6-Week Plan For Healthy Eating: The Harvard Medical School

A Harvard Medical School Special Health Report
The Harvard Medical School

6-Week Plan
for Healthy Eating
In this report:
Week-by-week
meal makeovers
How to set (and
stick to) healthy goals
Easy fixes for
healthier eating
Smart supermarket
choices
Sensible snacking
Weight-control tips
14 delicious recipes
Price: $29
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THE HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
6-WEEK PLAN FOR HEALTHY EATING Contents
SPECIAL HEALTH REPORT
What makes a diet “healthful”?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Faculty Editor
Teresa Fung, ScD, RD, LDN 7 practical steps for a healthful diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Adjunct Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
School of Public Health Dietary Guidelines for Americans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Professor of Nutrition, Simmons College
Weight control for health. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Nutrition Editor
Kathy McManus, MS, RD, LDN Week 1: Getting started on the six-week plan . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Director, Department of Nutrition, Brigham
and Women’s Hospital Creating your food diary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Executive Editor Shopping wisely. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Anne Underwood Becoming label-savvy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Writer Making a clean start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Courtney Humphries
Setting goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Copy Editor
Robin Netherton Week 2: Boost your health at breakfast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Creative Director The healthy breakfast plate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Judi Crouse
Setting goals for breakfast success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Production Manager
Lori Wendin Schedule morning exercise .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Illustrators Curb coffee-drink calories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Alex Gonzalez, Jesse Tarantino
Photographers Week 3: A healthy break for lunch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Michael Carroll, Heather Derocher The healthy lunch plate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Published by Harvard Medical School Setting goals for lunch success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Gregory D. Curfman, MD, Editor in Chief What’s for lunch?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
In association with Lunchtime survival strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Belvoir Media Group, LLC, 535 Connecticut Avenue, Nor-
walk, CT 06854-1713. Robert Englander, Chairman and Week 4: A dinner makeover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
CEO; Timothy H. Cole, Executive Vice President, Editorial
Director; Philip L. Penny, Chief Operating Officer; Greg The healthy dinner plate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
King, Executive Vice President, Marketing Director; Ron Goldberg, Setting goals for dinner success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Chief Financial Officer; Tom Canfield, Vice President, Circulation.
Sneaky ways to get in more fruits and vegetables. . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Copyright © 2015 by Harvard University. Permission is
required to reproduce, in any manner, in whole, or in part, Upgrade your prepared entrées. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
the material contained herein. Submit reprint requests to: Outwit your appetite at home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Harvard Health Publications Permissions Outwit your appetite at restaurants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
10 Shattuck St., 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02115
www.health.harvard.edu/permissions Outwit your appetite at parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Phone: 617-432-2876 | Fax: 617-432-1506 A drink with dinner? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Website Healthful dinner shopping list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
For the latest information and most up-to-date publication
list, visit us online at www.health.harvard.edu.
Week 5: Sensible snacking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Customer Service Setting goals for snacking success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
For all subscription questions or problems (rates,
subscribing, address changes, billing problems), email Smarter snacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
to HarvardProd@StrategicFulfillment.com, call 877-
649-9457 (toll-free), or write to Harvard Health Week 6: Keep it going. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Publications, P.O. Box 9308, Big Sandy, TX 75755-9308. The big picture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Ordering Special Health Reports Keep up the good work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Harvard Medical School publishes Special Health Reports
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reports, please see the instructions at the back of this
Cooking kickoff: Recipes for success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
report, or go to our website: www.health.harvard.edu. Appetizers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
For Licensing, Bulk Rates, or Corporate Sales: Lunch and dinner entrées. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Call 203-828-0349, or Sides and salads. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
email HHP_licensing@hms.harvard.edu,
or visit www.harvardhealthcontent.com Desserts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
ISBN 978-1-61401-112-5 Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
The goal of materials provided by Harvard Health Publications
is to interpret medical information for the general reader.
This report is not intended as a substitute for personal medical
Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
advice, which should be obtained directly from a physician.
Dear Reader,
Messages about diet and nutrition are everywhere. Every month, magazines publish dozens
of articles, which may or may not be accurate, about the latest nutrition studies and trends.
Health claims on food packaging promote the contents as heart-healthy, natural, vitamin-
packed, and bursting with antioxidants (though the reality might be very different). Celebri-
ties tout new diet fads on TV. And the Internet spreads advice and tips that are sometimes
reliable, but often come from dubious sources. This steady stream of information and misin-
formation can be perplexing. No wonder people often tell us they’re confused.
Many times each day, you make decisions about when to eat, what foods to consume, and how
much. You’re often balancing your own knowledge against these messages in your environ-
ment, plus the other demands of a busy life. Even if you’re equipped with the knowledge and
the desire to eat healthfully, it’s hard to map that intention into action.
The goal of this report is to take your everyday eating experiences and give you practical tools
to make them as healthful as possible. Whether your meals are already fairly healthy or you
need a full-on nutrition makeover, this report will give you ideas for making them better.
Why should you bother? Research shows that your food choices profoundly influence your
health and longevity. About half of Americans have at least one preventable chronic disease
that is linked to poor dietary habits or a lack of physical activity, and more than two-thirds of
adults are overweight or obese. In the moment, each decision you make seems small. But as
these numbers show, moments add up to a lifestyle, and an unhealthy lifestyle can put you on
the path to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.
This report distills the latest nutrition science into a simple, clear picture of what a healthful
dietary pattern looks like. Then it translates that information into practical steps. It will help
you analyze your diet and establish goals; you’ll then create a week-by-week plan to make your
goals a reality. We’ll equip you with recipes as well as tips to create your own meals and snacks
that are healthful and hassle-free. As you progress through the six weeks, we hope you will
be able to counteract the confusing messages in your environment and establish a new eating
pattern that will lower your risk of life-threatening diseases—and improve your quality of life.
Enjoy the journey!
Teresa Fung, Sc.D., R.D., L.D.N. Kathy McManus, M.S., R.D., L.D.N.
Faculty Editor Nutrition Editor
Harvard Health Publications | Harvard Medical School | 10 Shattuck Street, Second Floor | Boston, MA 02115
What makes a diet “healthful”?
A re you confused about nutrition? You’re not alone.

News headlines can make it seem as if views on
good nutrition are changing all the time and are hotly
contested. Diet books come up with one theory after
another. Gimmicks abound, touting everything from
raw food to cleanses. All the conflicting informa-
tion can make it difficult to distinguish scientifically
backed nutrition advice from fads and marketing.
In reality, though, as decades of research findings
on nutrition have accumulated, there’s been a growing
Thinkstock
consensus about what a good diet looks like. Although
differing results from studies are presented in the
media as flip-flops, it’s more accurate to see individual A good diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—
studies as puzzle pieces that are coming together to preferably, a broad variety of them in order to provide a greater
form a clearer picture. range of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
What does that picture look like? Research shows
that eating healthfully is not complicated. A good diet
is rich in minimally processed fruits, vegetables, and 7 practical steps for a healthful diet
whole grains, paired with healthy sources of protein Putting it all together, healthy eating boils down to
and fats. It emphasizes plant-based foods—prefer- this: eat a varied diet with more plant-based foods,
ably a broad variety of them to provide a greater range fewer animal-based foods, and only as much food
of nutrients. Protein should come primarily from as your body needs. This report will include step-
legumes, nuts, fish, and skinless poultry. Dairy prod- by-step ways to do that. But here are some broad
ucts should ideally be low-fat. Certain foods, like lean, principles to keep in mind. As you work your way
fresh red meat, should be eaten sparingly, and pro- through the six-week plan, it may help to review this
cessed or cured meats like ham, hot dogs, and corned list periodically.
beef are not on the menu at all. Fat can be eaten in 1. Eat more unprocessed or minimally pro-
moderation, so long as it is mainly from vegetable oils. cessed foods. By doing so, you’ll naturally consume
Another part of a healthful diet is limiting the cal- foods that have the amounts and combinations of
ories you eat. Watching your portion sizes and exer- fiber and nutrients that nature intended. Many fac-
cising regularly can help you maintain a healthy body tory-made foods, in contrast, are stripped of natural
weight. Good nutrition, physical activity, and weight fiber and nutrients and filled with unwelcome extras:
control are three of the most powerful things you can added salt, sugar, and fat. Even if some vitamins and
do to reduce your overall risk of major diseases, from minerals are added back in, foods created in factories
cancer and diabetes to heart disease and osteoporosis. can’t replicate the complex nutrient content of natu-
And finally, new research also suggests that the con- ral foods. For example, a whole apple comes with fiber
text in which you eat also matters—whether you’re and a wealth of nutrients in the skin that are miss-
at home or at a restaurant, for instance, or whether ing when you drink apple juice or eat processed fruit
you’re stressed and hurried or relaxed and attentive. snacks made with apples.
2 The Harvard Medical School 6-Week Plan for Healthy Eating w w w.h ealt h .ha r va r d.e du
2. Go for novelty. You may assume good nutri- of a deck of cards. For beans, the serving size is about
tion is boring because you only think of a few kinds ½ cup of cooked beans, which is about half the size of
of healthful foods. To get a broader range of disease- a baseball. (For more on lunch and dinner, see “Week
fighting nutrients, try new grains, vegetables, and 3: A healthy break for lunch,” page 23, and “Week 4: A
fruits. Farro, bulgur, and quinoa are good grain alter- dinner makeover,” page 28).
natives. Novel kinds of beans, fruits, and vegetables 6. Aim for at least two servings of fish each
abound. When choosing vegetables and fruits, aim for week. Fish—especially salmon, bluefish, and mack-
a variety of colors, which will ensure you get a wide erel—are good sources of omega-3 fats, which are
array of beneficial antioxidants and phytonutrients good for your heart. Large, predatory deep-ocean fish
naturally present in these foods. Unsure how to cook (such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and bluefin
these new items? Experiment with new recipes that tuna) have a higher mercury content and should be
rely less on meat and make use of herbs and spices for eaten only on rare occasions, if at all.
flavor. (For suggestions, see “Cooking kickoff: Recipes 7. Avoid impulse eating. When you grab an
for success,” page 42.) unplanned snack, you are more likely to choose
3. Cover all your bases. Every day, strive to eat tempting sweets and unhealthy processed foods that
three servings of fruit, three to four servings of veg- are packaged for convenience. Instead, plan healthy
etables, some lean protein, some whole grains, healthy snacks ahead of time so you don’t eat whatever is
oils, some nonfat or low-fat dairy, and a serving of handy or in the vending machine. Avoid sugary
nuts or legumes. At each meal, look at your plate: drinks and their empty calories. (See “Week 5: Sen-
about one-half should be fruits and vegetables, one- sible snacking,” page 35.)
quarter lean proteins (fish, poultry, beans, or tofu),
and one-quarter whole grains. (To see what this looks
like, see Figure 1, page 4.) Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate
4. Stay hydrated. Because water is part of many Over the years, many of us have become used to think-
foods, such as fruit, tea, and soup, most people get suf- ing of the hunk of meat in the center of our plates as
ficient liquid without making a special effort. Gener- “dinner.” The salad or vegetables on the side were fine
ally, your sense of thirst tells you when and how much add-ons, but not the star attraction. But in recent years,
to drink. That said, it can be helpful throughout the day nutritionists have overturned that view. In 2011, the
to sip water or another no-calorie liquid as an alter- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) introduced
native to snacking. As you increase your fiber intake MyPlate—a graphic representation of the ideal din-
with whole-grain foods, water helps ferry it smoothly ner. It moved protein to the side of the plate and gave a
through your digestive tract, protecting you from con- larger role to vegetables, fruits, and grains. However, it
stipation. Drinking 4 to 6 cups of water or other low- was still too simplistic to be useful to many people.
calorie liquid a day is a reasonable and healthful goal. To remedy this situation, nutrition experts at
(See “Tap into the benefits of water,” page 27.) Harvard developed Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate.
5. Keep protein portions modest. Most Ameri- Like the USDA plate, it’s meant to be an easy and
cans consume more protein than they need, and many informative tool to help you understand how to make
common sources of protein (such as meat and dairy healthful choices and eat a balanced diet. But it adds
products) also contain saturated fat and are high in more detailed, science-based recommendations to
calories. Recommended portions for protein-rich the USDA’s version, which leaves out some impor-
foods are smaller than you might expect (and much tant information. The Healthy Eating Plate gives you
smaller than what you’d typically get in a restaurant). basic guidance on food choices and shows you how to
For proteins like meat, poultry, and fish, 3 ounces for apportion foods on your plate.
lunch and slightly more for dinner is a good goal. Of course, not every meal will look like the
Keep in mind that 4 ounces of meat is about the size Healthy Eating Plate (most of us don’t eat vegetables at
ww w. h ealt h . h ar v ar d . e du The Harvard Medical School 6-Week Plan for Healthy Eating 3
Figure 1: Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate
breakfast), but your meals over the course of the day unhealthy trans fatty acid, commonly called trans
can add up to this goal. Here’s what’s on the plate: fat (a mostly manufactured fat that is linked to an
• Fully half of the plate contains fruits and vegetables. increased risk of heart disease).
Most Americans don’t get enough vegetables, so the • The glass on the right side is a reminder to drink
more you can add, the better, and aim for a variety low- or no-calorie liquids like water, coffee, and tea;
of colors and types. For these purposes, potatoes limit milk and juice; and avoid sugary drinks.
and French fries don’t count as vegetables. • At the bottom is a reminder to stay active for good
• A quarter of the plate is whole grains—not just any health and weight control.
grain, as in the USDA version. Choosing whole People who eat according to these guidelines
grains over refined grains can help curb appetite, reduce their risk of a number of chronic diseases that
lower risk of diabetes, and lower “bad” cholesterol can shorten life and diminish quality of life. Research
levels. following the diets of more than 100,000 health pro-
• The final quarter is healthful sources of protein, like fessionals found, for example, that men whose diets
fish, beans, nuts, seeds, poultry, and eggs. High-fat most closely followed these guidelines lowered their
meats and processed meats don’t appear here. overall risk of major diseases by 20% over eight to 12
• The bottle on the left side is a reminder to use years, compared with men whose diets scored low-
healthy oils, like olive and canola, in cooking, on est on the healthy eating recommendations. Women
salads, and at the table. Limit butter, and avoid in the study who followed the guidelines lowered
their overall risk by 11% compared with those who and processed meats, added sugars, and refined
scored lowest. The big wins came with cardiovascu- grains than the standard American diet.
lar disease. Both men and women who most closely • The healthy vegetarian pattern is similar but builds
followed the recommendations cut their risk of heart protein sources around plant-based foods natu-
disease by one-third or more, and even people who rally low in fat like lentils, peas, and beans, and also
were taking medications for high cholesterol or high includes eggs (for ovo-vegetarians), nuts, nut but-
blood pressure benefited. ters, and soy.
As nutrition researchers turn up more informa- • The healthy Mediterranean pattern emphasizes olive
tion over time, the Healthy Eating Plate will change to oil as the primary fat; fish, shellfish, and nuts as pri-
reflect important new evidence. Other models of sci- mary sources of protein; and an array of vegetables,
ence-based guidelines are also available. You can find fruits, and whole grains.
healthy eating pyramids adapted to Mediterranean, Though the patterns may emphasize different
Latin American, Asian, and vegetarian diets on the foods, all of them follow the dietary principles that
website of the respected nutrition think tank Oldways, are outlined in this report. Following are some of
at www.oldwayspt.org. the important take-home messages from the Dietary
Guidelines, with some new information from the pro-
posed 2015 revisions.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The U.S. government provides nutrition guidance Increase healthful foods and nutrients
for Americans that is updated every five years by the • Increase vegetable and fruit intake. A person eating
USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human 2,000 calories per day should eat about 2½ cups of
Services. These Dietary Guidelines for Americans are vegetables and 2 cups of fruit per day. A 2015 report
the work of a committee of scientists who analyze from the CDC found that only about one in 10
reams of nutritional research, debate important ques- Americans eats enough fruits and vegetables. Half
tions, and ultimately make recommendations to the of Americans consume less than 1 cup of fruit and
government. As such, the Dietary Guidelines distill less than 1½ cups of vegetables per day.
the latest nutritional research into practical advice. • Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark green,
As of this publication, the new set of guidelines red, and orange vegetables, and beans and peas.
for 2015 has not been officially released. However, the • When eating grains, replace refined grains (such as
Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has issued white bread and white rice) with whole grains (such
preliminary recommendations, which give a good as brown rice or quinoa) to increase the proportion
sense of the changes to come. of foods with whole grains. Aim to consume at least
One important change is the focus on overall half of all grains as whole grains.
dietary patterns that promote health, rather than on • For proteins, increase the proportion of plant-based
specific foods and nutrients. This shift in emphasis sources like legumes, soy foods, nuts, and seeds, and
reflects how people really eat: we consume complex include seafood, poultry, eggs, and small amounts of
combinations of foods rather than isolated foods or lean meat.
nutrients. However, there is no one “right” way to eat; • Aim to eat about 12 ounces of fish or seafood per
healthy dietary patterns vary depending on location, week, which is about three 4-ounce portions.
cultural background, and preferences. The recommen- • Use oils to replace solid fats where possible. Olive,
dations cite three examples of healthy dietary patterns: canola, safflower, and sunflower oils are good
• The healthy U.S.-style pattern includes typical pop- choices.
ular foods in America but emphasizes fruits and • Choose foods that provide more calcium, vita-
vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or nonfat dairy, min D, fiber, and potassium, which are nutrients
seafood, legumes, and nuts, and includes fewer red many Americans do not get enough of. These foods
ent in the food. (For example, tomatoes have nat-
The power of plants ural sugars in them, but most manufacturers put
A diet that emphasizes plant foods is additional sugar in commercial tomato sauce.) For
healthier for you. It’s also healthier for a diet of 2,000 calories per day, that 10% limit
the environment, as the 2015 Dietary is just 50 grams of added sugar. Given that a
Guidelines Advisory Commit-
tee points out. On average, it
can of nondiet soda has about 33 grams of
takes 11 times more energy sugar, a good way to cut sugars is to avoid
to produce animal protein sweetened beverages. The FDA has proposed
than to produce an equivalent changing the Nutrition Facts labels on foods to
amount of plant protein. Meat and
indicate the amount of added sugars.
dairy production account for the majority
of greenhouse gas emissions in the food • L imit the consumption of foods that contain
industry, and 24% of greenhouse gas emis- refined grains (such as white flour and white
sions globally. Simply shifting the balance rice), especially those that contain solid fats,
toward a more plant-based diet would
Thinkstock
added sugars, and sodium.
leave a gentler footprint on the Earth.
• If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation—
up to one drink per day for women and two
drinks per day for men. No one under the legal
include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nonfat drinking age should drink alcohol. One drink is 5
and low-fat milk and milk products. ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1½ ounces of
spirits.
Reduce unhealthful foods and food components • There is no evidence that drinking moderate
• Americans consume much more sodium than they amounts of caffeine is harmful for health, and it may
need—3,400 mg on average. Reduce daily sodium even provide some benefits.
intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) or even
further to 1,500 mg if you are age 51 or older; if Build healthy eating patterns
you are African American; or if you have high • Select an eating pattern that meets nutrient needs
blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney dis- over time and allows you to consume an appropri-
ease. Avoiding processed foods is one way to do ate level of calories.
this, since 80% of the salt in the average diet is not • For a few days, track all of the foods and beverages
what you add in your kitchen, but what comes from you eat and drink. Then see how they fit within a
packaged foods. Use spices and herbs rather than total healthy eating pattern.
salt to make food flavorful.
• Consume less than 10% of calories from saturated Balance food intake to manage weight
fat (mainly from animal fat) by replacing it with • People who are overweight or obese should make
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (mainly efforts to consume fewer calories in order to lose
from vegetable oils). weight. People at a healthy weight should control
• Avoid trans fat consumption by eliminating foods their food intake to avoid gaining.
that contain synthetic sources of trans fats, such as • Calorie requirements change as you go through
partially hydrogenated oils, and by limiting other different stages of life—childhood, adolescence,
solid fats. (The FDA has issued a ban on trans fats in adulthood, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and older
processed foods, but manufacturers have until 2018 age. If you are less active than you used to be, you
to comply; until then, it’s still worthwhile to check should reduce your calorie intake accordingly.
food labels.) • You may need to increase your physical activity
• Consume less than 10% of calories from added in order to lose weight or maintain your current
sugars, meaning sugars that are not naturally pres- weight. Reducing time spent in sedentary behav-
iors, including “screen time” spent in front of com- calories more per day than they did in the 1970s. The
puters and TVs, is also helpful. healthy eating plan in this report is not intended to be
a weight-loss diet, but rather a way to break unhealth-
ful eating habits and replace them with better habits.
Weight control for health However, weight control is part of this equation.
Although many people are interested in weight loss to How many calories do you need? Every individ-
look better, weight control is also an intrinsic part of ual is different, and caloric needs differ depending on
good health. The obesity epidemic in the United States many factors, including age, activity level, and metab-
has brought significant health problems. With that olism. Most women need 1,600 to 2,000 calories per
in mind, here are some tools to help you incorporate day to maintain their weight, while most men require
weight control into your plan. 2,000 to 2,400 calories per day. If you are particularly
active, you may need more calories. If you are inac-
Pay attention to calories tive or need to lose weight to improve your health, you
When it comes to controlling weight, choosing health- may choose to eat less by changing your habits. How-
ful foods is just part of the challenge. While most fresh ever, you should never go too low; consuming too few
vegetables and fruits are so low in calories that they calories can lead to nutrient deficiencies and fatigue.
can be eaten without much concern for weight gain, To get enough nutrients, women should consume at
other healthy foods—including nuts, seeds, healthy least 1,200 calories a day and men 1,500, unless diet-
oils, low-fat cheese, whole-grain bread, pasta, rice, ing under the supervision of a health professional.
and avocados—have enough calories to pose a risk of Counting calories is challenging, so it may be helpful
weight gain if eaten without restraint. to focus on the types of foods you eat and the size of
Many of us are eating too much: the USDA esti- the portions (see Table 1, page 12). Learning to pay
mates that Americans consume an average of 200 attention to your body’s internal cues is also impor-
Figure 2: Measuring your waist
Center of the armpit

