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We Can! Try Tips To Eat Well

Source: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
Topics: Healthy Eating Strategies

Choose to take small steps today! Try these tips to eat well and move more and see how easy taking small steps toward a healthier life can be.

Eating Well (ENERGY IN)

  • Drink water before a meal.
  • Eat half your dessert, or choose fruit as dessert.
  • Avoid food portions larger than your fist.
  • Drink diet soda instead of regular soda.
  • Eat off smaller plates.
  • Don't eat late at night.
  • Skip buffets.
  • Grill, steam, or bake instead of frying.
  • Share an entree with a friend.
  • Eat before grocery shopping.
  • Choose a checkout line without a candy display.
  • Make a grocery list before you shop.
  • Drink water or low-fat milk over soda and other sugary drinks.
  • Flavor foods with herbs, spices, and other low-fat seasonings.
  • Keep to a regular eating schedule.
  • Eat before you get too hungry.
  • Don't skip breakfast.
  • Stop eating when you are full.
  • Snack on fruits and vegetables.
  • Top your favorite cereal with apples or bananas.
  • Include several servings of whole-grain foods daily.
  • If main dishes are too big, choose an appetizer or a side dish instead.
  • Ask for salad dressing “on the side.”
  • Don't take seconds.
  • Try a green salad instead of fries.
  • Eat sweet foods in small amounts.
  • Cut back on added fats or oils in cooking or spreads.
  • Cut high-calorie foods like cheese and chocolate into small pieces and only eat a few pieces.
  • Use fat-free or low-fat sour cream, mayo, sauces, dressings, and other condiments.
  • Replace sugar-sweetened beverages with water and add a twist of lemon or lime.
  • Every time you eat a meal, sit down, chew slowly, and pay attention to flavors and textures.
  • Try a new fruit or vegetable (ever had jicama, plantain, bok choy, star fruit, or papaya?)
  • Instead of eating out, bring a healthy, low-calorie lunch to work.
  • Ask your sweetie to bring you fruit or flowers instead of chocolate.

Moving More (ENERGY OUT)

  • Walk your children to school.
  • Take a family walk after dinner.
  • Join an exercise group and enroll your children in community sports teams or lessons.
  • Replace a Sunday drive with a Sunday walk.
  • Do yard work. Get your children to help rake, weed, plant, etc.
  • Get off the bus a stop early and walk.
  • Work around the house. Ask your children for help doing active chores.
  • Walk the dog to the park.
  • Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV.
  • Pace the sidelines at kids' athletic games.
  • Choose an activity that fits into your daily life. Being physically active with your family is a great way to spend time together.
  • Park farther from the store and walk.
  • Use an exercise video with your kids if the weather is bad.
  • Avoid labor-saving devices, such as a remote control or electric mixers.
  • Play with your kids 30 minutes a day.
  • Dance to music. Play your favorite dance music for your children and have them play their favorites for you.
  • Make a Saturday morning walk a family habit.
  • Walk briskly in the mall.
  • Choose activities you enjoy—you'll be more likely to stick with them. Ask children what activities they want to do.
  • Explore new physical activities.
  • Acknowledge your efforts with non-food related rewards, such as a family day at the park, lake, or zoo.
  • Take the stairs instead of the escalator.
  • Swim with your kids.
  • Turn off the TV and play ball at the park.
  • Take your dog on longer walks.
  • When walking, go up the hills instead of around them.
  • Use a family activity planner to make time each day for activity.
  • Buy a set of hand weights and play a round of Simon Says with your kids—you do it with the weights, they do it without.

Source: Adapted from www.smallstep.gov

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