Always Use a Plate When Eating

Due to our busy lives and hectic schedules, there are often times when we rush through the kitchen and eat hurriedly. We do not have the time to check what we eat nor do we have time to eat properly. We rush to the kitchen, grab the first thing we see and eat straight from the container.

While doing this once in a while may be okay, doing this on a daily basis will definitely cause some serious damage to your diet program. It will not only increase your calorie intake but it will also cause you to eat more than you really should. You will not be able to lose weight and you will definitely have a difficult time achieving your goal.

What you need to do is to remember that being in a rush is no excuse to be careless in what you eat. Everyone is busy and everyone has hectic schedules. And yet, not everyone rushes to the kitchen to eat the first thing they see straight from its container.

If you want to lose weight, you need to realize that portion control is very important if you want to achieve your weight loss goals. And you will not achieve this by eating your food straight out of the container. You need to get the food out of the container and put it on a plate. Eating out of the container or the serving dish is a major mistake as you are not able to properly gauge how much you eat.

When you put your food out on a plate, you will be able to properly assess the correct portions. It is always recommended that you fill half your plate with veggies and salad and then to divide the other half of your plate with foods with contain starch and protein.

Keep the serving dish or the food container out of reach so you do not have easy access to it. It is best that you do not put these on the table in front of you. This way, when you are tempted to have a second serving, you will need to get up to get some. This will often give you ample time to reconsider that second serving. In fact, research studies have shown that people tend to pass up on second servings when the serving dish is not within reach.

In the same manner, you should always resist the temptation of eating your child or spouse’s leftover food. Yes, it is understandable that it is a waste to throw away the food and yet, in the same respect, you also do not want to throw away all your dieting efforts just to be able to save a couple of bites from your child or spouse’s plate. The extra food you will consume from their plates may just be the reason why you are having a difficult time keeping your daily calorie budget.

If you are really feeling bad about throwing out the food, the best way to address this is to remind your children and your spouse to only get as much food as they can finish. For those looking for more health tips and information, make sure to visit Rachael West Designs health section. We have an abundance of helpful tips to help you keep your health on the right track now!

Nutritional Basics – Quick Weight Loss Tips

Nutritional Basics – The Where and How To’s

You need to eat the right food to fuel and energize your body throughout the day and through your workouts. Think of your body like a high performance race car. Always use the highest octane fuel in order to get the best results. This is a good analogy to use when thinking about what foods to put into your body. Always use nutrient dense power foods to provide enough energy (octane) to really boost your performance so you can run at optimal levels.

Key factors to include in your high performance nutrition plan:

  • Eat a nutrient dense meal every 2-3 hours
  • Eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day
  • Learn how many calories your body needs per day
  • Include a lean protein source at each meal
  • Eat enough protein for your bodyweight (chart below)
  • Drink at least drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day
  • Make sure to eat a nutrient dense healthy breakfast
  • Eliminate processed sugars from your dietary plan
Your Training Goal
Daily Protein Needs
Bodybuilding 1.0 – 1.6g/lb bodyweight
Power & Speed 0.9 – 1.1g/LB bodyweight
Dieting 0.35 – 1.0g/LB bodyweight
Endurance 0.7 – 0.9g/LB bodyweight
Trauma Recovery 0.9 – 1.4g/LB bodyweight
Stressed 0.45 – 0.7g/LB bodyweight

Focus on nutrient dense foods which includes lean protein, whole grain carbs and the right kind of fats. You need food to fuel your body and increase your metabolism. The less you eat, the lower your BMR gets and your body eventually goes into a starvation mode where it holds onto fat as much as possible.

Remember to “eat breakfast like a king and dinner like a peasant”. Your breakfast should be large and each meal after this becoming smaller and smaller. Your dinner should be much smaller than your breakfast. Your body is slowing down at night and doesn’t need high calories to fuel it. Stick with a salad with lean meat (chicken, turkey) and steamed veggies. The main focus should be eating clean nutritious food while eliminating all the empty calories from your nutritional plan.

Fill your diet with nutrient dense foods. Examples are:

  • Lean Protein Sources (chicken breast, turkey breast, fish, egg whites)
  • Healthy Starchy Carbohydrates (brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal)
  • Lean Fibrous Veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, squash, zucchini)
  • Fibre Packed Fruit (apples, berries, oranges, grapes)
  • Healthy Fats (flaxseed oil, avocados, walnuts, olive oil)

Sample Daily Meal Plan:

  • 8am:
    1 chicken breast (6 ounce), 1 cup of steamed brown rice, 1 small salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing
  • 11am:
    turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread (6 ounces of lean turkey breast, lettuce, tomato, mustard) (NO cheese or mayo).
  • 2pm:
    6 ounces of top round steak, 1 cup of broccoli, 1 cup of non-fat cottage cheese
  • 5pm:
    egg white omelet (6 egg whites, mushrooms), 2 pieces of whole wheat toast (NO butter)
  • 8pm:
    6 ounces of fish (salmon, catfish, trout, halibut, etc.), 2 cups steamed zucchini, 1 small salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

We are making shopping for healthy foods even easier. Now you can check off each nutrient dense food item by using our healthy shopping list below. Don’t forget to bring it to your local grocery store to help you shop smart and live well!

