Nutrition Tips

What are some easy nutrition tips to eat healthier?   Eat This Not That  has some easy nutrition tips to follow: 

1. Out of Sight, Out of Mind - Hide the junk food and make healthier food more visible.  A study at Google noted that people ate less M & M’s if put in an opaque container.  They ate more fruit and nuts when these were displayed prominently.  In fact, staff ate 3.1 million less calories of M & M’s in an opaque container in seven weeks’ time.
2. The 1 in 10 Rule:   Look at the nutrient label and for every 10 grams of carbs, look for at least one gram of fiber or 10 carbs:1 fiber.    Why is this important?  You want to have whole grains in your diet and this is the ratio of carbs to fiber in whole grains.  A study in the Public Health Nutrition journal found that carbs with the 10:1 ratio had less sodium, less sugar and less trans fats.
3. Cut calories by boosting flavor:  in the nutrition course I teach students have to modify a lasagna recipe to make it healthier.  One group took out all the spices and herbs not realizing these provided not only flavor but nutrients and essentially no calories.  Adding herbs and spices is an easy way to add flavor without the calories and without adding fat.  And if you add herbs and spices you can cut back on the sodium and still have a flavorful entree or side dish.
4. Whole fruit vs Juice?  Although juicing is popular right now, eating whole fruit has its advantages.  Eat at least 2 servings of whole fruit a week to cut your risk of type 2 diabetes by 23 percent. 
5. “Eat Before You Eat”  sounds like odd advice. But a cup of broth, a glass of water, an apple can reduce how much you eat at a meal by up to 20%.  This would be especially helpful at a restaurant as restaurant meals can pack a lot of calories.  The Journal of the American Medical Association notes the average restaurant meal provides 1,128 calories so cutting that by 20% would save you 225 calories.
6. Stay hydrated and drink that water:  According to the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, drinking 17 ounces of water (a little over 2 cups) can raise your metabolic rate, thus burning up more calories.  So drink more water to rev up your metabolism.  The researchers in this study noted that adding 6 cups of water a day would burn up a lot of calories over the course of a year, about 17,400 calories. 

 For all 10 tips, go to The 10 Best Nutrition Tips Ever.

Sources:   The 10 Best Nutrition Tips Ever, Image source:  Drinking water