Healthy Eating for a Healthy You

Did you know that following a healthy, nutritious diet can lower your cholesterol, blood pressure and help prevent heart disease?

You can be on your way to a healthier, happier you by following some of the tips below.

If your craving dessert after a meal, choose a bowl of fruit instead of a slice of cake or pie. A nutritious alternative that taste great too is a fruit granola parfait. You make it with ½ cup granola, ½ cup plain yogurt and ½ cup of your favorite fruit or berries. Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.

When making taco’s use skinless chicken strips instead of ground beef.

Use ground turkey instead of Ground beef or pork to make meatloaf.

Buy skim or low-fat milk instead of whole milk.

If you’re a cheese lover buy low-fat cheese instead of the regular.

Substitute regular mayonnaise with low-fat mayonnaise.

Eat fruit and vegetables without sugar, sauces or butter.

If you want the taste of butter but none of the fats and cholesterol, look for butter substitutes and check the label to be sure they don’t contain them. It still taste like butter.

Use egg white or egg substitutes to make omelets or when scrambling eggs.

Buy lean cuts of meat whenever possible. Fish, skinless chicken, skinless turkey and other lean cuts of meat are best.

Choose no sodium or low sodium foods over salt added. This will make your heart happier.

Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to keep your body hydrated and is good for your skin too.

Add fiber into your diet, like oatmeal, oat bran, barley, wheat bran and whole wheat cereals. These will give you more energy throughout the day.

Bake, broil or grill fish, poultry or meats instead of frying. If you do fry them use olive oil or canola oil not vegetable oil.

To flavor your foods use spices and herbs instead of sauces or butter. You can really liven up a meal with them and there is so many choices available.

Read the label on every product before you purchase it, restrict your alcohol intake, quit smoking and reduce salts and fats in your diet.

Following these tips will help put you on the road to a healthier more satisfied you. Once you get in the habit of making these changes in your life, it will become second nature to you.