The Plain Things are the Main Things!

By: Ryan Vance, RDN

Eating well is essential for us all. If you want to lead a healthy and fit life, you’ll need to put some effort into it. Nowadays, it can be confusing with all the information coming at us from so many different directions. One thing to keep in mind is that we often spend a majority of time focusing on the things that provide minimal returns to our health. If we can shift our time and attention to the things that will have a greater impact on our health, we’ll start to see real change towards a lifestyle that is sustainable and healthy.

Below are a few things to consider:

What’s your calorie cadence?

Basically, are you eating three meals a day? The evidence continues to show that consistently skipping meals is difficult for our bodies to handle. Long periods between meals increases our chances for weight gain in the long run. Meals should be about four hours apart, and consist of a good breakfast, lunch and dinner, with smaller, healthy snacks in between. Following this pattern can lead to healthier choices.

Map your meals

Planning meals ahead of time is by far one of the best ways to stick to a plan. By having meals planned out a couple of days ahead of time there is less temptation to go the route of fast and convent options that tend to carry more salt, sugar and saturated fat than we need. Meal planning does take time, but it’s time well spent, and hey you’re worth it. Spending some time on the weekend planning meals for the upcoming week is usually best.

Is there food in your food?

Its sounds pretty easy, but looking for and purchasing foods that are as close to their natural state is a great rule of thumb for choosing nutritious foods. The more we can shift our grocery dollars away from prepackaged/processed items the better we’ll be doing. With that said, don’t forget there are still tons of great nutritious items that come in a can, bag or box. Canned fruits and vegetables are great and packed with nutrition: look for items canned in light syrup or low sodium versions. The frozen foods isle is a great place to stock up on fruits and vegetables that won’t spoil as quickly.

If you’re interested in digging a little deeper, or in fine tuning your nutrition schedule an appointment with our Dietitian.

Do you have a question you’d like answered by Center for Lifetime Health Dietitian? Email us at contact@centerforlifetimehealth.com