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- Healthy Eating Every Day
Improve your health and quality of life through balanced eating! Healthy Eating Every Day is a practical, evidence-based program that teaches you how to improve your eating habits in ways that fit your lifestyle.
Inside, you’ll discover how to choose the right balance of the right foods, set realistic goals and rewards, and cope with triggers for unhealthy eating. You’ll also learn these useful skills:
• Create food shopping lists that include healthy foods
• Balance calories to achieve and maintain a healthy weight
• Eat well when dining out or away from home
• Set personal goals to help you reduce your sodium intake or increase the number of fruits and vegetables you eat
Healthy Eating Every Day contains checklists, charts, activities, and reminders to help you personalize the program and enjoy the process of learning how to eat healthy.
Newly updated with the most recent version of the national dietary guidelines and the latest nutrition science, Healthy Eating Every Day gives you the resources and confidence you need to improve your health by eating right.
Earn continuing education credits/units! A continuing education course and exam that uses this book is also available. It may be purchased separately or as part of a package that includes all the course materials and exam.
Session 1 Healthy Eating: A Balancing Act
Session 2 Taking Stock
Session 3 Setting Goals and Rewarding Yourself
Session 4 Identifying Barriers and Benefits
Session 5 Tackling Triggers
Session 6 Eating Out
Session 7 Talking to Yourself
Session 8 Healthy Shopping Strategies
Session 9 Recruiting Support
Session 10 Looking Back, Looking Forward
Session 11 Getting Back on Track
Session 12 Cooking Up a Healthy Diet
Session 13 Dietary Supplements and Fad Diets
Session 14 Balancing Calories With Physical Activity
Session 15 Controlling Weight
Session 16 Managing Time and Stress
Session 17 Staying Motivated
Session 18 Eating in a Changing World
Session 19 Planning Ahead
Session 20 Celebrating Success
Ruth Ann Carpenter, MS, RDN, is a consultant in health promotion and instructional design. She is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in applied nutrition from Pennsylvania State University as well as a master’s degree in instructional systems, with a focus in online learning, from Florida State University. Carpenter directed the nutrition education and research efforts at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas, for 22 years and was the codeveloper and a group facilitator for the Lifestyle Nutrition Study, which served as the basis for Healthy Living Every Day. She has coauthored six books, including Active Living Every Day, Second Edition (Human Kinetics, 2011) and has developed educational programs for clients such as the American Heart Association, Kellogg’s, Tropicana, Jenny Craig, the U.S. Navy, Roche, and the Illinois Department of Public Health. She has served in numerous leadership positions in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, including chair of the weight management dietetic practice group and coauthor of a physical activity toolkit for dietitians.
Carrie Finley, MS, served as a project manager, data analyst, and statistician in the research division at the Cooper Institute for 14 years. She has a bachelor of science degree in nutritional sciences from Texas A&M University and a master of science degree in epidemiology from the University of Texas–Houston school of public health. While with the Cooper Institute, she assisted in the development of the curriculum for the Lifestyle Nutrition Study, which served as the basis for Healthy Living Every Day, while also facilitating group sessions. She also helped direct a nutritional epidemiology project that collected and analyzed dietary data to examine how dietary factors and fitness relate to morbidity and mortality. She has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented at many professional conferences, including the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, Nutrition Week Conference, and American College of Sports Medicine Annual Conference.
Can you eat out and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet? The answer is yes. One of the goals of HEED is to help you make healthier dietary choices no matter where you eat. Whether you're at a fast-food establishment or a sit-down restaurant, defensive dining strategies will help you stick to your healthy eating goals.
Did You Know?
Eating out trends have been shifting in America. Since 1970, the total amount of money spent on foods eaten away from home has generally increased, except for a slight dip that occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 to 2009. As shown in figure 6.1, 43% of the money Americans spent on food was spent eating out in 2012, up from 26% in 1970. Almost 80% of adults ate at least one meal away from home each week, while almost 10% ate out eight or more times in 2009 - 2010.1 The trends are similar to those in many Western countries, though the United Kingdom, where eating-out expenditures have dropped 5.6% between 2009 and 2012,2 is an exception.
What's the problem with eating out? That people tend to eat more calories, saturated fat and sodium, and fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when they eat out. In fact, on average, nearly one-third of American adults' daily calories comes from foods eaten away from home.3
But there's good news. Recent data show that people in the United States are making healthier choices when eating away from home.4 Similar trends seem to be occurring in the United Kingdom as well. These findings might mean that people are paying more attention to eating better, and that restaurants are responding by making healthier options more available, or vice versa. Regardless of what's driving the changes, you'll still need to be on your guard to find healthy foods when you eat out. All it takes is awareness and a little practice.
Food away from home as a share of household food expenditures has risen steadily since 1970, reaching its highest level of 43.1 percent in 2012.
Weighty Matters
An analysis of Americans' eating-out habits published in 2010 showed that eating just one meal away from home per week for a year could increase body weight by two pounds.5
Nutrition Note
Defensive Dining
Chances are you eat out - and you might eat out a lot. To help you identify strategies to stay on track with your healthy eating goals, take this quiz.
For the questions below, "eating out" refers to any time you acquire and eat any food away from your home. Don't count foods that you prepare at home and eat elsewhere (such as food you take on picnics, in lunches, or to parties). Select either "a" or "b" for each question.
Planning Leads to Success
One way to ensure that you're prepared to make the right food choices is to plan ahead. Ask yourself these questions to help you start thinking about healthy ways to eat out:
What restaurants or food sources offer healthy options?
- Ask friends if they know of restaurants that offer healthy options. Try new places yourself. Most restaurants post their menus on the Internet, and many also provide nutrition information about their menu items online.
- If you live in the United States, check out healthydiningfinder.com for a way to find dietitian-recommended restaurants with healthy menu items near you. Also, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, the site has a special "Kids Live Well" page that lists restaurants with healthy meals for children.
What healthy options are available at each place?
- One restaurant might simply have a salad bar as one part of a wide-ranging and not-so-healthy menu. But another restaurant might be entirely devoted to healthy foods. The more healthy options a menu has, the more likely you'll find something that will agree with your taste buds and your healthy eating goals. Explore sites such as urbanspoon.com or yelp.com to find ratings and comments that other diners have given for healthy meals and restaurants.
What will I choose when I get there?
- Before you walk into a food establishment, decide what you're going to choose. You don't have to know the exact item. But try to have a general idea, such as, "I'm going to order a salad and grilled fish and share a dessert." Or, "I am going to buy a bottle of tomato juice and a small bag of peanuts." Or, "I am going to eat a total of 750 calories or less." If you wait until you get inside, you might be tempted by menu items or store displays that aren't the healthiest options.
Science Update
How calorie clueless are diners when it comes to knowing what they're eating? A recent study shows that, when eating at fast-food restaurants, adults underestimated their calorie intake by 20% and teens by 34%. That was a real-to-estimate gap of 175 calories for adults and a whopping 259 calories for teenagers.6 This study shows the need for nutrition information to be readily available when people are deciding what to order when dining out. Other research indicates that people want to have this information on the menus and menu boards at restaurants.7
Help is on the way. In the United States, regulations to put calorie information on menus, menu boards, and vending machines were finalized in 2014. The regulations supersede any existing state or local rules. Here are the requirements:
- The new rules apply to retail food chains (restaurants, coffee shops, take-out and delivery foods, etc.) with 20 or more locations and vending companies that operate 20 or more vending machines.
- Calorie information must be clearly posted next to individual food items listed on a menu or on signs next to displayed food or self-selected foods such as from a salad bar.
- Combination meals must list the total calories for all items included in the combo meal.
- Alcoholic drinks that are listed on a menu.
- Other nutrition information (e.g., fat grams, sodium, etc.) is available via print materials, kiosk, or computer for each food item. You just have to ask for it.
- Restaurants and other food establishments with fewer than 20 locations can choose to voluntarily comply with the new rules.
Balancing calories is a major HEED goal. The new menu and vending machine label regulations make it much easier to choose foods that meet your calorie goals when eating out.
Save
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Making the decision to eat healthier
If you find yourself asking, "What’s in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it’s important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Benefits
If you find yourself asking, "What's in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it's important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes. Let's look at some reasons why it's important to adopt healthier eating habits. In sessions 1 and 2, we told you about the many benefits we see for healthy eating, such as stronger bones, improved weight control, and a lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease. But these benefits might not matter to you. Read the questions below and think about the reasons you chose to pick up Healthy Eating Every Day.
- How do you think eating better will help you?
- What positive changes do you expect to see from eating better?
List your answers in the spaces provided. Think of as many personal benefits as you can.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Up Close and Personal
George decided he wanted to eat better. He had put on a lot of weight over the last 15 years, and had developed high blood cholesterol. He was concerned that if he didn't take better care of himself he might get diabetes later in life, like his mother. Plus he simply wanted to feel better and have more energy. But George didn't really like "diet" food, and he traveled a lot. These factors had kept him from adopting better eating habits in the past.
George's brother, Patrick, also had high cholesterol and was overweight. In fact, Patrick's doctor had recently given him a stern warning about improving his diet. But Patrick loved to eat, and he figured he might as well die happy! Patrick worked odd hours, lived alone, ate out a lot, and didn't really know what a healthy diet was in the first place.
Who do you think was more successful at changing his diet? It was George. George could identify many more reasons for changing his diet than Patrick could. Also, although George had some major barriers to overcome, he didn't have as many as Patrick.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Barriers
What factors keep you from eating a healthy diet? These can vary from environmental factors (such as co-workers who tempt you with sweets) to time-management concerns to negative thinking. A barrier is anything that could get in your way of making changes. Think about your barriers to healthy eating and list them here.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Efficient Shopping Starts at Home
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential.
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential. Like any new skill, it takes a little time to get good at it. But planning your shopping will save you time overall. Here are key steps:
1. Plan a Menu
- Review your weekly schedule and decide which meals you'll be cooking at home.
- Choose main courses and sides that match your schedule and preferences. Challenge yourself to try a couple new healthy recipes (see session 12 for healthy meal planning and cooking tips) each week. Pick a couple of options that will leave you with leftovers to free you from cooking another meal.
2. Check Ingredients
- Gather the recipes and list all the ingredients you need. Some online recipes provide a printable shopping list.
- Explore your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards to see what ingredients you already have; remove these from your list.
3. Write a shopping list
- Keep a running list posted on your refrigerator or cupboard so family members can add items that they used up or would like you to buy.
- Add to the running list: (1) new ingredients needed for the coming week's menu and (2) staples that have been depleted.
- Organize your list by store layout. For example, make sections for frozen, dairy, meats and seafood, produce and flowers, bakery, deli, snacks, and so on.
- Write each needed ingredient in the corresponding grocery store section. Milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, would go under dairy. Categorizing saves you time in scanning your list over and over. It also keeps you from skipping over items.
- Put a "C" beside the items on your grocery list for which you have a coupon.
- Pack a pen or pencil so you can cross things off your list as you place them in your cart.
Paper and pencil is one way to create a shopping list. Our ever-present smartphone is another. You can use a notes app to keep a simple list. Or there are dozens of free or low-cost list-making and food-shopping apps for both the Android and iPhone platforms. Your local grocer may offer an app that features shopping lists as well as info on in-store specials and coupons. Some sync with recipes so that ingredients get dumped automatically into your shopping list. Others let you add items via the voice recognition feature. Many show weekly sale ads from local stores to add to your list, if desired. Look for ones that let you:
- keep a master list of things you buy over and over
- organize your list by the aisle layout of your local store
- add item requests from family members directly to the list
- sync across multiple devices so you can edit the list from a tablet, computer, or smartphone
- maintain multiple lists - use this feature to keep separate lists for different stores
Try different apps until you find one that works for you. If this takes too much time, you always can go back to paper and pencil!
