Eating a healthy diet is a very good goal. Sheral Cade, a registered dietitian for the Parkland Center for Internal Medicine, says controlling your weight should be the focus of any healthy diet.
“Getting your body at a good weight is so important,” Sheral says. “It will help medical problems like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.”
Be aware of how much fat and salt is in your food. Food made at restaurants is often cooked with a lot of oil and salt – even items on the “healthy” menu.
Sheral offers tips for staying on track with your new diet:
- Control your how much you eat.
- Avoid foods with high fat and salt levels.
- Cook your own food at home as often as possible.
- Don’t drink too many sodas, sugary juices and alcoholic beverages.
- Write down everything you eat and drink.
Sheral says most of your plate should be filled with non-starchy vegetables. Fill the largest part of your plate with the item that has the fewest calories.
- 50 percent (1/2 of the plate) – non-starchy vegetables, like squash, broccoli, salad, collard greens, tomato and cabbage
- 25 percent (1/4 of the plate) – protein, such as chicken and lean beef
- 25 percent (1/4 of the plate) – healthy starches, such as brown rice, potatoes, carrots, corn, beans and peas