Midaxillary
line
Tape measure
Ilium High point of ilium

at midaxillary line
To get an accurate measurement of your waistline, measure at the

level of the navel—not at the narrowest part of the torso—and
always measure in the same place. The bottom of the tape measure
should be level with the top of the right hip bone (ilium). Don’t suck
in your gut or pull the tape tight enough to compress the area.
tant. Do you eat when you’re hungry or just bored? creep up (an increase of 5 pounds is a red flag), take
Do you tend to stop as soon as you’re satiated, or keep steps to avoid additional weight gain, or lose some
eating until you’re stuffed? weight by choosing healthful low-calorie foods like
fruits and vegetables, reducing portion sizes, and
Size up your waist avoiding eating when you’re not hungry. Remember
Waist circumference can be an important indicator of that drinks are a major source of calories. Nondiet
health. Excess visceral fat (which collects in the abdo- sodas, juice-flavored drinks, sweetened coffee drinks,
men around your organs) raises your risk of chronic and alcoholic beverages (especially mixed drinks) all
diseases including heart disease. How much belly fat is are loaded with sugar and calories that can contribute
too much? In general, a measurement of 35 inches or to weight gain.
more (for women) or 40 inches or more (for men) is
considered a sign of excess visceral fat, although those Keep physically active
guidelines might not apply if your overall frame is large. Combining a healthful diet with regular physical
Measuring your waistline is especially important activity will help keep you resilient and healthy. Regu-
as you age; older adults may gain abdominal fat with- lar exercise is a proven treatment for high blood pres-
out putting on a lot of weight, because they’re also sure, and moderate-intensity training (such as brisk
losing muscle mass. Rather than focus on a single walking, yard work, doubles tennis, or active house-
reading or absolute cut-off, keep an eye on whether work) seems to be at least as good for blood pressure
your waist is growing over time (are your pants getting as high-intensity exercises like running. In addition,
snug at the waist?). That should give you a good idea exercise can help you prevent or manage type 2 dia-
of whether you’re gaining unhealthy visceral fat. See betes. Physical activity lowers your blood sugar lev-
Figure 2, page 7, for an illustration of how to measure els, because muscles need the glucose in the blood for
your waist correctly. fuel. It also trains muscles to respond better to insulin,
the hormone that signals the body to take in glucose
Know your BMI from the blood.
Body mass index (BMI) is a widely used method of For general health and to prevent many diseases,
defining a healthy weight based on height. BMI is experts recommend at least two-and-a-half hours a
not a perfect measure, since it doesn’t tell you how week of moderate-intensity activity. You can break
much of your weight is fat, but using waist size and this up into chunks as brief as 10 minutes. Or, if you
BMI together can help most people gauge whether choose to do more intensive, vigorous activity such as
they need to work on reducing weight. To find your running, aim for sessions that total one hour and 15
BMI, use a Web-based calculator like the one at minutes per week. You can obtain even greater health
www.health.harvard.edu/bmi. benefits with more activity.
The BMI range associated with the lowest rate of To whittle your middle and build muscle, add
illness and death is 19 to 24 in men and 18 to 24 in some strength training to your routine and curb cal-
women; people with BMIs in this healthy range are orie consumption. At midlife, you may find that you
considered to be of normal weight. People with BMIs have to eat less and exercise more just to stay in the
of 25 to 29 are considered overweight, and those with same shape. Regular strength training sessions—aim
BMIs of 30 or higher are considered obese, mean- for at least two per week—can help you maintain
ing their weight is 35% to 40% above normal. Higher muscle mass, stamina, and healthy bones as you age.
BMIs are associated with progressively higher rates of Research suggests that strength training can also
illness and death. reduce age-related fat accumulation and physical
If you’re at a healthy BMI now and your waist size decline. Add stretching a couple of days a week to pro-
is fine, keep close tabs on your weight. If it starts to mote flexibility.
1
WEEK
Getting started on the six-week plan
P erhaps in the past, you started with the best inten-

tions to eat right but got derailed. Maybe you
couldn’t resist a sweet, high-calorie snack in the after-
calories in one sitting instead of spreading them out
throughout the day? Do you skip breakfast, and then
ambush the vending machine at 11 a.m.? Do your eat-
noon, or you turned to processed foods for dinner ing habits change on weekends? Are you eating out
too often because it was easy. To turn intentions into more often than you think? Do you tend to munch
actions, you must anticipate these obstacles. In this mindlessly on chips or pretzels when you watch TV?
first week of your six-week healthy eating journey, You may not be aware how many unhealthful, high-
you’ll work on developing awareness of what you’re calorie foods you are consuming at odd moments if
consuming, assessing the dietary changes you need to you don’t track your habits with a diary. Seeing it all
make, and setting goals for yourself. recorded in one place can help you take responsibility
for changing your behavior.
If you’re trying to lose weight, consider this: a study
Creating your food diary of 1,685 participants in the Weight Loss Maintenance
Your first step is to create a food diary. It’s one of the Trial at Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Ore., showed
most effective tools to help you analyze your current that dieters who kept a food diary more than five days
eating patterns and develop a more healthful plan for a week lost almost twice as much weight in a six-month
the future. period as those who didn’t. A diary can also help you
become accountable in several other ways: you can
How a food diary can help include your daily exercise in your diary and also moni-
One of the reasons change is difficult is that habits tor your mealtime moods to see if emotions are push-
are ingrained—you don’t even think about them. To ing you to overeat or consume the wrong foods.
make change happen, you have to become aware of
your behavior. A food diary will put your eating habits
Be tech-savvy
down in black and white. It will help you see where
your calories and other nutrients are coming from—
and discover your areas of strength and weakness. M any people use pen and paper to fill out their food
diaries or to track their exercise routines, but technol-
ogy can help keep you organized and keep you on track,
Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables? Not too. Saving your food diary as a file on a Web-based note-
enough fiber? Are you eating the same meals day after taking program like Evernote allows you to access it from
day? Eating too many sugary desserts or processed any computer or smartphone, making it easier to keep
foods? Reaching for a sweetened soda when you could information handy and updated. Food diary and exercise
tracking websites—such as www.MyFitnessPal.com and
have water? Find out by putting pen to paper, or using
www.supertracker.usda.gov — will do the same.
a computer file or app to track food (see “Be tech- You can explore the multitude of health apps that are freely
savvy,” at right). A food diary forces you to write down available for smartphones and tablet computers, such as calorie
and really think about your food selections. It also counters, cooking guides, and shopping guides (a few we like
reveals sneaky sources of unhealthy calories. After all, are Fooducate, Shopwell, and Runkeeper). The American
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics regularly reviews nutrition
if you don’t keep track of what you eat, it’s easy to for- apps at www.foodandnutrition.org. Keep in mind that not
get that cheese-filled croissant you snacked on earlier. all apps will be useful, and they can’t always be customized to
A food diary can also help you pinpoint prob- meet your needs as well as your own notebook can.
lematic eating patterns. Are you getting most of your
Here’s an example
of how to
10
fill out a food
diary
SAMPLE FOOD DIARY
TIME PLACE WITH WHOM ACTIVITY MOOD HUNGER AMOUNT FOOD FRUITS FULLNESS FILLED OUT
(record start and (kitchen, (alone, or with (reading, (neutral, (rate from 0–5, OR VEGE (after eating: JUST BEFORE
end time of meal living room, family, friends, watching happy, tense, 0=no hunger, TABLES 1=still hungry OR AFTER
or snack) bedroom, car, colleagues) TV, talking, depressed, 5=starving) 2=quite satisfied EATING?
angry, bored, (number of
desk at work) cooking) servings) 3=uncomfortable)
rushed, tired) (X=yes)
8:30–8:45 a.m. Kitchen Alone Watching Rushed 4 Shredded 2 X

TV 1.5 cups wheat cereal
1 cup Skim milk X
1 medium Banana 1 X
2 teaspoons Sugar X
10:00–10:10 a.m. Car Alone Driving Happy 3 1 medium Apple 1 2
11:00–11:05 a.m. Car Alone Driving Rushed 2 1 Granola bar 2
The Harvard Medical School 6-Week Plan for Healthy Eating

1:30–2:00 p.m. Work Colleagues Talking Happy 5 2 large Cheese pizza 3 X
slices
1 large Chocolate X
chip cookie
6:00–6:10 p.m. Kitchen Alone Cooking Tired 5 2 pieces Low-fat 1

string cheese
6:30–7:05 p.m. Kitchen Husband Talking Tired 4 6 ounces Baked chicken 2 X
1 cup Brown rice X
1 cup Broccoli 1 X
2 glasses Iced tea X
9:30–9:45 p.m. Bed Alone Watching Tired 2 1 cup Frozen yogurt 3

TV
TOTAL :
w w w.h ealt h .ha r va r d.e du

3
YOUR FOOD DIARY Print three copies of this page and track your eating patterns for three days. Date: ______________
TIME PLACE WITH WHOM ACTIVITY MOOD HUNGER AMOUNT FOOD FRUITS FULLNESS FILLED OUT
(record start and (kitchen, (alone, or with (reading, (neutral, (rate from 0–5, OR VEGE (after eating: JUST BEFORE
end time of meal or living room, family, friends, watching happy, tense, 0=no hunger, TABLES 1=still hungry OR AFTER
snack) bedroom, car, colleagues) TV, talking, depressed, 5=starving) 2=quite satisfied EATING?
(number of
desk at work) cooking) angry, bored, 3=uncomfortable)
servings) (X=yes)
rushed, tired)
ww w. h ealt h . h ar v ar d . e du
TOTAL :
11
Armed with information from your diary, you can or, if you use a mobile device, there are applications for
determine your own personal policies for healthy eat- the same purpose (see “Be tech-savvy,” page 9).
ing and weight control, rather than looking in panic to To begin, keep your food diary for two week-
some arbitrary “diet” every time you feel you’re steer- days and one weekend day. That’s all you need to
ing off course. If you lapse from your intentions, simply get the big picture. Before you get started, though, if
return to your tried-and-true personal plan of smart you intend to use pen and paper rather than an elec-
eating and exercise. (For more on developing your own tronic program, make several copies of the blank
food rules, see “Week 6: Keep it going,” page 39.) food diary on page 11 or print out copies from
www.health.harvard.edu/Diary. In the weeks to come,
Diary dos and don’ts you’ll be asked to record what you eat again. There’s
The sample food diary on page 10 shows one way to nothing like a before-and-after food diary to help you
record a detailed breakdown of your diet. You can also see how far you’ve come on your journey to eating
find online food sites that enable you to keep a diary, more healthfully and changing habits.
Table 1: What’s a serving?