Healthy Shopping Without Breaking the Bank
In 2014, Americans spent over $1.4 trillion on food - $50 billion more than we spent the previous year.1 On average, we spend about 10% of our disposable income on food each year.2
You might think you have to spend a lot of money to eat healthy foods. This is simply not true. No matter how much you or your family spends at the grocery store, you want to get the best nutritional return for your money. The truth is, you don't have to spend more money to get a healthier payback. Just as you may spend time and money investing in your financial future, you should spend time investing in your health, such as budgeting more of your grocery money to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nutrient-dense foods. Spend less money on empty-calorie foods such as sweets and soft drinks, which do not give you the quality nutrition you need. Look at these items as bad investments.
Here are tips to get more for your money at the supermarket:
- Keep a shopping list to follow when you're shopping. When you have a list, you're less likely to impulse shop. Try to limit yourself to two or three impulse buys.
- Use newspaper inserts, store mailers, and online sites to find the specials for the week. Meat and poultry can be purchased when they're on sale and frozen to eat at a later date. Make a special note on your grocery list of the items that are on sale.
- Sign up for your local stores' loyalty programs. This will give you access to their digital coupons, special promotions, and other savings.
- Compare supermarket brands to name-brand food items both for cost and nutrient value. Many store brand foods are less expensive but have the same nutrient value as name brands.
- Beware of marketing ploys such as "Buy 2, get 1 free" on items that you don't need in large supplies or that might spoil before you eat them. These so-called sales are often aimed at getting you to buy more than you need. The sale is only a deal if you really need three of the product or if it's nonperishable. If the food ends up going to waste, it's not much of a deal.
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Can you eat out and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet? The answer is yes. One of the goals of HEED is to help you make healthier dietary choices no matter where you eat. Whether you're at a fast-food establishment or a sit-down restaurant, defensive dining strategies will help you stick to your healthy eating goals.
Did You Know?
Eating out trends have been shifting in America. Since 1970, the total amount of money spent on foods eaten away from home has generally increased, except for a slight dip that occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 to 2009. As shown in figure 6.1, 43% of the money Americans spent on food was spent eating out in 2012, up from 26% in 1970. Almost 80% of adults ate at least one meal away from home each week, while almost 10% ate out eight or more times in 2009 - 2010.1 The trends are similar to those in many Western countries, though the United Kingdom, where eating-out expenditures have dropped 5.6% between 2009 and 2012,2 is an exception.
What's the problem with eating out? That people tend to eat more calories, saturated fat and sodium, and fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when they eat out. In fact, on average, nearly one-third of American adults' daily calories comes from foods eaten away from home.3
But there's good news. Recent data show that people in the United States are making healthier choices when eating away from home.4 Similar trends seem to be occurring in the United Kingdom as well. These findings might mean that people are paying more attention to eating better, and that restaurants are responding by making healthier options more available, or vice versa. Regardless of what's driving the changes, you'll still need to be on your guard to find healthy foods when you eat out. All it takes is awareness and a little practice.
Food away from home as a share of household food expenditures has risen steadily since 1970, reaching its highest level of 43.1 percent in 2012.
Weighty Matters
An analysis of Americans' eating-out habits published in 2010 showed that eating just one meal away from home per week for a year could increase body weight by two pounds.5
Nutrition Note
Defensive Dining
Chances are you eat out - and you might eat out a lot. To help you identify strategies to stay on track with your healthy eating goals, take this quiz.
For the questions below, "eating out" refers to any time you acquire and eat any food away from your home. Don't count foods that you prepare at home and eat elsewhere (such as food you take on picnics, in lunches, or to parties). Select either "a" or "b" for each question.
Planning Leads to Success
One way to ensure that you're prepared to make the right food choices is to plan ahead. Ask yourself these questions to help you start thinking about healthy ways to eat out:
What restaurants or food sources offer healthy options?
- Ask friends if they know of restaurants that offer healthy options. Try new places yourself. Most restaurants post their menus on the Internet, and many also provide nutrition information about their menu items online.
- If you live in the United States, check out healthydiningfinder.com for a way to find dietitian-recommended restaurants with healthy menu items near you. Also, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, the site has a special "Kids Live Well" page that lists restaurants with healthy meals for children.
What healthy options are available at each place?
- One restaurant might simply have a salad bar as one part of a wide-ranging and not-so-healthy menu. But another restaurant might be entirely devoted to healthy foods. The more healthy options a menu has, the more likely you'll find something that will agree with your taste buds and your healthy eating goals. Explore sites such as urbanspoon.com or yelp.com to find ratings and comments that other diners have given for healthy meals and restaurants.
What will I choose when I get there?
- Before you walk into a food establishment, decide what you're going to choose. You don't have to know the exact item. But try to have a general idea, such as, "I'm going to order a salad and grilled fish and share a dessert." Or, "I am going to buy a bottle of tomato juice and a small bag of peanuts." Or, "I am going to eat a total of 750 calories or less." If you wait until you get inside, you might be tempted by menu items or store displays that aren't the healthiest options.
Science Update
How calorie clueless are diners when it comes to knowing what they're eating? A recent study shows that, when eating at fast-food restaurants, adults underestimated their calorie intake by 20% and teens by 34%. That was a real-to-estimate gap of 175 calories for adults and a whopping 259 calories for teenagers.6 This study shows the need for nutrition information to be readily available when people are deciding what to order when dining out. Other research indicates that people want to have this information on the menus and menu boards at restaurants.7
Help is on the way. In the United States, regulations to put calorie information on menus, menu boards, and vending machines were finalized in 2014. The regulations supersede any existing state or local rules. Here are the requirements:
- The new rules apply to retail food chains (restaurants, coffee shops, take-out and delivery foods, etc.) with 20 or more locations and vending companies that operate 20 or more vending machines.
- Calorie information must be clearly posted next to individual food items listed on a menu or on signs next to displayed food or self-selected foods such as from a salad bar.
- Combination meals must list the total calories for all items included in the combo meal.
- Alcoholic drinks that are listed on a menu.
- Other nutrition information (e.g., fat grams, sodium, etc.) is available via print materials, kiosk, or computer for each food item. You just have to ask for it.
- Restaurants and other food establishments with fewer than 20 locations can choose to voluntarily comply with the new rules.
Balancing calories is a major HEED goal. The new menu and vending machine label regulations make it much easier to choose foods that meet your calorie goals when eating out.
Save
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Making the decision to eat healthier
If you find yourself asking, "What’s in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it’s important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Benefits
If you find yourself asking, "What's in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it's important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes. Let's look at some reasons why it's important to adopt healthier eating habits. In sessions 1 and 2, we told you about the many benefits we see for healthy eating, such as stronger bones, improved weight control, and a lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease. But these benefits might not matter to you. Read the questions below and think about the reasons you chose to pick up Healthy Eating Every Day.
- How do you think eating better will help you?
- What positive changes do you expect to see from eating better?
List your answers in the spaces provided. Think of as many personal benefits as you can.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Up Close and Personal
George decided he wanted to eat better. He had put on a lot of weight over the last 15 years, and had developed high blood cholesterol. He was concerned that if he didn't take better care of himself he might get diabetes later in life, like his mother. Plus he simply wanted to feel better and have more energy. But George didn't really like "diet" food, and he traveled a lot. These factors had kept him from adopting better eating habits in the past.
George's brother, Patrick, also had high cholesterol and was overweight. In fact, Patrick's doctor had recently given him a stern warning about improving his diet. But Patrick loved to eat, and he figured he might as well die happy! Patrick worked odd hours, lived alone, ate out a lot, and didn't really know what a healthy diet was in the first place.
Who do you think was more successful at changing his diet? It was George. George could identify many more reasons for changing his diet than Patrick could. Also, although George had some major barriers to overcome, he didn't have as many as Patrick.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Barriers
What factors keep you from eating a healthy diet? These can vary from environmental factors (such as co-workers who tempt you with sweets) to time-management concerns to negative thinking. A barrier is anything that could get in your way of making changes. Think about your barriers to healthy eating and list them here.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Efficient Shopping Starts at Home
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential.
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential. Like any new skill, it takes a little time to get good at it. But planning your shopping will save you time overall. Here are key steps:
1. Plan a Menu
- Review your weekly schedule and decide which meals you'll be cooking at home.
- Choose main courses and sides that match your schedule and preferences. Challenge yourself to try a couple new healthy recipes (see session 12 for healthy meal planning and cooking tips) each week. Pick a couple of options that will leave you with leftovers to free you from cooking another meal.
2. Check Ingredients
- Gather the recipes and list all the ingredients you need. Some online recipes provide a printable shopping list.
- Explore your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards to see what ingredients you already have; remove these from your list.
3. Write a shopping list
- Keep a running list posted on your refrigerator or cupboard so family members can add items that they used up or would like you to buy.
- Add to the running list: (1) new ingredients needed for the coming week's menu and (2) staples that have been depleted.
- Organize your list by store layout. For example, make sections for frozen, dairy, meats and seafood, produce and flowers, bakery, deli, snacks, and so on.
- Write each needed ingredient in the corresponding grocery store section. Milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, would go under dairy. Categorizing saves you time in scanning your list over and over. It also keeps you from skipping over items.
- Put a "C" beside the items on your grocery list for which you have a coupon.
- Pack a pen or pencil so you can cross things off your list as you place them in your cart.
Paper and pencil is one way to create a shopping list. Our ever-present smartphone is another. You can use a notes app to keep a simple list. Or there are dozens of free or low-cost list-making and food-shopping apps for both the Android and iPhone platforms. Your local grocer may offer an app that features shopping lists as well as info on in-store specials and coupons. Some sync with recipes so that ingredients get dumped automatically into your shopping list. Others let you add items via the voice recognition feature. Many show weekly sale ads from local stores to add to your list, if desired. Look for ones that let you:
- keep a master list of things you buy over and over
- organize your list by the aisle layout of your local store
- add item requests from family members directly to the list
- sync across multiple devices so you can edit the list from a tablet, computer, or smartphone
- maintain multiple lists - use this feature to keep separate lists for different stores
Try different apps until you find one that works for you. If this takes too much time, you always can go back to paper and pencil!
Healthy Shopping Without Breaking the Bank
In 2014, Americans spent over $1.4 trillion on food - $50 billion more than we spent the previous year.1 On average, we spend about 10% of our disposable income on food each year.2
You might think you have to spend a lot of money to eat healthy foods. This is simply not true. No matter how much you or your family spends at the grocery store, you want to get the best nutritional return for your money. The truth is, you don't have to spend more money to get a healthier payback. Just as you may spend time and money investing in your financial future, you should spend time investing in your health, such as budgeting more of your grocery money to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nutrient-dense foods. Spend less money on empty-calorie foods such as sweets and soft drinks, which do not give you the quality nutrition you need. Look at these items as bad investments.
Here are tips to get more for your money at the supermarket:
- Keep a shopping list to follow when you're shopping. When you have a list, you're less likely to impulse shop. Try to limit yourself to two or three impulse buys.
- Use newspaper inserts, store mailers, and online sites to find the specials for the week. Meat and poultry can be purchased when they're on sale and frozen to eat at a later date. Make a special note on your grocery list of the items that are on sale.
- Sign up for your local stores' loyalty programs. This will give you access to their digital coupons, special promotions, and other savings.
- Compare supermarket brands to name-brand food items both for cost and nutrient value. Many store brand foods are less expensive but have the same nutrient value as name brands.
- Beware of marketing ploys such as "Buy 2, get 1 free" on items that you don't need in large supplies or that might spoil before you eat them. These so-called sales are often aimed at getting you to buy more than you need. The sale is only a deal if you really need three of the product or if it's nonperishable. If the food ends up going to waste, it's not much of a deal.
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Can you eat out and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet? The answer is yes. One of the goals of HEED is to help you make healthier dietary choices no matter where you eat. Whether you're at a fast-food establishment or a sit-down restaurant, defensive dining strategies will help you stick to your healthy eating goals.
