Healthier Eating

[LilyWDW]

Hey all!

So, I am going to try and start eating better. No real diet per say, but a total change in how I eat for life. It's more about making better choices and having proper serving sizes. I will also be trying to eat out less and making better choices when I do go out.

This is a part of a new mind set I decided I need to have where I take care of myself and make myself happy. In the past, I allowed myself to be miserable and to bend to everyone else's wants and needs. My health (physically and mentally) have suffered from this. So, I need to change.

So, I want to know two things...

One, what are some of your favorite "healthy" snacks? I am looking for 200 or less calories for the snacks at 2 per day.

Two, what are some of your favorite places to get healthy recipes?

Thanks!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

My favorites are any kind of fruit: apple, banana, peaches, grapes, etc.

I'll mix things up with a peanut butter sandwich or maybe a few nuts. Jello is a good filler if you've got it on hand.

Cottage cheese with fruit is another good one. Popcorn (small bag). Cup of yogurt with some granola...

There's lots you can grab to snack on!

OOOO, another thing is cereal. Honey Bunches of Oats is my personal favorite, but the fruit-flavored shredded wheats (strawberry - NOM!) is something else I can graze on. I like the fruity shredded wheat as I can eat it plain, actually prefer it that way.

 

[prncess674]

• cucumber slices with hummus
• pistachios or any other nut which requires you to remove the shell. Removing the shell takes time and will give you time to feel satisfied
• steamed edamame - buy shell on in the frozen section and zap in the microwave in a bowl with just a splash of water
• sugar free jello
• half an english muffin smeared with a smidge of peanut butter
• air popped popcorn
• plain cheerios with skim milk (one of my faves for late night cravings)

 

[cappygirl]

In the winter, I make a big pot of vegetable soup and freeze it in small containers. Makes for a really filling snack!
Another favorite is a rice cake with peanut butter!

Best of luck!!

 

[Kathi OD]

I agree with the fruit for a quck snack, and tomatoes, in season. Another one of my favorite healthy snacks is a plain rice cake w/ peanut butter.

Of course, when all else fails, there is always the old stand-bys: celery & carrot sticks, cucumber slices and green or red pepper strips. You just have to remember that putting salad dressing on them defeats the purpose.

 

[Bilberry]

Favorite snack foods of mine are nuts, dark chocolate, fruits, and vegetables. I also like cold cut meats - protein seems to provide a sense of satiety best for me.

It isn't recipes but I get eating ideas from:

http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/
http://www.drbriffa.com/blog/

 

[badblackpug]

Kosher dill pickles. Lots of flavor, very few calories
Baby Bell lite cheese
Celery sticks with laughing cow lite cheese (also good on cucumber slices)
Sugar free jello is great when you need a sweets craving
Almonds

 

[anniemae]

I like:
low fat string cheese
cottage cheese on crackers
pretzels and hummus

 

[AshleyW]

I've started eating healthier too, lately. Myfitnesspal.com has been a great help - they have a database full of nutrition info on tons of food and some great forums where people share their tips and recipes. You should check it out!

Anyway, some of my favorite snacks: two cups of popcorn (80 calories), low fat string cheese (110 calories), applesauce cups (80 calories), about 12 tortilla chips with salsa (135 calories), a medium banana (105 calories, I think), two clementines (80 calories), or if I have a really bad sweet tooth.. 1/2 cup of puppy chow for 230 calories.

Good luck!

 

[mtemm]

for snacks I love raw almonds, fresh fruit, raw carrots, and kashi granola bars. love cooking light as both magazine and website. great recipes both easy and more involved, with a healthy focus.

 

[HeatherC]

snacks:

popcorn
Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese Sticks
Laughing Cow Cheese with Melba Crackers
Light MultiGrain English Muffin with a little EVOO and sliced tomato
Cocoa Puffs...satisfies my chocolate cravings for 110 calories
LowFat Chocolate Graham Crackers with fat free cool whip. Make a sandwich and freeze. Yummy!

 

[LuvOrlando]

I posted a similar question a while back and the snacks other people suggested which I like best were:

Pickles
Pretzels with mustard
Maple flavored Frosted mini-wheats

 

[NMAmy]

Laughing Cow cheese with pretzel sticks and hummus with veggies are two of my favorite snacks.

For an ice cream craving, DH and I love the Skinny Cow ice cream truffle bars. I brought them in for a birthday celebration for a friend who is trying to lose weight and everyone in the office loved them.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I mostly try to eat foods in their most unprocessed, "whole" state, as much as possible. I read labels and try to avoid artificial colors (like Red 40, yellow 5, etc.) and high fructose corn syrup, etc. It's amazing how many "healthy" things have that stuff in it! Things like applesauce, yoplait yogurt, etc. I take the time to read the label because many brands have ingredients I try to avoid.

I like to snack on:

non fat Greek yogurt--high protein, no fat--super yummy with a bit of honey or maple syrup mixed in!

Fruits and vegetables--any and all types!

Peanut Butter on toast--peanut butter is another thing I really read labels carefully. I like my peanut butter to be peanuts, salt, and that's it! No oils!

Peanut Butter with bananas or apples

Peanut Butter can really add calories though, so I make sure to measure it with a measuring spoon so I don't take too much.

 

[Kimberly]

My favorites are any kind of fruit: apple, banana, peaches, grapes, etc.

YUM!

I grew up eating chips OP, and noticed when I started in college that I had started to gain a little bit of weight. I flipped to fruits as snacks instead, and have never looked back. Nothing like a bright red juicy apple, or bright orange canteloupe... I can't even consider eating chips anymore.

 

[Kitty 34]

When I feel a few pounds coming on I always turn to my fruits. Right now it's Clementines, grapefruits or just good ole applesauce inbetween meals. Also when really hungry I grab a bowl of Special K. Good luck to you.

 

[LilyWDW]

Thank you all so much for your hints and tips so far! Luckily I enjoy much of what you have said so far.

I think the hardest part for me is that I don't always have a ton of support here at home. I currently live with my mom (left my job a couple years ago and have started an MBA program. I wanted to take the first year slow and easy to get back into the swing of school) and sometimes it seems like she does everything to make it harder. When I try to start eating better, she is all on board. Then, just as I am getting into the swing of it, she gets bored and goes a buys a bunch of junk.

I admit it, I have no willpower!

Don't get me wrong, I love my mom to death and owe her SO much for her love and support... but it does get frustrating.

I would LOVE some more hints and tips though! Not only snacks, but any wonderful healthy meals. Breakfast, lunch, AND dinner?

 

[lovemygoofy]

Thank you all so much for your hints and tips so far! Luckily I enjoy much of what you have said so far.

I think the hardest part for me is that I don't always have a ton of support here at home. I currently live with my mom (left my job a couple years ago and have started an MBA program. I wanted to take the first year slow and easy to get back into the swing of school) and sometimes it seems like she does everything to make it harder. When I try to start eating better, she is all on board. Then, just as I am getting into the swing of it, she gets bored and goes a buys a bunch of junk.

I admit it, I have no willpower!

Don't get me wrong, I love my mom to death and owe her SO much for her love and support... but it does get frustrating.

I would LOVE some more hints and tips though! Not only snacks, but any wonderful healthy meals. Breakfast, lunch, AND dinner?

Have you checked out the series "Eat This Not That...?" They also do a daily email from their website. It's a great source for real eating just eating smarter. It doesn't tell you to eat just grains and grass but real food. The cookbook is pretty decent as well.

I have really changed my eating habits in the last year and half. I've lost and kept off almost 50lbs including not much moving around for most of this year due to a broken ankle.

Some things that worked for me include:

Protein for breakfast. I do not eat just carbs like pancakes(can't even remember the last time I had a pancake actually). I make a simple egg and turkey bacon on a toasted wheat deli thin. If in a hurry, I have a nutrigrain waffle with a smear of lowfat peanut butter with fruit on top.

I don't snack much and if I'm snacking it's because I really want food so I want something that will last and for me it's not fruit. I snack on granola bars, almonds, yogurt with cut up frozen fruit and a sprinkle of crushed walnuts.

The first major change I made was making myself think about drinking calories. I love my starbucks and sweet tea and those things. I started slowly reducing the amounts I had and changed the drinks I ordered. I'd rather eat my calories than drink them.

I have a major sweet tooth. I started baking again and cutting my regular flour with whole wheat and using a good chocolate so I can lessen the amounts used as well as using splenda cut with sugar. If I need a sugar fix at the office, I have chocolate special K cereal and skim milk.

When I have dinner, I make my biggest serving be veggies and my smallest portion be a carb if there is one. If something like rolls or biscuits are with dinner, I only eat half one.

I have a rather hectic lifestyle that can involve alot of drive thrus. If I get a "combo" I automatically throw out half the fries and if I splurged with a soda or tea I pour out half.

I drink alot of water. I carry it with my constantly.

 

[oscarkitty1]

Here's a trick that often gets me through the afternoon. If I'm craving a snack, before I let myself get one, I chew a stick of sugar free gum. Often that satisfies my urge and I don't need anything else.

If I do still want a snack I either have a piece of fruit or a veggie. Sugar snap peas are my favorite afternoon snacking veggie, cause eating them is a lot like eating a chip (crispy and out of a bag).

Here's a tip that might help with your Mom. If she has to give in to her need for "junk", ask her to buy things you don't like. If you hate BBQ chips, and she likes them, than have her stock those for her chip craves instead of a flavor you both like.

Good luck to you!

 

[VAfamily1998]

I would LOVE some more hints and tips though! Not only snacks, but any wonderful healthy meals. Breakfast, lunch, AND dinner?

Invest in a George Foreman Grill, if you don't already have one! I buy packs of frozen chicken breasts at Costco, and can cook them on the Foreman grill--even straight from the freezer, no need to defrost!

Sometimes I'll use that cooked chicken breast in a salad--chicken breast, salad greens (usually I just buy a bag of spring mix) and sometimes I'll add a few dried cranberries or raspberries, maybe some goat cheese or blue cheese or gorgonzola, and raspberry vinegrette (sp?) salad dressing!

Another dinner I love is the plain grilled chicken breast, with sweet potato on the side (it's sweet/flavorful enough to eat plain! I just bake it in the oven at 450 for about 30 minutes) and maybe some steamed broccoli or salad.