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Principles of Healthy Eating

Deborah Kurzrock

Deborah Kurzrock, R.D.

Mills-Peninsula Medical Center

Question:

How can I keep myself from always wanting something sweet? Why does it seem like "healthy" foods don't fill me up, but non-healthy foods do?

Answer:

Eating healthy takes planning.

It is important to keep healthy choices at home that you will eat. If you want a sweet treat like a cupcake, cookie, or ice cream, go out for it. Don't keep it in your house. That way it won't be easy to over indulge.

It is also important to space your meals and snacks out evenly throughout the day (every four to five hours). You never want to be too hungry going into a meal, because you will most likely eat too fast, and make poor choices with your food selection.

Be sure that every meal contains both a lean protein and a healthy carbohydrate source like fruit or whole grain rice or bread. Fiber in your diet can help you feel full.

The portion sizes are also important. It takes your brain 20 minutes to get the signal from your stomach that you are full. So pacing yourself, eating slower and sipping water in between bites can help you feel full.

I like to tell my clients to have something healthy with their sweet craving, like an apple before the cookie, or dark chocolate covered almonds or fruit with frozen yogurt instead of sugary toppings.

I want to share a few tips from www.IntuitiveEating.org. These are three of the 10 principles for Intuitive Eating.
  1. It is important to be mindful when eating. Honor your hunger. Keep your body fed with adequate energy and hopefully you won't over eat.
  2. Call a truce and stop the food fight. Give yourself permission to eat. Depriving yourself can lead to bingeing.
  3. Respect your fullness. Listen for body signals that tell you that you are no longer hungry. Pause in the middle of eating a meal or snack and ask yourself, "How does it taste, what is my fullness level?"

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Back to Nutrition

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