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We all want to be healthy when it comes to our food but the idea of eating like rabbits or having to stay away from restaurants has obviously can put a lot of people off. But that is a very extreme way of thinking and can potentially do emotional damage. There are plenty of things you can do to be more mindful of your health, none of which meaning you have to drastically change your diet. And you can still eat out at your favourite restaurant downtown Charlottesville has if you so desire.
Here are 20 baby steps to be more mindful of your health and develop a more positive attitude to food.
- Eat half your dessert
- Eat off smaller plates
- Snack on fruits & veggies
- Ask for salad dressing on the side
- Swap fries for a green salad
- Increase your fiber
- If you sit a lot, get up and move about once an hour
- Skip seconds
- Drink water before a meal
- Don’t snack late at night
- Order your latte with skim milk
- Chew your food slowly
- Don’t eat snacks directly from the bag – portion out a serving
- Stop eating before you’re full
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Eat before you get too hungry
- Eat before you go food shopping
- Eat sweets in small amounts
- When you eat out, ask the server to put half your entree into a doggie bag if you feel there’s too much.
- Snack on low-fat or fat-free yogurt (with a few nuts sprinkled in)
Forgive me if these sound obvious…they might be. But then again, sometimes the things closest to us are the ones we fail to see.
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Alexandra says
I’ve heard the “chew food slowly” advice is important and I tend to forget that. I also never think to drink water before a meal. Thanks for these reminders.
SherylK says
You’re so welcome. Always good to have reminders – there’s so much information floating around out there, it’s easy to forget!
Roxanne says
Oh, sure. Put the dessert tip first. ;o)
SherylK says
No, Roxanne, that would be EAT dessert first 🙂
Alisa Bowman says
I always need a reminder about the dressing on the side. I used to ask for it that way all the time, and now I’m in the bad habit of not asking. It makes a big difference.
SherylK says
It does make a big difference. You use so much less when you ask for the dressing on the side. It’s scary how much they pour onto the greens; most salads are soaked with dressing, which is so unnecessary, I think.
Rosalba Gordon says
Thanks for the reminder, I have to copy it and have with me all the time then I won’t have any excuse.
Kerry says
I like that reminder to get up and move around once an hour, too. I take long walks of six or seven miles several times a week, but then when I’m writing I do not always think to get up from my desk and walk around that often. great idea!
SherylK says
I’m about to go on one of those long walks right after I’m finished commenting on these great comments.
merr says
Number 7 is a winner. So simple, so easy, so smart to do this.
Jane Boursaw says
Great advice. Here’s mine: Walk every day, no matter how long or short. Five days and counting here! And the thing is, even when I think I’m just going to walk down the driveway and back, so far I always end up going further. This afternoon, I was going to jaunt back into the woods a little ways, but ended up going up a big hill, which turned into a great workout.
SherylK says
So glad to hear that, Jane! And now that the weather is warming up, walking got even better 🙂
Living Large says
We’ve started snacking or having fruit as dessert at night, it does make a difference!
SherylK says
Excellent! I like fruit for dessert, too. Of course I like cookies…but fruit can sometimes be a nice, sweet (almost) substitute.
MyKidsEatSquid says
Here’s another idea, at home I’ll walk from one room to the next doing walking lunges. Just one way to sneak in a little more exercise.
SherylK says
Great one! Thanks. I’m going to start doing this (might look strange when others are around, but I don’t care 🙂