Healthy Living Nutritional Tips | 1 Week Meal Plan
Contemplating Change
Thinking about changing your eating habits, yet confused about what diet will work for you? My first suggestion is throw out the word “diet” from your vocabulary and look for healthy eating options. I will help you to choose food options that are healthy without relying heavily on labels. So no matter if you are focusing on weight loss, healthy eating or both the information below will help to guide you in your process.
Are you looking for immediate results? Of course you are, we live in a society that wants to microwave everything or rid it immediately. Unfortunately, it takes time to either become unhealthy or over weight. Therefore, be prepared to put equal time into getting healthy. It is worth the dedication ridding of old ugly habits.
21 Day Concept
It takes time for true change to occur. Studies show that it takes 21 days to start or change a habit. That is 21 days to a new you through your hard and dedicated work. I think everyone’s life is worth at least 21 days, right? After the 21 days, which are the hardest, it just takes a little less willpower to maintain what you have changed.
Don't Give Up!!
Now that you have the motivation to try, just remember “21 days.”
Portion Control
Portion control is probably a term that most of us have heard and may question since the phase itself is a little transient. Below I will describe how to relate common objects to aid with your own portion control. Using your own body parts gives the freedom from the hassle of measuring cups.
The Importance of Portion Control
Selecting the Right Foods
Selecting appropriate food choices are essential to creating healthy change. The biggest error frequently made comes from incorrect serving sizes. Just think of any fast food restaurant, the biggest craze today is to “Super Size” everything. Oh and who can forget the all-you-can-eat buffets. Why not get your moneys worth, right? But those serving sizes are so out of proportion are so far away from any reference of healthy.
Learning to Read Labels
Now that you have a grasp of what to eat, how do you read food labels for prepackaged nutrients? Yes they can be confusing but one way to avoid that hassle is to stick closer to whole foods. But when you can’t the example below can help guide you through labels do's and don'ts.
Avoid Unnecessary Eating
Eating when hungry should be the only time you eat. So when you become bored find something other to do than eat. You may be wondering now that I have a food list, have looked at reading food labels, I am still confused, how do I put this all together?
Eating the Appropriate Amount of Food
If weight loss is your concern and focus then it is imperative to eat the appropriate amount of calories in comparison to your activity level. So the main message is that to achieve weight loss, food and exercise are key ingredients. Also, to avoid energy slumps proper quantities of food while exercising is very important. The more calories you burn the more you need to replace. Don't think of starving yourself since by getting too few calories your metabolism will actually slow down and may induce weight gain.
Eating Appropriately
First off it is best to break your meal eating down to 5-6 times a day. Yes, that is 5-6 times a day. Thinking of limiting your meals to 300 calories which would calculate a daily intake of 1500-1800 calories. Yet if you are looking to lose weight you may want to adjust that as well. Adjusting caloric intact depends on your desired weight, your current weight, gender and age. The trick is to increase the times you eat and lower the amount of calories consumed. By doing this you are satisfying your body and reducing the spike and dips in blood sugar levels. One last trick is to train your brain to know when you are full. Frequently we have trained our brains to signal feeling full when feeling ill, the need to unbutton your pants and take a nap. Not anymore if you eat the appropriate servings trust me you will be full just not “buffet style” full.
Sample Recommended Caloric Intake With Exercise
DAY 4
Breakfast: Scrambled egg whites, one slice whole wheat toast
Snack: Cottage cheese and mandarin oranges with almonds
Lunch: Southwest chicken salad (chicken, lettuce, brown rice, black beans, tomatoes, onions, avocado)
Snack: Nutrition bar
Dinner: Tofu-vegetable stir fry with brown rice
Snack: Cottage cheese and grapes
DAY 5
Breakfast: Six egg-white omelet, oatmeal
Snack: Yogurt and fruit smoothie (watch calories they can rack up in these)
Lunch: Turkey burger on whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato
Snack: Yogurt and grapes
Dinner: Grilled salmon with cucumber-dill dressing, green salad and baked potato
Snack: Cottage cheese with an apple
DAY 6
Breakfast: Egg-white pancakes (see Day 3); sugarless fruit spread
Snack: Weight loss Shake
Lunch: Chili (made with lean ground turkey, kidney beans, salsa),
green salad
Snack: Nutrition Bar
Dinner: Rosemary chicken with mushroom gravy, snap peas and whole wheat pasta
Snack: Cottage cheese and yogurt
Sample Meals for a Week
DAY 1
Breakfast: Six egg-white omelet, 1/2 cup (dry measure) oatmeal, prepared with water
Snack: Lowfat yogurt with fresh fruit and almonds
Lunch: Grilled fresh tuna with broccoli and roasted new potatoes
Snack: Nutrition bar or celery with peanut butter
Dinner: Eye of round steak with sweet potato and green beans
Snack: Cottage cheese with blueberries
DAY 2
Breakfast: Breakfast wrap (low-fat sausage, scrambled egg whites, low-fat cheese, salsa, whole wheat tortilla)
snack: homemade fruit salad (orange, apple, grapes, walnuts, 2 tbsp lowfat yogurt)
Lunch: Teriyaki salmon with cooked spinach and brown rice
snack: weight loss shake (I like Kirkland or Costco brand)
Dinner: Pork tenderloin with asparagus and baked potato
Snack: Cottage cheese with strawberries
DAY 3
Breakfast: Egg-white pancakes (six egg whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 T whole grain pancake mix, mix in blender), serve with sugarless fruit spread
Snack: Nutrition bar
Lunch: Chicken fajita wraps (grilled chicken breast, grilled vegetables and a whole wheat wrap)
Snack: Yogurt and your favorite fruit and nuts
Dinner: Sushi made with brown rice, seaweed salad
Snack: Green salad with cottage cheese
DAY 7: Reward Yourself
You worked hard all week this one if a free day to eat what you want!!!
A healthy diet consists of:
Conclusion
Now that you have found the basics needed for a healthy lifestyle, don't forget the "21 day" challenge for a better you.
These meals are really delicious and once you get accustomed to the food choices, it is important to get creative. By using your imagination you will not get bored and you have endless recipes available that use whole foods. One more recommendation is to have fun at your local Farmers Market. I made a family day out of it with my children, they love all the food choices that a Farmers Market offers.
