DI_healthyeating_MAINBy Emily C. Harrison MS, RD, LD
www.dancernutrition.com, via Dance Informa

If you are one of the many people who have had a hard time losing a few pounds using traditional approaches of counting calories and fat grams, then it’s time for a new approach. New Year’s resolutions give us an enthusiastic opportunity to seize the day, but how do we really make change happen and stick to it in a sustainable way?  “Sustainability” has become such a buzzword that can all too easily lose its impact or become cliche.  But making choices that are sustainable for our bodies, our busy lives, and the environment is exactly what we have to do to make a lasting difference.  The beauty of the sustainability approach, is that when you stop obsessing over calories, fat grams, and carbs, you open yourself up to making delicious food choices based on more

#1 Eat Real Food 

Before you make a food choice, ask yourself if it’s real food. “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants”.  Michael Pollan’s famous quote sounds so simple, but in this day of ultra processed food, we have to actually define “real food”.  This means fresh, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, nuts and whole grains.  If the food label is longer than a typical tweet, or if you don’t recognize some of the ingredients, then rethink eating it.  This doesn’t have to be hard. Instead of a pop tart for breakfast, grab overnight oats out of the fridge.  Instead of cheese puffs from the vending machine, pack almonds and a clementine.  Instead of chicken nuggets for lunch, have a hummus, cucumber, spinach sandwich on whole grain bread with lentil soup.  Don’t stress about calories, simply plan ahead to aim to get a fruit or veg at each meal and snack.

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