Mary Niester, RD, MPH

Many people start off the New Year knowing they need to begin eating healthy. One of the most successful ways to make and keep healthy changes is to set small, realistic goals. Take a step back from your current eating habits and identify two or three things you’d like to permanently change. Below are a few common behaviors that you may find you need to focus on:

Do you often feel run down? It may be what and how you’re eating that is contributing to your fatigue. Frequently skipping meals, going too long between meals or making poor choices at your meals (like eating foods high in sugar or unhealthy fats) can cause you to feel miserable. That feeling you’re feeling is fluctuations in your blood sugar, certain hormones and certain neurotransmitters — substances that affect your mood.

Do you eat lunch out everyday? Some restaurant and fast food choices aren’t the healthiest. The food served can be high in sodium, fat and calories, not to mention the portions and the cost! Try taking your lunch to work at least once or twice a week. Pack a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread with a piece of fruit, yogurt and water.

Look at your beverages. People often don’t pay attention to the calories they’re drinking. Coffee drinks, sweetened teas and sports drinks (which really should be drunk during or following intense workouts) contain quite a few empty calories. Watch servings of fruit juices — a serving size is ½ to ¾ cup. A serving of milk or soy, rice and almond beverage is one cup (two or three servings a day). As a thirst quencher, choose water instead.

Reduce your calories at the end of the day. Dinners don’t have to always be big. Try a bean-based soup and a large salad or a dish where you just sauté a bag of frozen veggies and lean protein and add some low sodium seasonings or sauce. You could also try eating off of a smaller dinner plate (about nine inches or less in diameter).

Plan your snacks. Many people find themselves mindlessly eating throughout the day. By planning healthy snacks — like a piece of fruit or a container of Greek-style yogurt — you won’t be as tempted to wander around eating everything in sight.

The convenience of eating. Food is everywhere — vending machines, in the break room at work, on someone’s desk, at gas stations, at home improvement stores, and even in book stores! This makes it way too easy for people to eat even when they’re not hungry.

Don't eat while distracted. Eating and drinking while doing something else, like watching TV, being on the computer or driving a car, can make it easy to eat too much and harder to stop eating.

Mary Niester, RD, MPH, is a registered dietitian and nutrition specialist with IHA. She has extensive experience in the clinical and public health areas of nutrition and has interest in diabetes, cardiovascular disease and health promotion. Mary practices at IHA Brighton Family Care located at 2305 Genoa Business Park Dr., Suite 200, Brighton, MI 48114. She also practices at IHA Pinckney Family Medicine located at 1255 East M-36, Pinckney, MI 48169. She can be reached at 810.494.6840 or 734.878.1000. For more information please visit www.ihacares.com.