FOUR NUTRITIONAL NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS WORTH KEEPING

Most New Years resolutions come and go. We have great hopes and intentions to be a gym rat, start a new diet, lose weight, or be healthier. By February, the gym shoes are at the back of the closet, the diet book is in the garage sale box, and the weight is still haunting us. Don’t you wish New Year’s resolutions were so simple, so painless, so fool-proof, yet could provide a big health benefit? Well, wish no more. Here are four super-simple resolutions that are guaranteed to make you look and feel a whole lot better.

1. Start a meal with a bowl of watermelon chunks!

It’s the volume or weight of food that fills us up. So, if it takes a pound of food to feel satisfied, you can gobble a pound of French fries for a zillion calories or a pound of carrots for 50 calories. The best way to boost volume is to eat foods that rich in water and fiber. Studies show that when people eat foods containing water and fiber, such as watermelon, before a meal, they consume up to almost 200 calories less at the following meal and still feel full and satisfied. Do that every day and you could lose up to 2 pounds a month!

Watermelon also provides a big nutritional punch, packing in vitamins, such as vitamins A and C, minerals such as potassium, and increasing free arginine, which can help maintain cardiovascular function. Not bad for a deliciously sweet treat!

2. Chew gum while cooking.

This one sounds silly, but it just might work. People unconsciously chow down on 100s of calories while cooking meals. They taste the sauce not once, but several times. They grab a bite of last night’s leftovers while rummaging through the fridge for tonight’s meal. They munch on a cookie from the cookie jar while stirring the stir fry. They finish off the scrambled eggs and toast on their children’s plates in the morning. As a result, they consume enough calories to sabotage their best efforts at weight loss. Instead, chew sugarless gum when cooking or drink ice water to keep your fingers out of the food and to satisfy your need to munch.

3. Move more!

While the likelihood of sticking with an hour workout at the gym is slim, you can boost activity and shed pounds by adding more movement to your daily routine. Walk up the escalator or take the stairs instead of standing as the elevator and escalator work for you. Park at the end of the lot, rather than drive around for 15 minutes looking for a closer parking spot. Throw out the remote control and get up to change the TV station. Use a hand-held can opener rather than an electric one. Adding little 10 minute bursts of activity to your day add up to significant health benefits and even a few inches off the waistline.

4. Bring food with you.

If you pack your briefcase, purse, glove compartment, or diaper bag with healthy snacks, such as baby carrots, watermelon slices, string cheese, yogurt, you will eat when you’re comfortably hungry, not ravenous. (If you wait until you’re ravenous, you’re likely to eat anything and always the wrong stuff.) You’ll also curb your cravings, will be less likely to wind up by the vending machine with the choice of potato chips or a candy bar as a snack, and will eat fewer calories, fat, and sugar. In the long run, you’ll cut your food costs, lose weight, and boost your concentration and mood.