Did You Know?
Eating out trends have been shifting in America. Since 1970, the total amount of money spent on foods eaten away from home has generally increased, except for a slight dip that occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 to 2009. As shown in figure 6.1, 43% of the money Americans spent on food was spent eating out in 2012, up from 26% in 1970. Almost 80% of adults ate at least one meal away from home each week, while almost 10% ate out eight or more times in 2009 - 2010.1 The trends are similar to those in many Western countries, though the United Kingdom, where eating-out expenditures have dropped 5.6% between 2009 and 2012,2 is an exception.
What's the problem with eating out? That people tend to eat more calories, saturated fat and sodium, and fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when they eat out. In fact, on average, nearly one-third of American adults' daily calories comes from foods eaten away from home.3
But there's good news. Recent data show that people in the United States are making healthier choices when eating away from home.4 Similar trends seem to be occurring in the United Kingdom as well. These findings might mean that people are paying more attention to eating better, and that restaurants are responding by making healthier options more available, or vice versa. Regardless of what's driving the changes, you'll still need to be on your guard to find healthy foods when you eat out. All it takes is awareness and a little practice.
Food away from home as a share of household food expenditures has risen steadily since 1970, reaching its highest level of 43.1 percent in 2012.
Weighty Matters
An analysis of Americans' eating-out habits published in 2010 showed that eating just one meal away from home per week for a year could increase body weight by two pounds.5
Nutrition Note
Defensive Dining
Chances are you eat out - and you might eat out a lot. To help you identify strategies to stay on track with your healthy eating goals, take this quiz.
For the questions below, "eating out" refers to any time you acquire and eat any food away from your home. Don't count foods that you prepare at home and eat elsewhere (such as food you take on picnics, in lunches, or to parties). Select either "a" or "b" for each question.
Planning Leads to Success
One way to ensure that you're prepared to make the right food choices is to plan ahead. Ask yourself these questions to help you start thinking about healthy ways to eat out:
What restaurants or food sources offer healthy options?
- Ask friends if they know of restaurants that offer healthy options. Try new places yourself. Most restaurants post their menus on the Internet, and many also provide nutrition information about their menu items online.
- If you live in the United States, check out healthydiningfinder.com for a way to find dietitian-recommended restaurants with healthy menu items near you. Also, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, the site has a special "Kids Live Well" page that lists restaurants with healthy meals for children.
What healthy options are available at each place?
- One restaurant might simply have a salad bar as one part of a wide-ranging and not-so-healthy menu. But another restaurant might be entirely devoted to healthy foods. The more healthy options a menu has, the more likely you'll find something that will agree with your taste buds and your healthy eating goals. Explore sites such as urbanspoon.com or yelp.com to find ratings and comments that other diners have given for healthy meals and restaurants.
What will I choose when I get there?
- Before you walk into a food establishment, decide what you're going to choose. You don't have to know the exact item. But try to have a general idea, such as, "I'm going to order a salad and grilled fish and share a dessert." Or, "I am going to buy a bottle of tomato juice and a small bag of peanuts." Or, "I am going to eat a total of 750 calories or less." If you wait until you get inside, you might be tempted by menu items or store displays that aren't the healthiest options.
Science Update
How calorie clueless are diners when it comes to knowing what they're eating? A recent study shows that, when eating at fast-food restaurants, adults underestimated their calorie intake by 20% and teens by 34%. That was a real-to-estimate gap of 175 calories for adults and a whopping 259 calories for teenagers.6 This study shows the need for nutrition information to be readily available when people are deciding what to order when dining out. Other research indicates that people want to have this information on the menus and menu boards at restaurants.7
Help is on the way. In the United States, regulations to put calorie information on menus, menu boards, and vending machines were finalized in 2014. The regulations supersede any existing state or local rules. Here are the requirements:
- The new rules apply to retail food chains (restaurants, coffee shops, take-out and delivery foods, etc.) with 20 or more locations and vending companies that operate 20 or more vending machines.
- Calorie information must be clearly posted next to individual food items listed on a menu or on signs next to displayed food or self-selected foods such as from a salad bar.
- Combination meals must list the total calories for all items included in the combo meal.
- Alcoholic drinks that are listed on a menu.
- Other nutrition information (e.g., fat grams, sodium, etc.) is available via print materials, kiosk, or computer for each food item. You just have to ask for it.
- Restaurants and other food establishments with fewer than 20 locations can choose to voluntarily comply with the new rules.
Balancing calories is a major HEED goal. The new menu and vending machine label regulations make it much easier to choose foods that meet your calorie goals when eating out.
Save
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Making the decision to eat healthier
If you find yourself asking, "What’s in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it’s important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Benefits
If you find yourself asking, "What's in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it's important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes. Let's look at some reasons why it's important to adopt healthier eating habits. In sessions 1 and 2, we told you about the many benefits we see for healthy eating, such as stronger bones, improved weight control, and a lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease. But these benefits might not matter to you. Read the questions below and think about the reasons you chose to pick up Healthy Eating Every Day.
- How do you think eating better will help you?
- What positive changes do you expect to see from eating better?
List your answers in the spaces provided. Think of as many personal benefits as you can.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Up Close and Personal
George decided he wanted to eat better. He had put on a lot of weight over the last 15 years, and had developed high blood cholesterol. He was concerned that if he didn't take better care of himself he might get diabetes later in life, like his mother. Plus he simply wanted to feel better and have more energy. But George didn't really like "diet" food, and he traveled a lot. These factors had kept him from adopting better eating habits in the past.
George's brother, Patrick, also had high cholesterol and was overweight. In fact, Patrick's doctor had recently given him a stern warning about improving his diet. But Patrick loved to eat, and he figured he might as well die happy! Patrick worked odd hours, lived alone, ate out a lot, and didn't really know what a healthy diet was in the first place.
Who do you think was more successful at changing his diet? It was George. George could identify many more reasons for changing his diet than Patrick could. Also, although George had some major barriers to overcome, he didn't have as many as Patrick.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Barriers
What factors keep you from eating a healthy diet? These can vary from environmental factors (such as co-workers who tempt you with sweets) to time-management concerns to negative thinking. A barrier is anything that could get in your way of making changes. Think about your barriers to healthy eating and list them here.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Efficient Shopping Starts at Home
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential.
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential. Like any new skill, it takes a little time to get good at it. But planning your shopping will save you time overall. Here are key steps:
1. Plan a Menu
- Review your weekly schedule and decide which meals you'll be cooking at home.
- Choose main courses and sides that match your schedule and preferences. Challenge yourself to try a couple new healthy recipes (see session 12 for healthy meal planning and cooking tips) each week. Pick a couple of options that will leave you with leftovers to free you from cooking another meal.
2. Check Ingredients
- Gather the recipes and list all the ingredients you need. Some online recipes provide a printable shopping list.
- Explore your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards to see what ingredients you already have; remove these from your list.
3. Write a shopping list
- Keep a running list posted on your refrigerator or cupboard so family members can add items that they used up or would like you to buy.
- Add to the running list: (1) new ingredients needed for the coming week's menu and (2) staples that have been depleted.
- Organize your list by store layout. For example, make sections for frozen, dairy, meats and seafood, produce and flowers, bakery, deli, snacks, and so on.
- Write each needed ingredient in the corresponding grocery store section. Milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, would go under dairy. Categorizing saves you time in scanning your list over and over. It also keeps you from skipping over items.
- Put a "C" beside the items on your grocery list for which you have a coupon.
- Pack a pen or pencil so you can cross things off your list as you place them in your cart.
Paper and pencil is one way to create a shopping list. Our ever-present smartphone is another. You can use a notes app to keep a simple list. Or there are dozens of free or low-cost list-making and food-shopping apps for both the Android and iPhone platforms. Your local grocer may offer an app that features shopping lists as well as info on in-store specials and coupons. Some sync with recipes so that ingredients get dumped automatically into your shopping list. Others let you add items via the voice recognition feature. Many show weekly sale ads from local stores to add to your list, if desired. Look for ones that let you:
- keep a master list of things you buy over and over
- organize your list by the aisle layout of your local store
- add item requests from family members directly to the list
- sync across multiple devices so you can edit the list from a tablet, computer, or smartphone
- maintain multiple lists - use this feature to keep separate lists for different stores
Try different apps until you find one that works for you. If this takes too much time, you always can go back to paper and pencil!
Healthy Shopping Without Breaking the Bank
In 2014, Americans spent over $1.4 trillion on food - $50 billion more than we spent the previous year.1 On average, we spend about 10% of our disposable income on food each year.2
You might think you have to spend a lot of money to eat healthy foods. This is simply not true. No matter how much you or your family spends at the grocery store, you want to get the best nutritional return for your money. The truth is, you don't have to spend more money to get a healthier payback. Just as you may spend time and money investing in your financial future, you should spend time investing in your health, such as budgeting more of your grocery money to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nutrient-dense foods. Spend less money on empty-calorie foods such as sweets and soft drinks, which do not give you the quality nutrition you need. Look at these items as bad investments.
Here are tips to get more for your money at the supermarket:
- Keep a shopping list to follow when you're shopping. When you have a list, you're less likely to impulse shop. Try to limit yourself to two or three impulse buys.
- Use newspaper inserts, store mailers, and online sites to find the specials for the week. Meat and poultry can be purchased when they're on sale and frozen to eat at a later date. Make a special note on your grocery list of the items that are on sale.
- Sign up for your local stores' loyalty programs. This will give you access to their digital coupons, special promotions, and other savings.
- Compare supermarket brands to name-brand food items both for cost and nutrient value. Many store brand foods are less expensive but have the same nutrient value as name brands.
- Beware of marketing ploys such as "Buy 2, get 1 free" on items that you don't need in large supplies or that might spoil before you eat them. These so-called sales are often aimed at getting you to buy more than you need. The sale is only a deal if you really need three of the product or if it's nonperishable. If the food ends up going to waste, it's not much of a deal.
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Can you eat out and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet? The answer is yes. One of the goals of HEED is to help you make healthier dietary choices no matter where you eat. Whether you're at a fast-food establishment or a sit-down restaurant, defensive dining strategies will help you stick to your healthy eating goals.
Did You Know?
Eating out trends have been shifting in America. Since 1970, the total amount of money spent on foods eaten away from home has generally increased, except for a slight dip that occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 to 2009. As shown in figure 6.1, 43% of the money Americans spent on food was spent eating out in 2012, up from 26% in 1970. Almost 80% of adults ate at least one meal away from home each week, while almost 10% ate out eight or more times in 2009 - 2010.1 The trends are similar to those in many Western countries, though the United Kingdom, where eating-out expenditures have dropped 5.6% between 2009 and 2012,2 is an exception.
What's the problem with eating out? That people tend to eat more calories, saturated fat and sodium, and fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when they eat out. In fact, on average, nearly one-third of American adults' daily calories comes from foods eaten away from home.3
But there's good news. Recent data show that people in the United States are making healthier choices when eating away from home.4 Similar trends seem to be occurring in the United Kingdom as well. These findings might mean that people are paying more attention to eating better, and that restaurants are responding by making healthier options more available, or vice versa. Regardless of what's driving the changes, you'll still need to be on your guard to find healthy foods when you eat out. All it takes is awareness and a little practice.
Food away from home as a share of household food expenditures has risen steadily since 1970, reaching its highest level of 43.1 percent in 2012.
Weighty Matters
An analysis of Americans' eating-out habits published in 2010 showed that eating just one meal away from home per week for a year could increase body weight by two pounds.5
Nutrition Note
Defensive Dining
Chances are you eat out - and you might eat out a lot. To help you identify strategies to stay on track with your healthy eating goals, take this quiz.
For the questions below, "eating out" refers to any time you acquire and eat any food away from your home. Don't count foods that you prepare at home and eat elsewhere (such as food you take on picnics, in lunches, or to parties). Select either "a" or "b" for each question.
