These tips are from one of my new favorite sites SparkPeople.
1. Use mustard instead of mayo on your sandwiches. You’ll get lots of flavor with much fewer calories and fat.
2. Select whole wheat bread over white bread. Be sure to read the label to ensure you’re getting whole grains, not just colored white bread.
3. Eat the white meat of turkey or chicken, which is lower in fat than dark meat, red meat and pork. Animal fat is the number one dietary source of unhealthy saturated fat.
4. Start using lean ground beef, pork tenderloin or fish instead of high-fat cuts of meat.
5. Change your cooking methods. Bake, grill or broil your meals instead of frying. Use non-stick sprays—or better yet, non-stick pans—instead of oil.
6. Drink more water. Slowly reduce the amount of soda you drink and replace it with herbal tea or water. Aim for eight cups of pure water each day.
7. Don’t drink your calories. Eat a whole orange instead of drinking a glass of juice, for example. Real food is usually more filling and more nutritious than juices, fruit drinks, and other high-calorie beverages.
8. Serve sauces and dressings on the side. Dip your fork into the sauce, then dip your fork into the food. You’ll still have the flavor but with fewer calories.
9. Gradually switch to skim milk. Milk commonly comes in four varieties: whole (4% fat), 2%, 1% and skim (0% fat). Gradually wean yourself from the higher-fat varieties to the lower fat milk every two weeks. For example: continue drinking your normal 2% milk for two weeks, then move to 1% for two weeks, and then your palate will be ready for the consistency of skim milk.
10. Switch from full-fat cheeses to reduced-fat or fat-free cheeses the same way you would with milk (see tip above).
11. Order vegetables on the side instead of fries. Flavor them with lemon juice or herbs instead of butter.
12. Snack on fruit and nuts instead of sugary treats. The fiber, protein and healthy fats in this combo will sustain you to your next meal and you won’t have the energy slump that comes after eating candy.
13. Reduce your portion size. Most people will eat whatever amount of food is in front of them, so start putting your meals on smaller plates. You will be just as satisfied because your mind “sees” that you’re eating a full plate of food.
For more inspiration on sensible eating check out the Brown Plate Special I’m a part of…
For more TT’s click here.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
I can easily go along with several of those. I don’t eat either mustard or mayo, so #1 is no problem. I switched to a whole grain brand of bread, only to find to my distress that they had added high fructose corn syrup to it. I have no idea why. That muck is in so many things
Excellent advice. I do all this and the tougest was skim milk, but I did it finally. Have a great TT. 🙂
That’s all ringing a bell, Ellen. When my husband used to visit a nutritionist, she gave him this advice, and he was never fitter!
Great tips!!! Now I’m feeling hungry 🙂
I do most of these things already. We use only nonfat milk at home, but, well, I use the real stuff in my coffee when I’m not at home.
What great ideas…I took notes:) Happy TT.
Very helpful list! I do a lot of them…
I keep trying to switch to skimmed milk but I just love the taste of full cream. It’s the same with cheese. :o)
Great tips! I do a lot of the things you mention, but I forgot that I like nuts!! They are so good for snacking. My favorite is the cashew. And I like sunflower seeds.
Awesome tips… I use wooden clothespins too to close my bags!
Seriously Ellen, these are excellent ideas. We try to do most of these ourselves.
I can’t promise anything. Fat is a bad thing and yet it is what gives everything such nice flavor. I have made a lot of changes but I won’t drink less than 2% milk. 1% or skim and I might as well add white out to water and just call it milk.
Thanks for visiting my T13 #66 about song titles that are movie titles too.
We’re already doing all of those things. Happy TT.
The most unfair part of all that is…I DO all those things, pretty much always have, but still struggle. So not fair! LOL! But I agree that they’re all great suggestions!
The hardest for me to do on this list was switching out the fries for veggies, but now that I’ve gotten used to it, it’s no big deal.
Besides, the more I do that, the less guilt I feel when I DO have the fries. 😉
Happy Thursday!
“Don’t drink your calories”
Is one of my favorites. Getting out of that habit changed so much about my health and body.
Thanks for sharing all these tips.
~X
Sometimes it’s really the simplest changes that will help us in the long run. Great list, Ellen!
All excellent Ellen!!! I was told by a nutritionist to drink a bottle of water 30 minutes before a meal…you’re not as hungry. And within 3 weeks I lost 12 pounds. I continue to drink lots of water. And with the ‘eat’ instead of drink your calories, it tends to burn MORE calories as you chew so that is good. Now I disagree with the pork being good for you vs. the LEAN beef. Pork has twice as much cholesterol than beef. IF the beef consumed is lean.
GREAT advice.
Hope you can drop by and visit me today for my 13.
This is a wonderful list, and I’m happy to reveal I’ve made most of these shifts in the past decade or so, although things like #1 I’ve done always. I did #9 pretty much the way you described, but find cheese is still my downfall … and so I don’t eat it often but when I do I eat the real thing.
Hugs and blessings,
Very sensible tips! I’m a SparkPeople regular. 🙂 It’s a great site.
I do love Spark People! And great suggestions.
We actually just switched back to full fat milk after hearing that low fat milk is linked to prostate cancer. I’ve also heard that milk is a whole food – messing with one part of it, destroys the benefits of the rest. But who knows?
Happy TT!
Good list! I’m a Sparkler too!! Happy TT!
All of these are great habits that most people don’t know.
Thanks for sharing!
http://blog.mysocalledsite.com/?p=199 Happy TT! 🙂
Ahh, all great tips, most of which I’ve already adopted. They DO work!
I do all these–it’s just the portion size that’s killing me. *sigh* Good advice, though.
awesome list. I am starting to diet and eat healthier. We are cutting out meat and junk food. No more sodas! Thank oyu for this.
I do most of these–except I’ve increased my portion size for veggies and cut out snacks–even the healthy ones make me hungry. Good tips.
http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/thursday-thirteen-13-fudge-phrases-in.html
These are great suggestions! I understand they really work. They are sensible and nutritious! Happy TT! Thanks for visiting my TT post!
These are wonderful tips that I think we all cognitively know, but need someone to sit down and spell it out for us. Thanks for doing that and Happy TT.
VERY good tips… 🙂
I think mustard is one of the most wonderful food groups there is.
SJR
The Pink Flamingo
Ok, this has nothing to do with eating healthy but can you tell me about the blue plate in the picture. I love it!
These are great ideas! I do a lot of these things, too. I love lemon on my vegetables . . . reading that made me hungry.