Portion sizes in restaurant meals, take-out foods, cookbooks, and packaged snacks have increased over the years, sometimes even doubling.
A typical movie-theater soda, for example, once about 7 ounces, can now be “supersized” to 32 or 42 ounces. A typical bagel, once 2 to 3
ounces, now weighs 4 to 7 ounces, with the caloric equivalent of five or six slices of bread. This chart will help you downsize your servings so
you can maintain a healthy weight. When reading a Nutrition Facts label, look at the serving size as well as the calories to be sure you know
how many servings (and calories) you’re eating.
FOOD GROUP EXAMPLES OF ONE SERVING SERVING SIZE EQUIVALENT
Whole grains 1 slice whole-grain bread 1 compact disc case

½ cup cooked brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, or other ½ baseball
whole-grain product
½ whole-grain English muffin ½ hockey puck
¼ whole-wheat bagel ¼ hockey puck
Vegetables 1 cup raw leafy greens 1 fist
½ cup (cooked or raw) chopped, nonleafy vegetables 1 rounded handful
½ cup (4 ounces) vegetable juice 1 small juice glass
1 small sweet potato 1 computer mouse
Fruits ½ cup (sliced or diced) fruit, fresh, frozen, or canned 1 rounded handful
1 small apple, orange, or peach 1 baseball
Dairy 1½ ounces hard cheese 4 dice
2 ounces processed cheese 6 dice
¾ cup (6 ounces) low-fat milk single-serving container of yogurt
Meats, fish, 4 ounces fish 1 checkbook
and beans
4 ounces meat or poultry 1 deck of cards
½ cup cooked dried beans ½ a baseball
½ ounce nuts or seeds 1 walnut in shell
1 tablespoon peanut butter ½ walnut in shell
Fats and oils 1 teaspoon butter or margarine tip of thumb
1 tablespoon oil about ½ shot glass
Here are some tips for record-keeping success. begin to “eyeball” servings more accurately and skip
Don’t wait to write. To get the most accurate the actual measuring.
information about what and how much you consume, Don’t sweat your mistakes. Did you overeat after
jot down what you’ve eaten as soon as you eat it. If you a difficult day at work? You may be tempted to for-
wait until the end of the day, you are likely to forget get about it and not record it, but do it anyway—food
some of the things you ate earlier. If you don’t have records can help you regain a sense of control. A “bad”
your journal page with you, make notes on your cell- day can actually give you important information to
phone, tablet computer, pocket calendar, or memo help you understand why you did or didn’t achieve
pad and record them in your food diary later. Strive your goals. Think long-term. One day is not going to
to write down every mouthful of food—even tastes, make or break anything.
snacks, and sips—within 15 minutes of consuming it. Don’t count calories (yet). Right now we’re focus-
Do get the details. Record relevant details, ing on food choices, not calories. Is the pasta white
including the time of your meal or snack, where you or whole-wheat? Is the meat lean or fatty? Is it butter,
ate (such as at a restaurant, at your kitchen table, or margarine, or olive oil on your bread? These are the
in the car), whether you were doing something else things that make a difference to your heart, brain, and
while you were eating such as watching TV or reading overall health.
email, and the type of food you consumed—whether, Do keep it private. Your food diary is for your
for example, it was a meal from scratch or fast food own self-discovery. No one else has to see it or judge
you picked up on the go. These added data will help it. The more honest and accurate you are about your
reveal patterns. food intake and exercise habits, the more enlightened
Do record portion sizes. Record the specific you will become in the next several weeks and beyond.
amounts of each food you eat—for example, 1 cup of Do keep track of exercise, too. A food diary is
orange juice or 3 ounces of chicken. (For help in deter- even more helpful if you also track your exercise. You
mining portion sizes, see Table 1, page 12.) Measure can use a simple chart like the one below or an app
portion sizes with standard measuring utensils and a such as MyFitnessPal or LoseIt. Give yourself credit
kitchen scale. This not only helps you track your food for everyday activities, too, such as taking the stairs
consumption but will also make you familiar with at work and walking the dog. You’ll begin to see how
standard serving sizes. You’ll probably be surprised exercise and eating are linked, which is helpful espe-
by what a 3-ounce serving of chicken or a half-cup cially if you’re trying to lose weight. A good pedom-
of pasta looks like on your plate. Over time, you can eter can help you track your distance. Your cellphone
Your exercise diary

DATE TIME EXERCISE TYPE DURATION OR DISTANCE INTENSITY OR SPEED NOTES
or a small, wearable fitness tracker like FitBit, Jaw- ported agriculture (CSA) program, which will provide
bone, or Nike Fuel Band can give you a sense of how a regular supply of seasonal, locally grown produce
much you’re moving throughout the day, not just at and an incentive to eat more healthfully.
specific exercise sessions. Don’t shop on an empty stomach. We all know
what happens when you go to the grocery store when
your stomach is rumbling! Everything looks good,
Shopping wisely especially those quick, easy-to-eat snacks. If you’re
With thousands of foods and food products in the hungry, have a healthful snack or meal before shop-
supermarket, how do you know what to buy? Here are ping. You’ll be less tempted to buy impulse items.
some general guidelines. For a list of specific foods, Get organized. Plan a week’s worth of menus at a
see “Healthy food shopping ideas,” page 18. time, and do your grocery shopping on the same day
Start at the perimeter of the grocery store. of each week. Before going to the market, make a list
That’s where you’ll find the most healthful, freshest, of foods you need. A simple routine eliminates the
least-processed options. Concentrate on filling your need for midweek trips to the store, which may tempt
basket with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat you to buy food that’s not on your list.
dairy, and lean protein. After you’ve shopped the Become a comparison shopper. Decide what’s
outer aisles of the store, use your list to navigate the most important to you when selecting foods, whether
rest of the aisles, trying as much as possible to avoid it’s sodium, fiber, sugar, calories, or fat, and then zero
the temptations lurking among the snack cakes, chips, in on that nutrient by reading labels. You probably
sodas, and other packaged and processed foods. When won’t find the perfect food, but you will surely make
you do buy packaged foods, look for those with a short better decisions by comparing labels. If you’re try-
ingredient list containing real foods rather than loads ing to lose weight, pay particular attention to calories
of chemicals. and the serving size listed. Ignore the calories from
Stop by a farmers’ market. Picking up fresh sea- total fat, though. A calorie is a calorie. (But avoid
sonal produce at a farmers’ market or produce stand, foods with trans fats, and limit foods whose fat comes
if there’s one available to you, is a great way to ensure mostly from saturated fat.)
that you eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables rather
than processed foods. In warmer months, consider
purchasing a farm share through a community-sup- Becoming label-savvy
Most of the truly healthful foods like fruits and veg-
etables don’t have nutrition labels on them. Packaged
foods, on the other hand, do, and reading the label is
your best guide to choosing the best options. How can
you tell whether one breakfast cereal, for example, is
better than another? Compare them by checking the
Nutrition Facts panel (see page 15). Here’s a step-by-
step approach to interpreting its lingo.
STEP 1: Check the serving size and servings per
container. Serving size is always the first item on the
label. All other information is based on that serving
size. In our example, you can see that the serving size
Thinkstock
is 1 cup. The 250 calories listed on the label refer to

Farmers’ markets are a great place to find locally grown, seasonal each 1-cup serving, not the entire package. The serv-
produce. In warmer months, you can buy a farm share through a ings per container tell you how many portions are in
community-supported agriculture program. the whole box, package, or can. In this example, there
are two servings per container, or 2 STEP 4: Look at the fiber content
cups total. When comparing products,
Nutrition Facts of the food you’re choosing. Any food
Serving Size 1 cup (228g)
Servings Per Container 2
make sure they have the same serving with more than 5 grams of fiber per
Amount Per Serving
size for an accurate comparison. Most Calories 250 Calories from Fat 110 serving is a good choice for fiber. Aim
% Daily Value
of the time a package will have more Total Fat 12g 18% for 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day in
than one serving in it. If you choose to Saturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
total.
eat more than the serving size listed, Cholesterol 0g 0% STEP 5: Compare the sodium con-
Sodium 250mg 20%
you’ll be taking in more calories, car- Total Carbohydrate 31g 10% tent to the calories per serving. You’ll
bohydrates, and other nutrients. Multi- Dietary Fiber 5g
Sugars 5g
want to keep sodium as low as possible.
ply all of the data by the servings per Protein 5g A rule of thumb: choose items in which
container to get the total amounts for Vitamin A 4% the sodium content is less than or equal
Vitamin C 2%
the container. Calcium 20% to the calories per serving. For a food
STEP 2: Check the saturated fat Iron 4%
*Percent Daily Values aer based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
with 250 calories per serving, look for
and trans fat content of the food. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on
your calorie needs. a sodium content of no more than 250
Calories 2,000 2,500
For a general healthful diet, look for Total Fat
Sat Fat
Less than
Less than
65g
20g
80g
25g
milligrams. Also look for low-sodium,
foods that have 0 grams of trans fat and Cholesterol
Sodium
Less than
Less than
300mg
2,400mg
300mg
2,400mg low-salt, or unsalted versions.
Total Carbohydrate 300g 376g
are lowest in saturated fat. Trans fats Dietary Fiber 25g 30g STEP 6: Decipher the percent
will be phased out of processed foods Daily Value. Located on the Nutri-
by 2018. In the meantime, avoid foods that have the tion Facts label, the percent Daily Value indicates the
words “partially hydrogenated oil” in the ingredient level of a nutrient found in a serving of food in rela-
list, since these indicate trans fats. tion to the approximate amount of that nutrient you
STEP 3: Look at the sugar content of the food need each day. It’s based on someone who eats exactly
you’re considering. Steer clear of foods that have sugar, 2,000 calories a day. It’s a useful tool to compare the
honey, molasses, corn syrup, corn sugar, fructose, or nutritional value of two items quickly (assuming the
high-fructose corn syrup among the first five ingredi- serving size is the same). As a general rule, when the
ents. Other sugar aliases to watch for include agave nec- percent Daily Value of a particular nutrient is around
tar, brown sugar, cane sugar, corn sweetener, dextrose, 20% or more, that’s considered high. You want to look
maltose, fruit juice concentrate, and glucose (see “The for higher values for fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but
scoop on ‘natural’ sweeteners,” below). The FDA is pro- low values for sodium and saturated fat.
posing new labels that will indicate how much added
sugar a food has. That would help you distinguish the
natural sugars in fruits, vegetables, and dairy from sug- Making a clean start
ars that have been added as sweeteners. Until then, the How can you stick to your new healthy eating plan
best way to find them is to check the ingredient list. when your cupboards are full of chips, cookies, or
candy? While you’re stock-
ing up on healthful foods,
The scoop on “natural” sweeteners get rid of stuff that’s not so
Is a “natural” form of added sugar better for you? Many foods tout sweeteners like agave healthy. Your environment
nectar, honey, fruit juice concentrate, or brown rice sugar in their ingredient lists in order can influence what you eat,
to appear healthier. Agave nectar in particular has gotten attention for having a lower gly- and the mere sight of food
cemic index than sugar, meaning that it raises your blood sugar more slowly. But the truth
is that all added sweeteners should be limited in your diet. Research does not support the
can stimulate your appetite.
idea that natural sweeteners are healthy or better for you. A 2015 study, for instance, had Some of these foods may be
participants consume either sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, or honey each day for two on hand for your children
weeks, and found no difference in the way the sweeteners affected their health. or other family members,
and filling your shelves with
After three days of tracking your eating (two weekdays
What’s important on a label? and one weekend day would be helpful), take stock of
Vitamin or mineral content is less important as a basis for which fruits and vegetables you consumed and how
buying a product than whether everything else adds up many you ate in relation to your goal. Ideally, in three
to a healthy choice. Calcium, iron, vitamin C, and vitamin
days, you should have about nine servings of fruit
A amounts are always on the Nutrition Facts panel, so
the fact that they’re listed doesn’t necessarily mean the and about 12 servings of vegetables. How did you do?
foods are good sources of these nutrients. The amounts Where do you need to improve? Write your answers
are nice to know, but you generally get sufficient vita- here:
mins and minerals when you eat a varied diet that
___________________________________________
includes healthful foods like fruits and vegetables. The
more important information on a Nutrition Facts label is ___________________________________________
serving size, servings per package, calories, saturated fat, ___________________________________________
sodium, fiber, and the type and amount of carbohydrate. ___________________________________________
___________________________________________
healthier options will benefit them, too. Cooking from scratch. There is no better way to
Remove or phase out these unhealthy foods from rein in excess sodium, calories, unhealthy fats, and
your pantry: added sugar than to prepare your meals at home using
• bacon and cold cuts • fruit roll-ups whole, unprocessed ingredients. According to your
that are high in fat or • full-fat cheese food diary, how often did you eat out? How many pro-
sodium • granola bars with cessed foods did you consume? In those three days,
• candy added sugars how many times did you cook from scratch? Write
• jam-filled cereal bars • ice cream your answers here:
• chicken nuggets • muffins ___________________________________________
• chips • popsicles ___________________________________________
• cookies • snack cakes ___________________________________________
• crackers (other than • soda ___________________________________________
whole-wheat, low-salt) • toaster tarts ___________________________________________
• doughnuts • white bread
• French fries • whole milk. Eating habits. Most of us could benefit from
slowing down and devoting our attention to eating.
When we multitask with food or eat quickly, we can
Setting goals consume more food (and therefore more calories)
In this first week, it’s important to have a clear idea without realizing it and sacrifice a feeling of satisfac-
of your goals for the coming weeks. Your task at tion. How many times did you eat while also doing
the moment is to use your food diary to determine something else? How much time did you spend eating
which aspects of your food intake need improve- at each meal? Write your answers here:
ment. Whether you’re aiming to cook at home more, ___________________________________________
eat fewer processed foods, or consume less sodium, ___________________________________________
setting personal goals is an important part of your ___________________________________________
healthy eating plan. They give you something mean- ___________________________________________
ingful to strive for and a standard by which you can ___________________________________________
judge your success. Only you can identify your own
goals, but here are some starting points. Take a look at your answers and establish general
Fruits and vegetables. Let’s face it: eating enough goals based on your current habits. To set goals suc-
fruits and vegetables is a challenge for most of us. cessfully, keep the following guidelines in mind.
GET ACTIVE
Fitness and a healthy eating plan go hand in total of 150 minutes or more of moderate aerobic activity,
hand. Increasing your activity level will comple- or 75 minutes or more of vigorous activity, or an equivalent
ment all the work you’re doing to improve your mix of the two. Keep these tips in mind:
eating habits. A 2012 study of more than 600,000 adults of • Ten minutes of vigorous activity equals approximately
all ages found that leisure-time physical activity was asso- 20 minutes of moderate activity.
ciated with longer life expectancy across a range of activity • Sessions of activity should last at least 10 minutes.
levels and BMI groups.
• Twice-weekly strength training sessions for all major
According to the CDC, the perceived lack of time to exercise muscle groups are also recommended.
is among the top excuses we use to keep from being active.
• Balance exercises are advised, too, particularly for older
In part, that happens because our society often portrays
adults at risk of falling.
exercise as something that requires a gym membership
and hours of free time. But that’s simply not the case. To fit In your day-to-day life, take a broad view of exercise: any
physical activity into your routine, schedule it on your calen- amount of activity beats none. Even short stints of move-
dar just like you would a business meeting, even if it’s just ment are a good first step toward meeting a bigger goal.
in 10-minute slots, such as daily walking breaks. Once you A separate but important goal is to limit the amount of time
invest time in daily activity, the feeling of well-being that you are sedentary. Studies suggest that spending too much
exercise yields will encourage you to make dietary changes, time sitting poses a risk to health. If you sit all day at work,
too, so that you can feel even better. take frequent breaks to stand and stretch. Straighten up the
How much exercise should you do? The Physical Activ- living room while you watch TV instead of sitting, march
ity Guidelines for Americans from the U.S. Department of in place during commercials, take the stairs instead of the
Health and Human Services urge all adults—including escalator when you can, or stand or walk for part of your
people with various disabilities—to accumulate a weekly commute instead of sitting in a train, bus, or car.
Start small Keep goals specific

