I am all about practical nutrition tips that people can incorporate to live a thriving and healthy lifestyle.  This is a great list that I found in one of my Personal Training journals.  I recommend employing at least one of these strategies per week!

Drink Water or Tea before a meal

The theory is that water or tea preload expands stomach, increasing feelings of fullness.

Mind Your Mouthful

When you eat slower, you eat less.

One of the eating exercises I learned at a Geneen Roth workshop was to Swallow one bite before picking up another.  We are so disconnected from our food that we don’t even realize that before we finish one bite of food we are ready to shovel in another.

Eat More Beans

Plant Based Protein and Foods that are higher in Fiber (Beans, Lentils, etc) will help you to feel fuller longer.  In many of the Blue Zones (where people live the longest) the people use Meat as a side dish or flavoring.  It’s not the main course.

Avoid Grazing and Snacking too much

A 2015 Journal of Nutrition study found that those who ate meals and snacks more frequently were also MORE likely to be overweight and obese (Murikami and Livingstone).  I will come out and say that I think people should avoid snacking because most of the time they are not even hungry and are doing so out of boredom or habit.  Eat a snack if you are hungry but they are not mandatory for Fat Loss.

Resist Clever Branding

You Eat More when Food is Labeled as Healthy.  I am not a fan of Fat Free or Low Fat Foods.  Many are filled with chemicals or sugar that aren’t good for our bodies.  Plus they don’t taste good and aren’t as satisfying so you have to eat more to feel some type of satisfaction

Studies have shown that people eat more when food is labeled as healthy .  People tend to consume greater portions (twice as much) when the same item is being said as less healthy.  (Syyer, Raghynation, and Hoyer 2016)

Eat your Heaviest Meals Earlier in the Day

Studies have shown greater fat loss when calories are front loaded earlier in the day.  (Bo et al. 2014, Jakuboqicz et al 2013)   This is very common in the Blue Zone areas with Breakfast and Lunch being the heaviest meals while dinner is the lightest.

Plan Ahead

Using Online ordering may prevent you from ordering unnecessary items.  Some researchers believe that when you are at the restaurant it’s easier to give into environmental cues (That bread sure smells good!)  and peer pressure

(Source:  IDEA Fitness Journal May 2016)