Planning Leads to Success
One way to ensure that you're prepared to make the right food choices is to plan ahead. Ask yourself these questions to help you start thinking about healthy ways to eat out:
What restaurants or food sources offer healthy options?
- Ask friends if they know of restaurants that offer healthy options. Try new places yourself. Most restaurants post their menus on the Internet, and many also provide nutrition information about their menu items online.
- If you live in the United States, check out healthydiningfinder.com for a way to find dietitian-recommended restaurants with healthy menu items near you. Also, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, the site has a special "Kids Live Well" page that lists restaurants with healthy meals for children.
What healthy options are available at each place?
- One restaurant might simply have a salad bar as one part of a wide-ranging and not-so-healthy menu. But another restaurant might be entirely devoted to healthy foods. The more healthy options a menu has, the more likely you'll find something that will agree with your taste buds and your healthy eating goals. Explore sites such as urbanspoon.com or yelp.com to find ratings and comments that other diners have given for healthy meals and restaurants.
What will I choose when I get there?
- Before you walk into a food establishment, decide what you're going to choose. You don't have to know the exact item. But try to have a general idea, such as, "I'm going to order a salad and grilled fish and share a dessert." Or, "I am going to buy a bottle of tomato juice and a small bag of peanuts." Or, "I am going to eat a total of 750 calories or less." If you wait until you get inside, you might be tempted by menu items or store displays that aren't the healthiest options.
Science Update
How calorie clueless are diners when it comes to knowing what they're eating? A recent study shows that, when eating at fast-food restaurants, adults underestimated their calorie intake by 20% and teens by 34%. That was a real-to-estimate gap of 175 calories for adults and a whopping 259 calories for teenagers.6 This study shows the need for nutrition information to be readily available when people are deciding what to order when dining out. Other research indicates that people want to have this information on the menus and menu boards at restaurants.7
Help is on the way. In the United States, regulations to put calorie information on menus, menu boards, and vending machines were finalized in 2014. The regulations supersede any existing state or local rules. Here are the requirements:
- The new rules apply to retail food chains (restaurants, coffee shops, take-out and delivery foods, etc.) with 20 or more locations and vending companies that operate 20 or more vending machines.
- Calorie information must be clearly posted next to individual food items listed on a menu or on signs next to displayed food or self-selected foods such as from a salad bar.
- Combination meals must list the total calories for all items included in the combo meal.
- Alcoholic drinks that are listed on a menu.
- Other nutrition information (e.g., fat grams, sodium, etc.) is available via print materials, kiosk, or computer for each food item. You just have to ask for it.
- Restaurants and other food establishments with fewer than 20 locations can choose to voluntarily comply with the new rules.
Balancing calories is a major HEED goal. The new menu and vending machine label regulations make it much easier to choose foods that meet your calorie goals when eating out.
Save
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Making the decision to eat healthier
If you find yourself asking, "What’s in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it’s important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Benefits
If you find yourself asking, "What's in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it's important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes. Let's look at some reasons why it's important to adopt healthier eating habits. In sessions 1 and 2, we told you about the many benefits we see for healthy eating, such as stronger bones, improved weight control, and a lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease. But these benefits might not matter to you. Read the questions below and think about the reasons you chose to pick up Healthy Eating Every Day.
- How do you think eating better will help you?
- What positive changes do you expect to see from eating better?
List your answers in the spaces provided. Think of as many personal benefits as you can.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Up Close and Personal
George decided he wanted to eat better. He had put on a lot of weight over the last 15 years, and had developed high blood cholesterol. He was concerned that if he didn't take better care of himself he might get diabetes later in life, like his mother. Plus he simply wanted to feel better and have more energy. But George didn't really like "diet" food, and he traveled a lot. These factors had kept him from adopting better eating habits in the past.
George's brother, Patrick, also had high cholesterol and was overweight. In fact, Patrick's doctor had recently given him a stern warning about improving his diet. But Patrick loved to eat, and he figured he might as well die happy! Patrick worked odd hours, lived alone, ate out a lot, and didn't really know what a healthy diet was in the first place.
Who do you think was more successful at changing his diet? It was George. George could identify many more reasons for changing his diet than Patrick could. Also, although George had some major barriers to overcome, he didn't have as many as Patrick.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Barriers
What factors keep you from eating a healthy diet? These can vary from environmental factors (such as co-workers who tempt you with sweets) to time-management concerns to negative thinking. A barrier is anything that could get in your way of making changes. Think about your barriers to healthy eating and list them here.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Efficient Shopping Starts at Home
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential.
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential. Like any new skill, it takes a little time to get good at it. But planning your shopping will save you time overall. Here are key steps:
1. Plan a Menu
- Review your weekly schedule and decide which meals you'll be cooking at home.
- Choose main courses and sides that match your schedule and preferences. Challenge yourself to try a couple new healthy recipes (see session 12 for healthy meal planning and cooking tips) each week. Pick a couple of options that will leave you with leftovers to free you from cooking another meal.
2. Check Ingredients
- Gather the recipes and list all the ingredients you need. Some online recipes provide a printable shopping list.
- Explore your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards to see what ingredients you already have; remove these from your list.
3. Write a shopping list
- Keep a running list posted on your refrigerator or cupboard so family members can add items that they used up or would like you to buy.
- Add to the running list: (1) new ingredients needed for the coming week's menu and (2) staples that have been depleted.
- Organize your list by store layout. For example, make sections for frozen, dairy, meats and seafood, produce and flowers, bakery, deli, snacks, and so on.
- Write each needed ingredient in the corresponding grocery store section. Milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, would go under dairy. Categorizing saves you time in scanning your list over and over. It also keeps you from skipping over items.
- Put a "C" beside the items on your grocery list for which you have a coupon.
- Pack a pen or pencil so you can cross things off your list as you place them in your cart.
Paper and pencil is one way to create a shopping list. Our ever-present smartphone is another. You can use a notes app to keep a simple list. Or there are dozens of free or low-cost list-making and food-shopping apps for both the Android and iPhone platforms. Your local grocer may offer an app that features shopping lists as well as info on in-store specials and coupons. Some sync with recipes so that ingredients get dumped automatically into your shopping list. Others let you add items via the voice recognition feature. Many show weekly sale ads from local stores to add to your list, if desired. Look for ones that let you:
- keep a master list of things you buy over and over
- organize your list by the aisle layout of your local store
- add item requests from family members directly to the list
- sync across multiple devices so you can edit the list from a tablet, computer, or smartphone
- maintain multiple lists - use this feature to keep separate lists for different stores
Try different apps until you find one that works for you. If this takes too much time, you always can go back to paper and pencil!
Healthy Shopping Without Breaking the Bank
In 2014, Americans spent over $1.4 trillion on food - $50 billion more than we spent the previous year.1 On average, we spend about 10% of our disposable income on food each year.2
You might think you have to spend a lot of money to eat healthy foods. This is simply not true. No matter how much you or your family spends at the grocery store, you want to get the best nutritional return for your money. The truth is, you don't have to spend more money to get a healthier payback. Just as you may spend time and money investing in your financial future, you should spend time investing in your health, such as budgeting more of your grocery money to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nutrient-dense foods. Spend less money on empty-calorie foods such as sweets and soft drinks, which do not give you the quality nutrition you need. Look at these items as bad investments.
Here are tips to get more for your money at the supermarket:
- Keep a shopping list to follow when you're shopping. When you have a list, you're less likely to impulse shop. Try to limit yourself to two or three impulse buys.
- Use newspaper inserts, store mailers, and online sites to find the specials for the week. Meat and poultry can be purchased when they're on sale and frozen to eat at a later date. Make a special note on your grocery list of the items that are on sale.
- Sign up for your local stores' loyalty programs. This will give you access to their digital coupons, special promotions, and other savings.
- Compare supermarket brands to name-brand food items both for cost and nutrient value. Many store brand foods are less expensive but have the same nutrient value as name brands.
- Beware of marketing ploys such as "Buy 2, get 1 free" on items that you don't need in large supplies or that might spoil before you eat them. These so-called sales are often aimed at getting you to buy more than you need. The sale is only a deal if you really need three of the product or if it's nonperishable. If the food ends up going to waste, it's not much of a deal.
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Can you eat out and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet? The answer is yes. One of the goals of HEED is to help you make healthier dietary choices no matter where you eat. Whether you're at a fast-food establishment or a sit-down restaurant, defensive dining strategies will help you stick to your healthy eating goals.
Did You Know?
Eating out trends have been shifting in America. Since 1970, the total amount of money spent on foods eaten away from home has generally increased, except for a slight dip that occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 to 2009. As shown in figure 6.1, 43% of the money Americans spent on food was spent eating out in 2012, up from 26% in 1970. Almost 80% of adults ate at least one meal away from home each week, while almost 10% ate out eight or more times in 2009 - 2010.1 The trends are similar to those in many Western countries, though the United Kingdom, where eating-out expenditures have dropped 5.6% between 2009 and 2012,2 is an exception.
What's the problem with eating out? That people tend to eat more calories, saturated fat and sodium, and fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when they eat out. In fact, on average, nearly one-third of American adults' daily calories comes from foods eaten away from home.3
But there's good news. Recent data show that people in the United States are making healthier choices when eating away from home.4 Similar trends seem to be occurring in the United Kingdom as well. These findings might mean that people are paying more attention to eating better, and that restaurants are responding by making healthier options more available, or vice versa. Regardless of what's driving the changes, you'll still need to be on your guard to find healthy foods when you eat out. All it takes is awareness and a little practice.
Food away from home as a share of household food expenditures has risen steadily since 1970, reaching its highest level of 43.1 percent in 2012.
Weighty Matters
An analysis of Americans' eating-out habits published in 2010 showed that eating just one meal away from home per week for a year could increase body weight by two pounds.5
Nutrition Note
Defensive Dining
Chances are you eat out - and you might eat out a lot. To help you identify strategies to stay on track with your healthy eating goals, take this quiz.
For the questions below, "eating out" refers to any time you acquire and eat any food away from your home. Don't count foods that you prepare at home and eat elsewhere (such as food you take on picnics, in lunches, or to parties). Select either "a" or "b" for each question.
Planning Leads to Success
One way to ensure that you're prepared to make the right food choices is to plan ahead. Ask yourself these questions to help you start thinking about healthy ways to eat out:
What restaurants or food sources offer healthy options?
- Ask friends if they know of restaurants that offer healthy options. Try new places yourself. Most restaurants post their menus on the Internet, and many also provide nutrition information about their menu items online.
- If you live in the United States, check out healthydiningfinder.com for a way to find dietitian-recommended restaurants with healthy menu items near you. Also, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, the site has a special "Kids Live Well" page that lists restaurants with healthy meals for children.
What healthy options are available at each place?
- One restaurant might simply have a salad bar as one part of a wide-ranging and not-so-healthy menu. But another restaurant might be entirely devoted to healthy foods. The more healthy options a menu has, the more likely you'll find something that will agree with your taste buds and your healthy eating goals. Explore sites such as urbanspoon.com or yelp.com to find ratings and comments that other diners have given for healthy meals and restaurants.
What will I choose when I get there?
- Before you walk into a food establishment, decide what you're going to choose. You don't have to know the exact item. But try to have a general idea, such as, "I'm going to order a salad and grilled fish and share a dessert." Or, "I am going to buy a bottle of tomato juice and a small bag of peanuts." Or, "I am going to eat a total of 750 calories or less." If you wait until you get inside, you might be tempted by menu items or store displays that aren't the healthiest options.
