Healthy Eating Tips

We all need healthy eating tips! Let's face it, life is stressful and we are all busy! There is too much to do in a day, so many of us make a last minute decision to grab fast food, or a ready-made processed dinner. Our kids love it, but inside there is that nagging voice telling us that is not the healthiest choice.

Here are a few tips to help: 

1. Develop a weekly menu plan around themes! Choose your favorite meal types, and match them to a day of the week. Choose 4-5 healthy quick meals that will fit into each theme. Maybe you adopt Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Wild Wednesday, Thrifty Thursday, Stir-Friday, Soup/Salad Saturday, and Crock Pot Sunday. You will never be stuck again wondering, "What's for dinner?"
2. Keep your veggie drawer full of different types of veggies that are great in stir-fries! Make that your quick meal of choice, when time is short. Repeat, "I can make a quick meal at home faster than driving to fast food!"
3. Fill your plate half full of vegetables. Few people do this, but that's the new recommendation for healthy eating! Chop a variety of veggies and pair them together for new salads. Get creative. Serve your families' plates and don't allow opting out of salads or veggies!
4. Simplify your meals! Turn on the grill, chop up a salad, slice fresh fruit, throw in a chunk of fresh bread or a healthy grain, and you've got a delicious meal.
5. Make a commitment to eat real food for one month! Real foods are those that your grandparents would recognize as food. They don't come in a bag, contain a bar code, or need a food label. At the end of the month, you will not believe how salty processed food actually tastes. Your food cravings may have disappeared also!
6. End grain galore! Most of you don't understand the difference between a serving and a portion and consistently over eat grains. A serving is the recommended amount and a portion is the amount that you actually eat. Big difference! An average bagel could be 5 grain servings, and pasta for dinner could be 6 grain servings. Get the grains under control!

These are all simple tips for healthy eating! Let's make Woodinville the healthiest city in King County! Who's in?