Shopping for healthy foods, and healthy eating, go hand in hand. You are more likely to cook nutritious meals if you have all the ingredients you need in your fridge or cupboard. Use these foods as the staples of a healthy diet that you should have on hand at all times!

LIST OF HEALTHY NUTRIENT DENSE FOODS

Beverages

  • Bottled Water or flavored.
  • Crystal Light
  • Diet Soda
  • Green Tea
  • Sugar Free Kool-Aid

Carbohydrates

  • Grains + Grain products
  • Alfalfa
  • Barley
  • Brown Rice
  • Corn
  • Cream of Wheat
  • Fiber One Cereal
  • Gluten Free Bread
  • Gluten Free Rice
  • Oat Bran Cereal
  • Oatmeal (Old Fashioned or Quick Oats)
  • Rolled Oats
  • Rye
  • Ryebread
  • Teff
  • Wheat and low sugar Wheat Cereals
  • Whole-grain Wheat Bread
  • Wild Rice

Legumes + Pulses

  • Beans (Black, Broad, Garbanzo, Green, Kidney, Haricot, Lima, Mung, Pinto, Runner, String)
  • Green Peas
  • Lentils
  • Peanuts
  • Soybeans

Miscellaneous

  • Cress
  • Kale

Pasta

  • Protein Enriched Pasta
  • Whole Wheat Pasta

Veggies

  • Asparagus
  • Artichoke Hearts
  • Avocado
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Collard greens
  • Cucumber
  • Eggplant
  • Fennel bulb
  • Garlic
  • Leeks
  • Lettuce. (Cos, Iceberg, Romaine)
  • Mushrooms, (Crimini, Shitake)
  • Mustard greens
  • Olives
  • Onions
  • Parsley
  • Red Potatoes
  • Rhubarb (stalks not leaves)
  • Sea vegetables
  • Spinach
  • Squash (Summer and Winter)
  • Swede
  • Sweet Potatoes (Yams)
  • Swiss chard
  • Turnip Greens
  • Zucchini

Condiments & Misc.

  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Carb Options Marinades & Sauces
  • Chili Paste
  • Chili Powder
  • Cholula Hot Sauce
  • Extracts (vanilla, almond, etc)
  • Fat Free Mayonnaise
  • Low Sodium beef or chicken broth
  • Mrs. Dash
  • Mustard
  • Pam Cooking Spray
  • Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
  • Reduced Sodium Teriyaki Sauce
  • Salsa
  • Steak Sauce
  • Sugar Free Maple Syrup
  • Walden Farms No-Calorie Dressings

Eggs/Dairy

  • Egg Whites or Eggs (Egg Beaters)
  • Low Fat cheese
  • Nonfat Cheese
  • Nonfat Cottage Cheese
  • Nonfat Milk (Carb Countdown)
  • Nonfat Plain Yogurt
  • Skimmed milk

Fish

  • Bass
  • Catfish
  • Cod
  • Flounder
  • Grouper
  • Haddock
  • Halibut
  • Kippers, (smoked)
  • Mackeral
  • Mahi-Mahi
  • Pilchards, (drained)
  • Salmon
  • Sardines, (drained)
  • Snapper
  • Tilapia
  • Trout
  • Tuna (water packed)

Fruits

  • Apples
  • Bananas
  • Bell peppers
  • Blueberries
  • Cantaloupe
  • Grapefruit
  • Grapes
  • Gooseberry
  • Kiwifruit
  • Lemons
  • Limes
  • Melon
  • Nectarines
  • Oranges
  • Papaya
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Pineapple
  • Pink Grapefruit
  • Pink Guava
  • Plums
  • Pomegranate
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
  • Tomato, fresh
  • Watermelon

Healthy Fats

  • Canola Oil
  • Coconut Oil
  • Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil
  • Fish Oil
  • Hemp Oil
  • Natural Style Peanut Butter
  • Nuts (Almonds, Brazils, Cashews, Chestnuts, Coconuts, Hazelnuts)
  • Olive Oil or Safflower Oil
  • Omega Fatty Acids
  • Peanut Oil
  • Sunflower Oil
  • Sunseed

Meat And Poultry

  • Chicken Breast (Boneless, Skinless)
  • Extra Lean Ground Beef
  • London Broil
  • Pork Loin
  • Top Round
  • Top Sirloin
  • Turkey Breast (Boneless, Skinless)
  • Turkey Ham

Natural Sweeteners

  • Blackstrap Molasses
  • Cane Juice
  • Honey
  • Maple Syrup

Spices & Herbs

  • Basil
  • Black pepper
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Chili Pepper, Red, dried
  • Cinnamon, ground
  • Coriander seeds
  • Cumin seeds
  • Dill weed, dried
  • Ginger
  • Mustard seeds
  • Nutmeg
  • Oregano
  • Peppermint leaves, fresh
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Thyme, ground
  • Turmeric, ground

Snacks

  • Beef Jerky (low sugar)
  • GeniSoy Soy Crisps
  • Healthy Choice Popcorn
  • Protein Bars (low sugar – 10 grams max)
  • Sugar Free Jello

Extras

  • Whey Protein Powder

Macronutrient Rich foods

  • Beans
  • Brown Rice
  • Lean Oily Fish
  • Low Fat Cheese
  • Protein enriched Pasta
  • Peanuts
  • Soybeans
  • Wild Rice

If you have found this information useful we also have some great weight loss tips that you can view as well.