SALTMER CITY – As spring approaches, the sun begins to shine a little longer each day, the grass looks slightly greener, flower buds begin to appear and people begin to decorate their homes and gardens.
Spring cleaning is a great way to brighten up your home and life, so why not do a little spring cleaning with your diet as well?
I do not mean to do some fad diet that is unrealistic and only leads to temporary results. Instead, I recommend cleaning your diet by starting slowly and choosing one or two of the suggestions below to work on at the same time. After you make one a habit, choose another one to work on.
You may be working on these goals longer than spring lasts, but it will be worth it in the long run. By reducing some foods in your diet and increasing others, you can set yourself up with healthy habits that will benefit you for a lifetime.
Reduce the sweets
Excessive consumption of added sugars is associated with health problems such as dental caries (or cavities), as well as weight gain, heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Added sugars do not contain naturally occurring sugars, such as sugars in fruits or milk, and they enter our diet in different ways.
Some are fairly obvious, such as delicacies like cakes, cookies, ice cream, sweets, pastries, jams, jellies and other sweets. Other sources may be a little more surprising, such as sauces, dressings, marinades, sweetened yogurt, cold cereal, biscuits, granola bars and more.
One of the biggest culprits is not what we eat, but rather what we drink. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sugary drinks are the number one source of added sugars in the US diet. These include, but are not limited to, ordinary soft drinks, fruit, sports drinks, energy drinks, flavored water and sweetened coffee, tea and alcoholic beverages. Switching from sugary drinks to water is a great way to reduce added sugars in your diet.
You do not have to go cold turkey and cut all sweets overnight or completely out of your diet. Enjoying a treat every now and then is good. The main goal is to enjoy it moderately, and keep added sugars to less than 10% of your total daily calories, as recommended in the American Dietary Guidelines.
Eat fats – the healthier kind
Fats have been a controversial topic for decades. Do we eat it or do we avoid it? Instead of the “all or nothing” approach, the answer depends on the type of fat. The dietary guidelines for Americans recommend that the intake of saturated fats be limited to less than 10% of the daily calories, and that the intake of trans fat be as low as possible. These types of fats can raise your LDL “bad” cholesterol, which increases your risk for heart disease.
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and occur naturally in foods from animal sources such as red meat, poultry and dairy foods. It is also commonly found in other snacks and treats foods such as chips, cakes, cookies, pastries, fried foods and ice cream.
Just as important as reducing the saturated and trans fats is what you replace them with. Studies have shown that when these less healthy fats are replaced by carbohydrates, the risk of heart disease is not reduced. However, replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats can lower the risk of heart disease.
Unsaturated fats include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. It is found naturally in many plant foods such as nuts, seeds, avocados, soybeans and oils made from these foods. They are also found in fish and other seafood. Include these healthy fats in your diet by snacking on a small handful of nuts, cooking with avocado or olive oil, incorporating fish into your weekly meal plan or filling your toast or salad with avocado.
You do not have to go cold turkey and cut all sweets overnight or completely out of your diet. Enjoying a treat every now and then is good. The main purpose is to enjoy it in moderation.
–Brittany Poulson, registered dietitian
Stack on the vegetables
The one food group that most people admit to being deficient is vegetables. According to the CDC, only 1 in 10 Americans eats the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables daily. Vegetables are full of beneficial nutrients and studies are still showing the benefits of consuming them daily. However, they do not yet have an average American diet.
The first step in including more vegetables in your diet is to have them available at your home. If you bring vegetables home from the store, do not just throw them in the fridge’s crisp fresh drawer to be forgotten about. Make it easily accessible by chopping carrots, broccoli, celery and cauliflower into sticks or bite size. Then put it in bags and store it on a shelf in the fridge at eye level.
Keep bags of frozen vegetables in your freezer to easily grab and toss in a soup or saucepan, mix them in a pasta dish or heat them as an easy side. Add variety by cooking your vegetables in different ways, such as dumb, roasting, frying, stir-frying or sautéing. Stack the vegetables on top of your sandwich, burger, taco and pizza. You can also mix your eggs with some sautéed vegetables, add roasted vegetables in your whole grain power bowl, or mix some raw vegetables in your morning smoothie.
Go bananas
Not only bananas but also berries, grapes, oranges, apples and more. The inclusion of fruits as part of your diet will provide you with nutrients such as antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Whether fresh, frozen, dried or canned, all fruits can be good for you. If you choose can, then choose cans in 100% juice or water. For frozen or dried fruit, make sure the fruit is the only ingredient without adding sugars.
Fruit juice can be a sweet addition to your day, but pay attention to portion sizes (adults should limit to 8 ounces) and always choose 100% juice. I usually recommend eating whole fruits when drinking juice because there is usually no fiber in the fruit in juice. If you eat an orange, you will feel more satiated than drinking a glass of orange juice.
Go meatless once a week
High red meat, especially consumption of processed meat, has been linked to various chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. While red meat contains several important nutrients – such as essential proteins, vitamin B12, iron and zinc – it is not such a good idea to consume high amounts.
The World Cancer Research Fund recommends reducing red meat – especially processed meats such as salami, hot dogs, ham, bacon, beef, delicacies and some sausages – to no more than three servings per week.
If you set a goal to be meatless one day a week, it will definitely help you to comply with the recommendation. Get protein needs by eating vegetable proteins like nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, tofu and whole grains. Choose any day of the week for your meatless meals and make it a habit every week. Monday is a popular choice by the Meatless Monday movement.
Try lentil juices, three-sister chili, crispy baked tofu tacos or loaded sweet potatoes for a delicious meat-free meal. With all the ways to enjoy vegetable protein, you do not miss the meat even once a week.
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