10 Small Steps To Improve Your Health

Many of us make health-related resolutions, such as to lose weight, stop smoking or join the neighborhood health club. While it is common to set high goals, experts say that setting smaller goals could do more for our health.

"Small steps are achievable and are easier to fit into your daily routine," says James O. Hill, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. "They are less overwhelming than a big, sudden change."

Here are 10 to try:

1. Stop gaining weight. Even if you gain just a pound or two every year, the extra weight adds up quickly.

2. Take more small steps. Use a pedometer to count your daily steps; then add 2,000, the equivalent of one extra mile. Keep adding steps, 1,000 to 2,000 each month or so, until you take 10,000 steps on most days.

3. Eat breakfast. Breakfast eaters tend to weigh less and have better diets overall. For a filling and nutrition-packed breakfast, top Whole Grain Total?with fresh fruit slices and low-fat or fat-free milk.

4. Switch three grain servings each day to whole grain. If you're like the average American, you eat less than one whole grain serving a day.

5. Have at least one green salad every day. Eating a salad (with low-fat or fat-free dressing) is filling and may help you eat less during the meal. It also counts toward your five daily cups of vegetables and fruits.

6. Trim the fat. Fat has a lot of calories, and calories count. Purchase lean meats, eat poultry without the skin, switch to lower-fat cheeses, use a nonstick pan with only a dab of oil or butter.

7. Consider calcium by including two or three daily servings of low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt. Dairy calcium is good for bones and may also help you lose weight.

8. Downsize. The smaller the bag, bottle or bowl, the less you will eat.

9. Lose just 5 to 10 percent of your current weight. The health benefits are huge-lower blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.

10. Keep track of your eating. Write down what you eat over the next couple of days and look for problem spots. Often, just writing things down can help you eat less.

Mindy Hermann

Note to Editors: This is Series V-16 of 26.

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Reading Food Labels: How a Small Change Can Make a Big Difference

Most people simply don't pay attention to what they eat. They choose food solely on the basis of taste (or worse, packaging). While everyone agrees that food should certainly taste good, there is also a need for our food to be nutritionally sound. If you are not accustomed to evaluating your food choices, grab a package of you favorite food with a nutrition label on it and let's get started!

When evaluating a nutrition label, pay attention first to the serving size. A particular food, for instance ice cream, may only have 150 calories per serving, but if the serving size is ?cup and you eat a whole cup, you have had 300 calories. Paying attention to this one section of the food label alone can help you drastically reduce your caloric intake and help you to lose unwanted pounds.

However, keep in mind that if a food is high in calories per serving it does not mean that you should never eat it. Just reserve those treats for occasional use, making sure that eating it does not add up to more calories than you burn that day.

Additionally, all foods can be broken down into three components called macronutrients. These macronutrients are proteins, fats and carbohydrates. There are healthy and not-so-healthy types of each of these macronutrients and they are all listed on food labels. (Micronutrients, which are commonly referred to as vitamins and minerals, will not be discussed here, but also can be found on food labels.)

Next pay attention to the fat content of a particular food. You'll likely see listings for total, saturated and trans fats. Although you don't need to stay away from fat altogether (we need some fat in our diets to survive), steer clear of saturated and trans fats as much as possible. Saturated and trans fats increase your risk of developing conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Better fats will be listed as polyunsaturated and monosaturated on food labels. Try getting your daily fat intake from nuts, seeds and plant oils instead of butter, high fat meats and processed snack foods.

Where carbohydrates are concerned, think whole grains instead of processed or refined. On food labels you will see the total amount of carbohydrates listed with the amount of dietary fiber underneath. Foods that are more processed or refined will have less fiber. White bread and pasta as well as cookies, cakes and candies will be high in processed carbohydrates and low in fiber. Look for items that boast 100% whole grains when shopping for crackers, bread and pasta to reduce your chance of developing diseases such as diabetes, colon cancer and high cholesterol.

Also, be careful of how many calories you drink. Sodas, sports drinks and alcohol contain carbohydrate calories without the benefit of fiber for the most part. These drinks are typically loaded with refined sugar. Stick with water and milk, or 100% juice in limited quantities ?no more than 1 glass a day.

Some meats, and most fruits and vegetables, do not carry nutrition labels. However, a good reference book or web site will list macronutrient values for almost every fruit or vegetable imaginable. Every day, you need about three to nine grams of protein for every ten pounds of body weight. Most Americans eat more than enough to satisfy this requirement. Make sure your protein intake is in balance with what your body requires.

For meals that don't come with a nutrition label, a quick search on the internet will help you find the calorie content of foods from many different restaurants. Using this information, you can still eat out at your favorite places without overindulging in too many calories.

The key to good health is information. The more you know, the easier it is to be healthy and fit. Learn about your favorite foods so that you can make good food choices that will enhance your overall health.

copyright 2006 Jennifer Wetmore, DPT

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