Fit Fare

Diet.  I know.  That pesky four letter word that we dare to utter, but hey, whatever you call it … diet, lifestyle change, program, it is what it is, right?  A recent piece in Parade magazine had some great tips on eating right that got my attention.  I tend to eat a bagel in the morning as a quick grab-on-the-fly breakfast, but according to their research, although it has the same amount of calories as oatmeal and skim milk, it has a high GI, and makes you (and me!) hungry sooner than an oatmeal breakfast would.  Wonderful, right?  Now you know what’s on my shopping list tomorrow. 

A few more of their tips:

Stay Full Longer:  People pay too much attention to counting calories, as opposed to where those calories come from.  You need to make sure that whatever eating plan you’re on, you’re still getting healthy doses of fruits and vegetables, so you’re not depriving yourself of fiber, vitamins, and anti-oxidants.

Easy Food Substitutions:  They suggest making tiny tweaks in your diet for major impact.  Processed foods aren’t as good for you as whole grains.  For example, instead of white bread, eat rye or pumpernickel.  Instead of pretzels, eat plain popcorn.  Instead of white potatoes, eat sweet potatoes.  Instead of ice cream, eat yogurt.

Weight Loss Bonus: To lose an extra pound a week, you need to make a deficit of 3,500 calories, and exercise is a great way to accomplish that.  If you eat just a mere 250 calories less per day and burn an extra 250 calories with exercise, you can drop that pound a week pretty easily.  How?  Switch out your regular soda for diet, or better still, water, and then walk for 30 minutes.  Have sugar-free jello instead of ice cream and go for a bike ride.  Go on, you can do it!

Photo from the USDA’s ARS Gallery.