Healthy Eating Tips
Read these 44 Healthy Eating Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Nutrition tips and hundreds of other topics.
Grains - Millet
Millet is used mainly as fodder and birdseed. It is also sold in food stores either whole or cracked for use in soups and as a rice substitute. It is high in phosphorus, iron and B vitamins.
Reducing Sodium
Canned vegetables are high in sodium. To reduce sodium, substitute cooked, dried or frozen vegetables for the canned.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is low-fat or skim milk to which bacterial cultures are added to produce a thick texture and tangy flavour. Its calorie and fat content is about the same as 1 percent low-fat milk. It may or may not be fortified with Vitamins A and D.
Buttermilk often has added sodium, about twice the amount found in milk.
Grains - Rice
Rice is a staple food. Unpolished brown rice is more nutritious than white rice. Converted white rice is treated to preserve nutrients. Instant rice is the least nutritious form of rice.
Reducing Sugar
Reduce sugar in your diet by:
- drink beverages that contain little or no sugar.
- reduce your intake of processed foods.
- eat breakfast cereals low in sugar.
- eat fresh fruits.
- cut down on sweet desserts.
- avoid or limit candy.
- eat plain yogurt.
Red Meat
Here are some red meat healthy eating tips:
- Eat less red meat by reducing portions.
- Buy the leanest cuts and varieties most of the time.
- Choose lean or extra lean ground beef. When possible, precook ground beef and drain off fat.
- Always trim visible fat from meat before cooking it.
- Cook in low-fat ways: broil, bake or roast, braise or saute in a nonstick pan.
Leanest Cuts of Beef
The leanest cuts of beef are: eye of round cuts, all round cuts, ribeye, flank steak, sirloin and strip loin steak, rump roast, stewing beef, tenderloin, extra-lean and lean ground beef.
Lower-Fat Baking
Fruit and vegetable purees such as pumpkin, banana or applesauce keep lower-fat baking moist and flavorful.
Cutting Down on High Fat Snacks
Cut down on high-fat snacks such as buttered popcorn, chips, cookies, pastries, chocolate and cake. Try raw vegetables, air-popped popcorn or fresh fruit.
Holiday Meals
Don't skip meals prior to a large holiday meal. By skipping meals, you'll end up eating more. Instead eat a ligher breakfast and lunch and if you eat a snack, have fruit.
Fast Foods
If fast food is your only option, choose a broiled chicken breast sandwich without the high-fat sauce, or visit the salad bar (as long as you limit the number of mayonnaise salads, such as cole slaw, and go light on dressing, cheese and fatty meats, such as pepperoni).
Eating More Fruits and Vegetables
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Some great tasting fruits are bananas, strawberries, and melons. Try chopping up a variety of raw vegetables to put in a sandwich or in a salad.
Grains - Oats
Oats are high in soluble fiber and contain better quality protein than wheat. Oats are sold as whole kernels (groats), rolled oats (oatmeal), flour and bran.
Smart Eating
Rather than giving up foods like hamburgers, french fries and ice cream, be smart about how often and how much you eat. Your body needs nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, fat and many different vitamins and minerals such as vitamins C and A, iron and calcium from a variety of foods. Balancing food choices from the Food Guide Pyramid and checking out the Nutrition Facts Panel on food labels will help you to get all these nutrients.
Cooking with Oil
If you cook or season foods with oil, choose low saturated oils such as canola, safflower, corn, olive, soybean, peanut. Avoid palm and coconut oils, which are highly saturated.
Lower Fat
Cut back on the total amount of fat in your diet, particularly saturated and trans fat (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil). To lower elevated blood fats, no more than 25% of your day's calories should come from fat. To get 25% or less of the day's calories from fat, most men should limit fat intake to 75 grams or less, and most women should limit fat intake to 53 grams or less.
Cutting Back on Salt
Cut back on salt by replacing the salt shaker with salt-free seasoning - - spices, hot peppers, etc.
Healthy Eating in Restaurants
Plan in advance what you want to eat at a restaurant or in a cafeteria so you won't be swayed by menu descriptions. Appetizers tend to be fried, creamy or cheesy--all of which add fat to your diet. Instead, choose a broth-based soup, fresh fruit cup or juice. For entrees, look for items that are grilled, steamed, poached or broiled; order them without butter or sauces. "Cajun" or "blackened" items are usually spicy and low in fat.
Leanest Cuts of Pork
The leanest cuts of pork are: centre cut loin roast, leg butt portion, tenderloin, picnic shoulder roast (cottage rolls).
Grains - Amaranth
Amaranth is a grainlike food. It has more and better quality protein than most grains and is very rich in iron. It is sold as flour, whole grain or breakfast cereal.
Grains - Corn
Field corn is made into cornmeal, flour, hominy, corn syrup, cooking oil, and fodder. Sweet corn is eaten as a vegetable. Popcorn (unbuttered, unsalted) makes a healthy snack.
Grains - Barley
Barley is fermented to make beer and whiskey. Pearled (polished) barley is used in soups, salads and side dishes. Whole hulled barley is nutritionally richer than pearled barley, but is harder to find.
Foods to Keep to a Minimum
These foods should be kept to a minimum.
Animal food;
White flour;
Refined Sugar;
Stimulants;
Grains - Buckwheat
Buckwheat is an excellent source of protein. It is not a true grain but is used as one. Unroasted buckwheat groats are ground into flour for breads and pancakes. Roasted groats (kasha) are used in soups, muffins, pilafs.
Grains - Wheat
Wheat is the most widely cultivated grain. There are many forms of it including wheat berries, cracked wheats, bulgur, couscous, wheat germ, breakfast cereals, and flour.
Adding Fiber to Your Diet
For more fiber, add wheat germ or bran to stews, soups or casseroles.
Use whole-wheat flour for part of the white flour in recipes.
Bind your meatloaf with oatmeal instead of white bread crumbs.
When possible, eat the skins of fruits and vegetables.
Add dried fruit and nuts to muffin and cookie recipes.
Include cooked beans in salads and soups that you make.
Occasionally, substitute bean dishes for meat.
Snacks
Snacks are a great way to refuel. Choose snacks from different food groups -- a glass of low-fat milk and a few graham crackers, an apple or celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins, or some dry cereal. If you eat smart at other meals, cookies, chips and candy are OK for occasional snacking.
Evaporated Milk
Evaporated milk works well in lower-fat baking; skim evaporated milk has twice as much calcium as an equal amount of fresh milk.
Grains, Fruits and Vegetables
Eat more grains, fruits and vegetables. These foods give you carbohydrates for energy, plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. Try breads such as whole-wheat, bagels and pita. Spaghetti and oatmeal are also in the grain group.
Grains - Rye
Rye is used mainly as flour in breads and crackers. Whole rye is nutritionally richer than rye from which the bran has been removed, but is harder to find. The darker the rye flour, the more nutritious it is.
Leanest Processed Meats
The leanest of the processed meats are: ham, pastrami, back bacon (pea meal).
| Guru Spotlight |
| Sherril Steele-Carlin |
