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Three Easy Changes You Can Make Today to Meet Your Long-Term
Diet Goals
Special to The Truth
The biggest hurdles to sticking to a new diet are
convenience and flavor. Who wants to eat food that doesn't
taste good or is hard to make? You and your family are more
likely to stick to your commitments if the changes you make
suit your schedule and your palate.
Here are three easy
changes you can make to your diet today:
Hydrate Yourself
Water reigns supreme as
the health drink of choice among nutritionists and
dieticians. Most diet plans include the following crucial
advice: Stay hydrated, but avoid sugary beverages.
In addition to all of the
critical functions water performs in your body, staying
hydrated will help you feel fuller so you eat less over the
course of the day.
But water doesn't have to
be tasteless to bestow benefits. There are many virtually
calorie-free ways to dress up water and add a hint of
nutritional value: Add slices of strawberry or cucumber,
wedges of lemon, lime or orange, chunks of watermelon or
several sprigs of fresh mint or basil. Refrigerate until
you’re ready to drink. Or get hydrated with green tea, which
is loaded with antioxidants.
Snack on Bold Flavors
Whether you’re on the go
or at home, snack time can be a dieter's downfall. Rather
than buying full-sized bags of high-fat snacks like chips,
which are easy to binge on, opt for single-serving snacks
that are wholesome and full of flavor. For example, olives
in ready-to-go cups are a fuss-free way to punch up the
flavor profile of a meal or snack.
Pearls Olives to Go!
single-serving Black Pitted Olives in a cup can be just as
satisfying as a serving of chips, but they're gluten-free,
dairy-free, sugar-free, cholesterol-free, trans-fat-free,
GMO-free and vegan. They're easy to open and stay fresh
until you’re ready to eat them, which makes them perfect to
stow in a gym bag or desk drawer.
Pearls recently added
three new flavors to their Olives to Go! portion-controlled
cup line, including Kalamata Pitted Greek Olives, Pimiento
Stuffed Spanish Green Olives, and Sliced California Black
Ripe Olives. Add to salads or sandwiches for bold flavor
without a lot of extra calories. Read more about
incorporating olives into a healthy Mediterranean diet at
www.Olives.com.
Make Friends with Fat
A major mistake many
dieters make is trying to cut all of the fat from their
diet. Fat is a necessary component of any healthy diet.
Monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and Omega-3 fatty
acids should comprise the majority of the fat you eat. Great
sources of healthy fat include olive oil, salmon, tuna,
avocado, olives, seeds and nuts. Olives and avocados are
fruit, so they also boost your fruit intake.
Try tossing olives, canned
tuna or avocados into a salad; sprinkle almonds or walnuts
over oatmeal; swap commercially made salad dressings and
marinades with good-quality olive oil and flavorful herbs
and spices.
To make your commitment to
healthy eating a long-lasting one, be sure the changes you
make are sensible, sustainable and, above all, delicious.
Courtesy StatePoint
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