1. Limit Liquid Calories They may taste delicious but juices,
smoothies, regular sodas, and iced coffee drinks all have a lot
of extra sugar and calories. Calorie counts for these treats can
range from 130 calories per 8oz of juice to 400 calories for a
16-ounce fruit smoothie....
Caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, and colas are diuretics,
which means that they dehydrate you and rob your body of precious
vitamins and minerals. Limit your caffeine intake and be sure
to drink one cup of water for each cup of coffee or tea you drink.
If, like most of us, you use caffeine as a pick-me-up, try stretching
first thing in the morning instead of reaching for that cup of
coffee. Or have a cup of decaf or herbal tea instead. At the office,
engage in some brief physical activity such as taking a brisk
walk around your floor or taking a flight of stairs instead of
the elevator rather than taking your usual coffee break.
The bottom-line? Drink six to eight glasses of water daily, limit
juice intake to one eight ounce glass a day, and treat smoothies,
regular sodas, and iced coffee drinks as an occasional treat and
not a daily habit.
2. Know Your Vegetables Not all vegetables are created equal.
Peas, butternut squash, corn, and potatoes, for example, play
a dual role. While these vegetables contain important nutrients
the American Dietetic Association also classifies them as starches
or breads. If you find yourself reaching only for these starchy
vegetables, you may need to round out your vegetable repertoire
with non-starchy veggies. Try vitamin and antioxidant rich vegetables
such as spinach and romaine lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes,
and red and green peppers. Do I have to mention that you should
steer clear of fried vegetables such as zucchini sticks and onion
rings? Get in the habit of choosing steamed or fresh vegetables
and substituting baked potato wedges for French fries.
3. Limit Your Sugar Intake The easiest way to limit your sugar
intake is not to add any additional sugar to cereals or hot drinks.
Learn to satisfy your craving for sugar with fruit instead. For
example, add raisins to your oatmeal instead of another heaping
teaspoon of brown sugar. Try your tea with lemon instead of sugar.
If you have a sweet tooth and must have a candy bar or ice cream,
eat only half of what you normally would and save the rest for
later. Be sure to limit your intake of fat-free foods to the suggested
serving size as well. Most of these products have had the amount
of sugar increased to make up for the lack of fat so that the
food will taste better. Sweeteners go by many names so check labels
to see if the following are the first ingredients: sucrose, glucose,
dextrose, maltose, sorbitol, fructose, molasses, barley malt,
honey, brown sugar, and maple, corn, or fruit syrup. Try to choose
products that have their sweeteners farther down on their list
of ingredients.
