You are What you Eat

Keep a food journal for a week to find out what your eating patterns are like. Also, take note of what foods are available to you at home. At the end of the week, go through each day with a red pen and cross out some high fat or processed foods and replace them with healthier alternatives.

ex. Banana Cream Pie Bananas, Granola and Low-fat Yogurt

Make a Change

There are many ways you can change your eating habits to benefit your health. Check out the sheet below for tips. You can also go to www.mypyramid.gov to check out the USDA food pyramid and how many servings of certain foods you should eat every day.

Healthy Eating Tip Sheet

• When you eat a meal, make sure your plate is full of all different colors. Grab a red apple, green broccoli and some black beans. Throw in some deep green lettuces to whatever’s on your plate.
• Eat regular meals (including breakfast—to jump start your metabolism) and have small snacks in between. Make sure your snacks don’t turn into meals.
• Eat moderate portions—a portion should be about the size of your fist.
• Instead of grabbing a handful of chips, grab a handful of trail mix with dried fruit and nuts or a handful of dry high fiber cereal
• Instead of snacking on processed cookies or candy bars, mix some fruit with low fat yogurt or coat some whole grain crackers or chunks of celery with peanut butter.
• Watch what you drink. Sometimes sugary, artificial beverages can pack in as many bad calories as junky snacks. Instead drink real fruit juice, low-fat milk, and water.
• Don’t rush it. It takes about 20 minutes after you begin eating for your mind to realize you’re full. Eating slowly can help you avoid over-eating.
• Whole wheat or grain is the way to go with bread. Whole grains are filled with great nutrients.
• It’s okay to indulge sometimes, just not all the time.

A Time to Talk

Figure out a time to chat with your parents (or the household grocery buyer) that works for everyone. Maybe you could sit down and talk on a weekend morning and go shopping for the foods on your list right after.

Revise

Bring out your food journal and talk about which snack foods you’d like to replace with alternatives. Go to the grocery store so you can help your parents pick out healthy foods that aren’t too pricey. Enjoy the food you buy and stick to healthy eating—you’ll feel better and have more energy this way.