Healthy Eating

With so many healthy choices this time of year, eating healthy is easy! Enjoy these warmer months with a healthy variety of tasty foods! Here are some suggestions to help you eat healthier:

* Make half your grains whole. Substitute whole-grain products for refined products, such as whole-wheat bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice. Remember, don't add, substitute.
* Buy fresh vegetables in season; they're likely to be cheaper and be at their peak flavor. Select vegetables with more potassium often, such as sweet potatoes, white beans, tomato products, beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, winter squash, spinach, lentils, kidney beans, and split peas. Buy precut veggies (or precut them yourself) so they're always available in the refrigerator (e.g., baby carrots).
* Keep plenty of fresh fruit around. Keep a bowl of washed, whole fruit in the kitchen, ready to eat. Buy fresh fruit in season. Dried fruit is a good alternative for out-of-season or hard to find fruit.
* Don't forget about calcium. Include low-fat or fat-free milk as a beverage at meals. If you drink cappuccinos or lattes, ask for them with fat-free (skim) milk. Substitute low-fat or fat free yogurt for cream and sour cream in soups and sauces.
* Go lean on protein. Trim away all visible fat from meats and poultry before cooking. Broil, grill, roast, poach, or boil meat, poultry, or fish instead of frying. Drain off any fat that appears during cooking. Skip or limit the breading on meat, poultry, or fish. Prepare dried beans and peas without added fats.
* Choose wisely - food and drinks that are low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

Keep eating healthy and you're on your way to a much healthier lifestyle!