Steps to the New, Healthier You

Let's face it, diets really don't work. The only way to lose weight or maintain weight loss is to change our eating habits. Here are 10 healthy eating tips — things to work on changing on the path to a healthier life — from the editors of Environmental Nutrition.

1. Choose healthy carbs such as whole grains, unsweetened fruits and vegetables, while limiting refined carb (white flour) intake.

2. Put legumes on the menu every week. Use peas, beans and lentils as a meat replacement at least one day a week.

3. Eat smaller portions. If there's one lesson to be learned, it's simply eat less food. Savor the food you eat. Learning to eat smaller portions will allow you to eat a wider variety of foods without feeling deprived.

4. Eat fish at least twice a week in place of red meat. Choose cold-water, fatty fish like salmon, halibut, tuna or sardines at least twice a week for a total of 12 ounces per week.

5. Include a fruit or vegetable every time you eat. This rule even applies to breakfast and snacks. Double up on vegetables at lunch or dinner with a soup or salad and a serving of fresh or cooked vegetables.

6. Eat a healthy food before you indulge in anything else. Before eating a cookie, try eating something healthy like nuts or fruit.

7. Drink eight glasses of water every day. Keep a water bottle handy and track what you consume.

8. Add nuts and seeds to your daily diet plan. Limit it to 11/2 ounces a day of heart-healthy walnuts, almonds, pecans or peanuts or flaxseed, chia, hemp, sesame or sunflower seeds.

9. Meet your fiber goal every day. The goal is 25 grams a day for women and 38 grams for men. Fiber is in whole grain breads, cereals and pasta as well as fruit, veggies, beans and nuts.

10. Stop eating at least 2 hours before going to bed. It's best to give your body time to digest food before bed.

Did You Know?

Peanuts can actually help you lose weight. In one study, 25 women with high cholesterol were placed on either a low-fat diet or a low-fat, high monounsaturated fat diet, where the monounsaturated fat came from peanuts. The diets were designed to help them maintain their weight. The peanut-supplemented group lost weight while the other group did not. Other studies have also shown that moderate fat, from monounsaturated sources, can help lose weight more than stricter low-fat diets.

Information courtesy of www.peanut-institute.org.

Q and A

Q: What is the difference between pure olive oil, light olive oil, virgin olive oil and extra virgin olive oil?

A: In the United States we categorize olive oils into extra virgin (sometimes referred to as EVOO), virgin, light and classic (pure) olive oil. All these oils are made by extracting the juice of olives. All olive oils, like any other fat, contain about 120 calories per tablespoon. Extra virgin olive oil is the first product of the extraction process and thus has the strongest flavor and aroma of the three types. Virgin olive oil is also from the first pressing but is of slightly lower quality. Light olive oil refers to the absence of flavor, which makes it appropriate for dishes that would otherwise clash with the stronger flavored oils. Classic or pure olive oil typically results from a mixture of virgin olive oil and refined oil. Nutritionally, the fat in all three types of olive oil is mainly monounsaturated fat (MUFA). When MUFA is substituted for saturated fat, it lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol without reducing HDL (good) cholesterol. Studies linking greater use of olive oil with lower risk of heart disease generally don't look at specific types of olive oil. However, both heart health and other possible health benefits may also relate to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant benefits of several natural compounds in olive oil. Extra virgin oil offers the most potential health benefits because it is the least processed.

Information courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Recipe

As temperatures drop, comfort foods seem to satisfy. Here's a healthy recipe for Mom's Meatloaf from Men's Health "Big Book of Food & Nutrition."

MOM'S MEATLOAF

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

1 teaspoon mustard powder

2 pounds lean ground beef

4 slices whole grain bread or higher-fiber white bread, broken up

2/3 cup onion, finely chopped

1 egg

1 teaspoon low-sodium beef broth powder or granules