Science Update
How calorie clueless are diners when it comes to knowing what they're eating? A recent study shows that, when eating at fast-food restaurants, adults underestimated their calorie intake by 20% and teens by 34%. That was a real-to-estimate gap of 175 calories for adults and a whopping 259 calories for teenagers.6 This study shows the need for nutrition information to be readily available when people are deciding what to order when dining out. Other research indicates that people want to have this information on the menus and menu boards at restaurants.7
Help is on the way. In the United States, regulations to put calorie information on menus, menu boards, and vending machines were finalized in 2014. The regulations supersede any existing state or local rules. Here are the requirements:
- The new rules apply to retail food chains (restaurants, coffee shops, take-out and delivery foods, etc.) with 20 or more locations and vending companies that operate 20 or more vending machines.
- Calorie information must be clearly posted next to individual food items listed on a menu or on signs next to displayed food or self-selected foods such as from a salad bar.
- Combination meals must list the total calories for all items included in the combo meal.
- Alcoholic drinks that are listed on a menu.
- Other nutrition information (e.g., fat grams, sodium, etc.) is available via print materials, kiosk, or computer for each food item. You just have to ask for it.
- Restaurants and other food establishments with fewer than 20 locations can choose to voluntarily comply with the new rules.
Balancing calories is a major HEED goal. The new menu and vending machine label regulations make it much easier to choose foods that meet your calorie goals when eating out.
Save
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Making the decision to eat healthier
If you find yourself asking, "What’s in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it’s important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Benefits
If you find yourself asking, "What's in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it's important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes. Let's look at some reasons why it's important to adopt healthier eating habits. In sessions 1 and 2, we told you about the many benefits we see for healthy eating, such as stronger bones, improved weight control, and a lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease. But these benefits might not matter to you. Read the questions below and think about the reasons you chose to pick up Healthy Eating Every Day.
- How do you think eating better will help you?
- What positive changes do you expect to see from eating better?
List your answers in the spaces provided. Think of as many personal benefits as you can.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Up Close and Personal
George decided he wanted to eat better. He had put on a lot of weight over the last 15 years, and had developed high blood cholesterol. He was concerned that if he didn't take better care of himself he might get diabetes later in life, like his mother. Plus he simply wanted to feel better and have more energy. But George didn't really like "diet" food, and he traveled a lot. These factors had kept him from adopting better eating habits in the past.
George's brother, Patrick, also had high cholesterol and was overweight. In fact, Patrick's doctor had recently given him a stern warning about improving his diet. But Patrick loved to eat, and he figured he might as well die happy! Patrick worked odd hours, lived alone, ate out a lot, and didn't really know what a healthy diet was in the first place.
Who do you think was more successful at changing his diet? It was George. George could identify many more reasons for changing his diet than Patrick could. Also, although George had some major barriers to overcome, he didn't have as many as Patrick.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Barriers
What factors keep you from eating a healthy diet? These can vary from environmental factors (such as co-workers who tempt you with sweets) to time-management concerns to negative thinking. A barrier is anything that could get in your way of making changes. Think about your barriers to healthy eating and list them here.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Efficient Shopping Starts at Home
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential.
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential. Like any new skill, it takes a little time to get good at it. But planning your shopping will save you time overall. Here are key steps:
1. Plan a Menu
- Review your weekly schedule and decide which meals you'll be cooking at home.
- Choose main courses and sides that match your schedule and preferences. Challenge yourself to try a couple new healthy recipes (see session 12 for healthy meal planning and cooking tips) each week. Pick a couple of options that will leave you with leftovers to free you from cooking another meal.
2. Check Ingredients
- Gather the recipes and list all the ingredients you need. Some online recipes provide a printable shopping list.
- Explore your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards to see what ingredients you already have; remove these from your list.
3. Write a shopping list
- Keep a running list posted on your refrigerator or cupboard so family members can add items that they used up or would like you to buy.
- Add to the running list: (1) new ingredients needed for the coming week's menu and (2) staples that have been depleted.
- Organize your list by store layout. For example, make sections for frozen, dairy, meats and seafood, produce and flowers, bakery, deli, snacks, and so on.
- Write each needed ingredient in the corresponding grocery store section. Milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, would go under dairy. Categorizing saves you time in scanning your list over and over. It also keeps you from skipping over items.
- Put a "C" beside the items on your grocery list for which you have a coupon.
- Pack a pen or pencil so you can cross things off your list as you place them in your cart.
Paper and pencil is one way to create a shopping list. Our ever-present smartphone is another. You can use a notes app to keep a simple list. Or there are dozens of free or low-cost list-making and food-shopping apps for both the Android and iPhone platforms. Your local grocer may offer an app that features shopping lists as well as info on in-store specials and coupons. Some sync with recipes so that ingredients get dumped automatically into your shopping list. Others let you add items via the voice recognition feature. Many show weekly sale ads from local stores to add to your list, if desired. Look for ones that let you:
- keep a master list of things you buy over and over
- organize your list by the aisle layout of your local store
- add item requests from family members directly to the list
- sync across multiple devices so you can edit the list from a tablet, computer, or smartphone
- maintain multiple lists - use this feature to keep separate lists for different stores
Try different apps until you find one that works for you. If this takes too much time, you always can go back to paper and pencil!
Healthy Shopping Without Breaking the Bank
In 2014, Americans spent over $1.4 trillion on food - $50 billion more than we spent the previous year.1 On average, we spend about 10% of our disposable income on food each year.2
You might think you have to spend a lot of money to eat healthy foods. This is simply not true. No matter how much you or your family spends at the grocery store, you want to get the best nutritional return for your money. The truth is, you don't have to spend more money to get a healthier payback. Just as you may spend time and money investing in your financial future, you should spend time investing in your health, such as budgeting more of your grocery money to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nutrient-dense foods. Spend less money on empty-calorie foods such as sweets and soft drinks, which do not give you the quality nutrition you need. Look at these items as bad investments.
Here are tips to get more for your money at the supermarket:
- Keep a shopping list to follow when you're shopping. When you have a list, you're less likely to impulse shop. Try to limit yourself to two or three impulse buys.
- Use newspaper inserts, store mailers, and online sites to find the specials for the week. Meat and poultry can be purchased when they're on sale and frozen to eat at a later date. Make a special note on your grocery list of the items that are on sale.
- Sign up for your local stores' loyalty programs. This will give you access to their digital coupons, special promotions, and other savings.
- Compare supermarket brands to name-brand food items both for cost and nutrient value. Many store brand foods are less expensive but have the same nutrient value as name brands.
- Beware of marketing ploys such as "Buy 2, get 1 free" on items that you don't need in large supplies or that might spoil before you eat them. These so-called sales are often aimed at getting you to buy more than you need. The sale is only a deal if you really need three of the product or if it's nonperishable. If the food ends up going to waste, it's not much of a deal.
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Can you eat out and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet? The answer is yes. One of the goals of HEED is to help you make healthier dietary choices no matter where you eat. Whether you're at a fast-food establishment or a sit-down restaurant, defensive dining strategies will help you stick to your healthy eating goals.
Did You Know?
Eating out trends have been shifting in America. Since 1970, the total amount of money spent on foods eaten away from home has generally increased, except for a slight dip that occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 to 2009. As shown in figure 6.1, 43% of the money Americans spent on food was spent eating out in 2012, up from 26% in 1970. Almost 80% of adults ate at least one meal away from home each week, while almost 10% ate out eight or more times in 2009 - 2010.1 The trends are similar to those in many Western countries, though the United Kingdom, where eating-out expenditures have dropped 5.6% between 2009 and 2012,2 is an exception.
What's the problem with eating out? That people tend to eat more calories, saturated fat and sodium, and fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when they eat out. In fact, on average, nearly one-third of American adults' daily calories comes from foods eaten away from home.3
But there's good news. Recent data show that people in the United States are making healthier choices when eating away from home.4 Similar trends seem to be occurring in the United Kingdom as well. These findings might mean that people are paying more attention to eating better, and that restaurants are responding by making healthier options more available, or vice versa. Regardless of what's driving the changes, you'll still need to be on your guard to find healthy foods when you eat out. All it takes is awareness and a little practice.
Food away from home as a share of household food expenditures has risen steadily since 1970, reaching its highest level of 43.1 percent in 2012.
Weighty Matters
An analysis of Americans' eating-out habits published in 2010 showed that eating just one meal away from home per week for a year could increase body weight by two pounds.5
Nutrition Note
Defensive Dining
Chances are you eat out - and you might eat out a lot. To help you identify strategies to stay on track with your healthy eating goals, take this quiz.
For the questions below, "eating out" refers to any time you acquire and eat any food away from your home. Don't count foods that you prepare at home and eat elsewhere (such as food you take on picnics, in lunches, or to parties). Select either "a" or "b" for each question.
Planning Leads to Success
One way to ensure that you're prepared to make the right food choices is to plan ahead. Ask yourself these questions to help you start thinking about healthy ways to eat out:
What restaurants or food sources offer healthy options?
- Ask friends if they know of restaurants that offer healthy options. Try new places yourself. Most restaurants post their menus on the Internet, and many also provide nutrition information about their menu items online.
- If you live in the United States, check out healthydiningfinder.com for a way to find dietitian-recommended restaurants with healthy menu items near you. Also, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, the site has a special "Kids Live Well" page that lists restaurants with healthy meals for children.
What healthy options are available at each place?
- One restaurant might simply have a salad bar as one part of a wide-ranging and not-so-healthy menu. But another restaurant might be entirely devoted to healthy foods. The more healthy options a menu has, the more likely you'll find something that will agree with your taste buds and your healthy eating goals. Explore sites such as urbanspoon.com or yelp.com to find ratings and comments that other diners have given for healthy meals and restaurants.
What will I choose when I get there?
- Before you walk into a food establishment, decide what you're going to choose. You don't have to know the exact item. But try to have a general idea, such as, "I'm going to order a salad and grilled fish and share a dessert." Or, "I am going to buy a bottle of tomato juice and a small bag of peanuts." Or, "I am going to eat a total of 750 calories or less." If you wait until you get inside, you might be tempted by menu items or store displays that aren't the healthiest options.
Science Update
How calorie clueless are diners when it comes to knowing what they're eating? A recent study shows that, when eating at fast-food restaurants, adults underestimated their calorie intake by 20% and teens by 34%. That was a real-to-estimate gap of 175 calories for adults and a whopping 259 calories for teenagers.6 This study shows the need for nutrition information to be readily available when people are deciding what to order when dining out. Other research indicates that people want to have this information on the menus and menu boards at restaurants.7
Help is on the way. In the United States, regulations to put calorie information on menus, menu boards, and vending machines were finalized in 2014. The regulations supersede any existing state or local rules. Here are the requirements:
- The new rules apply to retail food chains (restaurants, coffee shops, take-out and delivery foods, etc.) with 20 or more locations and vending companies that operate 20 or more vending machines.
- Calorie information must be clearly posted next to individual food items listed on a menu or on signs next to displayed food or self-selected foods such as from a salad bar.
- Combination meals must list the total calories for all items included in the combo meal.
- Alcoholic drinks that are listed on a menu.
- Other nutrition information (e.g., fat grams, sodium, etc.) is available via print materials, kiosk, or computer for each food item. You just have to ask for it.
- Restaurants and other food establishments with fewer than 20 locations can choose to voluntarily comply with the new rules.
Balancing calories is a major HEED goal. The new menu and vending machine label regulations make it much easier to choose foods that meet your calorie goals when eating out.
Save
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Making the decision to eat healthier
If you find yourself asking, "What’s in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it’s important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Benefits
If you find yourself asking, "What's in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it's important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes. Let's look at some reasons why it's important to adopt healthier eating habits. In sessions 1 and 2, we told you about the many benefits we see for healthy eating, such as stronger bones, improved weight control, and a lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease. But these benefits might not matter to you. Read the questions below and think about the reasons you chose to pick up Healthy Eating Every Day.
- How do you think eating better will help you?
- What positive changes do you expect to see from eating better?
