Consumer_Reports_Eat_Healthy_and_Love_it_July_2017 (1)

Eating Plans That Work
Easy Ways
to Eat
Healthy
Now
You don’t need to overhaul your diet.
These changes deliver big benefits but
take very little effort.
Setting a goal of eating better often inspires
people to attempt a 180 on their habits.
But those intentions fail more often than
not. “People set unrealistic goals and
attempt to make wholesale changes,” says
Lesley Lutes, Ph.D., associate professor
of psychology at the University of British
Columbia. “That all-or-nothing behavior
becomes overwhelming, leaves you feeling
deprived, and sets you up for failure.”
That’s exactly why we’re advocating
a more realistic approach: Try making
just a few minor tweaks first. That helps
the changes feel doable, not daunting,
and you will still see improvements in
your health. “You have so many diet
choices to make every day, so even if
you make a change only some of the
time, the benefits add up,” Lutes says.
A recent study by researchers at the
University of South Australia supports
that strategy. They found that replacing
just 25 percent of discretionary foods
(such as dessert, snacks, and sugary
beverages) with healthy foods resulted
in a huge improvement in overall
diet quality—reducing sugars intake
by almost 21 percent and calories
by almost 4 percent, and increasing
protein intake by about 2 percent.
That means that something as simple
as trading a few cookies for a piece
of fruit, a handful of chips for some
fresh veggies, or a soda for a glass of
sparkling water, can make a big difference.
Read on for six strategies you can
use to build your own personalized
small changes diet.
PHOTO: CANAN CZEMMEL/STOCKSY
10 EAT HEALTHY CR.ORG