Healthy Eating Tips

• Eat enough calories but not too many. Maintain a balance between your caloric intake and caloric expenditure.  The average recommended daily allowance is 2,000 calories.
  
  
• Eat a wide variety of foods.  Your plate should resemble a rainbow.
  
  
• Keep portions moderate.   Restaurant portions tend to be large, choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t “supersize”.
  
  
• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.  These foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol. Try to get fresh, local produce.
  
  
• Drink more water. Our bodies are about 75% water.   Water is a vital part of a healthy diet that  helps flush our systems, especially the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins.
  
  
• Limit sugary foods, salt, and refined-grain products.   Sugar is added to a vast array of foods. Adding one 12-ounce soda (160 calories) to your daily diet for a year can increase your weight by 16 pounds.
  
  
• Don’t be the food police. You can enjoy your favorite sweets and fried foods in moderation, as long as they are an occasional part of your overall healthy diet. Food is a great source of pleasure, and pleasure is good for the heart!
  
  
• Get moving. A healthy diet improves your energy and feelings of well-being while reducing your risk of many diseases. Adding regular physical activity will make any healthy eating plan work even better.
  
  
• Take one step at a time. Establishing new food habits is much easier if you focus on one food group at a time.

Healthy Substitution Tips

1. Use skim milk instead of whole milk.
2. Use the egg white in place of a whole egg or use egg substitute.
3. Omit the bottom crust from fruit pies and just use the top crust; pre-made crusts are lower in calories than ones from scratch.
4. Use artificial sweeteners in place of sugar in pie fillings, puddings and cranberry sauce.
5. Use a fat-skimmer cup or shallow container place in the freezer to remove fat from the juices before gravy is made
6. Use evaporated skim milk for cream when mixing whipped topping.  Tip: evaporated milk, mixing bowl and beaters, must be well chilled, otherwise the milk will not whip.
7. Substitute plain low-fat or non-fat yogurt for sour cream in baking recipes or in sauces. Mix 1 Tbsp. cornstarch with 1 tsp. yogurt and mix into yogurt to prevent separation of the yogurt.
8. When using fat, use one of these types of oils: corn, soybean, safflower, canola, sunflower, cottonseed, sesame seed, peanut or olive.

• Watch your portion size. Don't always use the biggest plate available and don't always fill your plate so it is heaping full. You can always go back for seconds if you are still hungry.

• Don't go to a party hungry. If you know you will probably overeat at a party have a snack or even a light meal before you head out. This way you will only have enough room in your stomach to try a few of your favorite things at the party.

• Don't stand close to the food while you are socializing. You will probably nibble on food and not even realize it. Also, try to focus on socializing during the party not eating. You will probably enjoy the company on conversation just as much if not more than the food.

• Use low calorie and other healthy substitutes when preparing food. Although it might not taste exactly the way Grandma makes it, there are several easy substitutions that can be made that will greatly decrease the amount of calories in the foods you prepare.