***Eat Smarter & 5 Tips

In order to eat smarter and lose weight, each day choose from “100 Ways to cut calories at americaonthemove.org.” Try a new tip each day or find a tip that works best for you.

Make Mindful food choices. Take a step toward making an achievable meal plan to use foods that are whole and can impact calorie intake. Eat less of the food you usually chose especially if they are not plant-based.

Make optimal nutrition your goal. Choose a diet plan that is low in fat (25-30 per cent of calories), high in fiber (25-30 grams), and rich in fruits and vegetables.

Check Your Portions. Know your portion size for a food and select single-serve portions for snacks and meals, use the calorie count on the label as a way to guide choices. When in doubt, measure to see what a single serving looks like.

5 Tips for cutting calories each day:

• Eat a frozen balanced 400-calorie or less entree prepared meal for lunch or dinner.
• Don't clean your plate leave 3-4 bites on your plate at every meal.
• Chew your food thoroughly and eat slowly to make your meal last longer.
• Make some of your snacks fresh fruits and vegetables, instead of chips, crackers or cookies.
• If and when you dine out, eat half of your entree and take the other half home to eat for lunch the next day.

We are in in a new year, and some of us made resolutions to take weight off. Implement a few of these tips to make changes for better health. Look at the prescription recap below and make small changes:

Prescription Recap:

• Calculate your current "baseline" number of steps/day.
• Increase your physical activity by adding 2,000 steps over your "baseline."
• Commit to reducing your food intake by 100 calories every day.

Remember that small changes add up to big differences. Go ahead and make the necessary changes for good health.