Sneaking Health Into Your Day

If you’ve been reading my posts, you probably realize that I am not a natural exerciser. Natural couch spud is more like it. And I’m also not a naturally healthy eater — in fact, it’s something I struggle with. But in my research and interviews for the health articles I write, I’ve come across lots of ways to trick yourself and to “sneak” healthy eating habits into your day so it doesn’t feel like such a burden. Here are some that work for me.

Box it. When you order a meal at a restaurant, ask the server to pack up half the meal in a to-go box before serving you. I like to eat out at restaurants way more than I should, and this tip keeps me from chowing down on a huge meal (since we all know how big restaurant portion sizes are). I don’t do this every time, but when I do, the server looks confused at first, and then is understanding when I explain why I’m making that strange request.

Healthy-up fatty foods. If you can’t resist fatty dishes like mac and cheese and meatloaf, try bulking up the dish with good-for-you grains and veggies. These higher-fiber, higher-nutrient foods will replace some of the less healthy ingredients, and they also fill you up more so you’ll eat less. Try adding oatmeal to meatloaf, tossing shredded carrots into muffin mix, and hiding grated zucchini in casseroles. I like to add lots of finely-chopped broccoli and bell peppers to store-bought macaroni salad.

Go undercover. Feeling hunger pangs when you’re on the go is the perfect excuse to run through the drive through and gobble down a large order of fries. But if you carry your own healthy snacks, you’ll be ready when hunger hits. For example, I always carry a baggie full of unsalted raw cashews, which I buy at Trader Joe’s. Other good snacks include whole wheat pretzels, fruit like apples and bananas, and lowfat popcorn.

Pack it up.  Brian Wansink, Ph.D., author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (Bantam 2006), and his colleagues did studies to find out if people eat more from large packages than from small ones. The researchers sent people home with either a half-pound, one-pound, or two-pound bag of M&Ms and some videotapes. The researchers asked for the subjects’ impression on the videos, but they were really interested in whether the size of the bag influenced what they ate. The outcome? Snackers with the one-pound bag ate twice as much as the people with the half-pound bag. Take a tip from this study and buy your snacks in single-serving sizes, or purchase big bags and portion out small servings into sandwich bags yourself. When I snack at home (my favorite is lime-flavored tortilla chips), I always put a small amount into a bowl and then put the bag away so I’m not tempted to grab more.

Take small steps. Recently, I started replacing my usual ranch salad dressing with fat-free raspberry vinaigrette. It’s such a small change, but, based on the nutrition info from the dressing packets I get at lunch, it saves me about 200 calories per salad. I’ve also stopped buttering my bread when I eat out at a certain chain restaurant that offers up big bread baskets. One tablespoon of butter has around 100 calories and 12 grams of fat — and considering how much bread I sometimes eat, that’s a lot of fat and calories! Other small steps you can take include switching from regular to fat-free mayo on your sandwiches, putting lowfat milk in your coffee instead of half-and-half, and leaving the shredded cheese, croutons, or bacon bits off your salad.

These tips have helped me cut calories without feeling the pinch. I hope they work for you, too — and of course, you can probably come up with lots of sneaky ideas on your own!

Stay healthy,

Linda