Aim to make just three or four small changes in the Specific, short-term, behavioral goals are more moti-
weeks to follow (one or two goals per week) rather vating and easier to measure than general, long-term,
than trying to radically overhaul your eating habits at end-result goals. Instead of “I want to lose 10 pounds
once. A gradual approach sets you up for success by by my birthday,” for example, a specific, behavior-
avoiding excessive pressure or stress that can derail driven goal would be “I’ll have a salad for lunch each
you. Even though you’re setting mini goals, you can day.” Instead of “I’ll stop snacking,” make it your goal
often get lots of mileage out of them. By eating out less to set out a tangerine or some other fruit for your
often or consuming fewer processed foods, for exam- afternoon snack. Behavior-driven goals are easier to
ple, you’ll most likely reduce the number of calories achieve because they focus on one step toward a result
you’re taking in, slash your intake of saturated fat, and that can take months to accomplish.
lower your sodium. Based on your food diary, what specific goals
would you like to set? List three goals for changes you
Be realistic will make in your diet in the coming six weeks. State
Start from where you are now and try to improve. If, your goals as “I will ….” It’s a more powerful proclama-
according to your food diary, for example, you ate lunch tion than “I want to …” or “I’d like to ….”
out five times in five days, a good goal to set for your- Goal 1. ______________________________________
self would be to cut back to three restaurant or take-out ___________________________________________
lunches and bring your lunch to work two days. Once Goal 2. ______________________________________
you get used to that change, you can add even more ___________________________________________
days to your bring-lunch-from-home routine, so that Goal 3. ______________________________________
eating lunch out eventually becomes the exception. __________________________________________
Healthy food shopping ideas
To help you make healthy eating a priority, you’ll need to be organized. Plan your menu for the week and take this
general list to the store for ideas on what to buy. Having it with you will help you make healthier choices, stock your
pantry with the right foods, and prevent impulse buying.
Fruit: Aim for two to three fruits each day. Buy at least two Meat: Try to limit red meat to no more than one to two
different fruits each week. servings per week. Avoid cured and processed meats like ham,
• apples • grapes • peaches hot dogs, and many lunch meats, and choose lean cuts of
• bananas • kiwi • pears uncured meats instead.
• blueberries • melons • strawberries • lean beef: top round, flank, rump roast
• grapefruit • oranges • pork: tenderloin
Grains: Choose a whole-grain variety whenever possible. Dairy: Use small to moderate amounts of nonfat or low-fat
• bread (whole-grain; the first ingredient should list the dairy—mostly as a topping or in a side dish.
word “whole”) • cheese (low-fat, part skim, • milk (nonfat or skim)
• cereal (choose cereals with 5 grams or more of fiber and 1% cottage cheese) • yogurt (low-fat or
fewer than 5 grams of sugar per serving) • eggs nonfat, plain)
• flour (whole-wheat; may be white or brown in color)
Beverages: Beverages may not be as satiating as solid food
• oatmeal (old-fashioned rolled oats or steel-cut oats)
and can contribute to weight gain. In general, stick with drinks
• pasta or noodles (whole-wheat) that are low in calories and have no added sugar. Fruit juice has
• rice (brown), quinoa, or farro as many calories from sugar as soda, so keep servings small.
• tortillas (whole-grain) • bottled water • seltzer • tomato or veg-
• coffee • tea etable juice
Vegetables: Eat at least 3 to 4 cups of vegetables each day.
• fruit juices (low-sodium)
Variety can make food more interesting and delicious. Buy at
least two different vegetables each week. Oils
• asparagus • green beans • ready-to-eat • canola oil • peanut oil • sesame oil
• beets • greens: chard, veggie snacks: • olive oil • safflower oil
• bok choy collards, kale, carrots, celery,
radishes Spices and other seasonings
• broccoli leeks, rabe
• balsamic vinegar • dill • pepper
• Brussels sprouts • lettuce: bibb, red, • spinach • basil • garlic • peppercorns
• cabbage romaine • squash: acorn,
(fresh or dried) • ginger • poultry seasoning
• carrots • mushrooms butternut, yellow, • bay leaves • mint leaves • rosemary
• cauliflower • onions, shallots zucchini • chives • oregano • salsa
• celery • peas, pea pods • sweet potatoes • cinnamon • parsley • thyme
• peppers: green, or yams • curry powder (fresh or dried) (fresh or dried)
• cucumber
red, yellow • tomatoes
• eggplant
Frozen foods
Nuts and seeds: Eat small amounts of unsalted nuts and • egg substitutes • veggie burgers
seeds as snacks or sprinkle them on top of salads or casseroles. • fruit, such as berries • whole-grain waffles
• almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, • vegetables (no added sauces)
pistachios, walnuts Canned goods
• peanut butter, almond butter • beans (low-sodium, or rinse • tomatoes, tomato paste,
• pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds to reduce sodium) tomato sauce (no added
Fish and poultry: Choose fish or poultry daily. Canned fish • broths (low-sodium, low-fat) salt)
• evaporated skim milk • vegetables (bamboo shoots,
and poultry tend to be high in sodium unless you choose
low-sodium products or rinse the salt away before eating. • spaghetti or pasta sauce beets, mushrooms, roasted
• canned fish (low-sodium): salmon, sardines, tuna (low-sodium with less than red peppers, water chest-
• chicken (skinless or remove skin) 5 grams of sugar) nuts; rinse to reduce sodium)
• fresh fish: cod, haddock, halibut, salmon, scrod, tuna Staples
• shellfish: crab, mussels, oysters, shrimp • mustard • tub margarine • vinegar
• turkey (skinless) (no trans fat)
2
WEEK
Boost your health at breakfast
B reakfast will be your focus for this week. We’ll

tackle lunch, dinner, and snacks in the coming
weeks. Many people skip breakfast because they are
tein, such as an egg, low-fat cottage cheese, plain non-
fat or low-fat yogurt (especially the Greek kind, which
is higher in protein), or nuts; one-third starch, such as
in a rush, aren’t hungry, or are trying to cut calories. whole-grain bread or oatmeal; and one-third fruit (see
That’s a mistake, because eating a healthful breakfast Figure 4, below). Notice that bacon, sausage, or other
has benefits. Eating a small, nutritious breakfast is a cured and processed breakfast meats are nowhere in
great way to jump-start the day. sight. That’s because these meats are high in sodium
Healthful breakfast foods can provide a great and saturated fat, a known artery clogger. In addition,
source of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. What’s science has linked cured or processed meats to an
more, studies suggest that eating breakfast regularly increased risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and
may reduce the risk of high cholesterol, decrease insu- colorectal cancer, and a daily serving of these kinds of
lin resistance (a condition that increases the risk of meats to a 20% higher risk of death.
type 2 diabetes and heart disease), improve your per- If you’re not a “breakfast person,” it’s fine to
formance on memory-related tasks, minimize impulse keep portions small, but try to include all three food
snacking and overeating at other meals, and boost groups, especially protein, which can create a feeling
your intake of essential nutrients. of fullness and prevent carbohydrate cravings. Try
Keep your breakfast moderate in size, though— a tablespoon of natural peanut butter on a slice of
roughly 300 to 400 calories—and avoid popular
breakfast foods like pancakes, bacon, and sausage that
have high amounts of saturated fat or added sugars. A Figure 4: The healthy breakfast plate
study published in Nutrition Journal found that people
who ate a large breakfast ended up eating more total
calories at the end of the day. In particular, bread,
eggs, sausage, cheese, yogurt, and butter were among
the items that contributed to the high calorie count.
As with other meals, focus on produce and whole
grains. Minimize the amounts of full-fat dairy prod-
ucts, breakfast potatoes, and meats, and prepare eggs
without a lot of extra calories (boiling or poaching is a
great alternative to frying).
The healthy breakfast plate

To create a healthy, balanced breakfast, include three
food groups: lean protein, whole-grain carbohydrates,
Fill one-third of your plate with lean protein such as a hard-boiled
and fruit. Because most people are in the habit of eat- egg or nonfat or low-fat yogurt, one-third with whole grain such as
ing vegetables later in the day, the proportions here whole-wheat toast, and one-third with fruit. What if you like cereal
look different than the overall Healthy Eating Plate. for breakfast? Have 1 cup whole-grain cereal or ½ cup oatmeal
Think of a healthy breakfast in thirds: one-third pro- with fruit and a scoop of nonfat or low-fat yogurt on the side.
Comparing your own habits to the healthful ones
quick tip | Skip the individual instant oatmeal we discussed, do you see a breakfast goal to aim for?
packets, which can be loaded with sugar. You can What do you have to do to achieve it? Do you want
prepare ordinary oatmeal in the microwave in two min- to switch to a cereal with less sugar? Do you want to
utes. Just mix ¹∕³ cup of oatmeal with ¹∕³ cup of skim eat at home instead of grabbing a high-calorie muffin
milk and heat on high for two minutes. Slice a small
at the coffee shop? Do you want to cut back on bacon
banana or other fruit on top and sprinkle with cin-
and sausage and strive to eat more fruit?
namon. You can also prepare a large batch of slower-
cooking steel-cut oats on the weekend and reheat the
Be as specific and as realistic as possible when set-
leftovers during the week. ting your breakfast goal and planning how to accom-
plish it. And be sure to troubleshoot. If your goal, for
example, is to eat breakfast before leaving for work in
whole-wheat toast with a piece of fruit. If you don’t the morning, think about the practical changes you
like breakfast foods, you could eat a small amount of would need to make to succeed. Will the extra time it
leftovers from the night before. takes to eat at home make you late for work? If so, can
you get up 15 minutes earlier or shave the time from
another part of your routine?
Setting goals for breakfast success In any case, make sure to have quick, healthful
In addition to the three overall goals you set for your- foods on hand that don’t require much preparation,
self in Week 1, your task for this week is to create and such as low-fat cottage cheese, nonfat plain yogurt,
pursue a goal relating to your breakfast choices. Use whole-grain bread or cereal, fresh fruit, and nuts. Buy
your food diary to evaluate your breakfast routine, if fruits like pineapples and melons pre-cut, or prepare
you have one. During the three days you kept your them the night before so they’re ready to eat.
food diary, what did you eat for breakfast? Did your For my breakfast goal this week, I will …
breakfasts already follow the basic formula (one-third Example: I will get up 15 minutes earlier so I have
healthy carbohydrate, one-third lean protein, one- time to eat before I leave for work.
third fruit)? Are you missing any food groups? Is there ___________________________________________
a general pattern to your breakfast routine? Write your ___________________________________________
answers here: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
___________________________________________ ___________________________________________
Choosing a breakfast cereal

With the hundreds of types of cereal on the market, bran cereal,
bran flakes, and steel-cut oatmeal are typically the healthiest bets.
To choose the healthiest breakfast cereal, check the label for
• 5 grams or more of fiber per serving
• less than 300 mg of sodium per serving
• less than 5 grams of sugar per serving
• whole grain as the first item on the ingredient list.
Thinkstock
Serving sizes for cereal can vary widely, though 1 cup is common.
Make sure to choose low-fat or nonfat milk.
English muffin + ⅓ cup low-fat cottage cheese +
Your healthful breakfast shopping list ¾ cup pineapple
A list of healthful foods can help keep you on track while • one whole-grain waffle + ½ cup low-fat milk + ½
food shopping. Use this list to give yourself a morning cup berries.
advantage. Stocking your kitchen with healthful options
will help you avoid making unhealthful choices.
• bananas • peanut butter (natural)
For a lighter breakfast, try these suggestions:
• berries (fresh or frozen) • pineapple
• one serving whole-grain crackers + 1 ounce low-fat
cheese + ¾ cup grapes
• cheese (low-fat) • vegetable juice
(low-sodium) • ¼ cup nuts + one orange or small glass of low-
• cinnamon
• whole-grain bread sodium vegetable juice
• eggs
(such as oatmeal or • one small apple or banana + 1 tablespoon peanut
• English muffins
(100% whole-wheat)
wheat) butter
• grapes
• whole-grain cereal • one hard-boiled egg + ½ cup baby carrots +
• melon
• whole-grain crackers 2 tablespoons low-fat dip
• whole-grain mini bagels
• milk (skim, 1%, or soy)
• whole-grain waffles
• nuts (unsalted)
• oatmeal (old-fashioned
• whole-wheat tortillas Schedule morning exercise
rolled oats or steel-cut • yogurt (plain low-fat The best time to exercise is often first thing in the
oats) or nonfat) morning, before work or other activities. This way,
exercise doesn’t compete with other tasks and activi-
ties that can fill up the day and get in the way of a reg-
Fresh starts ular exercise program. Even if you’re not a morning
Morning routines are hard to break. If your idea of person, you can train yourself to become a morning
breakfast is grabbing coffee and a doughnut on your exercise person. Put your fitness clothes out the night
way to work, finding time to eat healthfully in the before. Set your alarm a half-hour earlier, and go out
morning may seem daunting. With a little planning, the door for a brisk walk before you do anything else.
however, it’s easier than you think. Here are some Or head to an early-morning exercise class. It’s just a
healthful breakfast suggestions, which follow the matter of getting into a habit.
basic formula of equal parts whole grains + lean pro- What if you’d really rather push the snooze button?
tein + fruit: Get up anyway, but give yourself the 10-minute rule.
• one serving whole-grain cereal (at least 5 grams of
fiber and less than 5 grams of sugar) + ½ cup milk
Pizza for breakfast?
(skim or 1% milk or unsweetened soymilk) +
a small banana or ½ cup berries
• ½ cup cooked oatmeal with cinnamon + 2 table- I f you’re not wowed by traditional breakfast foods like whole-
grain cereal or eggs, there’s no rule against having leftover
pizza from last night’s dinner if it’s made with healthful ingre-
spoons nuts + ½ cup berries
dients. Or, make your own quick-fix breakfast pizza.
• a slice of 100% whole-grain bread + 1 tablespoon
natural peanut butter + a small banana Start with a whole-grain pita or English muffin and add a dose
of low-sodium tomato sauce and low-fat cheese. Even better,
• breakfast sandwich: 100% whole-wheat English dice up some green and red peppers to sprinkle on top. Put it in
muffin or whole-grain mini bagel + an egg or a the toaster oven or regular oven set at 350º F for about 10 min-
slice of low-fat cheese + an orange utes, or until cheese is melted and the bread’s edges are crispy.
• breakfast burrito: one small whole-wheat tortilla Have a piece of fruit on the side. Keep the general breakfast
+ a scrambled egg or a slice of low-fat cheese and formula in mind: whole grains, lean protein, and a fruit, so
salsa + a few slices of mango you’ll have a balanced meal.
• two slices of whole-grain toast or one whole-grain
If you’re still miserable after 10 minutes of working
out at the gym or running or walking outside, you can Breakfast ground rules
skip your session for that day. Chances are, though, if ✔ Eat a small breakfast every day.
you’ve already gotten dressed and you’re there, you’re ✔ Follow the balanced-breakfast formula:
much less likely to give up. To hold yourself account- whole-grain carbohydrates, lean protein,
able and give yourself credit, be sure to cross exercise and fruit.
off your to-do list when you’re through. On mornings ✔ Keep breakfast at around 300 to 400 calories.
you can’t work out, keep sneakers with you and look ✔ Make coffee drinks an occasional treat if
for ways to get a walk or a jog in during the day. Doing you drink them at all.
something on the days you said you would is impor-
tant for maintaining momentum.
your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Moreover,
research cites sugar-sweetened beverages like coffee
Curb coffee-drink calories drinks as a major source of added sugar in the Ameri-
Your coffee can be a source of hidden calories. Many can diet and a major contributor to weight gain.
people order large coffee drinks laden with milk and Coffee by itself isn’t a bad thing. It contains caf-
sugar, which can equal the caloric content of an entire feine, which boosts alertness. It also has been linked
meal. Even a modest tall (12-ounce) café latte made to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Par-
with skim milk adds 100 calories to your daily total. kinson’s disease, and overall risk of death. The catch
Today’s specialty coffee drinks can up the ante much is that you need to avoid adding a lot of calories to
more, making it easy to load up on unhealthy fat, it. Stick with black coffee, or add only a little milk or
sugar, and calories without eating a bite of food. And sugar. Once you’ve had your coffee boost, switch to
since liquid calories are less satiating than solid food, beverages that have no sugar. To get adequate hydra-
sweet drinks increase the chance that you will con- tion, anything watery counts, including water, tea, cof-
sume excess calories. Studies also show that consum- fee, soup, oranges, and watermelon. You’re drinking
ing too many sugary foods and beverages can increase enough if your urine is pale or clear.
3
WEEK
A healthy break for lunch
D uring a busy day, it’s easy to get sidetracked from

your healthy eating goals, but having a healthful
lunch is important. A lunch break in the middle of
fighting foods—your basic formula for what to eat and
how much. Vegetables should dominate your plate.
How about a whole-wheat tortilla roll-up stuffed with
the day can be an opportunity to focus on your nutri- tomatoes, carrots, green and red peppers, and about
tion and overall well-being. It can be a time to go for a ¼ cup hummus or a couple of slices of lean turkey or
short brisk walk or to take a mental break from daily chicken? The same formula applies to dinner (see Fig-
stresses by reading a book or sitting in a park. Eating ure 6, page 28).
four hours or so after breakfast helps maintain your
blood sugar level so your energy won’t take a midday
dive. The energy you take in will also help you con- The healthy lunch plate
centrate and function better throughout the afternoon To create a healthful, balanced lunch, include three
and ward off hunger that can lead to overeating at din- food groups: lean protein, whole-grain carbohydrates,
ner, a setup for weight gain. and produce. Think of a healthful lunch (and dinner,
Use the healthy lunch plate (see Figure 5, below) too) in halves and quarters: roughly half of your plate
as your model for choosing high-nutrient, disease- should be vegetables or fruit; one-quarter should be
lean protein such as fish, chicken, turkey, tofu, len-
tils, beans, or low-fat cottage cheese; and one-quarter
Figure 5: The healthy lunch plate should be whole grains, such as one slice of whole-
grain bread, or half a cup of brown rice, whole-wheat
pasta, or quinoa. Feel free to include a small amount
of healthy fat, such as a tablespoon of oil-and-vinegar
dressing on your salad or a few tablespoons of nuts.
Setting goals for lunch success

