Fruits (and veggies) of your labor: Eat right, stay on track and you can reach goals

Fruits (and veggies) of your labor: Eat right, stay on track and you can reach goals


EL PASO -- Promises to eat more sensibly and lose weight will be uttered over and over again through the next week as people begin focusing on their New Year's resolutions.

Often, the promises to live more-healthful lifestyles sputter and fade after only a few weeks or even a few days.

But there are simple strategies to keep on track with the commitment and to make permanent life changes.

"For those people who are contemplating a change at New Year's, their next step isn't doing it. Their next step is preparing to do it, and that's an important step," said Michael Kelly, senior program officer in charge of research, planning and evaluation at the Paso del Norte Health Foundation.

"You don't move from 'I'm doing a New Year's resolution' to 'I'm now exercising or eating better,' " he said. "The trick is to ask 'How do I best prepare so when I take action, my action is successful and it sticks?' "

The first step, he said, is to announce your intentions to family members and friends. This should be done in a frame of the behavior you want to change, not in the frame of an intended outcome, such as losing weight, he said.

"It creates a commitment on your part," Kelly said. "When I tell you I'm going to do something and I don't do it, I feel a little embarrassed, but it also allows for support to happen."

He said it's also a good idea to make sure optimism is balanced with realism.



"Make the small changes over time," he said. "In January, you may change the
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way you eat at night. In February, you may start changing your lunch."

The next step is to set a date for the change to begin, and that may not necessarily be Jan. 1. Kelly said it's often helpful to make this date one that has another important meaning for you, such as a child's birthday or an important anniversary.

Next, a person should begin preparing to change the behavior by modifying his or her environment.

"Make a change on your shopping list. Don't buy the cookies because if they're not in your house, you're not going to eat them," Kelly said. "The cookies aren't there, but the grapes are."

He said another way to modify the environment is to start a list of things to do, rather than things that are now prohibited, such as "I am going to start buying more fruits and vegetables."

Finally, he said, it's important to create a plan to maintain the new behavior, such as celebrating certain milestones in the process.

"But don't reward good eating with bad eating," he said.

Other tips to limit the amount of food being consumed include eating at scheduled meal times, cooking at home and using smaller plates, Kelly said.

Monitoring the kinds of food being eaten is extremely important, said Gayla Weaver, an extension home economist with the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service, Doña Ana County Office.

She said people should follow the food pyramid recommendations, placing particular emphasis on eating lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and plenty of fat-free or low-fat dairy products. People should also take care to eat a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, salt and added sugars, she said.

"I think it's just being creative," she said. "If you have on hand, particularly for snacks, fresh vegetables or fruits, I think we'll eat them."

Weaver said it's also important to eat a healthful breakfast when possible, such as whole-grain cereal, yogurt with granola or oatmeal. Even a bit of last night's dinner isn't a bad idea because it will help keep a person from overeating later in the day.

"Even a piece of pizza is better than no breakfast," she said.

Restaurants can create an unexpected hazard to dietary changes, she said, and she recommends opting for the grilled or baked items, for more-healthful side items, and to have items such as salad dressing and cheese on the side.

Kelly said it's important to remember that people inevitably suffer setback when trying to make life changes such as these.

"Realizing we all fail and backslide is important," he said. "You're going to backslide, probably. Just set a new date and get back on the path as soon as you can."

People need to have patience when embarking on such a change, he said, because the results won't happen overnight.

"A cookie on the weekend or a drink sometimes that has a lot of calories in it is not what put the 25 pounds on you," Kelly said. "It's what you did every day this year that built up over time.

"When you make a slight change and you make the slight change every day, such as eating on a smaller plate or moving from ice cream to grapes every night, it will make a difference."

Erica Molina Johnson may be reached at emolina@elpasotimes.com; 546-6132.



Tips for eating healthfully in 2010
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has the following tips for people who want to eat more healthfully.
# Eat more whole grains by substituting a product made from whole grains for a refined product, such as brown rice instead of white rice or wheat bread instead of white bread.
# Mix whole grains into dishes, such as adding barley to vegetable soup or stews.
# Use rolled oats or crushed, unsweetened whole-grain cereal when breading baked chicken or other proteins.
# When snacking, choose a whole-grain cereal, a whole-grain snack chip or popcorn with little salt and butter.
# Buy fresh, colorful vegetables when they're in season and stock up on frozen vegetables for easy preparation at home.
# Consider buying convenient vegetables, such as pre-washed bags of salad greens and packages of baby carrots or celery sticks.
# When buying canned vegetables, choose those labeled as having "no salt added."
# Keep a bowl of fruit in a very visible place, such as on your table, counter or inside the refrigerator.
# Buy fresh fruits when they're in season and stock up on dried, frozen and canned fruits.
# Consider buying pre-cut packages of fruit for healthful snacking.
# When buying canned fruits, choose those canned in 100 percent fruit juice or water.
# Eat fruit throughout the day, such as on top of your cereal, with your lunch and dinner, in salad and with meat dishes.
# Keep a package of dried fruit easily accessible, such as in your desk or bag.
# Consider drinking fat-free or low-fat milk with meals.
# Switch to fat-free milk or low-fat milk if you usually drink whole milk; use it in your cereals as well.
# Order coffee drinks with fat-free milk.
# Have a snack of fat-free or low-fat yogurt.
# Use yogurt to make dips for fruits or vegetables, or to make fruit-yogurt smoothies.
# Choose the leanest cuts when eating beef, including round steaks and roasts, top loin, top sirloin, chuck shoulder and arm roasts.
# The leanest pork cuts include the pork loin, tenderloin, centerloin and ham.
# When eating ground beef, choose the leanest available variety -- at least 90 percent lean.
# When eating poultry, boneless and skinless chicken breasts and turkey cutlets are the leanest cuts.
# Remove skin from chicken before cooking.
# When choosing luncheon meats, choose lean turkey, roast beef or ham instead of meats with more fat, such as regular bologna or salami.
# Trim all visible fat before cooking meats and poultry.
# When cooking meat, poultry or fish, choose to broil, grill, roast, poach or boil instead of frying. Drain away any fat that appears when cooking.
# Avoid or limit breading meat, poultry or fish.
# Avoid sauces and gravies with lots of fat.
Source:"www.mypyramid.gov