Healthy Lifestyle Habits 

Nicole Palmieri, who is currently studying Dietetics at the University of Dayton, shared with Healthy Lombard that…

It is always an opportune time to take control of your health through the small, daily choices you make!

Here are a few tips and tricks to lead a healthier lifestyle:

Rinse and chop up vegetables and fruits ahead of time!

This will help you have a snack already prepared so that you are more likely to reach for these fruits and vegetables instead of reaching for a convenient snack that is less healthy because you do not want to cut up a bunch of fruits and vegetables. You can rinse and cut celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and more. Also, you can rinse off fruits like grapes and berries as soon as you buy them and place them in a separate container to form a fruit salad so that you will be more likely to reach for them!

 Look at the staple meals that you always include in your weekly dinners and lunches and see if there are many modifications you can make     

Are there any small alternatives to the dishes to make them more nutritious? For example, if you always include a side dish of frozen french fries, try homemade sweet potato fries. Similarly, instead of using an egg mixture to prepare breaded chicken, try using extra virgin olive oil!

Evaluate the drinks you consume in a week and see if there are any modifications you can make

If there are a lot of sugary coffee and fruit drinks, energy beverages, and alcohol, try to minimize those drinks and maximize your water intake. To start, as soon as you wake up and right before you go to bed, drink an 8 oz. glass of water. Next, before each meal and snack, drink an 8 oz. glass of water. This will help with digestion and lessen stomach distention!

Swap out dips and sauces

If you tend to use Hollandaise and Bearnaise sauces, try a lighter option like a low-fat cheese sauce. Switch out some of your dips for hummus, tzatziki, or homemade guacamole. This will help minimize the high amounts of sodium, saturated fat, and vegetable oils.

Keep more low-fat dairy and whole-grain products, fruits, and vegetables in your fridge

You will be more likely to increase your intake of whole, nutritious foods if you plan meals and snacks surrounding these foods. It can be daunting to remove a lot of food from your diet because it can easily become restrictive. However, it is more manageable to add healthy options to your diet.

There are many ways to make healthy changes in your lifestyle that are simple and achievable, but these were just a few of those strategies!