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"In Chicago, we may not think the Picasso presiding over the Richard J. Daley Center plaza is art, but we know it's a big Picasso and it's the city's Picasso, and when the Cubs made the play-offs, the sculpture wore a baseball cap just like everything else."

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Featured Healthy Eating Articles

Five Myths About The "NMP" (No Meat Or Poultry) Eating Style
Are you being held back from choosing a healthier lifestyle because you believe one of the many myths about going meatless? Many people who could greatly benefit from going what I call"NMP" (no meat or poultry, yes to fish, dairy products and eggs), ...

Healthy Eating Alone Is Not The Answer
Along with eating healthier we need to be more active. The two go hand in hand. Healthy eating + physical activity = a healthier mind and body.You will need to be a good role model for your children. Don't look for the closest parking space. Take the ...

Healthy Eating Habits
Disclaimer: This article represents personal views and should be treated as such. Implementation of any ideas contained herein can only be done at own risk. Original article location: www.art.eonworks.com This article describes and explains my current ...





10 Easy Ways to Kick-Start a New Healthy Eating Lifestyle
 
Easy Ways to Kick-Start a New Healthy Eating Lifestyle
There is a huge amount of sometimes conflicting, often confusing, nutrition and diet information available. Therefore, itÕs very understandable when people become discouraged about selecting an eating plan for themselves. Even scientific studies often contradict each other. How can we figure out how best to eat for overall health or weight loss?
We can focus on the basics. Unless youÕre going to follow a strict diet that restricts or eliminates certain food groups (which should be carefully studied prior to starting), you can begin by striving for balance in your diet. Below are some common-sense guidelines that you can use to identify what kind of an eating plan works best for your lifestyle and your body. 1. Start drinking more water. Most experts recommend eight (8-ounce) glasses per day. The easiest way to do this is to spread out your water intake throughout the day and use containers that will help you keep track how much you drink. If you arenÕt drinking much water currently, try easing into it. You can add one cup every few days until you reach 8 or more per day.
2. Strive to eat 1-2 servings of fruits or vegetables at each meal or snack. This will add up to several servings a day which is recommended for optimal nutrition.
3. Switch to whole grains. Go for the healthier whole grains in breads, pasta, tortillas, and cereals. Also eat brown rice instead of white. YouÕll be taking in more beneficial fiber and gaining all the other benefits of whole, rather than processed, grains.
4. Get your sweet tooth under control. Start to slowly reduce the portion sizes and frequency of your intake of any sugared treats. Try switching to unsweetened breakfast cereals. Go from full-sized candy bars to bite-size. And, if you are accustomed to eating dessert after every meal, switch to fruit as a dessert a few times per week. The less you eat the sweets, the less youÕll crave over time (really!).
5. Switch to lean meats. Avoid highly marbled beef, high fat pork ribs and chops, regular ground beef and other fatty cuts. Try substituting lean ground beef and turkey, pork tenderloin and flank steak, along with fish and shellfish.
6. Switch to lower fat dairy products. You can really influence your calorie and fat daily totals by switching to lower fat milk, cottage cheese, cheese, sour cream and more. If you enjoy fat-free, work your way down to that. If you really donÕt enjoy the taste, then go to the lower fat varieties (thatÕs what I do!).
7. Find a couple of lower fat salad dressings that you enjoy. With all the vegetable youÕll be eating as part of your new eating style, a couple healthier dressing options will go a long way toward making them more enjoyable. In addition to using on salads, you can use dressings for marinade, dips, sandwich spreads, and whenever you can use some extra flavor.
8. Slowly reduce your portion sizes. Most people who are carrying around some extra weight probably are eating too much food. By slowly reducing your portion sizes, youÕll feel less deprived as you make your way down to a portion size you feel comfortable and satisfied eating.
9. Learn how to read and compare nutrition label information. This will help avoid common mistakes made by people experimenting with healthier foods, such as overeating low fat items even though they contain as many calories as the full-fat varieties. Look at things like fiber, protein and sugar content to help you understand what youÕre feeding your body and how it makes you feel.
10. Although this isnÕt directly an eating issue, increase your activity! Healthy eating is only half of the equation. For ideal health, your body needs to move and move often. Again, start slowly and gradually increase your activity. This doesnÕt necessarily mean hard exercise walking, housework, gardening and running around with your kids can lead to healthy changes in your fitness level. Many experts recommend 30 minutes of exercise three times a week as a minimum for overall health. Each person should talk with their doctor, and determine what type and level of exercise will best suit them.
Even though you may determine you want to make additional lifestyle changes, these basic healthy tips will give you a great start toward improved health. Take it at your own pace and make changes that fit into your lifestyle. You donÕt need to eat foods you donÕt enjoy just because they are healthy. It would be better for you to experiment to find foods you do enjoy, so that you are motivated to keep eating them. Always keep in mind that youÕre making these changes to become a healthier person that will live a longer, more active life!
About the Author
Erin Rogers, a work-at-home mom of two, is the founder of Health-E-Meals.com, providing practical healthy living resources for busy people. She's also the author of the Healthy Express Cookbook: 101 Fresh, Light & Quick Dinners (http://www.health-e-meals.com/ebook.html). Visit her website (http://www.health-e-meals.com/DOTD.html) to sign up for her FREE electronic newsletter, 'Dinners on the Double' - offering a quick and healthy, no-recipe dinner idea and more each week. Erin can be reached via email at erin@health-e-meals.com.



Healthy Eating News



BET

Walmart to Label Healthy Foods
New York Times
As part of its promise last year to improve the nutritional quality of the food it sells, Walmart said on Tuesday that it had devised standards to determine what is healthy and would label the foods that meet those standards.
Walmart to highlight healthy foodsFinancial Times
Walmart's New Healthy Labels: Great for You, or Great for Them?brandchannel.com
The Wal-Mart Foundation Donates $9.5 Million to Promote Minority Healthy EatingBET
Globe and Mail -Namnews -Sage Nonprofit Solutions
all 426 news articles »

Healthy eating, exercise will save lives if only we'd pay attention
SunHerald.com
Two years later, DeSmet is a healthy, active 60-year-old with a message for other women: "Take care of yourself. If you suspect something is wrong, check it out. We always blow it off, like I did. But we have to start putting ourselves first.

and more »

Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes Joins "Kids LiveWell" to Highlight Commitment ...
MarketWatch (press release)
"The healthy all-you-care-to-enjoy atmosphere at Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes is a great opportunity for parents to encourage their children to try new foods, and because our menu changes bi-weekly we have a variety of ever-changing Kids LiveWell menu ...

and more »

Daily Mail

New plan to cut the fat of the military
Fox News
Obama, who has spearheaded a healthy eating and fitness program for children for two years, will lend her voice on Thursday to the military's efforts to overhaul the food it serves. In an event in Little Rock, Arkansas, Obama will join top Pentagon ...
Hold the mystery meat: Military food gets upgradePalm Beach Post
Campaign Aims to Improve Troops, Families' HealthDepartment of Defense
Hold the mystery meat: Military food upgradedRockford Register Star
Death and Taxes -Medical Daily
all 316 news articles »

To stay healthy, eat an onion a day
Fox News
In addition to limiting your intake of fats and sugars, eating onions can get your blood sugar-and your weight-on the right track. So here is a simple, powerful health-enhancing recommendation: Eat an onion every day. One medium-sized onion equals ...

and more »