Don't Let Your Vacation Spoil Good Habits
Summer’s coming, and along with it, vacations. And coming back from vacation, you may notice you left more than your toothpaste or pantyhose out of the suitcase: your healthy eating habits may have been forgotten as well. Well, as Mick Jagger once said, “It’s okay to let yourself go as long as you can get yourself back.” Below are some tips on how to “get yourself back” (not from Mick, but from Health.msn.com):
l Breakfast. Eat it to give your metabolism a jumpstart and burn more calories until lunchtime.
l Cook. Cooking at home gives you more control over the calorie/fat/nutrient-of-your-choice content than eating out.
l Fat. Nutritionists now tell us that monosaturated fats from such foods as olives, nuts and avocados are essential to good health. So cut down instead on the saturated and trans fats.
l Oil. And in that same vein, you’ve got your omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon is a great source, as are plant-based oils, such as canola, walnut and flaxseed.
l Labels. The FDA now regulates the use of phrases and terms in food packaging. Beware of products with tags like “lite” or reduced, which typically are as compared to the full-calorie version of the same product.
l Water. If you boil vegetables, you can sap as much as 97 percent of their nutrients. So stick to steaming, whether in the microwave or on the stove.
l Recipes. No wonder you’re sick of dieting—you make those same five dishes over and over again. Don’t you? Squash that rut by collecting new healthy recipes.