Realistic Steps You Can Take to Make the Transition to a Healthy Diet

Resolving to go on a diet is probably one of the most common resolutions every year, but doing it all at once is too hard for many people to sustain past the New Year's Day football game half time. "It's very difficult, particularly if you love good food," said Chef Julia Child. But there are a few steps you can take to make the transition much easier.

• Change one meal a week to be lower in fat, higher in fiber, and richer in the health promoting complex carbohydrates, like potatoes, rice, pasta and beans. Every other week, change one more meal. By the end of the year, you will have a far more nutritious diet and probably have lost a considerable amount of weight.

• Eat red meat no more three times a week. Eat five to nine fruits or vegetables a day. People have heard, "Eat more vegetables," since they were two years old. It goes in one ear and out the other, but if you set a goal in terms of a specific number, it helps a lot.

• Unfortunately, cocktails, wine, liquor, and especially beer, add an awful lot of empty calories. So when you're having a sparkling soda, put in some lime, pretend it's a cocktail. Put it in a nice stem glass and sit back. On toast, use marmalade or a nut butter instead of butter. Be conscious of everything you eat, try to eat a lot of filling things so you feel satisfied.

• A lot of people cut out starches. It is probably best to eat four to six starch servings a day, even if you're trying to lose weight. A serving, is a half bagel, a slice of bread, or a half-cup pasta, rice or cereal. The good old basic one is be sure to have agood breakfast every day, consisting of one to two starches, one fruit, either fresh or half-cup of juice, and one cup of low-fat yogurt and skim or low-fat milk. Also try to cut meat to two small protein servings a day, two to three ounces, which is about the size of a deck of cards or cassette tape case.

• Don't say, "I'm never going to eat a specific food again." Be realistic. Just say, "I'm going to eat less." If you say "never," you'll only want it more. Eat at home more often and cook more. If you're trying to eat a moderate, balanced and varied diet, if you have more control, you have more confidence.

• A secret weapon to staying on the right track when you travel a lot is popcorn. You can buy it in airports. When you go into movie theaters you can buy popcorn, without butter. It tastes good and is filling, eating some before a big dinner leaves you with a reasonable appetite. The good news is in train stations and airports, they're serving popcorn, usually fresh and usually popped in vegetable oil.

Sources:

Farlow, Christine H. Healthy Eating: For Extremely Busy People Who Don't Have Time For It ("KISS" For Health) 2007

Forsythe, Liita and Joyce Rogers The Bible's Seven Secrets to Healthy Eating 2001