Spring Clean Your Diet

...Not Just Your Closets

Spring means it’s time to not only clean out your closet (and garage, spare bedroom, office…) but also your diet.  During the winter we load up on warm foods – starches, canned soups, frozen vegetables and microwaveable meals.  But when spring rolls around, many of us not only gained some staple foods in our pantry but also a few pounds on our waistline. 

Now is the time to lose the bulky fleece jackets, sweatpants and winter pounds and trade those in for summer attire and a leaner physique.  Here are a few tips for spring cleaning your diet:

1. Get rid of the starchy foods with little nutritional value (pretzels, chips, crackers etc.) and trade those in for whole grain crackers and pita chips.
2. Trade in stews and frozen veggies for fresh produce.  If the thought of plain carrots or broccoli makes you cringe, dip them in hummus or low-fat dressing.
3. Toss the quick weight loss diets and make lasting changes that you can live with.  Quick weight loss usually leads to overeating and discouraging results.
4. Never miss meals.  If you are a breakfast skipper now, start getting up and eating something.  Make it a habit and you’ll find that you have more energy throughout the day and you won’t get those late night munchies.
5. Hydrate yourself.  Summer is rolling around here soon and the combination of hot weather and more activity means you are more likely to get dehydrated.  Choose low calorie or calorie free beverages if you are watching your waistline.
6. Toss the scale and trade it in for a pedometer.  If the number on the scale makes or breaks your day it’s time to break free.  Give it to Goodwill and invest in a pedometer or accelerometer.  Then aim for at least 5,000 steps a day and work your way up to 10,000. ‘’
7. Keep taking your vitamins or supplements even though you may be feeling great.  It may not be cold and flu season any longer, but it's still important to keep taking your supplements.

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