Three Simple Tips for Healthier Eating

Three Simple Tips for Healthier Eating

(Last Updated On: October 30, 2021)

Our weekly coffee chat has a new look! In my effort to be purposeful about everything I do, and write about, my goal is to incorporate a theme into these posts.

organic coffee

I still have a cup of coffee nearby…that hasn’t changed…but the focus will be on topics of interest to us as women in midlife, highlighting one each week. And we’re interested in so many things, including healthy eating, remaining strong and fit, caring for our skin, looking good, and so much more.

This week we’re talking about three simple tips for healthier eating. I don’t know about you, but I am always on the lookout for ways to enjoy flavorful meals and snacks while staying true to a clean eating plan. Well, most of the time anyway. I fell off the wagon the other day and enjoyed a big, fluffy cranberry orange muffin at a local coffee shop. It was awesome. 🙂

Tip #1: Four Full Fat Foods That Are Good For You

Eggs are a 'good for you' full fat food

If you’re still searching for the ‘low fat’ version of selections in the grocery aisle, you might want to reconsider that philosophy. Our friends at EatingWell.com have this to say about low fat vs full fat:

“Recent research raises new questions about fat and its role in health, particularly when it comes to saturated fat. It’s hard to know what to believe.

It’s true that fat—at 9 calories per gram—has more calories per gram than proteins or carbs (which each have just 4 calories per gram). And trans fats, mostly found in hydrogenated oils, are still considered harmful to our health.

Foods can certainly be healthy without a low-fat label, and it’s OK to embrace that fact. Fat adds flavor to foods and helps keep you full, because it takes a long time to digest.

Many fats are good for you, like the heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, seeds, olives and avocados. Plus, sometimes the good kind of fat that’s naturally occurring in foods is replaced with unhealthy fillers when you go for the low-fat versions.”

The four foods to feel good about eating full fat are:

1.SALAD DRESSING – typically contains vegetable oils, the ‘good fats’ that help lower levels of the ‘bad’ fat LDL cholsterol. Choose bottled dressings made with olive and canola oils.

Here’s a delicious Honey-Mustard Viniagrette dressing that is so simple, why buy bottled:

  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or canola oil
  • freshly ground pepper to taste

Whisk garlic, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Full recipe here

2. DAIRY – interestingly, a recent review of 16 studies looking at the link between obesity and a full fat vs low fat diet found that in more than half the studies, eating full fat dairy was actually associated with lower body weight.

You still need to consider the calories in full fat as you look at overall food/calorie intake, but it is definitely a different perspective on dairy products.

3. PEANUT BUTTER – Peanuts have healthy monounsaturated fats that help to lower heart disease risk. Most reduced fat spreads don’t offer much in the way of calorie savings, and when the peanuts are partially defatted to create the reduced fat peanut butter, the missing fat is replaced with added sugar and starches. Who wants that? Not me.

Look for natural peanut butter, with just peanuts and perhaps a bit of salt.

4. EGGS – you don’t have to toss the yolk to feel good about eating eggs. In fact, by not consuming the yolk you lose about 3 grams of protein. And, there are healthy nutrients like calcium and eye-protecting lutein and zeaxanthin found within the yolk..

Researchers are now concluding that eating a whole egg every day is a good thing.

For me, eggs for breakfast with some additional veggies and protein mixed in make a filling and nutritious meal.

Tip #2: Choose Foods Based on Important Nutrients

Three simple tips for healthier eating as a woman over 50

As women over 50, our bodies have unique needs. They will function better, and we’ll certainly feel better, when we consume vitamin and mineral-right foods. Here are some good choices for us as we age:

