Are you feeling the pressure of needing to lose weight as a New Year’s resolution? Are you tired of hearing about all the “quick fix” ways to lose weight that never seem to stick?
Hello there, my name is Kaitlin Slone and I am the new registered dietitian on staff here at Wake Internal Medicine Consultants. I am sure you have heard about more diet pills and diet plans than you can remember, so I am writing to you to let you know you do not have to live on cabbage soup and juice cleanses to manage your weight. Making simple changes to your current eating habits will have a much more lasting effect on your health.
What are these simple changes you ask?
- Make a few changes to your food preparation methods:
Roast diced sweet potatoes in an oven with vegetable based oil drizzled over and sprinkled with cinnamon INSTEAD of baking them and topping with butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows. Try leaving the skin on for extra fiber!
Look for peanut butter powder in your grocery store, it is a tasty protein source that is a fraction of the fat and calories compared to regular peanut butter! Mix it into oatmeal in the morning for a warm and healthy winter breakfast INSTEAD of eating a bowl of sugary cereal. Try whipping peanut butter powder into nonfat plain greek yogurt as a tasty protein packed dip for apple slices INSTEAD of reaching for caramel dip.
- Do not skip meals! Attention all breakfast skippers – it is best to eat within 2 hours of waking up in the morning. Make sure you eat 3 meals daily, and be sure to include small snacks if you will have long periods of time between meals.
- Make sure you get fruits and vegetables EVERY DAY. Have you ever tried eggplant, kohlrabi, or papaya? Why not?
- Portion, portion, portion! When you place food on your plate at meal time, think fractions. ¼ of your plate should be meat/protein, ¼ of your plate should be a grain/starch, ½ of your plate should be fruits and vegetables. Including a low fat dairy product such as yogurt for dessert is a healthful addition.
Healthy eating does NOT need to include a juicer or calorie counting. Use healthier cooking methods, do not skip meals, consume plenty of fruits and vegetables, and eat foods in appropriate portions and there you have healthier eating!
