When your tummy is grumbling while standing in front of a vending
machine or bakery case full of delicious-looking frosted treats, mustering
up any morsel of will power might be a challenge. Whether it’s breakfast,
lunch or dinner, eating nutritiously is often an afterthought in our
busy schedules. Still, getting back on track with a healthier diet can be
done…with less planning and preparing than you might think.
Here are a few tips that will keep your energy up and waistlines in check.

Avoid the Sugar Roller Coaster
If you’re starving two hours after breakfast, you either didn’t eat breakfast
(shame on you!) or ate too much sugar, probably in the form of
simple carbohydrates. Jackie Mosure, registered dietician and personal
trainer with LPAC and LVAC suggests to read ingredients. “I always
advise my clients that the sugar grams in prepared foods shouldn’t be
more than half of the total carbohydrate grams. These products simply
have too much added sugar.” Watch out for the less-than healthy breakfast
culprits: sugary cereals, granola bars and single serving packages.
An all-too-common breakfast that catapults a body straight into sugar
shock for the day is a cup of coffee and a muffin. Better breakfast options
include:
• One (or two) hard-boiled egg and whole grain English muffin
• A low fat plain yogurt with walnuts and cinnamon
• Old-fashioned oats w/ low fat milk, ground flax seed and ½ banana

The same rules apply to snacks and lunch. Watch out for salads, too!
While green is definitely good, many prepared salads are loaded with
unhealthy dressings, adding on hundreds of useless calories. It’s also a
good idea to cut back on the bread as well. Too much starchy stuff will
put you into a food coma before you know it!
Simple lunch suggestions include:
• Grilled chicken or salmon salad, extra veggies, a little cheese and
dressing on the side.
• Any bean or lentil-based soup with extra veggies.
• Brown bag it! A home-based sandwich or leftovers from last night are
almost always a calorie cutter.

Read Labels
When it’s time to stock the shelves at home, nothing could do your body
better than a shopping cart full of healthy labels. “High fructose corn
syrup, hydrogenated oils, and artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame
and sucralose are a few ingredients I have my clients avoid,” says Mosure.
Healthier options generally don’t contain these ingredients. “Reading
labels is probably one of the best things a person can do to eat clean and
healthy.” Keep in mind that ingredients are listed from most to least of
the foods they contain. If sugar is the first ingredient, the food you’re
buying contains mostly…you guessed it…sugar.

Prettier Packaging is Not Necessarily Better
Women beware! Food advertisers play on our emotions. It’s not a bad
thing, it’s not a good thing, it’s just what they do to get us to buy their
products. In fact, according to the Food Market Institute, women make
up 70% percent of grocery store consumers. Within that segment, an
overwhelming 96% of us say that nutrition is important. Of course, we
know it is, but food firms ambitiously use this information to tell us
what’s good for our bodies, rather than letting us decide. Packages with
words like “healthy,” “low fat” or “natural” fill every aisle. Remember
that:
• Fat free foods are not always healthy
• Low fat foods are often just as caloric as their full fat counterparts
• Foods labeled “healthy” or “natural” aren’t always good for you

A healthy diet is more than just eating “low fat” or “light.” It’s about
balance, flavor and eating foods your body can use. Do the best to make
the most out of the conveniences available, and take
the time to prepare a good meal every now and then
as well.