Tips For Healthy Eating Lifestyle

Written by:
Lee Ann DiBiase MS,RD/LD
Clinical Dietitian
Summa Wellness Institute

Making Wise Food Choices is the easiest diet you can follow!!!!!
• Balance: Eat a variety of foods every day
Why: fun, not boring, tasty
Balance the healthful choices with the sweets, treats, and fried foods

• Smart snacks: Snacks are a good way to keep up your energy level during the day
Choices: Prepare it and offer just that:
Veggies cut up in baggies
Low fat dipping bowl or salsa
Cut up fruit or fruit kabobs
Apple slices with dips
Cheese stick or cubes eaten with toothpicks
Whole wheat crackers with cheese or peanut butter
Served with apple or pear
Yogurt mixed with fruit
A snack combining a protein (nut, dairy, meat) with a carbohydrate (fruit, vegetable, whole grain breads or crackers) is the best combination.
Other choices: bean burrito
Cheese quesadilla with lettuce
Yogurt and fruit smoothie with graham crackers
Bowl of whole grain cereal, low fat milk, and fruit

• Snacks and meals should be spaced 3-4 hours apart
Breakfast: 6:15 am
Snack: 10:00 am
Lunch: 12:00 pm
Home: 3:00 pm snack
Dinner: 6:00 pm

• Portion size: Super size is not super-follow normal portion sizes
Bread: 1 slice
Bagel: hockey puck
Pancake: CD
Piece of fruit: baseball
Pasta: tennis ball
Veggies: baseball or fist size
Cheese cubes: 2 dice

Stay away from POP!!!! Limit juice to 1-2 glasses a day.
Drink: water, milk, flavored waters

Eat when hungry and STOP when you start to feel full.
Try to eat with the TV off- eating should be in the kitchen/dinning room only

When you have a treat enjoy it.


• Eat breakfast: it is the most important meal of the day and it will keep you from falling asleep during morning classes
Choices: Have carbohydrates for energy, protein to feel full longer.
Two slices of whole grain bread with peanut butter and apple slices.
One cup of vanilla yogurt, mix in cereal, top with fruit
Leftover veggie pizza and a glass of milk
Whole grain waffles topped with pb, fruit or ricotta cheese
Hot cereal
Peanut butter on a bagel with fruit
Breakfast smoothie
Vegetable omelet
Ham on toasted English muffin
Leftovers

Facts about the” D” word
Diets are usually designed to restrict your choices.
Many diets focus on eating a single type of food or eliminating whole food groups
Diets based on deprivation make people want more of the restricted food
Diets are designed to fail, they do not teach proper and fun choices