Posted Mar 20, 2011

After years spent adjusting your diet – limiting added sugar, swapping whole milk for skim, bypassing deep-fried dishes – you may consider yourself a pretty healthy eater. But even the most nutritious types can be plagued with lagging energy, hunger pains, or a scale that just won’t budge. Correct common food mistakes and fine-tune you’re eating habits to make you feel your absolute best.

Noshing Sneaky Sources of Sugar

-The Pitfall: Some common foods that seem healthy – yogurt, smoothies, and whole grain cereals – can have as much sugar as is recommended for an entire day

-Food Fix: Opt for cereal with less than 8 grams of sugar per serving, or plain yogurt. Then toss in fruit for sweetness to get more nutritional bang for your buck.

Not Getting Enough Fat

-The Pitfall: People focus on eliminating fat that they eat many “fat-free” items, leaving you unsatisfied and craving something more substantial, which may make you overindulge at dinner or reach for a late-night snack

– Food Fix: Add a side to your meal of steamed spinach, broccoli, or other veggies, drizzled with olive oil or tossed with sliced almonds. Another option: Mix low-mercury canned tuna, with greens and 2 Tbsp reduced-fat olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.

Waiting Too Long to Have Breakfast

– The Pitfall: You may be in a mad rush to get out the door in the morning, but waiting until 10 a.m. to have breakfast when you wake at dawn results in flagging energy later in the day.

– Food Fix: Make a grab-and-go breakfast the night before: Try hard-boiling protein-packed eggs, or making smoothies to store in the fridge.

Missing a Post-Exercise Snack

– The Pitfall: A lot of people don’t eat after they exercise because they don’t want to add in calories after they just burned some

– Food Fix: Replenish depleted energy reserves by having a snack of about 150 calories that contains diary, such as a small cup of chocolate milk or cottage cheese with fruit.

Eating Often, but Relying on “Healthy” Packaged Foods

– The Pitfall: Relying on low-calorie energy bars, frozen entrees, and other processed foods throughout the day may be convenient, but they’re not exactly nutrient dense. Most are also low in antioxidants and fiber, and may be high in sodium.

– Food Fix: Plan ahead by having snack options on hand that are heavy on produce and light on processed foods. At mealtimes, try stirring spinach into soups or pastas; and add a cup of black beans to chicken dishes.

© 2011, Fitbie.com

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This