Healthy Diet Tips

These healthy diet tips may encourage you to eat whole grain foods and vegetables. 
Several studies have shown that whole grain foods are superfoods to keep "killer" diseases away from one's body.  Your goal is to consume the full grain - that is the germ, the endosperm and the bran.

Whole grain foods include: 

• Oats

• Barley

• Wheat

• Cornmeal

• Rice 

These foods may be consumed in the form of a "whole grain," or as a "refined whole grain."  

"Goodies" made from whole grain go through the refining process.  Some of these products are pasta, cereals for breakfast, breads, grits, oatmeal.

---

10 Healthy Diet Tips For Eating Whole Grain Foods

1.Shop smart: Check food labels for whole grain content, as they may not contain any at all.  Do not let the appearance, or labels like seven grain, nine grain, multi grain, 100% stone ground, or bran be the forcing factor to buy these products.

2. Check the list of ingredients to see if a whole grain food appears first on the list.

Grains to look for:

• Brown rice

• Wild rice

• Bulgur

• Whole rye

• Whole oats

• Whole wheat

• Whole grain cornmeal

• Buckwheat

3. Check the nutrition facts:  Read the food label to check the daily value of fiber content.  Good should be 10% - 19% fiber content.  Excellent should be 20% or more.

4. Mix whole grain flour with refined flour when baking.  Do it half and half.  This may be done when making pancakes, muffins, waffles. 

5.  Make the switch to whole grain one step at a time: Eat 50% whole grain and 50% refined whole grain.  "For example," eat a 100% whole grain cereal for breakfast.  Lunch may be a sandwich made with whole wheat bread.

6. Eat whole grain snacks like popcorn, like 100% rye crackers or flatbreads, and 100% whole wheat crackers.

7. Try brown rice or whole wheat versions of foods: like whole wheat pasta or macaroni.  Look for brown rice pasta and brown rice stuffing.

8. Mix whole grain foods with other foods.  Make a Quinoa pilaf or a salad.  Add half a cup Quinoa when cooking rice.  Add a little barley to vegetable soups.  Mix flour with cornmeal  and bulgur when making dumplings.

9. Cook and freeze whole grain foods.  Do not toss the leftovers.  Freeze and use them later as quick dishes.

10. Encourage and practice healthy diet tips with children.  Serve and eat whole grain foods at snack or meal times.

---

Healthy Diet Tips For Eating Vegetables

• Buy fresh vegetables as they are more flavorful.

• Buy a variety of vegetables, go for color that will add more interest to the meal.

• Microwave vegetables if frozen .

• Do not over-cook vegetables. Steam lightly and try eating them with a crunch.

• Buy vegetables that are easy to prepare if pressed for time.  These are ready for quick and easy preparation.  Spruce up these salads with cherry or grape tomatoes and baby carrots. 

• Pack celery sticks, a few baby carrots or a tomato for snack time.

• Buy bagged, microwaveable vegetables.  

---

Healthy Diet Tips For Choosing Nutritious Vegetables

• Prepare meals with fresh vegetables.  This may lower the risk of a high intake of sodium.  Go less for processed foods as they may contain more sodium.

• Check labels for sodium and fat content when buying processed foods. 

• Select products labeled:

          Low sodium

          Low fat 

         No salt added 

         Reduced sodium 

         Reduced fat 

One should be careful when choosing products labeled "fat free."  Such products may contain high doses of sodium.  This high sodium content may be used to make up for the taste of the products.

Choose vegetables with high potassium content.  See nutrition facts here.  Select foods like:

• Potatoes - sweet and white

• Tomato - all the products like sauce, paste, juice

• Lima, white and kidney beans 

• Lentils

• Soybeans

• Beet greens

• Spinach

---

Healthy Diet Tips For Meal-time Veggies

• Rinse vegetables thoroughly with clean running water before eating them.

• Enjoy a salad for the main dish at lunch time.

• Prepare stir-fry dishes or vegetable soup as the main dish for dinner.

• Eat a salad with lots of green vegetables at dinner time.

• Add chopped zucchini or shredded carrots to pasta and lasagna dishes; to casseroles and meatloaves; to quick breads, patties and muffins.

• Add nutrients and thicken gravies, soups and stews with puree vegetables.

• Make your pizza order a veggie one topped with your favorite.

• "Zest up" vegetables with color and taste.  Add chopped red and yellow peppers, radishes, tomatoes and shredded red cabbage and carrots. 

• Add some peas and beans, sliced cucumbers, radishes and tomatoes to salad dishes.  These foods help to make the dish look attractive and healthy.

• Prepare and leave "ready to eat" vegetables in the refrigerator.

• Allow children to help select vegetables when shopping for them.  Encourage them to try new ones.

• Allow children to help prepare salads.

• Have vegetables as afternoon snacks and eat them with children.  

• Pack and store vegetables separately from other foods like raw meat. 

---

You may also be interested in other eating healthy articles.