Clients in Lakeland, Florida find it's not hard to eat healthy once they know the right foods to eat. It doesn't come at the cost of depriving yourself of foods you love, either. Eating healthy isn't like dieting. Anyone who has ever dieted knows that at some time it ends. Either you reach your goal or simply give up and consume every treat in the refrigerator. Eating healthy is about making smarter choices and consuming more whole foods. If you want to have those "forbidden treats" occasionally, it's not a problem. Keep portion control in mind, but if you don't, just go back to healthy eating the next day.
Making substitutions can give you more nutrients and fewer calories.
If you're a cook, you'll appreciate some of these cooking tips that can lower calories and boost nutrition. Want to make a sweet treat but hate to use all the sugar? It's easy to lower calories and improve its nutritional value by substituting unsweetened applesauce for sugar. You'll need to reduce the liquid when you do that. Applesauce can also substitute for oil or butter when baking. Avocados mashed are a good substitution for butter, especially in recipes with chocolate.
You'll be amazed at how these vegetables can taste so delicious.
If you're a pasta lover, but hate to add the extra pounds, consider zoodles. Those are zucchini noodles. Spaghetti squash is also good. It tastes like spaghetti and is great with sauce or a little garlic butter. Mashed cauliflower is a good substitute for mashed potatoes, too. Some people do a 50/50 blend. Whether you're making a taco or a sandwich, big lettuce leaves can be the bun, bread or wrap.
Eating healthy doesn't mean you starve yourself.
In fact, it might even mean you'll eat more food than normal. You do have to plan ahead a bit to ensure you have things like healthy mid morning and afternoon snacks. In fact, most people find that taking the time to plan a week's worth of meals with a shopping list for the store and cooking all the meals over the weekend can help avoid that last minute stop for a pizza.
- Greek yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream. It still gives that creamy goodness, but with far few calories and more nutrition.
- Consider making simple switches, like choosing brown rice over white for fewer calories and more nutrients.
- When you want a sweet treat, but want to cut out some of the calories, use one cup of pureed black beans (a 15-oz can) for a cup of flour. You'll cut the flour while boosting the protein.
- Watch your serving sizes when you're eating healthy. While some foods won't matter, like many vegetables that are lower in calories, portion control is important if you're eating high calorie foods.
