How to Improve Your Eating Habits and Lose Weight

It seems everyone wants to improve their eating habits. And if you follow a few simple steps, it is really not so difficult to make a change.

The first thing you need to do is to take a close look at what you are eating right now. Write down everything you eat for at least a few days so you can see what needs improving. Every little nibble.

You need a certain amount of types of foods, such as protein, carbohydrates, fruits or vegetables. You also need to make sure you are not getting too much fat, sugar or salt. Looking at your diet over the past few days, you can easily see where you need to improve, and you can go from there.

Canada's Food Guide can give us a basic diet that is healthy for adults. It looks like this:

2 servings lean protein, such as meat, fish, beans or eggs. One serving of protein is:

• meat- about the size of a deck of cards
• eggs- two large
• beans or tofu- 3/4 cup
• peanut or nut butter- 2 Tbsp
• nuts or seeds- 1/4 cup

6-11 servings of grains, like bread, oats, rice, pasta, couscous. It is best to eat whole grains as they have more nutrition and will keep you fuller longer. One serving equals:

• one slice of bread
• half a bagel, tortilla, or pita
• 1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta, couscous, quinoa etc.
• 30 grams cold cereal

You should be getting 5-10 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. Most people do not get this much. Fruits and vegetables will add lots of vitamins and minerals plus filling fibre to your diet, for very little calories. Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet can help you lose weight even if you do not change anything else in your diet. One serving is:

• one fruit or vegetable
• 1/2 cup cut up fruit or vegetable
• 1 cup raw leafy greens
• 1/2 cup cooked leafy greens
• 1/2 cup juice
• 1/4 cup dried fruit

Adults need 2 servings of milk or a milk alternative every day. Try to go low fat on these if you need to lose weight. A serving is:

• one cup milk, soy milk, rice milk
• 3/4 cup yogurt or kefir
• 1 1/2 oz cheese

Too much fat isn't great, but you do need a little to live. Just 2-3 tablespoons a day of unsaturated fat should do it. Focus on the good fats. Margarine should be low in saturated and trans fats. And use vegetable oils like canola, olive or soybean oil.

It is also important to get enough water during the day. Get at least 6 cups a day, more if it is hot weather or if you are exercising. You can add lemon or lime slices to a pitcher of water to make it tastier. You can also substitute herbal tea.