Disclaimer: This healthy eating post is sponsored by Zevia but all opinions expressed are my own.
I have tried hard over the last several years to get my family on board with my healthy eating plan. I find that by changing the way I shop and by taking more time to prepare foods from scratch I tend to eat healthier. Healthy eating isn’t always easy for me. I like chips and junk food just as much as the next girl but keeping it out of my house is the first step towards not eating it! Sure, when I go out with friends I splurge on chips and queso or an ice cream sundae but I try to avoid keeping those temptations in my house. I readily admit that I have zero willpower when it comes to saying no to snacks. If you want to make healthy eating a priority in your house, I thought I would offer some very basic tips on how to make changes in your diet so that you don’t feel like you are totally sacrificing the foods you love. If someone told me I had to live on beansprouts and tofu for the rest of my life, I would toss my healthy eating plan right out the window! So, in order to eat a bit healthier here are a few ideas on what you should and should NOT be eating!
Healthy Eating Tips
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1. Instead of donuts and muffins, choose a bagel: I am not talking about gigantic chocolate chip bagels, either! Buy whole grain, raisin, or sesame seed bagels and toast only half of it. Top with nut butter or jam instead of cream cheese or butter. Add a side of fruit and low fat milk and you have a balanced breakfast.
2. Drink your iced tea unsweetened: Down here in the south, sweet tea rules! However, there are a ton of calories in one glass of sweet tea. Learn to make your own tea at home and start dialing back on the sugar. A better choice than sugar is a natural sweetener like agave nectar, honey or stevia. By gradually reducing the amount of sweetener you use, you will eventually get to the point where you prefer your iced tea without that sickening sweetness!
3. Make smarter choices for pizza toppings: While sausage, bacon and pepperoni might make your mouth drool, processed meats are really very unhealthy. Choose vegetables instead or just opt for a plain cheese pizza. You will be saving yourself a ton of calories and avoiding some very unhealthy overly processed meats.
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4. Skip the sports drinks: I am not a huge fan of most sports drinks. The average human that is doing moderate exercise really only needs to replace the fluids they lose with plain old water . If you don’t care for plain old water, try adding a spritz of lemon or lime juice to it. Unless you are training for a marathon, you probably do not need electrolyte replacements. Also, most sports drinks are loaded with sugar and artificial colors and flavors. If you really want a natural and very low calorie electrolyte replacement, try coconut water instead.
5. Rethink your salad dressings: So, you decide that to get on board with the healthy eating idea you will make yourself a salad. Then, you top it with a ton of ranch dressing. Well, you just added lots of fat and calories to your otherwise healthy meal! Choose a lower in fat variety like the yogurt based dressings by Bolthouse Farms or make your own wild orange vinaigrette so that you can control the ingredients that go in it.
6. Rethink your diet cola! Artificial sweeteners are so tempting because they allow us to enjoy the sweetness we have come to expect in our drinks without all the extra calories. However, artificial sweeteners are just that: ARTIFICIAL! There is nothing natural about aspartame and I would prefer to avoid it whenever possible. For me, healthy eating means getting back to more natural foods but I admit, I have a huge weakness when it comes to soda. It is one of those things that I crave! In order to feel better about my occasional soda weakness, I have switched over to Zevia natural sodas, which are sweetened with stevia.
Zevia comes in 15 different flavors and is naturally sweetened with stevia. What is stevia? It is a plant that is related to the sunflower and is 300 times sweeter than sugar with absolutely no calories. It also has no effect on blood sugar. All Zevia products are also non-GMO, kosher, vegan, and contain only natural flavors. Zevia is a great way to get your soda fix without the calories or artificial ingredients of most traditional sodas.
Click HERE to grab a Zevia coupon!
I have tried many different flavors of Zevia over the last few years and some are nearly identical to what you are probably used to. Honestly, the root beer and cream sodas are absolutely delicious! My kids love the grape, orange, and other fruit flavored varieties and my husband’s favorite is the Dr. Zevia (their version of the good old Dr. Pepper flavor). While the cola doesn’t taste exactly like a Diet Coke, I enjoy it and am happy to have a zero calorie, natural soda to add to my healthy eating plan. If you want to try Zevia for yourself, keep reading! I would love to hear your suggestions for healthy eating in the comments below!
THE GIVEAWAY
Zevia would like to offer one of my readers *FIVE* free product (6 pack) coupons. That is an average retail value of approximately $30. This is a Giveaway Tools contest so follow the directions in the form to enter the giveaway. The contest is over at midnight EST on April 5th, 2013.
Disclaimer: In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials.”: I received product samples in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. Some of the links in this post may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.
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Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
Would love to try the Dr. Pepper version.
Nice article with some great tips! I think one of the biggest ways to eat healthy is to make as many meals from scratch as you can: you know exactly what you’re putting into your body & don’t have any preservatives or weird chemicals. 🙂
I’ve added your page to my StumbleUpon!
agreed! I like knowing exactly what is in my meal!
Avoid any chemicals on the ingredient list- of course, the best way to do that is make things from scratch, but otherwise, get chemical free items of the few that you might splurge on and get “processed”. Annie’s is a good brand, and if you use coupons, you can still have the occasional boxed mac and cheese, or crackers and cookies.
I would like to point out from your post though that you mention agave syrup, which is actually very processed and not at all natural. The food it is based on is natural, but it is not the same process to make the syrup, and involves some iffy stuff!
thankyou for pointing that out. Agave can be a good alternative for vegans who won’t use honey. Which I really never understood since the bees are going to make the honey whether we eat it or not but to each their own!
Love Zevia!
