Fernando Melaragno, D.O., endocrinologist at the LECOM Institute for Successful Living and LECOM Health Corry Memorial Hospital Rural Health Clinic, offers this winning strategy to keep your resolution to eat healthier. Following these tips will help keep your resolution to eat healthier!
1. A new, healthier diet starts with a plan, and it starts at the grocery store. We’ve all heard that we should not shop when we’re hungry, but what about how to shop at the grocery store?
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- One key point is to focus on the perimeter of the store: Start with fruits and vegetables, then move to the meats and dairy.
- After that, maybe some frozen, healthy choices – but then, head to the checkout! The aisles through the center of the store are mostly full of the higher carbohydrate temptations.
2. It’s important to focus on the new, healthier foods you’ll be incorporating into your diet, not on the ones you should avoid.
3. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive — think of the more nutrient foods as getting more bang for your buck.
4. Maybe this will be the year to start canning? Local, seasonal produce is a healthy, environmentally conscious option that can be not only healthy, but cost-effective as well.
5. When it comes to protein, meats are some of the more expensive foods on the shopping list. Consider beans as a healthy, yet far more budget-friendly option. Try “meatless Mondays,” for example.
6. Meal planning is proven to result in healthier habits, and it saves money because it results in better planning and less waste.
7. Incorporate more olive oil. According to the American Heart Association, those who ate more than half a tablespoon of olive oil each day had a 21% lower risk of coronary heart disease.
8. The plan is to improve your current diet, not seek perfection! And most importantly — just start!
Call (814) 868-3488 to schedule an appointment with Fernando Melaragno, D.O.