Yahoo Beauty’s Spring Reboot: Healthy Eating
Dietician Heather Bauer is sharing her tips for getting healthy this spring. (Photo: Trunk Archive)
After a long winter, covered in layers, we are ready to hit the reset button. To start off our 6-week reboot plan, we talked to registered dietician and founder of Bestowed.com (a subscription service that delivers healthy food and snacks), Heather Bauer to get all of her tips for starting spring off right. When it comes to getting healthy, Bauer says it’s all about three things: eating less (and burning more), portion control, and stabilizing your blood sugar. Below, she breaks down how to reboot and eat healthy.
Eat less, burn more. Yes, you’ve heard this before, but that’s because it works. Once you find a way of eating that fits with your lifestyle, whether it’s juicing or going Paleo, you’ll need to cut your calories to be lower than what you are actually burning. “A lot of people overcompensate for exercise,” says Bauer. “Many people think they can eat more because they get hungrier when they work out. Staying within a range of 1200-1500 calories a day can be a game changer for a lot of people.” It sounds daunting, but it’s if you can make the leap to limit your sugar and refined carbs, it’s do-able.
Stick to three meals, one snack. “What I often see, even with the healthiest person is that they eat the right things, but they eat too much of it,” says Bauer. “We are told we should be eating every two hours, but so many people simply eat too much food and get too preoccupied with food.” Instead, focus on three meals a day instead of the constant snacking. Bauer suggests pushing back the timing of all meals to make this easier. Try eating breakfast around 9:30-10:00am, lunch around 1:00-2:00pm with one snack between lunch and dinner.
Snack healthy. “Be cautious with snacks that are ‘pick-able and unstoppable,’” says Bauer. This includes nuts, dips, dried fruits, and even grapes and cherries. With foods like this, it is easy to over indulge—you’ll end up eating 50 almonds instead of the serving size. If you are going to grab a bar as a snack, Bauer recommends sticking to something that is high in fiber and protein as well as organic, non-GMO, and under 200 calories. A Bauer-approved snack is an apple with an 80-calorie pack of almond butter or a Kind Almond & Cashew with Flax and Omega-3.
Stabilize your blood sugar. “There are a lot of changes that people can make, but I think the most important and easiest one you can do is to cut out sugar,” says Bauer. In the winter, people tend to eat and crave more sugar. As soon as you cut out refined sugar, you’ll instantly start to feel better and this will help to stabilize your blood sugar. “By restricting your blood sugar, you have more energy and feel better,” says Bauer. “It becomes easier to wait for your next meal.”
Stick to healthy carbs. You don’t have to eliminate carbs, just choose the right ones. Say no to refined and processed carbs like bread and cookies and choose carbs that are packed with nutrients. “I usually tell my clients to choose one or two healthy carbs a day,” says Bauer. “It could be a sweet potato, quinoa, or brown rice.” Eat one and lunch and one at dinner. If you go the gluten-free route, it can help reduce inflammation and bloating as well as aid in digestion. “Going gluten free eliminates a lot of offenders when dining out,” says Bauer. “You are left with the salad, protein, and vegetable options on the menu.” It’s important to note that many prepackaged gluten free products are unhealthy and processed, so make sure your check the ingredients label before making a purchase.
Add protein and fiber. “When cutting out carbs, it’s also really important to add in protein and fiber, says Bauer. “Most people make the mistake of cutting out carbs and also cutting out too many calories.” By keeping your protein and fiber up, while cutting out refined sugars, will help to control your appetite. If you are gluten-free, a good way to add fiber is by adding chia or flax seeds to your meals. Bauer also recommends Organ Essential Fiber Crackers, which are organic and gluten-free.
Drink water. “Drinking two liters of flat water a day can really help boost our metabolism,” says Bauer. Try and finish your first liter of water by the time you have lunch suggests Bauer.
Limit your alcohol. “I say drink the alcohol you like, but you don’t love,” says Bauer. “If you are normally someone that loves drinking wine, switch to a vodka or tequila. You’ll still be able to drink socially but you won’t overdo it. “If you are someone that is having three drinks a day, maybe it’s time to change it to a drink three nights a week,” says Bauer. “I usually say one glass of wine a night is complimentary on my plan, but if you have more, than it has to count as one of your carbs for the day.”
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