34 Tips for Better Nutrition

1. Keep your freezer and pantry stocked with plenty of vegetables to whip up quick, nutrient rich meals.
2. Make pasta primavera and serve more vegetables than pasta.
3. Use up those half-full bags or containers of veggies to make homemade soup.
4. Try spinach rather than lettuce on sandwiches.
5. Begin your meal with a broth based soup to fill you up before the main course.
6. Snack when you’re hungry and not when the clock tells you to.
7. Eat fresh, canned or frozen fruits for a sweet dessert.
8. Treat your family to fruit kabobs with apple, melon, and pineapple on skewers.
9. For a quick, healthy dessert slice an apple, sprinkle the slices with cinnamon, and microwave for about 50 seconds.
10. Drizzle olive oil and red wine vinegar on your salad.
11. Use mustard rather than mayonnaise on your sandwiches.
12. Try Canadian bacon or ham on pizza rather than pepperoni or sausage.
13. Enjoy high calorie foods in moderation. Moderation isn’t deprivation.
14. Compare brands and choose the one lowest in sodium.
15. Give kids control in the kitchen by asking them to help prepare meals.
16. Try edamame (soybeans in the pod).
17. When making tacos or burritos, serve plenty of tomatoes, beans, salsa, corn and cucumber.
18. Bake chicken strips and serve with honey mustard or barbecue sauce.
19. Snack on nuts, but limit to one serving. (24 almonds, 47 whole pistachios, 18 cashews, 30 peanuts, 20 pecan halves or 14 walnut halves).
20. Make lunch your larges meal of the day and eat a smaller dinner.
21. Break out from your normal recipe cycle. Try one new recipe every two weeks.
22. Use your plate as a food guide: ¼ for meats, ¼ for grains, and ½ for vegetables.
23. Pace your eating with the slowest eater at the table, not the fastest.
24. Drink low-calorie beverages with meals (unsweetened tea, water with lemon or diet drinks).
25. Munch on veggies (petite carrots, sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes) when making dinner to avoid the temptation to nibble on meal ingredients.
26. Try baked tortilla chips and salsa instead of fried chips with cheese sauce.
27. Dip strawberries or apple slices into fruit-flavored yogurt for a sweet treat.
28. Let kids dunk and kip their foods: animal crackers in low-fat pudding or mini-toaster waffles in cinnamon applesauce.
29. Stuff a pita pocket with cottage cheese and Granny Smith apple slices.
30. Add dried cranberries and almonds to quick cooking oatmeal; microwave 60 seconds.
31. Top English muffins with pizza sauce, part-skim mozzarella cheese and bell pepper for a quick pizza.
32. Let kids use cookie cutters to cut sandwiches into fun shapes.
33. Bee 100 percent fad free; use common sense when judging diet and health-book claims.
34. Remember, you don’t have to eat perfectly at every meal; balance your food intake throughout the day.