This week, use your food diary to focus on lunch. Take
a look now at your entries for three days. During that
time, what did you eat for lunch? Did your lunches
already follow the basic formula (lots of vegetables,
whole grains, and lean protein)? Are you missing
any food groups? Is there a general pattern to your
lunches? Write your answers here:
___________________________________________
Fill half your plate with vegetables (such as a mixed salad), one- ___________________________________________
quarter with whole grain (such as a whole-wheat pita pocket),
___________________________________________
and one-quarter with lean protein (such as hummus and low-fat
cheese or 3 ounces of fish or chicken). If you prefer a traditional
___________________________________________
sandwich, choose whole-wheat bread with dark green lettuce
and other vegetables plus some lean protein like slices of grilled Now, looking at your lunch pattern, what goal will you
chicken or low-fat cheese. Avoid cured lunch meats. set for yourself for lunch? What do you have to do to
achieve it? Remember to be as specific and as realis- ___________________________________________
tic as possible when planning how to accomplish your ___________________________________________
lunch goal. If your objective, for example, is to eat a ___________________________________________
healthful lunch even though you’re so busy at work
that you can’t take much time to eat, you could bring
your lunch to work and keep it in the refrigerator or in What’s for lunch?
an insulated bag with an ice pack. Once you’ve set your lunch goal and looked over the
Also, troubleshoot by thinking about the barriers healthy lunch plate, you’ll need to decide what to eat
you encounter. Do you tend to be too rushed in the for lunch. Need help getting started? Here are some
morning to think ahead about lunch? If that’s the case, lunch ideas to rotate through:
prepare your lunch the night before, refrigerate it, and • one serving whole-grain crackers, baby carrots, ½
keep a note by the door so you don’t forget it. Bring- cup hummus, and an orange
ing lunch from home helps you control what you’re • one whole-wheat tortilla, topped with ½ cup low-
eating. If you plan to buy lunch that day, bring some- sodium canned black or pinto beans, 1 ounce low-
thing healthful from home with you, such as an apple, fat shredded cheese, and 1 tablespoon salsa, heated
to round out the meal. in the microwave and rolled up with some chopped
For lunches at home, try having a small plate of lettuce and tomatoes
dinner leftovers, or make a sandwich with whole-grain • two slices whole-grain bread with ½ recipe Tuna
bread, lean protein, and 1 tablespoon or less of may- Salad with Curry and Apples (see page 44), plus
onnaise. Fill the other half of your plate with a salad or plenty of tomatoes and romaine lettuce
raw veggies to munch. • one serving whole-grain crackers and 2 ounces
Many people grab food on the fly and fail to eat a low-fat cheese, with carrot and jicama sticks, an
real lunch, perhaps eating a croissant on the way to a apple, and flavored seltzer
meeting or other event. When that happens, acknowl- • California turkey wrap (whole-wheat tortilla, 4
edge it and mentally account for those calories by say- ounces turkey, hummus, sprouts), plus a fresh fruit
ing to yourself, “This is part of lunch.” Then fill in with cup
an apple and a container of low-fat or nonfat plain • one whole-grain roll, 1 cup Bean and Lentil Soup
yogurt as soon as you get the chance. Don’t short- (see page 45), grape tomatoes, and a peach
change yourself on calories during the day. Research • peanut butter sandwich made with 2 tablespoons
shows that people who skip lunch expend fewer cal- peanut butter on whole-grain bread with a side of
ories because they don’t move as much. Moreover, carrot sticks, plus a small banana
you’ll likely feel cranky and lethargic. And by dinner- • wasabi roast beef sandwich (whole-grain bread, 3
time—look out! You’re apt to overeat to make up for ounces lean roast beef, 1 tablespoon wasabi mayon-
the day’s lack of fuel. naise, and spinach) and 1 cup melon
Remember to start with baby steps and to set • chicken Caesar wrap (whole-wheat tortilla,
small, process-driven goals. If you’re going out for chicken, and romaine lettuce with 1 tablespoon
lunch five days a week now, for example, aim to bring Caesar dressing), plus an orange
your lunch on two of those days. That’s realistic and • 1 cup low-sodium soup (minestrone, chicken noo-
achievable for many of us. dle, or lentil) with a serving of whole-wheat crack-
For my lunch goal this week, I will … ers and 1 cup grapes
Example: I will bring my lunch two out of the five • 1 cup chili made with lots of vegetables and ground
work days. turkey
___________________________________________ • 1 cup whole-wheat pasta salad made with 4 ounces
___________________________________________ chicken or tuna and vegetables
___________________________________________ • pizza made with a whole-wheat English muffin
or whole-wheat pita topped with vegetables and 2
ounces low-fat cheese, such as part-skim mozza- Your healthful lunch shopping list
rella or reduced-fat shredded cheese • avocados • pineapple
• stuffed peppers made with roughly ½ cup brown • bananas • plastic forks, spoons,
rice and 4 ounces ground turkey • beans: kidney, garbanzo, knives
• 1 cup low-fat or nonfat plain Greek yogurt with white (cannellini) • red peppers
berries or other fresh fruit and 2 tablespoons nuts • carrots • roast beef (lean, sliced)
• vegetable quesadilla made with 1 whole-wheat tor- • celery • salsa
tilla, 2 ounces part-skim mozzarella, and vegetables • cheeses: feta, • sandwich bags
• soy or vegetarian hot dog on a whole-wheat hot mozzarella (low-fat) • snap peas
dog bun with homemade coleslaw made with • chicken (baked or • soups: chicken, lentil,
healthy vegetable oil grilled, not processed) minestrone (low-sodium)
• cucumbers
• veggie burger with lettuce and tomato on a whole- • tomatoes: regular, cherry
wheat bun, with a small green salad • eggs • tuna (canned,
• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese and 1 cup of fresh fruit • green peppers packed in water)
• hard-boiled egg with a green salad and ½ pear • hummus • turkey (sliced, fresh
• insulated lunch bag baked)
• whole-grain crackers or bread with ¼ cup hummus
• lettuce (dark green • whole-grain products:
and 2 ounces low-fat cheese and sliced vegetables
leafy varieties) bread, rolls, tortillas,
on top. bagels, pitas
• mushrooms
• veggie burgers
• peanut butter (natural)
• yogurt (plain, nonfat)
Lunchtime survival strategies or other nut butter
Lunchtime can be a minefield of temptation. From

sandwich shops exploding with high-calorie sand-
wiches to salad bars stocked with tempting mayon- STEP 1: Build a vegetable base. Most salad bars
naise-based salads, it can be difficult to get through have two sizes of containers—large and small. Go for
lunch without making some poor choices. Here are the large container at lunch and load it up with leafy
some lunch survival strategies. greens and raw or grilled vegetables. By getting the
large-size salad, you’ll eat more produce when the
Dodge salad bar pitfalls pickings are plentiful. Emphasize plain ingredients,
A trip to the salad bar is a convenient way to load up since prepared salads may contain hidden calories
your lunch with vegetables. But while salads sound from oils and sweeteners.
healthful, they can quickly add hefty doses of calories STEP 2: Add some protein. To your veggie base,
and artery-clogging saturated fat, if you choose poorly. add a couple of spoonfuls of garbanzo or kidney
Regular salad dressings, cheeses, mayonnaise-based beans, or three-bean salad—typical salad bar offer-
salads (such as tuna, chicken, and egg salads), and ings. Beans are an excellent source of disease-fighting
desserts (such as rice pudding and ambrosia) drive fiber—and they’re filling! Add some grilled chicken,
up calorie counts. The good news? Many salad bars low-fat cottage cheese, or chopped eggs to complete
have so much variety now that it’s easy to work around the picture of a fulfilling lunch.
these potential diet pitfalls without feeling deprived. STEP 3: Add a small amount of healthy fat.
And with a large, hearty salad at midday, you’re less Sprinkle on a small amount of nuts or seeds. They are
apt to get hungry in the afternoon and become sus- high in heart-healthy unsaturated fat and healthy pro-
ceptible to unplanned, impulsive snacking. tein, give you a feeling of fullness, and help food stay
Take these steps to raise your next visit to the salad in your stomach longer. If you opt for nuts and seeds,
bar to a more healthful level. though, go with a low-calorie salad dressing to keep
your calorie count down. Or sprinkle on a small dose salads can be loaded with unhealthy fats, calories, and
of oil and vinegar. sodium. One example is a foot-long chipotle chicken
Avoid large cheese chunks or use them only spar- melt sandwich offered at a popular sub chain. It
ingly. Cheese packs a calorie-and-saturated-fat wallop. weighs in at 1,060 calories and packs 1,680 milligrams
But a light sprinkle of a strongly flavored cheese like (mg) of sodium, which is two-thirds of a day’s worth
feta or Parmesan can deliver flavor with fewer calories. in one meal. A national upscale sandwich chain offers
Feta, especially, is so flavorful that you can add less of it. an Asiago steak sandwich with 810 calories and 1,340
Creamy salad dressings have the most saturated mg of sodium. Before succumbing to your favorite
fat, so oil-based dressings are a better option. To limit deli sandwich, check out its nutrition profile. Many
calories, use dressing sparingly or dilute it with a little national chains offer online nutrition information that
vinegar, or opt for a light or low-fat dressing. If you can be enlightening.
choose a high-fat dressing, skip nuts, seeds, or cheese To find a healthful sandwich, look for one with
on your salad. Prepared salad dressings tend to be • no more than 500 calories per serving
high in sodium and contain added sugars, so simple • no more than 4 grams of saturated fat
oil and vinegar is the best choice. • less than 500 mg of sodium
Bypass the bacon bits. They’re high in fat, they • plant-based fillings such as hummus, peanut but-
don’t offer much nutritionally, and they’re processed— ter, or other nut butters (almond, cashew), or fish,
the worst kind of meat. Croutons also have little nutri- grilled chicken, or turkey, rather than red and pro-
tional value but plenty of calories; if you want crunch, cessed meats
use sunflower seeds or nuts instead. • vegetable additions such as tomatoes, spinach, aru-
Step 4: Finish with whole grains and fruit. Look gula, kale, green and red peppers, shredded car-
for whole grains like barley or bulgur wheat to sprin- rots, parsley, asparagus, and beets
kle on top. Or add a few slices of fruit. Many salad • healthful fats (such as avocado or olive-oil pesto).
bars also offer rice pudding, ambrosia salad, and other
treats. Even though they’re available, don’t kid your- Build a better sandwich
self. They’re dessert, not salads. If you’re trying to con- The benefit of making your own sandwich is that you
trol calories, choose fresh fruit instead. have full control over what’s in it. A balanced sand-
wich-based lunch contains lean protein, healthful car-
Solve deli dilemmas bohydrates, and a hefty serving of vegetables. Here are
Let’s face it: sub shops are everywhere, and at lunch- three basic formulas to follow for a sandwich-based
time they can be a convenient choice. The downside? lunch:
Many deli sandwiches are made with cured and pro- • full sandwich (two slices of whole-grain bread)
cessed meats, which have been linked to higher rates • half sandwich (one slice of whole-grain bread) + a
of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer. In salad
addition, deli meats, cheeses, and mayonnaise-based • half sandwich (one slice of whole-grain bread) + 1
cup vegetable-based clear soup.
To build a balanced sandwich, follow these steps:
quick tip | If you bring a frozen entrée to heat Step 1: Start with a healthful foundation. You
up in the office microwave for lunch, look for one with can make a sandwich on bread, pita, or any num-
no more than 400 calories, 4 grams or less of saturated ber of grain-based products so long as you choose a
fat, 15 grams or more of protein, and 600 mg or less
whole-grain variety. Some good choices are whole-
of sodium per serving. To make the meal more filling
wheat bread, oat-bran English muffins, whole-grain
and nutritionally complete, add frozen vegetables to the
meal before you microwave it, or pair it with a handful tortillas or flatbreads, mini whole-wheat bagels,
of baby carrots, celery, or fresh fruit. whole-grain crackers, whole-wheat pitas, or oat-bran
bread. Remember to choose breads that list “whole”
before the grain’s name as the first ingredient. Beware
of terms like wheat flour, stone-ground, seven-grain, Lunch ground rules
multigrain, pumpernickel, enriched, fortified, and ✔ Don’t skip lunch no matter how busy you are.
organic. They don’t necessarily indicate that a par- ✔ F ollow the healthy-lunch formula: lots of
ticular loaf is whole-grain. Avoid extra-large sandwich vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, fresh fruit,
rolls, bagels, or wrap breads that pack a lot of calories. and a small amount of healthful fat.
Step 2: Spread on a flavorful accent. Try a small ✔P
lan ahead. Know what you’re going to have
for lunch before leaving the house in the morning.
amount of guacamole, mustard, olive oil–based may-
This means either bringing your lunch from home
onnaise (check the label), roasted red peppers, tomato or knowing what healthy selections you will make
sauce, or salsa. (Fresh tomato sauce or salsa contains before going into a restaurant or cafeteria. Try
less salt.) to bring lunch from home more often so you can
take nutritional control of this important meal.
Step 3: Add lean protein. Try flaked tuna, grilled
✔ Add some physical activity to your lunch break.
chicken, fresh turkey breast, low-fat cheese, hard-
boiled egg, lean beef, or hummus.
Step 4: Accessorize with a crunch. Consider
romaine lettuce, flat-sliced carrots or celery, sliced in Annals of Internal Medicine looked at 47 studies and
apples, sliced red and green peppers, sliced cucum- found that people who sat for prolonged periods had
bers, tomato, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, pine- a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer,
apple slices, snap peas, or cherry tomatoes. and overall mortality. These effects were strongest in
Step 5: Think big. To make a large and appetizing people who did little exercise, but they occurred even
creation, layer your sandwich with spinach and water- in people who exercised regularly. In other words,
cress, tomato, and onion. Roll bean sprouts, shredded spending hours sitting is harmful even if you get
cabbage, and slices of green or red pepper into tortillas plenty of exercise at other times.
or flatbread.
Tap into the benefits of water
Go for a brisk walk Water has no calories and few, if any, nutrients. Still,
Lunch is the perfect time to treat yourself to a walk- it’s an important player in your diet, and lunch is a
ing break. Instead of spending all of your lunchtime great opportunity to partake of its benefits. Among its
sitting and eating, eat a quick, healthy meal and go for many duties, water helps aid digestion, prevent consti-
a brisk walk by yourself or with a friend or co-worker. pation, normalize blood pressure, and stabilize heart-
Assess your speed by taking the “talk test.” If you can beat. Water also carries nutrients and oxygen to cells,
walk and talk effortlessly, consider picking up the cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, helps
pace at least part of the time. To gain the cardiovascu- regulate body temperature, and maintains electrolyte
lar benefits, you need to walk fast enough to get your (sodium) balance. Most people need about four to six
heart rate up, meaning enough that you need to pause cups of fluids each day. Anything watery counts, but
your conversation to take a breath. water itself—because it’s naturally calorie-free—is an
Take walking breaks during the rest of your excellent choice.
day as well, such as every hour you’re at your com- There is some evidence that drinking two large
puter. Wearing a pedometer or using a digital fitness glasses of water before eating helps people lose weight.
tracker is a great way to keep tabs on the steps you Drinking water between meals is also a good strategy.
take—you’ll be surprised at how those little walking If you wait until you’re thirsty to drink, it’s easy to mis-
breaks add up over the day. Research shows that it’s take thirst for hunger and end up eating food when all
best to avoid sitting for long stretches. A 2015 report you really needed was a tall, cool glass of water.
WEEK
4 A dinner makeover
D inner is often the biggest and most important meal

of the day; it’s also a chance to relax after work,
spend time with family, or socialize. But fewer and
try to make healthful choices from a restaurant menu,
it’s easy to consume lots of calories with few nutrients,
almost no vegetables, and no whole grains. A little
fewer Americans are cooking dinners at home. There advance planning can avert this dietary disaster.
are many reasons behind this shift, but in part, it’s
because prepared foods are now cheaper and more
widely available than in the past. To compete in this The healthy dinner plate
marketplace, the makers of fast foods and convenience What’s for dinner? Use the healthy dinner plate (see
foods have loaded their offerings with appetite-stimu- Figure 6, below left) as your basic model of what to eat
lating fats, sugars, and salt. Fresh vegetables and whole and how much. The idea, as with lunch, is to fill half
grains are hard to find among these offerings. Mean- of your plate with vegetables (1 to 2 cups, cooked or
while, portion sizes of restaurant meals and take-out raw). Then make one-quarter of your plate healthful
foods have increased. carbohydrates like brown rice or 100% whole-grain
By now, you probably realize that to make health- pasta or bread. The remaining quarter of your plate
ful meals you need to prepare them yourself, as much should be lean protein such as beans, lentils, tofu, fish,
as possible. For that, you need healthy groceries in chicken, or turkey. Extra-lean beef or pork can be
your kitchen. Otherwise, you’ll arrive home at the included about once a week. Aim for 4 to 6 ounces of
end of day to an empty refrigerator and quickly turn protein-rich foods for dinner, ideally with fish in the
to fast food, frozen entrées, or take-out. Even if you protein spot at least twice a week. Keep in mind that 4
ounces of protein is about the size of a deck of cards.
If you crave dessert, have fresh fruit instead of sweets.
Figure 6: The healthy dinner plate
Setting goals for dinner success

