Health & Fitness

Become A Successful Dieter in 2005

Welcome to the New Year! If you have set out to make healthful eating one of your resolutions, congratulations! Here are some tips to smoothe the way towards eating well and living lean.

• Get organized.
  • Plan snacks ahead so when the urge to eat hits you, there is something "good and easy" to reach for.Peel carrots, cut celery or cucumbers ahead of time so they are handy.
  • Place no more than 10 pretzels (50 calories) in a baggie for a snack.
• Drink at least (8) glasses of water, iced tea or V-8 when you feel like snacking. Tell yourself that you'll have a snack only if you're still hungry after finishing the drink.
• When the urge to snack hits you, go out and walk around the house five times.
• Get rid of all (or most) junk food in the house or ask a family member to hide it.
• Don't let yourself use the old excuse at the grocery store, "The cookies are for the kids. They're not on a diet." Remember if they end up in the house, they will probably end up in your mouth.
• If you blow it at lunch, don't write off the rest of the day.
• Try to plan your meals at least one day ahead. The more decisions you leave to the last minute, the more chance you have of grabbing something quick and fat.
• If you find yourself becoming very hungry mid-afternoon, or in the evening, eat a bit more nutritious food at mealtime, or anticipate the in-between-meal hunger and plan a nutritious snack.
• Go easy on yourself. A treat here or there won't be the end of you. Just be reasonable

It is important to increase your vegetables and whole grains, but decrease the fat, salt and sugar.

Increasing Vegetables
Learn to properly steam vegetables.
Decrease the meat and increase the vegetables called for in stews and casseroles.
Offer washed and trimmed carrot and celery sticks for snacking.
Add finely grated carrots, pumpkin, or zucchini to baked breads and cakes.

Increasing Whole Grains
Substitute whole-wheat flour for bleached white flour when youbake.
Serve bran-based cereals, or those made from shredded wheat.

Reducing Fat
Cook with less fat by using non-stick skillets.
Add a spoon of water or broth as needed instead of more fat when sautéing onions and vegetables.
Substitute low-fat yogurt for mayonnaise.
Substitute ground turkey for ground beef.

Reducing Salt
Avoid cooking with soy or Worcestershire sauce.
Avoid using products that contain monosodium glutamate.
Use unsalted or low-salt vegetable broths and products.

Reducing Sugar
Choose canned fruits packed in water instead of heavy syrup.
Use only fresh-frozen fruit without added sugar if fresh is unavailable.
Cut the sugar called for in most recipes by one-third to one-half.
Sweeten waffles and quick breads with cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla or almond extracts.

This Information was provided by www.healthcentral.com