Nutrition Tips

Here are some tips to help get you on the path to better nutrition and healthier eating at home, work, and elsewhere. Try some of these ideas:

In the store

• Select a fruit or vegetable you don't normally buy each time you walk through your grocer's produce department — you might find a new favorite.
  
• Select foods that are every color of the rainbow (OK, maybe not blue).
  
• Take your children on a Supermarket Safari. Pick a food group and let them hunt down one new food they've never tried before.
  
• Dig into a different grain — couscous and bulgar, for instance, are tasty and interesting.

Start your day off right

• Eat breakfast.
• Drink 100% fruit juice (canned, from a carton, or freshly squeezed) with breakfast, or take a can to drink at 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.

At home

• For lower-fat chili or tacos, put cooked ground beef in a strainer and rinse briefly with hot water. Drain well and continue with your recipe.
  
• Add more fiber-rich beans and peas to your meals. Canned chickpeas are delicious in salad.
  
• Know a teen-age girl? Most don't get the iron they need. Pump up iron levels with fortified cereals, hearty black bean soup, or tasty beef fajitas.
  
• For fun snacks, try fresh fruit kabobs with yogurt dip or baked tortilla chips with zesty bean dip.
  
• Get a handle on portion sizes by switching to smaller plates and bowls.
  
• Don't eat snacks out of the bag — measure a portion onto a plate.
  

Have your cake and eat it too

• Cut down on dessert portion sizes and how often you eat these items.
  
• Substitute low-fat or fat-free baked goods, cookies, and ice cream. They still taste great.
  
• Choose fruit instead of desserts higher in fat. It tastes great, is filling, and provides energy.

On the go

• If you like to eat meat, reduce fat by choosing the leanest cuts. All cuts with the name "loin" or "round" are lean.
• Make your own snacks by packing little bags or containers of ready-to-eat vegetables or pretzels to keep in your briefcase, office, car, and home.
• When dining out or ordering in, ask for half of a serving or a "doggy bag." That way you won't be as full, and you can have some the next day.
  

At work

• Stash packets of instant oatmeal and some juice boxes in your desk for a quick snack.
  
• Eat small amounts regularly to stave off hunger and reduce likelihood of overeating.
  
• Think about calories the way you think about money. Be careful how you spend them during the day.
  
• Keep your main focus on what is healthy for you, not on calories, carbs, and fat grams.
  

Eating in the fast-food lane

• Order a lean roast beef or chicken sandwiches instead of a burger or deep fried chicken.
  
• Keep the portions to regular or small. No "double" anything or "going large."
  
• Order items without the cheese.
  

Eating out

• Enjoy ethnic food — try Thai, Indian, or Japanese for healthy choices.
  
• Choose an entrée that is grilled or broiled.
  
• Slow down when you eat. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to send the signal that you've had enough to eat.
  
• Take half of your meal home and enjoy it the next day.
  
• Split your order of fries with a friend.
  

For a listing of available nutrition classes:

If you are a Munson Healthcare patient and have a compliment, concern, or complaint, please contact one of our Patient Liaisons.

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