Healthy Eating Resolutions You’ll Stick To

By August, many of us have long since given up on our New Year’s Resolutions. Why? Because we make them so unattainable, there’s no way we’re getting past January with a single one. With fall around the corner, let’s make a commitment to real goals, and real results.

Savor the Occasional Sugar Bomb

According to Nicole Avena, Ph.D., a coauthor of Why Diets Fail: Because You’re Addicted to Sugar, the foods you don’t think are messing up your diet, are actually the main culprits. Things like soup, tomato sauce, coleslaw, soy milk, ketchup, etc. all have hidden sugars that you don’t see when you look at the label. “Just like a piece of chocolate cake, insidiously sugared foods spike insulin levels and cause cravings for more sweets,” Avena said. Watch out for hidden sugar “aliases” like agave nectar, lactose, dextrose, corn syrup and cane juice.

Eat Like a Kid

Instead of latching onto a fad diet such as juicing, which only yields results when you’re not eating anything, try to eat more like a kid. Don’t go out and buy boxes of Little Debbie’s, buy do start being mindful of when your stomach says your full. Instead of just eating on autopilot, stop eating when you stop being hungry. Make your servings smaller, and don’t start out with more than you think you can eat.

Have a Bedtime Snack

Don’t rule out midnight snacks before you go to sleep just because someone told you to stop all food at 7 p.m. According to Jessica Crandall, R.D., a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a dietitian for Denver Wellness & Nutrition, eating a few hours before bedtime can actually keep your metabolism going and stabilize you blood sugar levels throughout the night. Choose healthy alternatives like a banana with peanut butter or Greek yogurt topped with fresh berries.

Focus on the Right Kind of Fat

When you’re trying to lost weight, the first things that comes to mind, is to lay off the fat. Putting fat in your body means you’ll get fat, right? Wrong. According to Crandall, the fight kind of fat can actually promote weight loss because it slows down digestion. Look for foods with monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados.

Count Protein, Not Calories

Going all day without eating and then eating your entire kitchen is not the best way to stabilize or maintain your weight loss. By forgoing protein in your meals, you may get hungrier sooner. Things like chicken breast, canned tuna, cottage cheese and eggs all have a healthy amount of fat and protein to keep you full and happy, without needing that afternoon chocolate fix.

For more details on your new resolutions, see the full article from Fitness Magazine at www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/food-goals.