Are you trying to follow a healthy diet and don’t know where to start? Are you confused by all the conflicting advice regarding what diet to follow (examples: Paleo diet, low carbohydrate, low fat, cabbage soup diet)? Here are 8 tips to get you started on the path to developing a healthy meal plan for yourself and your loved ones.
- Beware of fad diets that promise miracles offer a quick fix or make lists of good and bad foods.
- Beware of .com websites for nutrition information, these sites usually have an agenda like selling expensive supplements or pre-made meals.
- Instead look for a meal plan that is “low in saturated fat, trans fat, added sugar and sodium with plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean poultry, meat, fish and fat free or low fat dairy products. “ American Heart Association”.
- If you are trying to lose weight, the diet should recommend gradual weight loss, 1-2 pounds per week.
- The diet or proposed meal plan should stress a healthy lifestyle change rather than a quick way to lose weight.
- Whether your goal is to lose weight or improve your health, the important thing is to follow a health promoting meal plan.
- Remember when making changes start with small simple changes that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and set a time frame. (For example: “I will consume 1 serving of fresh vegetables 4 times a week for the next 2 weeks”)
- Here are some excellent reputable websites to get you going in the right direction:
- American Diabetes Association: diabetes.org
- American Heart Association: heart.org
- USDA: choosemyplate.gov (This is a great place for general nutrition information about healthy eating and weight management , the website has many great tools that you can use for free like a menu tracker , sample meal plans and tons more great nutrition information.)
All Blogs are written by Professionals in the fields of Nutrition, Human Development and Diabetes.