List your answers in the spaces provided. Think of as many personal benefits as you can.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Up Close and Personal
George decided he wanted to eat better. He had put on a lot of weight over the last 15 years, and had developed high blood cholesterol. He was concerned that if he didn't take better care of himself he might get diabetes later in life, like his mother. Plus he simply wanted to feel better and have more energy. But George didn't really like "diet" food, and he traveled a lot. These factors had kept him from adopting better eating habits in the past.
George's brother, Patrick, also had high cholesterol and was overweight. In fact, Patrick's doctor had recently given him a stern warning about improving his diet. But Patrick loved to eat, and he figured he might as well die happy! Patrick worked odd hours, lived alone, ate out a lot, and didn't really know what a healthy diet was in the first place.
Who do you think was more successful at changing his diet? It was George. George could identify many more reasons for changing his diet than Patrick could. Also, although George had some major barriers to overcome, he didn't have as many as Patrick.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Barriers
What factors keep you from eating a healthy diet? These can vary from environmental factors (such as co-workers who tempt you with sweets) to time-management concerns to negative thinking. A barrier is anything that could get in your way of making changes. Think about your barriers to healthy eating and list them here.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Efficient Shopping Starts at Home
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential.
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential. Like any new skill, it takes a little time to get good at it. But planning your shopping will save you time overall. Here are key steps:
1. Plan a Menu
- Review your weekly schedule and decide which meals you'll be cooking at home.
- Choose main courses and sides that match your schedule and preferences. Challenge yourself to try a couple new healthy recipes (see session 12 for healthy meal planning and cooking tips) each week. Pick a couple of options that will leave you with leftovers to free you from cooking another meal.
2. Check Ingredients
- Gather the recipes and list all the ingredients you need. Some online recipes provide a printable shopping list.
- Explore your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards to see what ingredients you already have; remove these from your list.
3. Write a shopping list
- Keep a running list posted on your refrigerator or cupboard so family members can add items that they used up or would like you to buy.
- Add to the running list: (1) new ingredients needed for the coming week's menu and (2) staples that have been depleted.
- Organize your list by store layout. For example, make sections for frozen, dairy, meats and seafood, produce and flowers, bakery, deli, snacks, and so on.
- Write each needed ingredient in the corresponding grocery store section. Milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, would go under dairy. Categorizing saves you time in scanning your list over and over. It also keeps you from skipping over items.
- Put a "C" beside the items on your grocery list for which you have a coupon.
- Pack a pen or pencil so you can cross things off your list as you place them in your cart.
Paper and pencil is one way to create a shopping list. Our ever-present smartphone is another. You can use a notes app to keep a simple list. Or there are dozens of free or low-cost list-making and food-shopping apps for both the Android and iPhone platforms. Your local grocer may offer an app that features shopping lists as well as info on in-store specials and coupons. Some sync with recipes so that ingredients get dumped automatically into your shopping list. Others let you add items via the voice recognition feature. Many show weekly sale ads from local stores to add to your list, if desired. Look for ones that let you:
- keep a master list of things you buy over and over
- organize your list by the aisle layout of your local store
- add item requests from family members directly to the list
- sync across multiple devices so you can edit the list from a tablet, computer, or smartphone
- maintain multiple lists - use this feature to keep separate lists for different stores
Try different apps until you find one that works for you. If this takes too much time, you always can go back to paper and pencil!
Healthy Shopping Without Breaking the Bank
In 2014, Americans spent over $1.4 trillion on food - $50 billion more than we spent the previous year.1 On average, we spend about 10% of our disposable income on food each year.2
You might think you have to spend a lot of money to eat healthy foods. This is simply not true. No matter how much you or your family spends at the grocery store, you want to get the best nutritional return for your money. The truth is, you don't have to spend more money to get a healthier payback. Just as you may spend time and money investing in your financial future, you should spend time investing in your health, such as budgeting more of your grocery money to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nutrient-dense foods. Spend less money on empty-calorie foods such as sweets and soft drinks, which do not give you the quality nutrition you need. Look at these items as bad investments.
Here are tips to get more for your money at the supermarket:
- Keep a shopping list to follow when you're shopping. When you have a list, you're less likely to impulse shop. Try to limit yourself to two or three impulse buys.
- Use newspaper inserts, store mailers, and online sites to find the specials for the week. Meat and poultry can be purchased when they're on sale and frozen to eat at a later date. Make a special note on your grocery list of the items that are on sale.
- Sign up for your local stores' loyalty programs. This will give you access to their digital coupons, special promotions, and other savings.
- Compare supermarket brands to name-brand food items both for cost and nutrient value. Many store brand foods are less expensive but have the same nutrient value as name brands.
- Beware of marketing ploys such as "Buy 2, get 1 free" on items that you don't need in large supplies or that might spoil before you eat them. These so-called sales are often aimed at getting you to buy more than you need. The sale is only a deal if you really need three of the product or if it's nonperishable. If the food ends up going to waste, it's not much of a deal.
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Can you eat out and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet? The answer is yes. One of the goals of HEED is to help you make healthier dietary choices no matter where you eat. Whether you're at a fast-food establishment or a sit-down restaurant, defensive dining strategies will help you stick to your healthy eating goals.
Did You Know?
Eating out trends have been shifting in America. Since 1970, the total amount of money spent on foods eaten away from home has generally increased, except for a slight dip that occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 to 2009. As shown in figure 6.1, 43% of the money Americans spent on food was spent eating out in 2012, up from 26% in 1970. Almost 80% of adults ate at least one meal away from home each week, while almost 10% ate out eight or more times in 2009 - 2010.1 The trends are similar to those in many Western countries, though the United Kingdom, where eating-out expenditures have dropped 5.6% between 2009 and 2012,2 is an exception.
What's the problem with eating out? That people tend to eat more calories, saturated fat and sodium, and fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when they eat out. In fact, on average, nearly one-third of American adults' daily calories comes from foods eaten away from home.3
But there's good news. Recent data show that people in the United States are making healthier choices when eating away from home.4 Similar trends seem to be occurring in the United Kingdom as well. These findings might mean that people are paying more attention to eating better, and that restaurants are responding by making healthier options more available, or vice versa. Regardless of what's driving the changes, you'll still need to be on your guard to find healthy foods when you eat out. All it takes is awareness and a little practice.
Food away from home as a share of household food expenditures has risen steadily since 1970, reaching its highest level of 43.1 percent in 2012.
Weighty Matters
An analysis of Americans' eating-out habits published in 2010 showed that eating just one meal away from home per week for a year could increase body weight by two pounds.5
Nutrition Note
Defensive Dining
Chances are you eat out - and you might eat out a lot. To help you identify strategies to stay on track with your healthy eating goals, take this quiz.
For the questions below, "eating out" refers to any time you acquire and eat any food away from your home. Don't count foods that you prepare at home and eat elsewhere (such as food you take on picnics, in lunches, or to parties). Select either "a" or "b" for each question.
Planning Leads to Success
One way to ensure that you're prepared to make the right food choices is to plan ahead. Ask yourself these questions to help you start thinking about healthy ways to eat out:
What restaurants or food sources offer healthy options?
- Ask friends if they know of restaurants that offer healthy options. Try new places yourself. Most restaurants post their menus on the Internet, and many also provide nutrition information about their menu items online.
- If you live in the United States, check out healthydiningfinder.com for a way to find dietitian-recommended restaurants with healthy menu items near you. Also, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, the site has a special "Kids Live Well" page that lists restaurants with healthy meals for children.
What healthy options are available at each place?
- One restaurant might simply have a salad bar as one part of a wide-ranging and not-so-healthy menu. But another restaurant might be entirely devoted to healthy foods. The more healthy options a menu has, the more likely you'll find something that will agree with your taste buds and your healthy eating goals. Explore sites such as urbanspoon.com or yelp.com to find ratings and comments that other diners have given for healthy meals and restaurants.
What will I choose when I get there?
- Before you walk into a food establishment, decide what you're going to choose. You don't have to know the exact item. But try to have a general idea, such as, "I'm going to order a salad and grilled fish and share a dessert." Or, "I am going to buy a bottle of tomato juice and a small bag of peanuts." Or, "I am going to eat a total of 750 calories or less." If you wait until you get inside, you might be tempted by menu items or store displays that aren't the healthiest options.
Science Update
How calorie clueless are diners when it comes to knowing what they're eating? A recent study shows that, when eating at fast-food restaurants, adults underestimated their calorie intake by 20% and teens by 34%. That was a real-to-estimate gap of 175 calories for adults and a whopping 259 calories for teenagers.6 This study shows the need for nutrition information to be readily available when people are deciding what to order when dining out. Other research indicates that people want to have this information on the menus and menu boards at restaurants.7
Help is on the way. In the United States, regulations to put calorie information on menus, menu boards, and vending machines were finalized in 2014. The regulations supersede any existing state or local rules. Here are the requirements:
- The new rules apply to retail food chains (restaurants, coffee shops, take-out and delivery foods, etc.) with 20 or more locations and vending companies that operate 20 or more vending machines.
- Calorie information must be clearly posted next to individual food items listed on a menu or on signs next to displayed food or self-selected foods such as from a salad bar.
- Combination meals must list the total calories for all items included in the combo meal.
- Alcoholic drinks that are listed on a menu.
- Other nutrition information (e.g., fat grams, sodium, etc.) is available via print materials, kiosk, or computer for each food item. You just have to ask for it.
- Restaurants and other food establishments with fewer than 20 locations can choose to voluntarily comply with the new rules.
Balancing calories is a major HEED goal. The new menu and vending machine label regulations make it much easier to choose foods that meet your calorie goals when eating out.
Save
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Making the decision to eat healthier
If you find yourself asking, "What’s in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it’s important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Benefits
If you find yourself asking, "What's in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it's important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes. Let's look at some reasons why it's important to adopt healthier eating habits. In sessions 1 and 2, we told you about the many benefits we see for healthy eating, such as stronger bones, improved weight control, and a lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease. But these benefits might not matter to you. Read the questions below and think about the reasons you chose to pick up Healthy Eating Every Day.
- How do you think eating better will help you?
- What positive changes do you expect to see from eating better?
List your answers in the spaces provided. Think of as many personal benefits as you can.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Up Close and Personal
George decided he wanted to eat better. He had put on a lot of weight over the last 15 years, and had developed high blood cholesterol. He was concerned that if he didn't take better care of himself he might get diabetes later in life, like his mother. Plus he simply wanted to feel better and have more energy. But George didn't really like "diet" food, and he traveled a lot. These factors had kept him from adopting better eating habits in the past.
George's brother, Patrick, also had high cholesterol and was overweight. In fact, Patrick's doctor had recently given him a stern warning about improving his diet. But Patrick loved to eat, and he figured he might as well die happy! Patrick worked odd hours, lived alone, ate out a lot, and didn't really know what a healthy diet was in the first place.
Who do you think was more successful at changing his diet? It was George. George could identify many more reasons for changing his diet than Patrick could. Also, although George had some major barriers to overcome, he didn't have as many as Patrick.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Barriers
What factors keep you from eating a healthy diet? These can vary from environmental factors (such as co-workers who tempt you with sweets) to time-management concerns to negative thinking. A barrier is anything that could get in your way of making changes. Think about your barriers to healthy eating and list them here.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Efficient Shopping Starts at Home
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential.
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential. Like any new skill, it takes a little time to get good at it. But planning your shopping will save you time overall. Here are key steps:
1. Plan a Menu
- Review your weekly schedule and decide which meals you'll be cooking at home.
- Choose main courses and sides that match your schedule and preferences. Challenge yourself to try a couple new healthy recipes (see session 12 for healthy meal planning and cooking tips) each week. Pick a couple of options that will leave you with leftovers to free you from cooking another meal.
2. Check Ingredients
- Gather the recipes and list all the ingredients you need. Some online recipes provide a printable shopping list.
- Explore your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards to see what ingredients you already have; remove these from your list.
3. Write a shopping list
- Keep a running list posted on your refrigerator or cupboard so family members can add items that they used up or would like you to buy.
