Healthy Eating Habits

Healthy Eating Habits
Brittany Kelley, R.D. 

Looking for some guidance with healthy eating as we begin the new year? After the holidays we all need a re-set to get us back on track. Some of you may want to better understand how to be eating healthfully but may be unsure of how to do so the right way. Luckily Cedardale has two Registered Dietitians that are always here for nutrition advice and individualized recommendations. For those of you that can’t find the time to make it in for a scheduled appointment here are a few starter tips for getting yourself back on track.

1. Drink Plenty of Water: I cannot stress this enough. Water is probably the most important aspect of a healthy lifestyle but yet the most neglected. Water helps keep everything working properly like oil does in a car. It helps our internal organs function properly, hydrates our body and skin, and helps keep us alert of focused. Not to mention drinking water helps keep us full in between meals and snacks and prevents overeating. The dietary recommendation is half your body weight in ounces of water daily. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, that means that you will need to drink 70 ounces of water a day. If drinking enough water is a challenge try soda water for a little extra flavor or infusing your water with fruit! Coffee and caffeinated teas don’t count!
   
   
2. Choose Whole Nutrient Dense Foods: Healthy isn’t low in calories, low-fat, or “skinny.” These are the trendy terms that are marketed to those who desire weight loss, but the message couldn’t be more wrong. These foods are generally the ones that contain the most artificial sweeteners, have the highest glycemic index, and fail to provide our bodies with the fuel that it needs. Think of your body like a furnace, if we do not give it wood it will not burn. Our metabolism works the same way; it needs nutrients to keep going. So instead of focusing on the calorie count on a product food label, look for how many grams of protein it has per serving, and check whether it contains added sugars. Point being, nutrition is a lot more involved than just calories in and calories out. 
   
   
3. Develop Consistent Behaviors: It’s so easy to sign up for a quick-fix diet that will make you avoid every food you once enjoyed in order to lose weight. Chances are, however, that you’ll gain most of that weight back because the diet wasn’t realistic. As a non-diet dietitian, I will never recommend restriction and avoidance of foods, but rather enjoying the foods lower in nutritional value in moderation. Making consistent good choices when it comes to food is key. I always suggest that my client follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to food. 80% of the time we eat clean, healthy, whole foods, and up 20% of the time we are allowed to have foods that aren’t appropriate to have every single day. This way you aren’t left feeling deprived, and you maintain consistency with behavior change.

Remember no Two People Have the Same Needs: If every single person could follow a universal “diet plan” and all achieve weight loss than there would be no need for help from Licensed Professionals or inconsistencies with maintaining that weight loss. Every single person has a different body type, metabolic rate, physical limitations, health status, past medical history, and family genetics that determine how they respond to nutritional modifications. For this reason, it is important to seek professional guidance when considering making changes in to how you eat. Try to avoid websites that offer nutrition information without the credentials of a Licensed Dietitian to back it up. Reach out to myself or Samantha McCarthy Cedardale’s Registered Dietitians who can help you make 2019 the best year yet by getting you on track properly with real facts, and real food. And know that the purpose of food is still always to be enjoyed