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Small Changes for a Healthy Diet

Dietitians often recommend making small changes towards healthy diets. You might wonder what that really means.

Few days ago, Heather Bauer, registered dietitian and Tyra Banks’ nutritionist, offered tips for weight loss to a mother and daughter on the Tyra Banks show. They revolved around small changes.

For example, when having fried chicken and mashed potatoes, Heather suggested including a side vegetable for a first step. Once that is established, the family would take out the mashed potatoes. Then, they would bake, not fry, the chicken.

Viola! Small gradual changes to build a healthy meal.

Positive changes are also the way to go. Add foods first, and then take others out. Instead of a diet free of everything (sugar, fat, trans fat, salt, etc—taste!), focus on a diet full of nutrients, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Of course, a post like this wouldn’t be useful without examples. Make one of these small changes today.

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  1. Start your meal with a fruit, salad, or vegetable broth-based soup. Not only do you get nutrients, fiber, and water, but you also eat less calorie and/or fat dense stuff.
  2. Switch to whole-wheat pasta or whole grain rice, without changing a thing in your meal. Get used to the taste then add a new vegetable.
  3. Top your ice cream with fresh or frozen fruit. Swap the ice cream with frozen yogurt once you’re used to the fruit, then swap again with flavored or plain yogurt.
  4. Choose fruit desserts, such as baked apple or peach cobbler, instead of brownies, cakes, or cookies. Once you automatically think of fruit for dessert, switch to fresh.
  5. Order water instead of sweetened beverages when eating out. Get comfortable with water first. It’s easier than figuring restaurant menus out.
  6. Pair a vegetable you don’t like with one you do. If broccoli doesn’t go well with your taste palate, pair it with peppers for a stir-fry, or steam it with carrots and mushrooms for a side dish. Give it some time; you might learn to enjoy broccoli alone.

A Note to Some

For some people, when the change is small, it’s easy to fall back into old habits. If this is you, you might need to make changes a little more drastic. Once again, no one right solution works for all!

What small changes are you making? Share with us

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Before working with Nour, I experienced intestinal pain off and on for for 54 years with minimal success on medications. I have benefited 100% from Nour’s program as I am now pain free!

A lot of time and money was wasted on foods that I thought would help my digestive struggles [diarrhea, bloating, hunger], but in fact I was making it worse. The main benefit is getting a handle on what negatively affects my digestive symptom. Doing a total 180 to my eating habits has been pretty amazing.