This year, millions of people will resolve to shed their extra pounds. After a month or two of fattening holiday dinners, we could all work MSNBC’s Seven Diet Changes into our new diet resolution.
- Don’t forget your fiber: Most Americans don’t eat the recommended 21 to 38 grams of daily fiber, so make an effort to fill up on one protein and two fiber-rich foods per meal, like yogurt with granola and nuts.
- Eat your veggies: Dark green leafy vegetables, like spinach and romaine lettuce, are rich in beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. They’re also low in calories and high on taste.
- Fill up on beans: As a high-protein and carbohydrate-rich food, beans also help control regularity and cholesterol, and fill you with folate, potassium, and magnesium. Some beans, like the ever-popular black bean, are also rich in antioxidants that improve brain function and fight inflammation.
- Fresh fish: As a high-protein, low-fat food rich in vitamins and minerals, fish is a delicious, filling and healthy alternative to your usual beef or chicken.
- Stock up on potassium: Found in many whole foods, like bananas and leafy vegetables, potassium helps maintain water balance in your body. Eat 4 1/2 cups of potassium-rich foods a day, and you’ll not only feel full, but healthy too.
- Control your portions: One of the biggest diet pitfalls is eating too much, even of a good thing. Watch your portions and try to readjust your idea of what a full meal is. In time, you’ll eat less and feel just as full.
- Take your time: Don’t try to change your eating habits all in one day. Instead, focus on phasing changes in slowly so that you won’t get frustrated or burned out.