Your task for this week is to use your food diary to
determine how you’re doing with dinner and what you
may need to do to improve it. Take a look now at the
food diary you kept for three days. During that time,
what did you eat for dinner? Did your dinner already
follow the basic formula (vegetables, whole grains,
lean protein)? Are you missing any food groups? Are
you eating too much or too little? How often, in those
three days, did you eat dinner out? Do you tend to eat
a lot more on weekends? Is there a general pattern to
your dinners that might be working against your over-
all goal of healthy eating? Write your answers here:
___________________________________________
Fill half your plate with vegetables, one-quarter with lean protein, ___________________________________________
and one-quarter with whole grains. ___________________________________________
Now, looking at your dinner routine, what goal
will you set for yourself for dinner? What do you have quick tip | Become a weekend warrior in the
to do to achieve it? Remember to be as specific and as kitchen. Use the weekends to plan menus, shop, batch-
realistic as possible when planning how to accomplish cook, and prep healthful meals for the work week.
Pre-portion single or family-size servings of casseroles
your dinner goal. And be sure to troubleshoot. If your
and soups in freezer-proof containers and stack them in
goal, for example, is to prepare and eat dinner at home your freezer. During the week, make it your mission to
at least three days a week, ask yourself why you haven’t have a strategy for dinner before starting your day.
been doing it already, and anticipate how this change
is going to affect your life. Decide how and when you
will take the time to plan healthful home dinners. If means there’s less room in your dinner for unhealthful
your goal is to make better choices when you must eat options. Here are some tasty ways to incorporate more
out, check out menus online before dinner and decide produce into dinner.
what you’ll order in advance. Roast vegetables along with whatever entrée is
Whether you eat out or at home, you may be one in the oven. Roasting is a great way to let the deep,
of the many people who need to reduce their depen- rich flavors of vegetables shine through because their
dence on meat as the main dish for every meal. To starches start to convert to sugar at around 375° F,
reach that goal, plan some time to look for meatless releasing a deep, nutty sweetness. To roast, just bake
recipes or recipes that use very little meat, such as cut-up vegetables at 375° F for 20 to 25 minutes or
Asian stir-fry meals or Mexican burritos with mostly until they’re lightly browned. Any vegetable is a roast-
beans and vegetables. ing candidate—from mushrooms, onions, eggplant,
For my dinner goal this week, I will … and zucchini to tomatoes, broccoli, and carrots—so
Example: I will stock up on healthy quick-fix meal don’t limit yourself. Enjoy roasted veggies as a side
options, such as frozen vegetables, precooked skinless dish or toss them into pasta dishes and other recipes.
chicken, frozen fish, whole-wheat pita bread, whole- Poach veggies in low-sodium chicken broth
wheat pasta, and low-sodium pasta sauce—items I can and white wine. Add garlic, basil, thyme, oregano,
just heat up that need only a side salad to become a bal- or tarragon for a flavor bonus. To poach, boil enough
anced meal. liquid to cover the vegetables. When it boils, add the
___________________________________________ vegetables. Turn down the heat to just below boiling
___________________________________________ and cook the vegetables for about five to seven min-
___________________________________________ utes, until they’re brightly colored and tender-crisp.
___________________________________________ To retain nutrients, keep a watchful eye on the pot or
___________________________________________ set a timer so you don’t overcook.
Add fresh cut vegetables to main dishes. Try
adding mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, onions, or car-
Sneaky ways to get in more fruits rots into pasta sauce, casseroles, soup, stews, scram-
and vegetables bled eggs, and chili.
We recommend aiming for seven servings of fruits Smuggle pureed vegetables into recipes. A
and vegetables each day. The CDC, which recom- Penn State study found that covertly adding pureed
mends a less ambitious five servings per day, notes vegetables into classic foods like a casserole, macaroni
that few American adults manage to accomplish even and cheese, or carrot bread reduced calorie intake and
this. Dinner is typically the largest meal of the day, boosted veggie consumption. Pureed cooked vegeta-
and it’s also your last chance to strike a healthful bal- bles can easily be used as sauces, soups, spreads, and
ance of foods for the day. If you didn’t eat many or any toppings.
fruits and vegetables at lunch, now’s your chance to Have a salad with dinner most days. Stock your
meet your produce quota. Plus, piling on the produce salad with dark green leafy lettuce and toss in petite
peas, tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and peppers. up with your own fast, cheap, and delicious pasta
Bonus: in addition to the nutrient bonanza you’ll get, sauce recipes to have in your arsenal? (See “Quick tip,”
studies show that starting meals with a low-calorie below left, for an easy pasta sauce recipe.)
salad can help you consume fewer calories at the meal,
as long as the salad is no more than 100 calories. A
healthful salad consists of about 3 cups of dark green Outwit your appetite at home
lettuce, ½ cup carrots, a tomato, ¼ cucumber, and 1½ Portion control is essential to limiting your calo-
tablespoons of low-calorie dressing. rie intake at any meal, whether you eat out, prepare
Choose fruit—fresh or frozen, stewed or your own meals, or occasionally grab food on the
baked—for dessert. It all counts toward your daily run. Your appetite isn’t just governed by physical fac-
produce quota. Dried fruits are healthy but high in tors. It’s also independently influenced by the sight of
calories, so eat them sparingly. food, the ambience of the room, and what the people
around you are eating. If you’re trying to lose or main-
tain your weight, dinner doesn’t have to be your diet
Upgrade your prepared entrées downfall. Here are some tips for keeping dinner por-
Supermarkets are full of quick-fix dinner options, tions in proportion.
from frozen entrées to prepared foods in the deli. But Train your eye. Standard servings are generally
like restaurant fare, these dishes are typically high in much smaller than those dished out in restaurants or
sodium and saturated fat and scant on vegetables. For even what you’re used to at home. Even though you
example, one serving of a frozen entrée called “grilled measured food servings at the start of your healthy-eat-
chicken Florentine complete dinner for two” packs ing journey for your food diary, serving sizes can grow
1,090 mg of sodium (most of us need no more than over time. Measure your food again now as a refresher
2,300 mg of sodium for the entire day), 10 grams of course on standard serving sizes (see Table 1, page 12).
saturated fat, and not much spinach. To make com- Developing an eye for serving sizes is helpful at home
plete meals like these more healthful when you’re in a and when you’re dining out or attending social events,
pinch, stretch the two-serving package into four serv- where portions may be too large or the food unlimited.
ings by fortifying it with your own fresh or frozen veg- In a Pennsylvania State University study, researchers
etables and a can of rinsed, drained beans. You can do manipulated the portions of baked ziti served as a main
the same with almost any supermarket or restaurant course at a restaurant. They used the regular portion on
take-out dish, including the fresh prepared entrées at some days and one that was 50% larger on others. The
the supermarket. Toss fresh vegetables in with your price of the meal remained the same. Diners who were
ravioli. Cook up some Brussels sprouts to mix in with served the larger portion ate 43% more baked-ziti calo-
tortellini. Add a salad on the side. ries, as well as more of the accompaniments (a roll and
Here’s a bonus: by adding your own healthful butter and a stuffed tomato), yet surveys showed that
ingredients, you’ll reduce the cost of the meal, which all the customers thought their portions were equally
is typically pricey compared with, say, a quick pasta appropriate.
sauce you could make yourself. In fact, why not come Downsize your tableware. Oversized plates are
fashionable now, but they trick your eyes into think-
ing bigger portions are appropriate. Serving your
quick tip | Make your own easy pasta sauce: meals on smaller plates, on the other hand, can make
Sauté chopped garlic, ½ cup chopped onions, and a small serving look larger. So if your dinner plates are
½ cup chopped green peppers in 1 tablespoon olive oil. larger than the standard 10.5 inches, get smaller plates
Add a can of low-sodium crushed tomatoes. Serve or use a luncheon plate or salad plate for your main
over whole-wheat pasta. dish. Save larger plates for festive dinners. Meanwhile,
use smaller serving utensils, such as a soup spoon,
Eating mindfully
M indful eating is a tool to prevent overeating while boosting the enjoyment of

food. It’s a simple strategy that asks you to slow down and savor your food.
Try this: after you take the first bite of These steps can help put the brakes on
your next meal, put your fork or spoon your eating velocity, which in turn will
down. Don’t prepare to eat the next bite give your brain a chance to receive the
right away, but focus instead on what’s message that your stomach is full. When
in your mouth at the moment. Chew you feel full, stop eating. In addition, it
slowly, and tune in to the taste and tex- can boost your enjoyment of your meal,
ture of the food. Smell the meal that’s which in turn can often mean you’re
in front of you, and notice its color and satisfied with less. Even if you don’t eat
appearance. You might even think about an entire meal like this, make a habit of
the steps that brought the food to your eating three bites of each food on the
plate: the sun and water that helped the plate mindfully during each meal, which
plants grow, and the farmers, drivers, acts like a speed bump to bring your
and laborers who brought it you. awareness to what you’re eating.
for doling out portions. In a Cornell University study, easy to consume more food without even realizing it.
participants at an ice cream social given a large bowl In contrast, paying attention to what you’re eating—a
ate 31% more ice cream than those given a medium- practice called mindful eating, which includes savor-
size bowl. Similarly, with beverages, replace short, ing the flavors, aromas, and texture of your food (see
wide glasses with tall, slender ones. Research shows “Eating mindfully,” above)—can help you enjoy your
that people pour 28% more in short, wide glasses than meals more and eat less. (That goes for snacks, too.) If
they do in tall, skinny ones. Height gives the illusion you’re on your feet, you’re not paying attention.
of looking like more, so we pour less. Pace yourself. It’s standard advice to chew slowly,
Serve in the kitchen. To discourage second help- so that you’ll feel full after eating less food than if you
ings, pre-serve your portions onto each plate in the ate quickly. Eating slowly doesn’t always work, but
kitchen rather than bringing serving bowls to the din- when it does, the reason has as much to do with the
ing table. Keeping the remaining food off the table brain as with the gut. Scientists have known for some
makes it less likely you’ll reach for more. time that the fullness of your stomach is only part of
Shine a light on meals. Atmosphere has an what makes you feel satisfied after a meal; the brain
impact on how we eat. Studies show that dimmed must also receive a series of signals from digestive
lights at meals can make you eat more. In restaurants hormones secreted by the gastrointestinal tract. The
with soft lighting, for example, consumers tend to stay complex signals that control appetite are only partially
longer and maybe enjoy an unplanned dessert or an understood, but by eating too quickly, you might not
extra drink. Low lighting can also make you feel less give this intricate hormonal cross-talk system enough
inhibited and self-conscious; you’re more apt to eat time to work.
more, especially when you’re with others. You can’t
control conditions in a restaurant, but keep the lights
bright at home and reserve candlelight dinners for quick tip | Many people watch TV from 7 p.m.
special occasions. to 11 p.m. each night. Studies show that TV viewing
is associated with increased body weight in both kids
Don’t multitask. Keep meals free of distractions:
and adults. Instead, get up and take a walk or a bike
don’t drive, watch TV, read, or engage in another
ride. Or try an indoor activity like playing Wii or doing
activity while eating. Instead, find a quiet spot and just a yoga video.
sit down and eat. Multitasking while eating makes it
Outwit your appetite at restaurants served—is it meat with creamy sauces or fish with veg-
In general, restaurant food isn’t as healthful as food etables? Knowing what to order ahead of time can give
you prepare using the healthy eating guidelines. For you more control. Also, go to restaurants that offer
one thing, it’s more likely to be high in unhealthy fats, plenty of options à la carte.
salt, sugar, and refined carbohydrates. It’s not obvi- Outsmart entrée envy. When you’re eating out
ous, but butter is in almost everything in many res- with others, be the first to order so you’re not influ-
taurants—chefs like the flavor and are trained to use enced by what everyone else is choosing. You can be
it liberally, even on those healthy-looking fresh veg- enticed by other people’s food decisions. If everyone is
etables. The same goes for salt and sugar. Plus, restau- indulging in the prime rib and twice-baked potatoes,
rant portions are often overly large. However, if you’re for example, you’re less likely to order the grilled fish.
smart about what you order, you can get a healthful Conversely, if you set a healthier tone by ordering a
meal—including dessert—when eating out. Here are salad and salmon first, others may follow suit.
some guidelines. Start with a salad or a broth-based soup. In gen-
Plan ahead. Check the restaurant’s website before eral, eating in courses isn’t the best strategy if you’re
leaving the house. Many restaurants now show their trying to lose weight, because it can lead to consum-
menus online. Some even list nutrition informa- ing more calories. Seeing all the food together gives
tion. You might be surprised by the high calorie and you a better appreciation of your food intake. Here’s
sodium content in some foods you thought were an exception: studies show that starting a meal with
healthful. You can also check menus at websites such a small salad and low-calorie dressing such as vin-
as www.opentable.com. In general, menus don’t tell egar and oil or a broth-based soup can help curb your
you very much about an item’s nutritional value, but appetite, causing you to eat less at the meal. Choose
they can give you a general idea of the type of food salads with a dark green leafy lettuce such as romaine
or arugula rather than iceberg lettuce (which is lower
in nutrients), and avoid rich, cream-based soups.
Smart, easy dinners Skip fried foods. Frying usually adds more fat to
1 Spread low-fat refried beans on a whole-wheat

tortilla, add thawed shrimp or leftover chicken,
sprinkle with chopped green peppers, add a spoonful of
a food than broiling, baking, or sautéing, so the calorie
count is likely to be high. Many restaurants are switch-
ing away from frying foods in unhealthy oils that con-
salsa, roll up, and bake for 15 minutes.
tain trans fats, and you can ask your server what kind
2 Slice a tofu block into large slices (about three slices
per block) and place in a baking pan; add chopped
scallions, garlic, and a little low-sodium soy sauce.
of oil is used if you do order a fried entrée or appetizer.
But a better strategy is to skip fried foods altogether.
Meanwhile, toss vegetables such as strips of red pepper Ask for extra vegetables. Many restaurant
in olive oil. Roast tofu and vegetables in the oven for 20 entrées don’t come with a generous serving of veg-
minutes at 375° F. Serve with brown rice or whole-wheat
couscous.
etables. But you can easily remedy that by ordering
vegetables from the side dish selection, substituting
3 Add ½ can of black, white, or garbanzo beans (buy
low-sodium varieties or rinse regular canned beans)
or salmon chunks to a tossed salad. Serve it with a
vegetables or a salad for a less healthful side dish, or
asking for more vegetables. Many Chinese restaurants,
dressing of oil and balsamic vinegar plus a hearty chunk for example, can easily accommodate your request to
of whole-wheat bread and olive oil. add extra broccoli or pea pods to your entrée.
4 Whip together a two-egg omelet (two eggs plus

a teaspoon of water) and fill with any leftover
vegetables you have around, such as steamed broccoli from
Avoid dishes prepared with gravy and heavy
sauces. Or ask the waiter to use half the sauce.
last night’s dinner and some chopped tomatoes. Season Because gravy is often made with fatty pan drippings
with pepper. Or sprinkle on your favorite herb or spice from meat, it’s relatively high in saturated fat. Many
combination, like Herbes de Provence or curry powder. sauces are made with butter and cream, which are also
high in saturated fat.
Ask the waiter how large the entrées are. If the hummus and tabbouleh. Unfortunately, puff-pas-
they’re bigger than the meals you usually eat, consider try hors d’oeuvres, mini quiches, meatballs, and most
ordering an appetizer instead or sharing an entrée with fancy desserts are full of unhealthy fats, salt, and sugar,
someone else. And keep in mind that you don’t have to so steer clear of these or just sample one.
eat everything on your plate. Try eating only half the One way to avoid indulging at parties is to put just
portion and taking the rest home for tomorrow’s lunch. two items on your plate, then move away from the food
Share desserts. If you want a sweet dessert, con- table. When you’re finished, go get a drink of seltzer
sider sharing it with others at your table. You’ll get the or another noncaloric beverage to space out the time
full taste, but just a fraction of the calories, sugar, and between trips to the buffet. This will give your brain
unhealthy fats. You can also order fruit—or skip des- time to register satiety (see “Pace yourself,” page 31).
sert and just sip coffee or tea.
A drink with dinner?

