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Great Habits for the 2018 You

While the year is still young, it’s never too late to do something good for your health. Sweets that were swarming the office break rooms are now gone, family visits to town have calmed after the holidays and you find yourself checking back in on every resolution you planned for 2018.

Unfortunately, there will always be an event that could prevent you from maintaining or progressing your health. But there are tools available to help you stay the course. Here are three tips to help you stick to your resolutions for better health.

1. Plan ahead for balanced meals. 

When many people hear the words “meal planning,” one of two scenarios come to mind. One, meal planning is a time-consuming process that takes hours on end to accomplish. Or two, it’s a costly process that culminates in soaking and scouring several pots and pans for a single meal. 
The truth is that meal planning can be as simple or complex as you desire. The same goes for the cost. A simple, cost-effective method of meal planning can be finding easy-to-prepare options at the grocery store. Try frozen, ready-to-steam bags of brown rice and vegetables, pair that with a rotisserie chicken from the deli section and you have supper. (Remember to remove the skin from the chicken!)  

Another option may be thinking ahead and putting ingredients together to cook in a crockpot during the day while you are at work. There are many recipes online for healthy crockpot meals that use low-sodium or no-salt-added canned or frozen foods. Just remember to choose the least processed versions of foods and to always drain and rinse your canned goods. 

A balanced meal consists of: 

  • One serving of fruit (1/2 cup fresh fruit or 1/4 cup of no added sugar dried fruit)
  • One serving of vegetables (1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked)
  • One serving of starch (1/3 cup of rice, 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes or 1/2 medium baked potato, 1 slice of bread, or 1/2 cup of pasta)
  • One serving of protein (3 ounces of cooked meat, 1/2 cup of beans or 1 ounce of lunch meat)

You can eat your serving of fruit as a snack between meals or at breakfast. 

2. Snack smart.

Snacks are widely underrated by most people and usually not given much thought, but they are crucial in bridging the gaps between meals and curbing the seemingly insatiable desire to eat unhealthy foods we crave. Snacks between meals are also essential in keeping our blood sugar stable through the day, helping to decrease inflammation in the body. A healthy snack should include no added sugar, at least 3 grams of fiber and at least 5 grams of protein. 

Fiber keeps us feeling full longer and helps stabilize the release of glucose in the blood, while protein gives our body replenishing amino acids to support muscle health, bone health and hormone production. Examples of healthy snacks are:

  • Cheese and whole-grain crackers
  • A piece of fruit and yogurt (be mindful of added sugar)
  • Edamame (be mindful of the sodium content)
  • Apple slices and peanut butter

3. Hydrate healthier.

By this point, everyone has heard that drinking beverages with added sugar is bad for your health and your waistline. But why? Added sugar — whether cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup — is not only empty calories, but also spikes your blood sugar. 

The extreme highs and lows of blood sugar create inflammation in the body. This puts added stress on the body’s organs and systemic functions. Not only do added sugars affect your blood glucose, it also adversely affects your cholesterol and blood lipids. 

Studies are showing that added sugars and refined carbohydrates may be more detrimental to your cholesterol than saturated fats. The best choice of beverage is water. If you need a flavor boost, add slices of your favorite fruit or vegetable. Cucumbers, lemon and strawberries are great options. 

Need more advice on getting and staying healthy all year long? Check out Tanner’s Get Healthy, Live Well newsletter. You can customize your free subscription with up to 30 health topics, including sections on diet, exercise, weight management and more. Sign up today at tanner.privatehealthnews.com!
 

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