- Add to the running list: (1) new ingredients needed for the coming week's menu and (2) staples that have been depleted.
- Organize your list by store layout. For example, make sections for frozen, dairy, meats and seafood, produce and flowers, bakery, deli, snacks, and so on.
- Write each needed ingredient in the corresponding grocery store section. Milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, would go under dairy. Categorizing saves you time in scanning your list over and over. It also keeps you from skipping over items.
- Put a "C" beside the items on your grocery list for which you have a coupon.
- Pack a pen or pencil so you can cross things off your list as you place them in your cart.
Paper and pencil is one way to create a shopping list. Our ever-present smartphone is another. You can use a notes app to keep a simple list. Or there are dozens of free or low-cost list-making and food-shopping apps for both the Android and iPhone platforms. Your local grocer may offer an app that features shopping lists as well as info on in-store specials and coupons. Some sync with recipes so that ingredients get dumped automatically into your shopping list. Others let you add items via the voice recognition feature. Many show weekly sale ads from local stores to add to your list, if desired. Look for ones that let you:
- keep a master list of things you buy over and over
- organize your list by the aisle layout of your local store
- add item requests from family members directly to the list
- sync across multiple devices so you can edit the list from a tablet, computer, or smartphone
- maintain multiple lists - use this feature to keep separate lists for different stores
Try different apps until you find one that works for you. If this takes too much time, you always can go back to paper and pencil!
Healthy Shopping Without Breaking the Bank
In 2014, Americans spent over $1.4 trillion on food - $50 billion more than we spent the previous year.1 On average, we spend about 10% of our disposable income on food each year.2
You might think you have to spend a lot of money to eat healthy foods. This is simply not true. No matter how much you or your family spends at the grocery store, you want to get the best nutritional return for your money. The truth is, you don't have to spend more money to get a healthier payback. Just as you may spend time and money investing in your financial future, you should spend time investing in your health, such as budgeting more of your grocery money to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nutrient-dense foods. Spend less money on empty-calorie foods such as sweets and soft drinks, which do not give you the quality nutrition you need. Look at these items as bad investments.
Here are tips to get more for your money at the supermarket:
- Keep a shopping list to follow when you're shopping. When you have a list, you're less likely to impulse shop. Try to limit yourself to two or three impulse buys.
- Use newspaper inserts, store mailers, and online sites to find the specials for the week. Meat and poultry can be purchased when they're on sale and frozen to eat at a later date. Make a special note on your grocery list of the items that are on sale.
- Sign up for your local stores' loyalty programs. This will give you access to their digital coupons, special promotions, and other savings.
- Compare supermarket brands to name-brand food items both for cost and nutrient value. Many store brand foods are less expensive but have the same nutrient value as name brands.
- Beware of marketing ploys such as "Buy 2, get 1 free" on items that you don't need in large supplies or that might spoil before you eat them. These so-called sales are often aimed at getting you to buy more than you need. The sale is only a deal if you really need three of the product or if it's nonperishable. If the food ends up going to waste, it's not much of a deal.
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Can you eat out and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet? The answer is yes. One of the goals of HEED is to help you make healthier dietary choices no matter where you eat. Whether you're at a fast-food establishment or a sit-down restaurant, defensive dining strategies will help you stick to your healthy eating goals.
Did You Know?
Eating out trends have been shifting in America. Since 1970, the total amount of money spent on foods eaten away from home has generally increased, except for a slight dip that occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 to 2009. As shown in figure 6.1, 43% of the money Americans spent on food was spent eating out in 2012, up from 26% in 1970. Almost 80% of adults ate at least one meal away from home each week, while almost 10% ate out eight or more times in 2009 - 2010.1 The trends are similar to those in many Western countries, though the United Kingdom, where eating-out expenditures have dropped 5.6% between 2009 and 2012,2 is an exception.
What's the problem with eating out? That people tend to eat more calories, saturated fat and sodium, and fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when they eat out. In fact, on average, nearly one-third of American adults' daily calories comes from foods eaten away from home.3
But there's good news. Recent data show that people in the United States are making healthier choices when eating away from home.4 Similar trends seem to be occurring in the United Kingdom as well. These findings might mean that people are paying more attention to eating better, and that restaurants are responding by making healthier options more available, or vice versa. Regardless of what's driving the changes, you'll still need to be on your guard to find healthy foods when you eat out. All it takes is awareness and a little practice.
Food away from home as a share of household food expenditures has risen steadily since 1970, reaching its highest level of 43.1 percent in 2012.
Weighty Matters
An analysis of Americans' eating-out habits published in 2010 showed that eating just one meal away from home per week for a year could increase body weight by two pounds.5
Nutrition Note
Defensive Dining
Chances are you eat out - and you might eat out a lot. To help you identify strategies to stay on track with your healthy eating goals, take this quiz.
For the questions below, "eating out" refers to any time you acquire and eat any food away from your home. Don't count foods that you prepare at home and eat elsewhere (such as food you take on picnics, in lunches, or to parties). Select either "a" or "b" for each question.
Planning Leads to Success
One way to ensure that you're prepared to make the right food choices is to plan ahead. Ask yourself these questions to help you start thinking about healthy ways to eat out:
What restaurants or food sources offer healthy options?
- Ask friends if they know of restaurants that offer healthy options. Try new places yourself. Most restaurants post their menus on the Internet, and many also provide nutrition information about their menu items online.
- If you live in the United States, check out healthydiningfinder.com for a way to find dietitian-recommended restaurants with healthy menu items near you. Also, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, the site has a special "Kids Live Well" page that lists restaurants with healthy meals for children.
What healthy options are available at each place?
- One restaurant might simply have a salad bar as one part of a wide-ranging and not-so-healthy menu. But another restaurant might be entirely devoted to healthy foods. The more healthy options a menu has, the more likely you'll find something that will agree with your taste buds and your healthy eating goals. Explore sites such as urbanspoon.com or yelp.com to find ratings and comments that other diners have given for healthy meals and restaurants.
What will I choose when I get there?
- Before you walk into a food establishment, decide what you're going to choose. You don't have to know the exact item. But try to have a general idea, such as, "I'm going to order a salad and grilled fish and share a dessert." Or, "I am going to buy a bottle of tomato juice and a small bag of peanuts." Or, "I am going to eat a total of 750 calories or less." If you wait until you get inside, you might be tempted by menu items or store displays that aren't the healthiest options.
Science Update
How calorie clueless are diners when it comes to knowing what they're eating? A recent study shows that, when eating at fast-food restaurants, adults underestimated their calorie intake by 20% and teens by 34%. That was a real-to-estimate gap of 175 calories for adults and a whopping 259 calories for teenagers.6 This study shows the need for nutrition information to be readily available when people are deciding what to order when dining out. Other research indicates that people want to have this information on the menus and menu boards at restaurants.7
Help is on the way. In the United States, regulations to put calorie information on menus, menu boards, and vending machines were finalized in 2014. The regulations supersede any existing state or local rules. Here are the requirements:
- The new rules apply to retail food chains (restaurants, coffee shops, take-out and delivery foods, etc.) with 20 or more locations and vending companies that operate 20 or more vending machines.
- Calorie information must be clearly posted next to individual food items listed on a menu or on signs next to displayed food or self-selected foods such as from a salad bar.
- Combination meals must list the total calories for all items included in the combo meal.
- Alcoholic drinks that are listed on a menu.
- Other nutrition information (e.g., fat grams, sodium, etc.) is available via print materials, kiosk, or computer for each food item. You just have to ask for it.
- Restaurants and other food establishments with fewer than 20 locations can choose to voluntarily comply with the new rules.
Balancing calories is a major HEED goal. The new menu and vending machine label regulations make it much easier to choose foods that meet your calorie goals when eating out.
Save
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Making the decision to eat healthier
If you find yourself asking, "What’s in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it’s important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Benefits
If you find yourself asking, "What's in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it's important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes. Let's look at some reasons why it's important to adopt healthier eating habits. In sessions 1 and 2, we told you about the many benefits we see for healthy eating, such as stronger bones, improved weight control, and a lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease. But these benefits might not matter to you. Read the questions below and think about the reasons you chose to pick up Healthy Eating Every Day.
- How do you think eating better will help you?
- What positive changes do you expect to see from eating better?
List your answers in the spaces provided. Think of as many personal benefits as you can.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Up Close and Personal
George decided he wanted to eat better. He had put on a lot of weight over the last 15 years, and had developed high blood cholesterol. He was concerned that if he didn't take better care of himself he might get diabetes later in life, like his mother. Plus he simply wanted to feel better and have more energy. But George didn't really like "diet" food, and he traveled a lot. These factors had kept him from adopting better eating habits in the past.
George's brother, Patrick, also had high cholesterol and was overweight. In fact, Patrick's doctor had recently given him a stern warning about improving his diet. But Patrick loved to eat, and he figured he might as well die happy! Patrick worked odd hours, lived alone, ate out a lot, and didn't really know what a healthy diet was in the first place.
Who do you think was more successful at changing his diet? It was George. George could identify many more reasons for changing his diet than Patrick could. Also, although George had some major barriers to overcome, he didn't have as many as Patrick.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Barriers
What factors keep you from eating a healthy diet? These can vary from environmental factors (such as co-workers who tempt you with sweets) to time-management concerns to negative thinking. A barrier is anything that could get in your way of making changes. Think about your barriers to healthy eating and list them here.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Efficient Shopping Starts at Home
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential.
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential. Like any new skill, it takes a little time to get good at it. But planning your shopping will save you time overall. Here are key steps:
1. Plan a Menu
- Review your weekly schedule and decide which meals you'll be cooking at home.
- Choose main courses and sides that match your schedule and preferences. Challenge yourself to try a couple new healthy recipes (see session 12 for healthy meal planning and cooking tips) each week. Pick a couple of options that will leave you with leftovers to free you from cooking another meal.
2. Check Ingredients
- Gather the recipes and list all the ingredients you need. Some online recipes provide a printable shopping list.
- Explore your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards to see what ingredients you already have; remove these from your list.
3. Write a shopping list
- Keep a running list posted on your refrigerator or cupboard so family members can add items that they used up or would like you to buy.
- Add to the running list: (1) new ingredients needed for the coming week's menu and (2) staples that have been depleted.
- Organize your list by store layout. For example, make sections for frozen, dairy, meats and seafood, produce and flowers, bakery, deli, snacks, and so on.
- Write each needed ingredient in the corresponding grocery store section. Milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, would go under dairy. Categorizing saves you time in scanning your list over and over. It also keeps you from skipping over items.
- Put a "C" beside the items on your grocery list for which you have a coupon.
- Pack a pen or pencil so you can cross things off your list as you place them in your cart.
Paper and pencil is one way to create a shopping list. Our ever-present smartphone is another. You can use a notes app to keep a simple list. Or there are dozens of free or low-cost list-making and food-shopping apps for both the Android and iPhone platforms. Your local grocer may offer an app that features shopping lists as well as info on in-store specials and coupons. Some sync with recipes so that ingredients get dumped automatically into your shopping list. Others let you add items via the voice recognition feature. Many show weekly sale ads from local stores to add to your list, if desired. Look for ones that let you:
- keep a master list of things you buy over and over
- organize your list by the aisle layout of your local store
- add item requests from family members directly to the list
- sync across multiple devices so you can edit the list from a tablet, computer, or smartphone
- maintain multiple lists - use this feature to keep separate lists for different stores
Try different apps until you find one that works for you. If this takes too much time, you always can go back to paper and pencil!
