No Diet Day?! Everyone likes the sound of that!
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“No Diet Day” is considered an international holiday which is celebrated on May 6. Mary Evans Young, in Great Britain, initiated this day in accordance to celebrating body acceptance and body shape diversity. This day promotes healthy eating rather than dieting. Efforts are focused on having a healthy relationship with food, ditching restrictive diets and banning negative body type perceptions in the media. Currently, 54 percent of adults in the U.S. are working to reduce their weight daily in some fashion or form.
Beginning your healthy eating lifestyle can be as easy as making a few small changes that will result in lifelong success. Try these simple steps from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:
- Balance calories
- Enjoy your foods, but eat less. Monitor what you eat and replace foods high in calories with nutrient-dense foods that are lower in calories.
- Avoid oversized portions. People eat and drink more when given large portions, so try eating off of smaller plates or serve smaller portions. When eating out, share a meal or take half of it home.
- Foods to increase
- Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables. Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark green, red and orange vegetables or cooked dry beans or peas.
- Switch to a fat-free or low-fat (one percent) milk. If you are drinking whole milk, try to gradually switch to two percent, one percent, then to fat-free milk.
- Foods to reduce
- Choose foods with lower sodium. Try comparing sodium in foods like soup, bread and frozen meals. Try to keep sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day.
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks. Sugary drinks add unnecessary calories and sugar to your daily diet. Try gradually drinking less and less each day until you can expel it from your diet.
For more information on creating a healthy lifestyle, visit www.choosemyplate.gov or attend classes such as Cooking Matters or Eating Right is Basic offered by Michigan State University Extension.
