Healthy Shopping, Cooking and Eating

The big picture — healthy eating tips all day long

Congratulations! You've made it through the tough part. You know many of the details — now let's put it all together. Following are overall healthy eating tips to help you have healthy, energized days with proper nutrition.

• Eat breakfast!
• Drink 100% fruit juice with breakfast, or take some to work
• Spruce up your breakfast-a banana or handful of berries will liven up your cereal, yogurt, waffles, or pancakes
• Take a piece of fruit to munch on during your commute

When you come home from work and open your cupboard, cookies or butter crackers shouldn't be the first things you make eye contact with. Conspicuously place fruits and vegetables in your sight at home, on the road and in workplace so you will be more likely to eat them. This makes sense, right? When you go grocery shopping, hit the produce section first. Then, keep bowls of fruit on the kitchen table and counter. Keep chopped carrots, celery, cucumbers or zucchini in containers on the top shelf of your fridge, at your desk or in the car. If you live a hectic life and have a little extra to spend, buy pre-packed salads and chopped veggies or fruit. You are not saving any money if you have a crisper bin full of rotting produce each week from a lack of time to chop.

Salads can be healthy, or they can be a big trap. Lots of greens and cucumbers won't cancel out creamy caesar dressing and high-fat toppings. When you make or buy a salad, a little bit of salad dressing goes a long way. Measure 1 tablespoon of dressing and toss well with your salad. The dressing coats the salad instead of drenching it. For even more flavor, sprinkle the salad with lemon pepper before adding dressing. With all condiments and dressings, use them lightly (really, we need a lot less than we might think for flavor and texture) or try a low-fat or fat-free version.

Meat-eaters can help reduce fat by choosing the leanest cuts such as beef round, loin, sirloin, pork loin chops, turkey, chicken, and roasts. All cuts with the name "loin" or "round" are lean. And if you cook it yourself, trim all visible fat and drain the grease.

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