  • Vitamin B12—2.4 micrograms/day. Foods high in B12 include fish, shellfish, lean red meat, dairy, cheese, and eggs.
  • Folate/Folic acid—400 micrograms/day. Foods high in folate include dark leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, citrus fruits, beans, seeds, and nuts.
  • Calcium—1,200 mg/day. Foods high in calcium include low-fat milk, kale, sardines, broccoli, yogurt, and cheese.
  • Vitamin D—800-2,000 IU/day depending on sun exposure and health conditions. Sources of high Vitamin D include fish, shellfish, milk, orange juice, and the sun. 🙂
  • Potassium—4,700 mg/day. Foods high in potassium include avocado, spinach, sweet potato, yogurt, coconut water, and white beans.
  • Magnesium—400 mg/day. Foods high in magnesium include dark leafy greens, seeds and nuts, fish, beans and lentils, and brown rice.
  • Fiber—30 grams for men and 21 grams for women. Great sources of fiber include avocados, raspberries, blackberries, artichokes, peas, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds.
  • Omega-3 Fats—500 mg/day. Foods high in Omega-3 fats are flaxseed oil, fish and fish oils, nuts, shellfish, soybeans, and spinach.

source

Tip #3: Always, Always Drink Water

drink water as part of a healthy eating plan

I know. You hear this all the time, and for good reason. Water is essential for your health, it aids in proper digestion and elimination, and if you’re trying to lose weight it can help you feel fuller.

The general recommendation is the 8/8 guideline: eight 8-ounce cups of water every day. Keep in mind that recommendation increases with exercise, body composition and climate.

Fruits and vegetables provide fluid to our diet as do clear soups and broths. Melons and citrus fruits have a very high water content, so are healthy contributors to our need for hydration.

It’s so simple, but how many of us actually consume the recommended amount of water each and every day? I’m about 75% there. More often than not I meet my daily quota of water, but I could do better. How about you?

Maintaining our health along with a reasonable weight can become a challenge as we age. Finding the balance between enjoying our food and being confident that we’re eating a healthy diet is possible!

As women in midlife we need to take extra care of our bodies, and these simple tips to help you eat clean and healthy may surprise you!

13 thoughts on “Three Simple Tips for Healthier Eating”

  1. Three great tips, Candi. I think there is so much misinformation out there that we need to just deal with the facts, as you have done. For example, people hear ‘Fats’ and assume they need to cut them out of their diet completely, when they are necessary for good health. It is they type of Fats we consume that we need to be aware of. I think it comes down to educating ourselves and not getting caught up with the latest fads about losing weight. It is about eating a variety of nutritious foods to keep healthy. I believe you and I are on the same page when it comes to healthier eating. Have a great weekend!

    1. Thanks Sue, I agree there is so much information about there it can be confusing, and hard to know what is the right decision to make with our health and eating patterns. Yes, we are, once again, on the same page! Have a wonderful and safe weekend as well. xo

  2. These are wonderful tips! I find it a lot harder to drink water in the winter. Maybe if I added something to it like lemons I could drink more. 🙂

  3. Great tips! I eat low-fat food and then reach for another because they don’t fill you up and you think “oooh, they’re low in fat/calories so I can have another”. Better to have all the calories and enjoy it and not eat twice as much.

    A turning point for my friend was when she wouldn’t let her daughter eat the low-fat yoghurt she had as part of her diet because it was full of bad chemicals. She said she thought to herself: “Why won’t I give her what I eat? What message is that sending out?” and she stopped.

    1. That is a really good point about low fat foods, Elizabeth! And I am also paying much more attention to the actual ingredients and processing of the food I buy/don’t buy, and trying to keep it as natural as possible.

    1. Hi Haralee, you know, it’s whatever works and get the job done! Glad you are working at staying hydrated!

    1. Thanks so much, Antionette, and as someone with an ongoing health issue I know that you understand the importance of healthy eating.

  4. Thanks for all the healthy eating tips. I try to eat well. I find being post 60 it’s a great balancing act to try to get in all the vitamins and minerals each day in my meal plan. I really need more calcium – but it is challenging to eat 1200 mg per day, even with a lot of healthy greens.

    1. Our bodies require more care as we age, Judy, and I agree that it can be a challenge to take care of them as we should. I know that I don’t hit the mark every day but I keep trying. 🙂

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