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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЧЕРВЕНЬ 2014 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 33 EATING HEALTHY— IT'S ALL ABOUT KEEPING THE RIGHT BALANCE Ihor Magun, MD, FACP Let's face it: intuitively we all know that we can do a much better job in our selection of food. Indeed, healthy eating can and should become a part of your everyday life, and you can make this change without forgoing many of the foods you enjoy. Below are numerous tips to jump-start you to a healthier eating lifestyle: Become accustomed to controlling portion sizes. The following measuring estimates are based on the size of a woman's hand. Your thumb is about the size of a tablespoon, while the tip of the thumb is about a teaspoon. The latter is fre- quently the proper size for fats like mayonnaise. The fist is about a cup, which corresponds to an adequate portion of vegetables and starches, and an open hand's palm is the recommended size of a portion of a protein such as meat or fish. If you can imagine your main meal plate, half of the plate should be a non-starchy vegetable (more on this later), one quarter should be your protein, and one quarter should be a starchy carbohy- drate like potatoes, grains, or bread. In addition, Read labels for serving amounts, nutritional in- formation, and calories. Such care may stop you from a purchase that may appear to fit the goals of your healthy eating lifestyle but upon closer examination, sabotages your good intentions. Substitute different herbs and spices for salt and fat in food preparation. Create your own salt-free combination of dried spices or better yet, use fresh herbs from the store or your own garden. You would be amazed how much the flavor of food can be enhanced by fresh herbs. Choose a healthy source of fat such as olive oil in place of saturated fats. Incorporate fish at least twice a week into your diet. Avoid prepared, breaded, or fried fish which indirectly reduces the actual health benefit of eating fish. Grill, bake, or broil your salmon, trout, flounder, etc. for optimum health effects. Limit red meat, but when you do choose it, de- cide on a leaner cut and remember the guidelines above about portion size. When choosing vegetables, select non-starchy vegetables such as members of the cabbage fami- ly, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, spinach, or cu- cumbers. Decrease high fat dairy products by switching to low fat versions such as fat free Greek yogurt, which comes in several varieties and is even served for dessert in upscale restaurants. If you must have some cheese, exercise portion control and savor every bite. Moderate alcohol consumption—one glass of wine for women and two for men—has been as- sociated with a reduced risk of heart disease. However, remember that alcohol has calories and carbohydrates which can lead to weight gain. Snacking can actually be good, especially in those particular situations when your meal happens to be at a later time than usual. If we wait too long for our meal, invariably not only do we overeat, but we often start to consume unhealthy foods. A healthy snack should contain a balance of carbo- hydrates, fat, and protein like nuts, cottage cheese, or an apple. Although nuts are a great snack because they are high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats, they are also high in calories. Thus, exercise portion con- trol with nut intake. Increase fiber in your diet, and use whole grain products. Consuming fiber will make you feel "full." Cereals, for instance, clearly label fiber content, so purchase the ones that have the most fiber and you find to be tasty. Fruits such as ap- ples and pears are also a good source of fiber. If you must have salad dressing, choose a light version, and check the calories per serving size. Choose vinegar-flavored dressing or forgo one al- together by just cutting a cucumber, tomato, or pepper into wedges and eating them plain. Then, you can use the saved calories for some other food that you may enjoy more Do not obsess about your restrictions. Indulge on rare occasions in limited amounts, but do not go overboard. Use common sense in situations where you have no or limited choices, and do not despair if you “slip” in your new eating lifestyle. Small lapses are often common, but long-lasting binges are more difficult to overcome. In addi- tion, the verb “to diet,” or similar “restrictive” terms, should be eliminated from your vocabu- lary. Any word that sounds like a constraint is not helpful mentally, and you do not want to curb your enthusiasm for your new eating life- style. If anyone should ask you about that four letter word, you simply answer: “I am only modi- fying my eating and focusing on better choices.” Who knows, you may even convince someone to follow your good habits! I wish all of you good health and much success in your new eating lifestyle!
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