6 Tips to Spring Into Healthier Eating
by Lindsey Joe, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at HandmadeHealthy.com
With the winter months behind us, now is a great time to refocus on healthier eating for you and your active lifestyle. Start your spring off right by practicing a few of these tips for more balanced, healthful eating:
- Clean Up the Kitchen: Purge the fridge and pantry of non-nutritious items and stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and poultry, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.
- Savor the Flavors of the Season: The spring season offers a bounty of tasty and nutritious fruits and vegetables sure to please your palate. Try asparagus, butter lettuce, honeydew, mango, snow peas and swiss chard.
- Snack Smarter: Eating every 3 to 4 hours can help to fuel a healthy metabolism, maintain muscle mass and prevent between-meal hunger that leads to unwise snacking. Choose foods that will provide protein and fiber-rich carbohydrates for lasting energy.
- Drink Up: Drinking enough fluids before, during and after physical activity is vital to providing your body the fluids it needs to perform properly. Gents should aim to enjoy 3.7 liters of fluid of day, while ladies should aim for 2.7 liters per day.
- Remove Easy-To-Eat Foods from Your Reach: Keep tempting treats out of sight and out of mind until meal or snack time and replace them with healthier options, such as fresh fruit, unsweetened dried fruit or cut up veggies.
- Close the Kitchen: Set a time to close down the kitchen each day to help prevent unwanted snacking and grazing into the evening.