Diet Makeover: 3 Simple Changes to Get You Started

There are many reasons that inspire people to make healthy changes. Of course we want to look good, but often we just want to feel better. For many, the moment of change happens when they are diagnosed with chronic disease or cancer.

Studies now show that chronic disease and many cancers can be avoided by eating right and living a healthy lifestyle. In many cases some chronic illnesses, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, can be reversed by switching to a healthy diet.

Here are 3 ways to help you get started!

I know this can be a difficult step! But if you only change one thing about your diet, this is the one that will make the biggest impact on your health. Processed foods are usually those items that are quick to prepare, convenient and tasty. Think frozen dinners, packaged meals and snacks, cold cuts, bacon and deli meats, and fast food. Unfortunately, the tradeoff for convenience is nutrition. Processed foods can contain high amounts of sodium (salt), sugar, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners.

Another hard one for many is eliminating processed sugar. The American Heart Association recommends that women limit sugar consumption to 6 teaspoons daily, and men to 9. Right now, the average person consumes about 22 teaspoons. Here's a great graphic that shows how much sugar we may consume over a lifetime -- a whopping 3,550 pounds of it!

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t_CA1.html?ref=magazine. Scary!

Too much sugar in the diet leads to a whole host of problems including weight gain, obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Because sugar is often "hidden" in foods, learning to read the labels and recognizing sugar in all its forms is essential if you are trying to limit your intake. There are an amazing number of names for sugar! Here are some of the more common ones: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/added-sugar-on-food-labels/

I am not a fan of dieting or quick fixes. It is really much simpler than that: whole foods. Yes, whole foods! Whole foods are food as nature intended--unprocessed, unrefined, and full of the nutrients we need.

Start by making one healthy choice each day. For example:

• Instead of a bagel or a sugary cereal in the morning, choose a bowl of hot cereal like oatmeal, or a whole grain cold cereal with fruit.
• Have a plain greek yogurt with fruit instead of a sugary snack. If you like it sweet, a small drizzle of honey goes a long way. The yogurt has protein and is loaded with probiotics for healthy, beautiful skin and good digestion!
• For lunch, rather than that sandwich stacked with meat and cheese or tuna salad loaded with mayo, choose a salad that has lots of veggies and a lean protein or fish.
• If you eat salad, make your own dressing. You can make an easy sweet vinaigrette out of 2 parts orange juice (or lemon juice if you like it less sweet) and one part extra virgin olive oil. Add pepper and a pinch of salt. Or if you like ranch dressing, try this: one tablespoon mayonnaise (my favorite is Veganaise) to 1/4 cup of non-fat plain yogurt. Add dill, a pinch of garlic powder and some pepper to taste. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. Yum -- just like ranch! You can also do this recipe without mayo if you are trying to lose weight.
• Eat a plate of sauteed or steamed fresh, leafy greens (spinach, chard, kale, etc.) with one meal each day. You will get tons of nutrients and fiber, and it will help you feel full.
• Ditto for whole grains. Most of us are not eating enough whole grains. Varieties of brown rice such as basmati and wild rice are tasty and filling. Quinoa, whole wheat, barley, rye, millet, oatmeal, amaranth, bulgur (cracked wheat) and spelt are all great choices. Make sure it's the whole grain! Enriched flour, wheat germ and bran products are not the whole grain.
• If you are a snacker, try a handful of walnuts or almonds. Or a smoothie with fresh fruit, and yogurt or almond milk.
• A hearty soup can be a meal. Try substituting a rich vegetable or bean soup for lunch or dinner, with a slice of whole grain bread.

For more ideas, go to http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00585.

Take it at your own pace. Remember, even one small healthy change a day is good! We are so used to eating overly sweet, salty and rich foods that it can take some time to get used to the simplicity of fresh whole foods. But once you start looking and feeling your best, making healthy food choices will be part of your life!