Healthy Shopping Without Breaking the Bank
In 2014, Americans spent over $1.4 trillion on food - $50 billion more than we spent the previous year.1 On average, we spend about 10% of our disposable income on food each year.2
You might think you have to spend a lot of money to eat healthy foods. This is simply not true. No matter how much you or your family spends at the grocery store, you want to get the best nutritional return for your money. The truth is, you don't have to spend more money to get a healthier payback. Just as you may spend time and money investing in your financial future, you should spend time investing in your health, such as budgeting more of your grocery money to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nutrient-dense foods. Spend less money on empty-calorie foods such as sweets and soft drinks, which do not give you the quality nutrition you need. Look at these items as bad investments.
Here are tips to get more for your money at the supermarket:
- Keep a shopping list to follow when you're shopping. When you have a list, you're less likely to impulse shop. Try to limit yourself to two or three impulse buys.
- Use newspaper inserts, store mailers, and online sites to find the specials for the week. Meat and poultry can be purchased when they're on sale and frozen to eat at a later date. Make a special note on your grocery list of the items that are on sale.
- Sign up for your local stores' loyalty programs. This will give you access to their digital coupons, special promotions, and other savings.
- Compare supermarket brands to name-brand food items both for cost and nutrient value. Many store brand foods are less expensive but have the same nutrient value as name brands.
- Beware of marketing ploys such as "Buy 2, get 1 free" on items that you don't need in large supplies or that might spoil before you eat them. These so-called sales are often aimed at getting you to buy more than you need. The sale is only a deal if you really need three of the product or if it's nonperishable. If the food ends up going to waste, it's not much of a deal.
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Can you eat out and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet?
We know that, for most people, eating out is here to stay. But can you maintain your busy lifestyle, eat out often, and still eat a healthy diet? The answer is yes. One of the goals of HEED is to help you make healthier dietary choices no matter where you eat. Whether you're at a fast-food establishment or a sit-down restaurant, defensive dining strategies will help you stick to your healthy eating goals.
Did You Know?
Eating out trends have been shifting in America. Since 1970, the total amount of money spent on foods eaten away from home has generally increased, except for a slight dip that occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 to 2009. As shown in figure 6.1, 43% of the money Americans spent on food was spent eating out in 2012, up from 26% in 1970. Almost 80% of adults ate at least one meal away from home each week, while almost 10% ate out eight or more times in 2009 - 2010.1 The trends are similar to those in many Western countries, though the United Kingdom, where eating-out expenditures have dropped 5.6% between 2009 and 2012,2 is an exception.
What's the problem with eating out? That people tend to eat more calories, saturated fat and sodium, and fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains when they eat out. In fact, on average, nearly one-third of American adults' daily calories comes from foods eaten away from home.3
But there's good news. Recent data show that people in the United States are making healthier choices when eating away from home.4 Similar trends seem to be occurring in the United Kingdom as well. These findings might mean that people are paying more attention to eating better, and that restaurants are responding by making healthier options more available, or vice versa. Regardless of what's driving the changes, you'll still need to be on your guard to find healthy foods when you eat out. All it takes is awareness and a little practice.
Food away from home as a share of household food expenditures has risen steadily since 1970, reaching its highest level of 43.1 percent in 2012.
Weighty Matters
An analysis of Americans' eating-out habits published in 2010 showed that eating just one meal away from home per week for a year could increase body weight by two pounds.5
Nutrition Note
Defensive Dining
Chances are you eat out - and you might eat out a lot. To help you identify strategies to stay on track with your healthy eating goals, take this quiz.
For the questions below, "eating out" refers to any time you acquire and eat any food away from your home. Don't count foods that you prepare at home and eat elsewhere (such as food you take on picnics, in lunches, or to parties). Select either "a" or "b" for each question.
Planning Leads to Success
One way to ensure that you're prepared to make the right food choices is to plan ahead. Ask yourself these questions to help you start thinking about healthy ways to eat out:
What restaurants or food sources offer healthy options?
- Ask friends if they know of restaurants that offer healthy options. Try new places yourself. Most restaurants post their menus on the Internet, and many also provide nutrition information about their menu items online.
- If you live in the United States, check out healthydiningfinder.com for a way to find dietitian-recommended restaurants with healthy menu items near you. Also, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, the site has a special "Kids Live Well" page that lists restaurants with healthy meals for children.
What healthy options are available at each place?
- One restaurant might simply have a salad bar as one part of a wide-ranging and not-so-healthy menu. But another restaurant might be entirely devoted to healthy foods. The more healthy options a menu has, the more likely you'll find something that will agree with your taste buds and your healthy eating goals. Explore sites such as urbanspoon.com or yelp.com to find ratings and comments that other diners have given for healthy meals and restaurants.
What will I choose when I get there?
- Before you walk into a food establishment, decide what you're going to choose. You don't have to know the exact item. But try to have a general idea, such as, "I'm going to order a salad and grilled fish and share a dessert." Or, "I am going to buy a bottle of tomato juice and a small bag of peanuts." Or, "I am going to eat a total of 750 calories or less." If you wait until you get inside, you might be tempted by menu items or store displays that aren't the healthiest options.
Science Update
How calorie clueless are diners when it comes to knowing what they're eating? A recent study shows that, when eating at fast-food restaurants, adults underestimated their calorie intake by 20% and teens by 34%. That was a real-to-estimate gap of 175 calories for adults and a whopping 259 calories for teenagers.6 This study shows the need for nutrition information to be readily available when people are deciding what to order when dining out. Other research indicates that people want to have this information on the menus and menu boards at restaurants.7
Help is on the way. In the United States, regulations to put calorie information on menus, menu boards, and vending machines were finalized in 2014. The regulations supersede any existing state or local rules. Here are the requirements:
- The new rules apply to retail food chains (restaurants, coffee shops, take-out and delivery foods, etc.) with 20 or more locations and vending companies that operate 20 or more vending machines.
- Calorie information must be clearly posted next to individual food items listed on a menu or on signs next to displayed food or self-selected foods such as from a salad bar.
- Combination meals must list the total calories for all items included in the combo meal.
- Alcoholic drinks that are listed on a menu.
- Other nutrition information (e.g., fat grams, sodium, etc.) is available via print materials, kiosk, or computer for each food item. You just have to ask for it.
- Restaurants and other food establishments with fewer than 20 locations can choose to voluntarily comply with the new rules.
Balancing calories is a major HEED goal. The new menu and vending machine label regulations make it much easier to choose foods that meet your calorie goals when eating out.
Save
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Making the decision to eat healthier
If you find yourself asking, "What’s in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it’s important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Benefits
If you find yourself asking, "What's in it for me?" you may be struggling to find a good reason for changing your eating habits. As with goal setting, it's important to have personal benefits that will motivate you to make changes. Let's look at some reasons why it's important to adopt healthier eating habits. In sessions 1 and 2, we told you about the many benefits we see for healthy eating, such as stronger bones, improved weight control, and a lower risk of certain cancers and heart disease. But these benefits might not matter to you. Read the questions below and think about the reasons you chose to pick up Healthy Eating Every Day.
- How do you think eating better will help you?
- What positive changes do you expect to see from eating better?
List your answers in the spaces provided. Think of as many personal benefits as you can.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Up Close and Personal
George decided he wanted to eat better. He had put on a lot of weight over the last 15 years, and had developed high blood cholesterol. He was concerned that if he didn't take better care of himself he might get diabetes later in life, like his mother. Plus he simply wanted to feel better and have more energy. But George didn't really like "diet" food, and he traveled a lot. These factors had kept him from adopting better eating habits in the past.
George's brother, Patrick, also had high cholesterol and was overweight. In fact, Patrick's doctor had recently given him a stern warning about improving his diet. But Patrick loved to eat, and he figured he might as well die happy! Patrick worked odd hours, lived alone, ate out a lot, and didn't really know what a healthy diet was in the first place.
Who do you think was more successful at changing his diet? It was George. George could identify many more reasons for changing his diet than Patrick could. Also, although George had some major barriers to overcome, he didn't have as many as Patrick.
Nutrition Note
Identifying My Barriers
What factors keep you from eating a healthy diet? These can vary from environmental factors (such as co-workers who tempt you with sweets) to time-management concerns to negative thinking. A barrier is anything that could get in your way of making changes. Think about your barriers to healthy eating and list them here.
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
- _______________________________
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
Efficient Shopping Starts at Home
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential.
Planning ahead is a key to successful habit change. And for healthy food shopping, planning is essential. Like any new skill, it takes a little time to get good at it. But planning your shopping will save you time overall. Here are key steps:
1. Plan a Menu
- Review your weekly schedule and decide which meals you'll be cooking at home.
- Choose main courses and sides that match your schedule and preferences. Challenge yourself to try a couple new healthy recipes (see session 12 for healthy meal planning and cooking tips) each week. Pick a couple of options that will leave you with leftovers to free you from cooking another meal.
2. Check Ingredients
- Gather the recipes and list all the ingredients you need. Some online recipes provide a printable shopping list.
- Explore your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards to see what ingredients you already have; remove these from your list.
3. Write a shopping list
- Keep a running list posted on your refrigerator or cupboard so family members can add items that they used up or would like you to buy.
- Add to the running list: (1) new ingredients needed for the coming week's menu and (2) staples that have been depleted.
- Organize your list by store layout. For example, make sections for frozen, dairy, meats and seafood, produce and flowers, bakery, deli, snacks, and so on.
- Write each needed ingredient in the corresponding grocery store section. Milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs, would go under dairy. Categorizing saves you time in scanning your list over and over. It also keeps you from skipping over items.
- Put a "C" beside the items on your grocery list for which you have a coupon.
- Pack a pen or pencil so you can cross things off your list as you place them in your cart.
Paper and pencil is one way to create a shopping list. Our ever-present smartphone is another. You can use a notes app to keep a simple list. Or there are dozens of free or low-cost list-making and food-shopping apps for both the Android and iPhone platforms. Your local grocer may offer an app that features shopping lists as well as info on in-store specials and coupons. Some sync with recipes so that ingredients get dumped automatically into your shopping list. Others let you add items via the voice recognition feature. Many show weekly sale ads from local stores to add to your list, if desired. Look for ones that let you:
- keep a master list of things you buy over and over
- organize your list by the aisle layout of your local store
- add item requests from family members directly to the list
- sync across multiple devices so you can edit the list from a tablet, computer, or smartphone
- maintain multiple lists - use this feature to keep separate lists for different stores
Try different apps until you find one that works for you. If this takes too much time, you always can go back to paper and pencil!
Healthy Shopping Without Breaking the Bank
In 2014, Americans spent over $1.4 trillion on food - $50 billion more than we spent the previous year.1 On average, we spend about 10% of our disposable income on food each year.2
You might think you have to spend a lot of money to eat healthy foods. This is simply not true. No matter how much you or your family spends at the grocery store, you want to get the best nutritional return for your money. The truth is, you don't have to spend more money to get a healthier payback. Just as you may spend time and money investing in your financial future, you should spend time investing in your health, such as budgeting more of your grocery money to fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and nutrient-dense foods. Spend less money on empty-calorie foods such as sweets and soft drinks, which do not give you the quality nutrition you need. Look at these items as bad investments.
Here are tips to get more for your money at the supermarket:
- Keep a shopping list to follow when you're shopping. When you have a list, you're less likely to impulse shop. Try to limit yourself to two or three impulse buys.
- Use newspaper inserts, store mailers, and online sites to find the specials for the week. Meat and poultry can be purchased when they're on sale and frozen to eat at a later date. Make a special note on your grocery list of the items that are on sale.
- Sign up for your local stores' loyalty programs. This will give you access to their digital coupons, special promotions, and other savings.
- Compare supermarket brands to name-brand food items both for cost and nutrient value. Many store brand foods are less expensive but have the same nutrient value as name brands.
- Beware of marketing ploys such as "Buy 2, get 1 free" on items that you don't need in large supplies or that might spoil before you eat them. These so-called sales are often aimed at getting you to buy more than you need. The sale is only a deal if you really need three of the product or if it's nonperishable. If the food ends up going to waste, it's not much of a deal.
Learn more about Healthy Eating Every Day, Second Edition.
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