SALT LAKE CITY – As spring approaches, the sun starts to shine a little longer each day, the grass looks a little greener, flower buds appear, and people start cleaning up their homes and gardens.
Spring cleaning is a great way to freshen up your home and life, so why not include a little spring cleaning with your diet too?
I’m not saying you follow a fad diet that’s unrealistic and only leads to temporary results. Instead, I recommend cleaning up your diet in the spring by starting slow and choosing one or two of the suggestions below to work on at the same time. After you make it a habit, choose another one to work on.
You may be working on these goals for longer than spring, but it will be well worth it in the long run. By reducing some foods in your diet and increasing others, you can adopt healthy habits that will benefit you for a lifetime.
Lower the candies
Overconsumption of added sugars has been linked to health problems such as dental caries (or cavities), as well as weight gain, heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Added sugars do not contain naturally occurring sugars, such as sugars in fruit or milk, and they sneak into our diet in different ways.
Some are pretty obvious, such as treats such as cakes, cookies, ice cream, candies, pastries, jams, jellies, and other sweets. Other sources might be a little more surprising, such as sauces, dressings, marinades, sweetened yogurt, cold cereal, crackers, granola bars, and more.
One of the biggest culprits is not what we eat, but what we drink. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sugar-sweetened drinks are the No. 1 source of added sugars in the American diet. These include, but are not limited to, regular soft drinks, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, flavored water, and sweetened coffee, tea, and alcoholic drinks. Switching from drinking sugar-sweetened drinks to water is a great way to cut down on added sugars in your diet.
You don’t have to use a cold turkey and cut out all sweets from your diet, at night or altogether. Enjoying a treat every now and then is fine. The main goal is to enjoy it in moderation, keeping added sugars to less than 10% of your total daily calories, as recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Eat fats – the healthier kind
Fats have been a controversial topic for decades. Do we eat them or do we avoid them? Rather than the “all or nothing” approach, the answer depends on the type of fat. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of daily calories, and trans fat intake as low as possible. These types of fats can increase your LDL “bad” cholesterol, increasing your risk of heart disease.
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and naturally occur in foods from animal sources such as red meat, poultry and dairy products. They are also commonly found in other snacks and treats such as French fries, cakes, cookies, pastries, fried foods, and ice cream.
Just as important as reducing saturated and trans fats is replacing them. Studies have shown that replacing these less healthy fats with carbohydrates does not reduce the risk of heart disease. However, replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats can lower your risk of heart disease.
Unsaturated fats include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. They are naturally found in many plant foods such as nuts, seeds, avocados, soybeans and oils made from these foods. They are also found in fish and other seafood. Include these healthy fats in your diet by snacking on a small handful of nuts, cooking with avocado or olive oil, including fish in your weekly meal plan, or topping your toast or salad with avocado.
You don’t have to go cold turkey and cut all sweets from your diet, at night or altogether. Enjoying a treat every now and then is fine. Its main purpose is to enjoy it in moderation.
–Brittany Poulson, Registered Dietitian
Stack on the vegetables
The only food group that the majority of people admit to be deficient in is vegetables. According to the CDC, only 1 in 10 Americans eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables daily. Vegetables are packed with beneficial nutrients and studies continue to show the benefits of consuming them on a daily basis. However, they are still missing from the average American diet.
The first step to including more vegetables in your diet is to have them in your home. If you take home vegetables from the store, don’t just shove them into the vegetable drawer in your fridge to forget about them. Make them easily accessible by chopping carrots, broccoli, celery and cauliflower into strips or bite-sized pieces. Then put them in bags and keep them on a shelf in the refrigerator at eye level.
Keep bags of frozen vegetables in your freezer for easy grabbing and tossing in a soup or casserole, mixing in a pasta dish, or reheating them as an easy side. Add variety by cooking your vegetables in a variety of ways, such as steaming, roasting, grilling, stir-frying, or sautéing. Put the vegetables on your sandwich, burger, taco and pizza. You can also stir your eggs with some fried veggies, add roasted veggies to your whole grain power bowl, or mix some raw veggies into your morning smoothie.
Go bananas
Not just bananas, but berries, grapes, oranges, apples and more. Including fruits as part of your diet will provide you with nutrients such as antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Whether fresh, frozen, dried, or canned, any fruit can be good for you. If you choose canned, opt for canned in 100% juice or water. For frozen or dried fruit, make sure that the fruit is the only ingredient listed with no added sugars.
Fruit juice can be a sweet addition to your day, but pay attention to portion sizes (adults should limit to 8 ounces) and always opt for 100% juice. I usually recommend eating whole fruit over drinking juice as juice usually lacks the fiber found in the whole fruit. Eating an orange will make you feel more full and satisfied than if you drink a glass of orange juice.
Go meatless once a week
The consumption of a lot of red meat, especially processed meat, has been linked to several chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. While red meat contains several important nutrients – such as essential protein, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc – consuming large amounts may not be such a good idea.
The World Cancer Research Fund recommends eating less red meat – especially deli meats such as salami, hot dogs, ham, bacon, beef jerky, deli meats, and some sausages – to no more than about three servings per week.
If you set a goal to go meatless one day a week, you will certainly meet that recommendation. Get your protein needs by eating plant proteins such as nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, tofu and whole grains. Pick a day of the week you want for your meatless meals and make it a habit every week. Monday is a popular choice, started by the Meatless Monday movement.
Try sloppy joes of lentils, three sisters chili, crispy baked tofu tacos, or loaded sweet potatoes for a delicious, meat-free meal. With all the ways to enjoy plant protein, you might not even miss out on the meat once a week.
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