Making a New Year's resolution to start eating healthy is easy; the difficult part is keeping your promise. If you've made vows to eat healthier in previous years but couldn't seem to stick to the plan, try a different approach this year. With relaxed, nutritious eating habits, you and your family can eat healthy foods in moderation, enjoy the occasional indulgence and stick to an eating plan that you can maintain for years to come.
Step 1
Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables with every meal. By including a small salad or side of roasted vegetables with each meal, your body will get the nutrients it needs without adding any extra saturated fat to your diet. Fruits and vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, spinach and bananas are low in saturated fat and high in water, fiber and vitamins.
Step 2
Avoid eating at restaurants. Restaurants add extra fat, oil and butter to their recipes to make their dishes taste rich and delicious. Usually, these dishes contain more saturated fat than if you were to cook the same dish at home making healthier choices.
Step 3
Say "goodbye" to white bread and "hello" to complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates, like those in white bread, white rice and store-bought baked goods turn into sugar in the body more quickly than complex carbohydrates, like whole-grain bread, brown rice and whole-grain pasta. Eat mostly complex carbohydrates to maintain your energy throughout the day and stay fuller for longer.
Step 4
Cook with olive oil. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fat, which helps lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Instead of using vegetable oil, lard, butter or shortening, which contain mostly saturated fat, use olive oil for both cooking and baking.
Step 5
Incorporate non-meat protein sources into your diet. Protein is essential to a healthy diet, but protein derived from animals, like beef, lamb and pork, contain high amounts of saturated fat. Protein sources like chickpeas, avocado, black beans and quinoa are low in saturated fat and can be substituted for meat in meals and recipes.
Tips and Warnings
- Aim for 7 percent (or less) of your total fat intake to come from saturated fat.
- Consult a doctor before embarking on any new diet plan.
Things You'll Need
- Bell peppers
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Bananas
- Whole-grain bread
- Brown rice
- Whole-grain pasta
- Olive oil
- Chickpeas
- Avocado
- Black beans
- Quinoa
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