Rosalee Brown
Can you believe it? Yes, we are already more than two months into 2008! So how are we doing with those well-intentioned plans regarding our health and well-being? How well have we done in January and February in achieving our set goals?
Some of our goals
Increasing vegetable intake. I know that some people are coming from the place of not eating any vegetables at all, so how are you doing now? Ways to improve vegetable intake include adding some steamed vegetables to breakfast, a salad at lunch or dinner, a small serving of vegetable juice and, if you will, vegetables for snacks. You will, of course, have to first buy those vegetables.
Always buy a variety and use your imagination to add a low-calorie 'zing' such as herbs or fruits.
Having more whole fruits. Yes, I know juices are exciting and refreshing, but try not to go overboard by drinking large amounts. Even eight ounces can be a large portion of fresh juice when you want to consume less. The whole fruit has all the nutrients plus fibre and so is more filling. You are also at reduced risk of gorging yourself when you eat whole fruits.
Yes, and you did plan to have less sugar. You were going to put less sugar in your porridge, drinks, pastry etceteras. How are you doing? There are several ways to do this; either use less sugar when you prepare a meal which uses it or drastically reduce the frequency of these meals.
I know that the fat reduction is challenging but you must work at it if you want to reduce your body fat or keep cholesterol levels in check. Buy less fat and change your method of cooking. You should also read labels and remember that those mouth-watering pastries are often enhanced with fat.
Another challenge for many people is portion size. Even large amounts of healthy foods will increase your fuel intake and, if not burned during exercise, will be stored as fat. So, use smaller plates and put smaller portions on them (especially of those foods which are packed with energy such as staples and fats). You should also have more liberal servings of vegetables and arrange food attractively on the plate. Eat slowly and do not rush back for seconds; have conversation or if you eat alone, stall a little, you will find that you will not need the second helping.
Eat on time. Missing meals is the downfall of many grand plans. When your body reminds you of hunger and you ignore it, you tend to overeat when food becomes available, both to replenish stores and to satisfy your feelings.
When you snack, make sure it is part of the daily requirements which you had placed in your plan. Snacks should be part of your plan just like that serving of fruit or vegetable or the small daily serving of nuts, seeds or herbal tea.
Have you increased your water consumption as planned? More water could mean drinking less juice. Sometimes, dehydration is mistaken for hunger.
Have you cut back on the animal protein, as planned, by eating more legumes? Remember the benefits - less saturated fat and cholesterol and more soluble fibre.
I know the barriers, we all face them on a daily basis - time, work, family, mood swings and cravings. But our health should be the ultimate driving force. Hang in there, you can do it!
Rosalee M Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
