating tips you will begin to see a difference.  You will feel more satisfied and healthier.  Before you know it eating healthy will be second nature and become your new lifestyle.

Julie Barros is the author and creator of Exercise 4 Weight Loss.  Her website has lots of exercise and weight loss tips, tools, healthy recipes, fitness videos and more.  

*Posted 9/16/08