Thursday, September 17, 2015

Steps to LivingWell


In our August LivingWell article we talked about snacking throughout the day and the importance of choosing your snacks wisely. Here’s how you can stay within your daily calorie budget.  Studies show the benefits of eating breakfast-including helping you lose weight.  People who skip breakfast actually eat more calories overall (usually from sugary and fatty foods) throughout the day.  Eliminating your morning meal likely means you’re missing out on nutrients important to healthy aging.
A nourishing breakfast can jump-start your metabolism and cause you to burn calories at a higher rate all morning, helping to offset your body’s natural metabolic decline as you get older.  It can also set the stage for healthy eating all day by encouraging you to continue making wise food choices.

Eating a breakfast of muesli, yogurt, and fruit before a workout burned more fat than those who dined on cornflakes, white toast, and jam.  The muesli meal also helps you feel fuller for the rest of the day, even though both breakfasts contained the same number of calories.
To keep your total daily calorie intake in check, take a mini-meal approach.  Eating five or six small meals a day (or three moderate meals and two snacks) keeps your blood sugar and energy levels steady and humming.

To make the mini-meal approach work, you may need to revise your definition of a snack.   Sneak in more fruits and veggies to help you reach your goal and reap the benefits.  It’s hard to binge on baby carrots!

No comments: