Submitted by Dr T on December 28, 2010 – 5:02pm
Hello everyone, I am Angelina!
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday celebration with family and friends; I love the magic of this season and the excitement and anticipation of the New Year about to begin. Many of my clients come to me once the rush is done, the presents have been opened and numerous desserts enjoyed, with a desire to make some healthy lifestyle changes. I would like to offer some suggestions for you to peruse at your leisure.
- Start with small, healthy changes. Don’t put pressure on yourself to adhere to a diet as they are a short-term solution, your goal is achieving the best nutrition possible for a healthy heart. Little steps will have big results.
- Increase your awareness of portion sizes, both at home and when eating out at a restaurant. When eating out, don’t be afraid to ask for only half of your meal to be served and automatically have the other half boxed up for you to take home for perhaps lunch the next day.
- Try eating smaller amounts of food more frequently during the day. If you go long hours without eating there will be a tendency to overeat when you do have your meal. Keep little snacks handy like a low-fat yogurt, a serving of almonds or a piece of fruit to help keep your metabolism moving and your appetite at bay.
- Work on becoming more in tune with your body. In the hustle and bustle of taking care of a family and work and other activities, it is easy to forget to listen to your body. Do your best to eat when you are hungry and stop eating when you feel full. This will help your body run as efficiently as it can and make sure you have the energy to keep up with your busy schedule.
- Allow yourself to eat the foods you enjoy. Being too rigid will not support your focus on lifestyle changes; these are changes you want to stick and become your new norm of healthy eating.
- Finding the balance between eating enjoyment and health is achievable. It is possible to eat everything you like but the key is mindfulness in both the amount and the frequency with which you are adding these foods into your nutrition routine.
I hope you find these ideas helpful. They are concepts giving you a foundation to change your nutrition and overall health. Please continue to check back regularly, I look forward to sharing more information with you to help your quest for a healthy heart!
My best wishes for a Happy New Year!
Angelina M, MS, RD, LDN