Healthy Food Choices
The following advice is sound for anyone to follow. Even if you are not overweight, it will help you to maintain your weight.
- Eat less sugar. Do not consume table sugar, regular soft drinks, syrup, honey, candy, jelly, or jam. Eat fruits if you want something sweet. If you like fruit juices and/or canned fruits, choose those that have no added sugar. Ice milk and frozen yogurt are ok in small amounts. Use a non-nutritive sweetener instead of sugar.
- Eat less fat. Avoid animal fat and fatty meats in general, such as hot dogs, bologna, untrimmed meats, skins, etc. Choose lean meats, such as skinless chicken and fish. Bake, broil, or grill your meats.
- Avoid fried foods, cream, regular ice cream, butter, and lots of salad oil. Choose low-fat milk and cottage cheese. Limit your use of cheese.
- Eat all you want of fresh fruit, celery, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, onions, sauerkraut, beets, turnips, okra, radishes, broccoli, green beans, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, asparagus, cabbage, and all other green vegetables.
- Eat a moderate amount: whole grain bread, cereal, potatoes, brown rice, corn, and beans. These foods are not particularly fattening, but often are made fattening by what is added to them, like butter, sour cream, cheese, etc. Still, these foods are starches, and consuming too much of them may contribute to problems controlling your blood sugar.
- Fiber: You should eat some foods that are high in fiber, like whole wheat bread, bran cereals, and vegetables.
- Hidden calories: alcohol (beer, wine, liquor, many liquid medications), fried snack foods and things with added sugar.
Changing Habits
- Don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry.
- Learn to read the labels on food containers, and learn what they contain. Choose wisely!
- Eat only when you are hungry, not because you are bored, stressed, or tired.
- Eat only at the dining table.
- Don't go choose the large orders of fries, etc.
- Don't drive, watch television, or talk on the phone when you eat.
- Stop eating when you are no longer hungry. Don't continue to eat until you are completely full.
Adapted from American Academy of Family Physicians