We Can! Try Tips To Eat Well

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