Outwit your appetite at parties Research finds that people who drink alcohol moder-
Food at parties and receptions can be decadent, so ately have lower rates of aging-related diseases such as
plan ahead. Eat healthful food before leaving home, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and dementia. There’s
so that you won’t be ravenous when you arrive. Then, no need to start drinking if you don’t now, but if you
when you get there, look for the most healthful offer- already do, the key is moderation. Excessive alcohol
ings. Start by seeing if there’s a vegetable plate. Is there consumption can raise your risk of a host of health
a yogurt dip? Go for it. Look for a fruit plate or fruit
salad, too. Shrimp cocktail is another good choice, as
are some of the items on a Middle Eastern platter like
Spice it up
To reduce salt in your diet without sacrificing flavor, get
creative with fresh or dried herbs and spices. Here are a few
ideas:
• Basil: Use in sauces, vegetables, egg dishes, and salads.
• Bay leaf: Use to flavor soups and stews.
• Cayenne pepper: Use to spice up vegetables, meats, eggs,
stews, and sauces.
• Cilantro: Add to whole grains and Mexican- and Asian- • Oregano: Use in sauces, vegetables, cooked grains, meats,
influenced dishes. and poultry.
• Chili powder: Add to vegetarian chili, meat, and poultry. • Paprika: Use in soups, stews, fish, meats, and poultry.
• Cinnamon: Sprinkle on fruit, cooked whole grains, and • Parsley: Use for garnishing stews, salads, and vegetables.
toast. • Rosemary: Use with roasted vegetables, root vegetables,
• Cumin: Use in stews, grains, vegetables, poultry, and fish. and poultry.
• Curry powder: Add to vegetables, poultry, and fish. • Sage: Use with winter vegetables, soups, and poultry.
• Turmeric: Use in curries.
• Dill: Add to fish, chilled cucumbers, and eggs.
• Garlic (fresh or powdered): Add to vegetables, soups, You can also look for herb blends like Herbes de Provence,
and sauces. and spice blends and rubs like Ras el Hanout. Be aware
that many spice mixes contain salt along with the spices, so
• Ginger (fresh or powdered): Add to stir-fries, soups, and
check the ingredients.
salads.
problems, including liver disease, some cancers, high
blood pressure, depression, and dementia. “Moderate” Dinner ground rules
means no more than two drinks per day for men, and ✔ Plan your dinners for the week and try to eat
one drink per day for women. Drinking several drinks at home more often. Remember to start from
where you are now and cut back gradually. If
on one night doesn’t “average out” for the rest of the
you’re eating out three nights a week, try to
week. cut it back to just two nights a week.
Here’s another reason to curb excess drinking. Like ✔ Take control of restaurant meals by looking for
other beverages, alcoholic drinks can be a caloric blind dishes that are prepared simply, without heavy
spot for many people—they add plenty of calories but sauces, and come with lots of vegetables, lean
proteins, and only small portions of white
are often overlooked in daily tallies. A 12-ounce glass
starches like pasta, rice, and bread. Don’t eat
of beer has about 150 calories (the same as a can of everything on your plate. Bring some home.
nondiet soda). A 5-ounce glass of wine, a 1.5-ounce ✔ Practice portion control at home, too, and
shot of distilled liquor, and a glass of light beer each be sure to pile at least half your plate with
has about 100 calories. Mixed drinks can have hun- vegetables.
dreds of calories per glass, since they often contain
sweetened liquids as well as alcohol. The bottom line:
when ordering a drink, keep it simple and small, and Healthful dinner shopping list
steer clear of the sweet drinks. At this point, you probably have plenty of health-
ful food in the house, so this week, it’s time to plan
dinners you want to make at home over the next sev-
Lunch on leftovers from dinner
eral days and create a shopping list that builds on
W hile you’re writing your dinner shopping list for what you already have on hand. You can begin with
the week, think about making dinners that leave “Smart, easy dinners” (see page 32) or use the recipes
enough leftovers for one or two lunches. Cook enough at the end of this report. Adapt recipes you know or
roasted chicken, for example, for Sunday’s dinner and to
those you find in cookbooks to meet the healthy eat-
use in lunches during the week. Chop the chicken and
mix in fruit and a handful of nuts, then layer this over ing guidelines in this report. Write your ideas here:
a salad, stuff it into a whole-wheat pita, or roll it into a ___________________________________________
whole-grain wrap. Or slice chicken and add a few slices of ___________________________________________
avocado, tomato, sprouts, and pesto to whole-grain bread ___________________________________________
for a great sandwich. Round out lunch with a piece of
fruit and grape tomatoes or some crunchy carrot, celery,
___________________________________________
or jicama sticks. ___________________________________________
_________________________________________
5
WEEK
Sensible snacking
A mericans are snacking more than ever. There’s

nothing inherently wrong with eating snacks;
many people find that their energy flags unless they eat
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
something every four hours or so. The problem is that,
rather than planning ahead to have healthy snacks on Next, determine the right approach to snacking
hand, people typically grab things like chips, cookies, for you. Do you have diabetes or a health issue that
sweet or salty snack mixes, and chocolate-dipped gra- requires you to eat every few hours? If not, do you feel
nola bars from vending machines or checkout coun- that a snack truly helps you maintain energy levels, or
ters. According to the USDA, snacks provide nearly are you just snacking out of boredom or habit? If the
one-third of all daily calories from added sugars and latter is the case, try to avoid snacking for a day and
solid fats for both men and women. Such snacking can see how you feel. Did you miss having snacks? Did
lead to weight gain if you’re not careful. avoiding snacking help you eat less or avoid unhealthy
If this sounds familiar, then it’s time to start think- foods? Where do snacks fit into your overall diet?
ing about snacks in a new way. Try to envision them as Write your answers here:
part of a healthful diet rather than as extras, and plan ___________________________________________
for them the way you would any meal. ___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Setting goals for snacking success
Your task this week is to keep a detailed snacking diary If you decide that snacks have a place in your diet,
to determine how much you are snacking and what take a hard look at what you’re munching on between
you can do to improve your snacking choices. To pin- meals. Are the snacks you’re consuming unprocessed
point your patterns, keep track of your snacking habits or minimally processed (as in fresh fruits and vegeta-
for three days (two weekdays and one weekend day) bles, whole grains, nuts, and seeds)? Low in sodium
using the detailed one-day snacking diary on page 37. (less than 300 mg per serving)? Around 150 calories
(If you’re keeping track on paper rather than using an or fewer per snack? Are you eating them at the right
app, you’ll need three copies.) Keep note of the time time, such as before and after your workouts (see
you’re snacking, where you’re snacking, with whom “Snacking and exercise,” page 36)? Have you gotten
you’re eating, what else you’re doing while snacking, into bad habits such as eating every night before bed?
how you feel, whether you’re hungry, what you ate and What could you do to improve your snacking hab-
how much, and how you feel afterward. Then, look its? Write your answers here:
at the big picture. Are you typically snacking when ___________________________________________
you’re not really hungry? When you’re stressed? When ___________________________________________
you’re doing something else? What are you eating? Do ___________________________________________
you tend to reach for the same kinds of snack foods at ___________________________________________
the same time each day? Are you eating more than you
need? Write your answers here: Looking at your answers, what goal will you set
___________________________________________ for yourself for snacking? What do you have to do to
___________________________________________ achieve it? Remember to be as specific and as realistic
as possible. If your aim, for example, is to eat more as fruit leather, yogurt raisins, and organic candies also
fruit for snacks, ask yourself why you haven’t been hold out a deceitful hand, pretending to be health-
doing it already. Maybe you need to add more fruit ful while they are really packed with added sugar and
to your grocery list. Are leftovers from entertaining a excess calories. Fat-free chips and sweet snacks typi-
problem? Consider giving them to guests as they leave cally have lots of calories, salt, and sugar. Remember,
the house or simply throwing them out if you know an organic chocolate chip cookie is still a cookie.
they are not good for you to have around. Get rid of Eating these foods occasionally won’t hurt, but
the foods that tempt you—no one needs that store- making a habit of it can take its toll. One way to get
bought cookie dough. a handle on snacking is by looking at glycemic load,
For my snack goal this week, I will … a measure of how much a food will cause your blood
Example: I will plan ahead and buy melon from the sugar to rise and then dip. It takes into account both
farmers’ market on the weekend, then cut and bag slices the quantity of carbohydrates in the particular food
so I’ll have a week’s worth of grabbable snacks. as well as how fast they can raise blood sugar. (For a
___________________________________________ chart, see www.health.harvard.edu/glycemic.) Foods
___________________________________________ with a high glycemic load won’t keep you feeling full
___________________________________________ for very long, and eating them often causes you to run
___________________________________________ the risk of overeating, gaining weight, and possibly
developing insulin resistance down the road.
In addition, snacks with high sodium content can
Smarter snacks raise blood pressure, and foods with unhealthy fats
It’s easy to see that many common snack foods like contribute to heart disease and diabetes.
chips, cookies, doughnuts, and candy bars are not
healthful choices. But many snack foods marketed as What should you snack on?
healthy, organic, or natural are just as bad for your Many people are confused about what makes a health-
health. Bran muffins masquerade as nutritious even ful snack, but it’s not complicated. When choosing
when they are packed with butter and sugar. The same snacks, simply follow the same guidelines as you do
goes for cereal bars and energy bars. Other foods such for meals. Prioritize whole foods with as little process-
ing as possible. For example:
• Try keeping a bunch of grapes, a tangerine, or some
Snacking and exercise carrot sticks handy, so that you reach for those
Just as healthful snacks can help sustain your energy lev- before the calorie-dense chips or cookies.
els during the day by stabilizing your blood sugar, the fuel • Have small containers of nonfat plain yogurt or
required by your body’s cells, healthful snacking before a applesauce with no added sugar within easy reach.
workout can increase your energy and endurance levels
while you exercise. If you eat a snack that offers a healthful • Bring peeled orange wedges to work, or keep a bowl
combination of carbohydrates, protein, and some fat one of cut-up seasonal fruit in the fridge at home.
hour before working out, you’ll have more energy avail- • Try unsalted nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, pea-
able during exercise and you won’t dip into your glycogen nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, and filberts, or roasted
reserves (carbohydrates stored in muscles) as quickly for
pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. They contain
energy. The result? You’ll get a better workout as well as
more energy for activities later in the day. many beneficial nutrients and other substances,
It’s also a good idea to eat a snack with carbohydrates and
including vitamin E, folic acid, protein, potas-
protein within 30 minutes after a long aerobic workout sium, and fiber. Although some are high in fat, the
(one that lasts 60 minutes or more). Refueling helps to fat is healthy because it’s mainly unsaturated. Just
repair muscle and replaces muscle glycogen stores so you remember to limit portions to about ¼ cup, since
won’t feel spent the next day.
nuts and seeds are high in calories.
Table 2 on page 38 lists some additional ideas.
YOUR SNACKING DIARY Print three copies of this page and track your eating patterns for three days.
TIME PLACE WITH WHOM ACTIVITY MOOD HUNGER AMOUNT SNACK FOOD CALORIES FULLNESS FILLED OUT
(start and end (kitchen, (alone, or (reading, (neutral, (0–5, with (if unknown, (after eating: JUST BEFORE
time of the living room, with family, watching happy, tense, 0=no hunger, leave blank) 1=still hungry OR AFTER
snack) bedroom, friends, TV, talking, depressed, 5=starving) 2=quite satisfied EATING
car, desk colleagues) cooking) angry, bored, 3=uncomfortable)
at work) rushed, tired) (X=yes)
ww w. h ealt h . h ar v ar d . e du
TOTAL :
37
sure you’re not confusing hunger with thirst. Drink an
Table 2: Snacks that satisfy 8-ounce glass of water; then wait 10 to 15 minutes. If
SNACK CALORIES you’re still hungry, have a healthful snack.
½ cup edamame (soybean in the pod) 100 Know your cravings. If you want a snack but
you’re not hungry, attack cravings from a psycho-
1 ounce low-fat cheese with ½ cup grapes 100
logical level. Ask yourself how you’re feeling. Lonely?
½ cup vegetable sticks with 2 tablespoons of Bored? Stressed? Then, ask yourself the bigger ques-
105
hummus
tion: will food fix this problem? The answer is always
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese with ½ cup fruit no. Eating a cookie, for example, won’t address a prob-
125
or vegetables
lem at work that you’re worried about. Go for a walk
½ small whole-wheat tortilla with two slices of around the block, do a few stretching exercises, put
150
turkey, tomato, and avocado
on some music, or choose another simple activity that
English muffin pizza: ½ whole-wheat English muffin might distract you or boost your mood. Then, if you
with 2 tablespoons tomato sauce, ½ ounce low-fat 150
shredded cheese, and a few green pepper strips
still want the food, fine. Ask yourself what food you
really want. Then eat only a small amount, and make it
4 ounces plain nonfat yogurt with ½ cup berries 140
good. If you’re craving chocolate, for example, eat one
¼ cup unsalted nuts (almonds, filberts, peanuts,
160–180 small square and savor it. It’s important that you snack
or soy nuts)
on what you’re craving rather than denying it. Eat-
ing around a craving may only cause you to eat more
Mix it up because the craving isn’t satisfied.
The most healthful snacks have more than one mac- Control your portions. To keep a snack from
ronutrient (protein, fat, carbohydrate). Try a hand- turning into a meal’s worth of calories, have some-
ful of whole-grain crackers (carbohydrate) with thing that’s calorie-contained by design. Rather than
some low-fat cheese (protein, fat); a small amount of mindlessly munching from a box of cookies, for
dried fruits (carbohydrate) with nuts (protein, fat); example, buy snacks in single-serving containers. If
or plain popcorn (carbohydrate) sprinkled with low- you’re eating from a larger container, give yourself
fat cheese (protein, fat). The mix is more satiating a serving, then put the rest away before you start to
than straight carbohydrates. Many of the examples in eat. Or, divide bulk snacks into individual sandwich
Table 2 (above) fit this profile. bags with about 100 calories each and eat just one.
If you want chips, look for brands that are unsalted Manage unplanned snacking. The mere sight of
or low in salt, free of trans fat, and made with unsat- food you frequently cross paths with, such as the office
urated vegetable oils such as safflower, canola, sun- goodie jar or that box of crackers on your kitchen coun-
flower, or peanut. ter, can stimulate your appetite. To thwart an unplanned
snack session, keep cereal, crackers, and cookies hidden
Snacking strategies in a top cabinet. Wrap leftovers in aluminum foil, not
Once you have evaluated your snacking habits, you plastic wrap, so you won’t see them and be tempted
can decide whether it’s better for you to limit your when opening the refrigerator. At work, store treats
eating to three healthful meals a day, or whether you (fruit is the exception) in covered containers, preferably
would like to add a snack or two as well. If you do in a distant office refrigerator, not on your desk. You’ll
snack, follow these suggestions. eat even less if it takes effort, such as having to reach or
Zero in on hunger. Before you snack, ask yourself, take a walk to access food. Offer to fill the communal
“Am I hungry?” Many of us mistake emotions, such goodie jar with treats you don’t like. Or go out of your
as stress and fatigue, for hunger. If the answer is yes way to avoid walking by the goodie jar or the break
(your stomach feels hollow, your head is achy), make room on your way to the copy machine.
6
WEEK
Keep it going
O ver the past five weeks, you’ve gained an awareness

of your eating habits and started making more
healthful choices, putting your knowledge into prac-
New goal:___________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
tice by getting organized. Congratulations! Chances ___________________________________________
are, you’re eating and enjoying more healthful meals, ___________________________________________
keeping portion sizes reasonable, and generally con- ___________________________________________
suming more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Are ___________________________________________
we right? It’s time to take stock. ___________________________________________
Personal food rules for the future

The big picture Next, it’s time to move beyond goals and set your own
By now, you may have several specific goals you’re food policies—a personal set of rules to live by based
working on in relation to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and on your knowledge and experience about what works
snacking—in addition to your three initial healthy eat- for you. Take a look at your answers to earlier ques-
ing goals. How well are you managing to address each tions about your food habits and formulate some spe-
one? To find out how far you’ve come, keep another cific food behavior rules for the future. They should
three-day food record (two weekdays and one week- reflect what you’ve learned about yourself and your
end day), using the food diary or an equivalent app. eating habits over this past month and how you’re
It may feel like going back to the drawing board, but going to behave going forward. Focus on realistic
tracking your eating again can help you assess your steps that will improve your health, rather than attain-
progress and fine-tune your overall plan. After doing ing some perfect diet. You can have as many personal
another three-day food record, compare it to your old guidelines for healthy eating as you want. To give you
record from five weeks ago. Then ask yourself: Where an idea, here are several examples of food rules that
have I made the most progress? What do I still need to might be appropriate:
tweak? What’s working? What’s not? • “I will plan menus and shop for food every Satur-
day so I have healthful options on hand for break-
Assess your goals fast, lunch, and dinner for the week.”
Did you discover other goals you’d like to set? Restate • “I’m no longer going to snack unless I truly feel hun-
your three initial goals from Week 1 and note how gry.” Or “I will limit my snacking to two 150-calorie
well you’ve been doing: snacks per day.”
Goal 1 progress:______________________________ • “I will no longer eat while I’m driving, no matter
___________________________________________ how hungry I am.”
___________________________________________ • “I will always eat breakfast before leaving the house
Goal 2 progress:______________________________ in the morning.”
___________________________________________ • “I will bring lunch with fruits, vegetables, and whole
___________________________________________ grains to work three out of five days a week.”
Goal 3 progress:______________________________ • “I will buy a new vegetable or other healthful ingre-
___________________________________________ dient that I’ve never cooked with before at least
___________________________________________ once a month.”
• “I will use part of my lunch hour to walk every day.” change is hard work because habits are so ingrained.
• “I will have fresh fruit for dessert—and limit ice By the time you’re 40, you’ve eaten some 40,000
cream, pie, and cake to special occasions.” meals—and probably lots of snacks. The people who
• “I will not eat while watching TV or looking at an are most successful at changing their diets reward
electronic device.” themselves for following their food rules, especially in
Your food rules can be general, but typically, the first six months they’re implementing them. Note
being specific is more helpful. For example, if you eat that your rewards should not be food or beverages,
out often for work and can’t avoid it because it’s part but other things that give you pleasure. For example,
of your job, you could develop a guideline to make after cooking at home three out of five weeknights,
healthier menu choices, such as: “I will always order a you could acknowledge your progress by treating
vegetable, even if it means ordering an extra side dish yourself to a movie or another activity that gives you
or asking the chef to add vegetables to the entrée.” pleasure. Moving in the right direction deserves some
No matter what your food rules are, they should acknowledgment to encourage you to continue posi-
be consistent and repeatable, and they should take into tive change. If cooking at home more often is saving
account what’s most important to you. If you really you money, you could even put the money you didn’t
love dessert, one of your personal food policies should spend on eating out into a clear jar for a vacation, and
address your dessert-eating habits (for instance: “I will then watch your rewards mount.
limit myself to one special dessert a week and savor Find a workaround. Try to control your environ-
every bite”). To increase the chances you’ll remember ment so old behaviors don’t tempt you. If you’re try-
and stick with your new guidelines, review them from ing to break the fast-food habit, try driving a different
time to time. For example, if one or more of your rules route that doesn’t take you through the fast-food dis-
involve restaurant meals, then it would be good to trict. If you want to eat a healthful breakfast, put an
review them before going out to eat. apple on the kitchen table before you go to bed. Pack a
Take the time to record your food rules here or healthful lunch the night before. Find a healthy substi-
on another piece of paper. Remember, writing them tute for any behaviors you’re trying to eliminate. That
down makes them real. might be, for example, taking swigs from your water
My food rules: bottle instead of opting for your usual 3 p.m. cola or
Example: From now on, I will substitute an apple sugar fix.
for chips at lunch. Don’t give up when you slip up. Realize that
___________________________________________ there will be times when you lapse into old behaviors.
___________________________________________ You’re human. It will happen, and when it does, don’t
___________________________________________ fall prey to thinking, “Well, I ate out every night this
___________________________________________ week, I might as well give up on the idea of cook-
___________________________________________ ing. It’s just not happening.” That’s demotivating and
___________________________________________ counterproductive. Remember, you’re aiming for a
___________________________________________ healthy eating pattern over time; one slip-up is far
___________________________________________ less important than all the other good choices you’re
___________________________________________ making.
Instead, use the setback as a learning opportunity
so you can avoid it in the future. Ask yourself: What
Keep up the good work caused it? Was it something practical—such as having
Now that you’re really creating a new way of eating, an especially busy week? Or was it something emo-
here are steps to help you reinforce your new habits. tional, such as feeling stressed about work? Once you
Reward yourself. Be sure to reinforce your moti- think you know what caused the slip, let it go and for-
vation by rewarding yourself frequently. Behavior give yourself. Then get right back to your new routine.
Enlist your friends and family
E ven if you’re an independent person, you’re more likely