I don’t eat at least 2-3 hours before going to bed.
Don’t buy cookies, make them yourself! You’ll know exactly what goes in them and you won’t have trouble pronouncing the ingredients in store bought cookies!
If you don’t have junk food laying around, then you won’t be tempted to eat it… kind of “out of sight, out of mind”
Don’t eat sugar. Extra pounds and health problems can develop when you eat sugar. Stevia is a great replacement.
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Everything in moderation, We’ve just switched to Silk milk and trying to cut out alot of cheese which is not good for the body.
drink lots of water before and during meals so you are full faster and eat less. do not eat prepared foods.
I try to eat as much natural foods and a lot less prepackaged foods as possible.
The majority of our meals are meatless, with the occasional fish or poultry meal. Even my teenagers are into this. Lots of beans, eggs, cheese and other alternatives.
I think avoiding processed food is the way to go to be healthier.
A healthy tip is to cut down on processed foods
Drink plenty of water.
drink lots of water during the day
replacing one snack meal with jellied whole wheat bread or nuts
i eat smaller meals often, not bigger meals with big breaks
I try to keep cut up veggies and hummus in the fridge so that there is something healthy for those times when you want a quick snack.
Read labels carefully at the grocery store and don’t buy anything with unhealthy ingredients.
I pack my lunch so I avoid unhealthy office choices
eating salmon two times a week and eat more leafy greens
Have veggies with every meal! Eat them first and include a healthy fat to help absorb th vitamins- kale sauteed with coconut oil is amazing and carrots with peanut butter are favorites
Avoiding processed foods and making your meals at home. That way, you know exactly what is in it.
I try to eat as much natural foods and a lot less prepackaged foods as possible.
When going to a restaurant, ask for a take home box right when you get your food. Then, divide your food, keeping a reasonable portion on your plate and put the rest in the take home box. This will keep you from eating until you’re full!
this is an awesome tip! I wish we could by half orders of some dishes for a reduced price. I hate feeling stuffed when I leave a restaurant1
don’t eat whites, flour or sugar.
Cut out soda and drink lots of water.
I stick to natural
The biggie at our house is portion control!
drink a lot of water!
We eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and drink water !
Natural health eating tips helps to increase your stamina and energy levels.
I have switched to all organic food, and only splurge when we eat out! 🙂
I try to avoid buying bad stuff in the first place, especially salty snacks.
Try to buy fresh organic local produce! I raise my own eggs and veggies.
Occasionally weigh out a portion of your favorite snacks. Even if you’ve measured them before. That “bowl” of cereal or “handful” of crackers or nuts continues to grow over time and it’s best to keep a reality check on what you’re consuming!
EAT SALADS DAILY
Don’t buy unhealthy snacks that are full of empty carbs. When all you have is healthy food, you’ll eat healthy food (duh, I know but it’s true).
Here’s my lower calorie drinking tip 🙂 Diet Tonic Water with 1.5 oz Blue Bombay Gin and a twist of fresh lime *BAM* 70 calorie yumminess
Drink at least a gallon of water a day
i try to snack on fresh popped popcorn. Its low calerie and I can eat as much as i want and not feel guilty. thanks
I make small muffins but pack them full of flax. It fills me up, and smaller portions
I offer fresh fruit or veggies at every meal. Then they can try them.
By the way, maybe eating a bagel is better than a donut, but many American sized bagels are still 300 calories! Try half a bagel or a bowl of oatmeal instead! Oatmeal with fruit is filling & heart healthy!
Think of food as fuel for your body – if there isn’t a purpose for it, don’t put it in your body.
I drink a lot of water.
Use skim milk; it still is milk but with less calories and fat
I try to keep a batch of super-healthy vegan veggie soup on hand always. It’s great for a nutritious snack any time of day.
Just don’t buy the processed stuff. If you don’t have it, your family can’t eat it.
Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
hschonrock at yahoo dot com
Sugar free jello is my best friend. Satisfies my sweet tooth with almost no calories
Cut up fruit as soon as you get home from the grocery store so that way it’s the easiest/quickest snack you have
protein shakes yummy
vmkids3 at msn dot com
In the morning, drink a glass of warm lemon water sweetened with honey, Not only does this detox and clean your system, but also helps with losing weight and getting more of the nutrients from the foods you eat.
lay off white bread and sugar
Drink lots of water no eating after 6pm
Eat at least 25 grams of fiber per day. Get fiber by eating whole grains, beans, and vegetables. Oatmeal and oat bran are great sources of fiber.
Add as many dark, leafy greens to your diet as possible, but eat the rainbow!
i try to eat a fruit before each meal with a big glass of water, it fills me up so i eat less!
It is hard to eat unhealthy foods if they aren’t readily available, so when food shopping, I try to buy only real food, nothing processed or artificial. Also, I try to drink a full 8 ounces of water a few minutes before each meal. I eat less!
I try to eat as much fruits and veggies as I can. I find that fruits can easily replace desserts. 🙂
I try to eat a combo of fats and carbs and protein when I eat to keep me satiated.
Never eat after seven
Healthy eating tip: I shop weekly at our local farmer’s market. Seasonal fresh fruits and veggies are at their peak of goodness, are low calorie, taste delicious, and are less expensive than at the grocery store. They make beautiful and healthy meals, desserts, and snacks.
I always have bags of cut up carrots and celery sticks so I can just grab a few when I get that hungry feeling in between meals.
I’m trying to make sure we get a veggie and protein source with every meal- manufactured protein doesn’t count.
Every spring we grow our own organic fruits and veggies in the garden which is healthy AND saves money!