Looking For Smart Ways to Eat Healthier?

Here are some helpful hints:

• Don't try to make major changes in your diet all at one time. Take it easy—with a few changes every week.
• Significantly reduce your fat intake and your reliance on saturated fats or "trans fats." A daily fat intake of less than 30% and preferably less than 20% of your daily calories is best. Monounsaturated (olive, canola, grapeseed oils) and polyunsaturated (corn, sunflower, sesame, peanut, safflower oils) are the healthiest choices when consumed in moderation.
• Increase your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables (5-9 servings/day). Try to have two servings of fruits/veggies at each meal
• Limit meat intake to 2 to 3 servings of lean cut meats (skinless white poultry, fish and meat) per week. Make meat a part of the meal, but not the focus of the meal.
• Portion size is important! Familiarize yourself with serving sizes to help reduce extra calories:
• 3 oz of meat is about the size of a deck of cards.
• A cup of mashed potatoes is about the size of a tennis ball.
• A 1-inch cube of cheese is about the size of two dice.
• Make up your own comparisons!
• Discover new ways to prepare meals by combining vegetable proteins and skipping meat, chicken or fish altogether. Any grain mixed with a legume, like kidney beans, chick peas, etc. will make a complete protein—just like the protein found in meat and dairy foods.
• When you reduce the salt in your diet, make foods tasty by trying out new spices and seasonings.
• Participate in a heart-healthy cooking or shopping class.
• When you shop, use the Percent of Daily Value on food labels to compare products. Pick the ones that are lowest in saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and sodium.