Healthy diet and weight loss tips straight from a dietary pro<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip 1: Manage your hunger<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever diet you choose \u2014 and many different diets can help you lose weight \u2014 don\u2019t give up because you get too hungry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHunger is a normal response to reducing calories. When you eat less, your fat cells release more hunger hormones, which increases your appetite,\u201d says Hopsecger. \u201cHigher-protein, high-fiber meal plans are best for controlling your hunger and appetite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Replace processed carbs like white bread, bagels, muffins or donuts for breakfast with high-protein\/high-fiber foods like eggs, or Greek yogurt mixed with chia seeds and berries. You\u2019ll find that you stay fuller, longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip 2: Don\u2019t eat a carbohydrate unless it has fiber attached to it<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis reduces sugars and white flour (pastries, white bread, candy, juice, etc.) in your diet, and helps you to choose carbs that better support your appetite and nutrition needs\u201d says Hopsecger. \u201cThe more fiber in your diet, the better!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fiber helps improve blood sugar control, helps lower cholesterol and reduces your risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, colorectal cancer and heart disease. When you have diabetes, a diet with fewer carbs (like bread, pasta, rice, desserts, sugary beverages, juice) is also important because you\u2019ll need less insulin. And that can help prevent hunger, fat storage and weight gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Foods rich in fiber include legumes (dried beans, lentils), veggies (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach squash, sweet potatoes) and fruit (apples, berries, oranges, pears).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip 3: Focus on healthy behaviors, not the number on the scale<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s easy to get discouraged when you look only at your weight. \u201cFocus instead on making good food choices, watching portions and exercising regularly,\u201d Hopsecger says. \u201cIf you lead with these behaviors, the weight loss will follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Replace a goal like \u201close two pounds a week\u201d with specific mini-goals, like \u201ceat 1 cup of veggies at dinner,\u201d \u201cwalk 20 minutes a day\u201d or \u201ckeep a daily food log.\u201d If you\u2019re disappointed with your weight progress at week\u2019s end, reflect on how well you stuck to each goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you\u2019ve made healthy changes, congratulations!\u201d she says. \u201cIf you fell short, ask yourself why. Were the goals too difficult? Do you need a stronger support system? Is a major barrier in your way? Then either tweak your goals or focus on the factors you can control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try tracking lifestyle changes, food, exercise and weight in a journal. At the end of each week, check off which new habits are going well and which need more work. \u201cYour health is a lifelong journey,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip 4: Make plants the foundation of your diet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Different weight loss approaches work for different people. But plant foods should be the foundation of any diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cResearch strongly supports the benefits of plant-based nutrition approaches for weight loss, disease prevention and overall health,\u201d says Hopsecger. \u201cWhether you\u2019re eating vegetarian, paleo, high-fat, vegan or pegan (a combination of paleo and vegan), your diet should include a variety of foods from the earth.\u201d Just remember that a plant-based diet still requires portion control!<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means enjoying lots of non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cucumbers and bok choy, and fruits like berries, apples and pears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlant-based foods contain a variety of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that help support your cells and reduce inflammation,\u201d she says. They also provide fiber and water, both of which help you feel fuller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip 5: No foods are 100% off-limits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When you label foods as \u201cgood\u201d and \u201cbad,\u201d you naturally fixate on foods you shouldn\u2019t eat but typically still crave \u2014 and likely will crave more when they\u2019re totally off limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFocus instead on choosing the right portions of healthy foods 80 to 90%of the time,\u201d she says. \u201cThat, paired with a healthy exercise routine, can lead to long-term weight loss success. And it leaves some wiggle room to enjoy \u2018fun foods\u2019 occasionally without feeling guilt or resentment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When working with children, she recommends teaching which choices are better and will fuel their bodies more effectively, rather than giving them lists of foods to eat and foods to completely avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFeelings of guilt from eating forbidden foods can snowball into unhealthy emotions in childhood, adolescence and even adulthood,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip 6: Spend your calories wisely<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n All calories are not created equal. \u201cIf your diet consists mainly of sugar, saturated\/trans fats and salt \u2014 all of which can be very addictive \u2014 you can develop consistent cravings for dense, high-calorie foods with little nutritional value,\u201d says Hopsecger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis leads to excess calories and weight gain or inability to lose weight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eat foods that are high in lean protein and healthy fats and fiber, and you\u2019ll feel satisfied throughout the day and will rarely get cravings. This will help you maintain a lower calorie level, which will lead to weight loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip 7: Plan tomorrow\u2019s meals today<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Planning ahead stops that \u201cgrab what you see\u201d panic that sets in when you wait to plan dinner until you\u2019re starving at 6 p.m. Putting together dinner on the fly is likely to bring less nutritious, higher-calorie choices to your table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you sit down for dinner tonight, plan what you\u2019ll eat for dinner tomorrow. \u201cIt\u2019s so much easier to do when you\u2019re not hungry,\u201d Hopsecger says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis also gives you time to take something out of the freezer, chop veggies tonight to put in the crockpot tomorrow morning and ask which family members will be home for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re unsure of how to start incorporating a healthier diet, visit our recipes page for inspiration!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Credits: https:\/\/health.clevelandclinic.org\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Healthy diet and weight loss tips straight from a dietary pro Tip 1: Manage your hunger Whatever diet you choose \u2014 and many different diets can help you lose weight….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60,"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28\/revisions\/60"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toporganichealth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}