to succeed if you are surrounded by people who encour-
age you. Research finds that eating patterns are transmit-
allow your family to embrace the change.
• Meanwhile, make realistic requests. Tell your spouse or
partner exactly what you want: to keep the bags of chips
ted through social relationships, particularly those between out of the house, for example, or to go for a nightly walk
spouses. Despite your best intentions, it’s not easy to eat together after dinner. The more realistic your requests, the
healthfully if you have family or friends who prefer a steady better. A couch potato isn’t likely to run a marathon with
diet of burgers and fries. But often the people around you you, but he or she might join you for a walk.
need a little support themselves. The changes you’re making
could indirectly affect them, and they may not want to change Your friends. Friends can be tremendously supportive in
along with you. helping you follow your food policies. They can also unwit-
tingly work against you. In fact, their influence is more power-
These strategies can help you turn any negativity they might ful than you might think.
toss your way into positive support.
With weight control, for example, if you have friends, even
Your spouse and your kids. You’re a powerful role model friends of friends, whose weight is on the upswing, your
to your family. Tell them you’re not on a “diet”—you’re chances of piling on the pounds yourself increases by 57%,
establishing a healthier way of eating for the long term. according to a Harvard study published in The New England
• Begin by sharing some of the tastier healthful treats you Journal of Medicine. We’re influenced by the behaviors of
are eating. Cut up a bowl of pineapple and offer it around. those around us, and when more people you know gain
Make some healthy tortilla roll-ups for lunch (see “What’s weight or have unhealthy diets, the behavior becomes ac-
for lunch?” on page 24). Put out unsalted nuts and sun- ceptable, much like any social norm. If you want to maintain
flower seeds for snacks. or lose weight, be aware of how your friends’ behavior might
• Next, begin introducing more healthful meals that play to influence you.
their preferences. If they love meat and potatoes, buy and This doesn’t mean giving up on friendships—you can be a
prepare lower-fat cuts of meat that you can eat too. Then healthy influence on your friends, too. Try these strategies for
balance the meal with plenty of vegetables. Serving a salad setting healthier patterns:
and peas and carrots not only gives you plenty of good • If you tend to meet a friend for lavish restaurant dinners,
stuff to fill up on, it also helps educate your family’s palate. suggest meeting for a walk or a visit to a gym or yoga class
Whether they’ll actually eat the vegetables is not the point instead.
(your kids may not gobble them up—at least, not at first).
• Invite friends over for a healthy dinner, or cook together
All you can do is expose them to healthful foods and hope
they’ll eventually learn to like them. If you can’t refuse your after shopping at a farmers’ market.
child’s desperate cries for cheese crackers, buy 100-calorie • Start a competition with your friends or co-workers to log
packages, so you won’t have an open bag around. Or look steps every day and see who can walk the most.
for more healthful, low-calorie versions of snacks you both • Consider seeking out people with similar goals. A study
can feel good about eating. from Northwestern University found that dieters who
• Respect the adjustment process. In time, your family may shared their weight on social media and connected with
take to eating some of your more healthful foods. Instead other dieters lost 8% of their body weight in six months,
of acting as if these foods are designated as “yours,” while those who didn’t use social media lost 5%.
A slip doesn’t need to become a fall. A lapse doesn’t work of friends (see “Enlist your friends and family,”
need to become a relapse. On the days you do follow above). The help they provide can be a powerful moti-
through, pat yourself on the back. Just one day of mak- vator and make you feel accountable to someone. If
ing healthful food and physical activity choices—such you have other people watching your progress, you’ll
as passing on the doughnuts that someone brought to be less ready to break that commitment. If you feel
the office and taking a brisk walk at lunch—can boost you need the support of a professional, consider work-
your enthusiasm and self-esteem. ing with a registered dietitian. To find one in your
Finally, strengthen your resolve by seeking emo- area, visit the website of the Academy of Nutrition and
tional encouragement from a support group or a net- Dietetics (www.eatright.org).
Cooking kickoff: Recipes for success
T he simple act of preparing your own meals auto-

matically starts you on the road to healthy eating.
Because you’re the chef, you can incorporate many of
the principles set forth in this report, such as eating
more fruits and vegetables and whole grains and con-
suming less salt and added sugar.
With a little planning, it’s surprising how little
time cooking actually takes—planning being the
operative word. Ideally, you’ll want to have ideas
Thinkstock
about what you’ll be eating for several days ahead,
and then have the ingredients on hand from which to dinners. The simple
work. As you begin to cook more, it gets easier. You and delicious recipes that follow
can streamline the process by making recipes in large can help you kick off your cooking skills and begin to
batches and setting part of the food aside for future build a repertoire of healthful meals you can turn to
meals, so you’ll have your own ready supply of frozen again and again. Bon appétit.
Appetizers
Crostini with Goat Cheese and Fresh Tomato

Crostini—thin slices of whole-wheat toasted baguette topped with cheese and vegetables—
Nutrition facts
tastes complex, yet it’s simple to make and a good use of in-season tomatoes, if they’re
available. Servings: 15
Serving size: 1 piece
INGREDIENTS Calories 90
1 whole-wheat baguette, sliced thin 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped Protein (g) 4
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided (or 1 teaspoon dried)
Carbohydrate (g) 8
2 garlic cloves, minced 6 ounces goat cheese (chèvre)
Fiber (g) 1
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped about 3 plum tomatoes,
finely chopped Fat (g) 5
(or 2 teaspoons dried)
Saturated fat (g) 2
DIRECTIONS
Trans fat (g) 0
Preheat oven to 375° F. Brush baguette slices lightly with about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil
Cholesterol (mg) 5
and toast in the oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Sodium (mg) 105
In a medium skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the garlic, rosemary,
and thyme for 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Add goat cheese
and mix well. Spread the goat cheese mixture lightly on the toasted baguette slices; garnish
with the chopped tomatoes.
Tasty Tzatziki with Pita Bread
Tzatziki, a refreshing Mediterranean yogurt-cucumber sauce, is delicious on pita bread, as a
Nutrition facts
dip for fresh vegetables, or as a sauce for grilled vegetables, fish, or chicken. In addition to
being versatile, it’s low in calories and a flavorful source of calcium. Servings: 8
Serving size: about ¼ cup
INGREDIENTS dip and 1⁄8 pita
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and seeded 2 garlic cloves, minced Calories 100
Protein (g) 8
¼ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons snipped chives or dill
Carbohydrate (g) 9
¼ teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Fiber (g) 1
2 cups plain, nonfat Greek-style yogurt 1 loaf whole-wheat pita bread, cut in wedges
Fat (g) 3.5
DIRECTIONS
Saturated fat (g) 0.5
Grate the cucumber and place in a sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Trans fat (g) 0
Discard any liquid that drains from the cucumber. Preheat oven to 375° F. In a small bowl,
mix the cucumbers, salt, pepper, yogurt, garlic, herbs, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Cholesterol (mg) 0
Taste for seasoning. Set aside. Sodium (mg) 140
Lay the pita on a baking sheet and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Serve the baked pita with the dip.
Classic Caponata
Serve this Sicilian-inspired sweet-and-sour eggplant salad as an appetizer with whole-grain
bread (as described here), or as a side dish, warm or at room temperature. Nutrition facts
Servings: 16
INGREDIENTS Serving size: 1 baguette
4 medium eggplants, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar piece with caponata
cut into bite-sized cubes mixture
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt Calories 160
pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 small whole-wheat baguettes Protein (g) 5
1 medium onion, chopped (about 8 ounces each), each Carbohydrate (g) 27
sliced into 8 pieces Fiber (g) 7
2 celery stalks, sliced
8 ripe red tomatoes, chopped For topping/garnish: Fat (g) 5
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed ¼ cup almonds, chopped or slivered Saturated fat (g) 0.5
¼ cup green olives, pitted about ¼ cup parsley, chopped Trans fat (g) 0
DIRECTIONS Cholesterol (mg) 0
Place the eggplant in a colander; sprinkle with salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Sodium (mg) 240
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan; add the onion and celery. Cook
for 5 minutes until soft but not brown. Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 more minutes until
pulpy. Add the capers, olives, vinegar, sugar, and pepper and cook for another 15 minutes.
Rinse and pat the eggplant dry. In a large pan, sauté the eggplant in the remaining 1 table-
spoon olive oil over medium heat until softened and light brown. Stir the eggplant into the
sauce. Let stand for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop before serving.
Assemble by dividing the mixture evenly on the baguette slices. Top with the almonds
and parsley.
Lunch and dinner entrées
Tuna Salad with Curry and Apples Nutrition facts

Apples and curry sweeten and spice up this traditional sandwich filler. Prepare tuna salad at Servings: 2
Serving size: ¾ cup
the beginning of the week and refrigerate it until you’re ready to use it.
Calories 140
INGREDIENTS Protein (g) 18
1 (5-ounce) can solid white tuna ½ teaspoon curry powder Carbohydrate (g) 8
(packed in water, low-sodium), drained ½ cup apple, chopped Fiber (g) 1
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise 1 tablespoon onion, chopped Fat (g) 3
1 teaspoon mustard Saturated fat (g) 0.5
DIRECTIONS Trans fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 25
Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix.
Sodium (mg) 140
Healthy Turkey Meatloaf

Ground turkey is a delicious alternative to ground beef, with less fat and fewer calories. Nutrition facts
Feel free to use ground turkey breast rather than regular ground turkey in this recipe to save
Servings: 8
even more fat and calories.
Serving size: 1⁄8 loaf
1 medium red onion, diced fine ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese Protein (g) 17
4 ribs celery, washed and diced fine 2½ teaspoons poultry seasoning Carbohydrate (g) 14
1 tablespoon canola oil 2 whole eggs Fiber (g) 3
2 medium Granny Smith apples, ¼ cup skim milk Fat (g) 10
cored and diced fine with skin left on 1 pound ground turkey Saturated fat (g) 3
3 slices of wheat bread, broken into crumbs
Trans fat (g) 0
Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9-inch loaf pan. In a pan, sauté the onion and celery in Sodium (mg) 250
the canola oil until slightly soft, and add the apple pieces; cook on low heat for 6 minutes,
then let this mixture cool.
In a large bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, poultry seasoning, eggs, milk,
cooled apple mixture, and turkey for no more than 2 minutes to keep it from getting tough.
Place into greased pan and cook in the center of the oven for 45 minutes or until the center is
cooked through.
Bean and Lentil Soup
Make this soup on the weekends for the week ahead or the same day. Though it’s quick to
Nutrition facts
prepare, it tastes like you spent hours.
Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS Serving size: 1 cup
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup celery, chopped Calories 210
1 cup onion, peeled and chopped 1 teaspoon dried oregano Protein (g) 11
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 1 teaspoon dried basil
Carbohydrate (g) 36
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Fiber (g) 10
rinsed, drained 1 teaspoon crumbled bay leaf
1 cup green lentils Fat (g) 4
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 cup fresh carrots, peeled and chopped black pepper to taste Saturated fat (g) 0
Trans fat (g) 0
DIRECTIONS
Cholesterol (mg) 0
In a 5- or 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil. Cook onion in hot oil over medium heat until tender,
stirring occasionally. Add broth, beans, lentils, carrots, and celery. Bring to boiling. Add oregano, Sodium (mg) 105
basil, thyme, and bay leaf.
Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes. Remove from
heat. Season with black pepper.
Multitasker’s Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Garlic Sauce

Made for multitaskers, this chicken can marinate during the day while you’re off doing
Nutrition facts
something else.
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS Serving size: 1 chicken
breast
4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts ½ cup dry white wine
Calories 220
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided ¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock
Protein (g) 24
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary plus ¼ teaspoon salt
5 rosemary sprigs Carbohydrate (g) 2
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 garlic clove, minced, plus 1 large garlic bulb Fiber (g) 0
Fat (g) 10
DIRECTIONS
Marinate chicken breasts in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 2 tablespoons rosemary, and minced
garlic for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Trans fat (g) 0
Preheat oven to 350° F. Slice off the top of the garlic bulb and lightly sprinkle it with the Cholesterol (mg) 75
remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast garlic for about 1 hour, or until soft and golden brown. Sodium (mg) 280
Set aside to cool, about 10 minutes. (This step can also be done ahead.) When garlic has
cooled, squeeze out garlic pulp and mash with a fork; set aside.
Sauté chicken in a nonstick pan for a couple of minutes on each side. Put in a baking pan and
bake at 350° F for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat wine, 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, mashed
roasted garlic, and chicken stock. Add salt and pepper. Leave on high heat until sauce thick-
ens. Strain through a fine sieve. Place one chicken breast on each plate and pour sauce over
chicken. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.
Sides and salads
Carrot and Squash Sauté

Pear-shaped with smooth or prickly light green skin, chayote squash is native to Mexico.
Nutrition facts
Feel free to substitute butternut or acorn squash if chayote isn’t available at your local
supermarket or farmers’ market. Servings: 6
Serving size: ¾ cup
INGREDIENTS
Calories 80
3 fresh carrots, peeled 2 large garlic cloves, minced Protein (g) 1
¼ cup green onion, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh thyme Carbohydrate (g) 9
2 tablespoons olive oil (or ¼ teaspoon dried crushed thyme)
Fiber (g) 3
1½ pounds fresh chayote squash, 1 pinch salt
Fat (g) 5
peeled and cut into julienne strips (roughly 1 pinch pepper
the size of matchsticks) 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Saturated fat (g) 0.5
Trans fat (g) 0
DIRECTIONS
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Blanch carrots in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and refresh under running cold water.
Cut carrots into julienne strips. Sodium (mg) 75
In a large pan, sauté green onion in olive oil until soft. Add carrots, squash, garlic, and thyme.
Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt,
pepper, and lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Tabbouleh Salad
If you’ve never tried bulgur (whole-grain wheat kernels), this refreshing salad offers a nice Nutrition facts
introduction.
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS Serving size: ¾ cup
1 cup bulgur wheat, rinsed and drained 1⁄3 cup mint leaves, chopped Calories 270
¼ teaspoon salt 3 stalks celery, finely diced Protein (g) 7
1½ cups Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil Carbohydrate (g) 39
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped 6 tablespoons lemon juice Fiber (g) 10
1 bunch scallions (about 6), minced ¼ teaspoon pepper Fat (g) 12
DIRECTIONS Saturated fat (g) 1.5
Combine the bulgur and 1½ cups cold water in a small saucepan and season with salt. Trans fat (g) 0
Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Uncover and allow Cholesterol (mg) 0
to cool.
Sodium (mg) 200
Combine the remaining ingredients in a large serving bowl and toss well. Add bulgur and toss.
Greek Couscous Salad with Walnuts
Nutrition facts
This great-for-you salad can be made ahead and doled out daily. Whole-wheat couscous is a Servings: 8
versatile food that’s a snap to prepare. Serving size: ½ cup
1 cup whole-wheat couscous ½ cup walnuts, chopped Protein (g) 5
½ cup red peppers, chopped 1 teaspoon minced garlic Carbohydrate (g) 20

1⁄3 cup scallions or chives, chopped 1½ ounces feta cheese Fiber (g) 4
1⁄3 cup red onion, chopped 1 teaspoon dried oregano Fat (g) 7
¼ cup black olives, diced 2 tablespoons lemon juice Saturated fat (g) 1.5
Trans fat (g) 0
DIRECTIONS
Cholesterol (mg) 5
In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add couscous and simmer for 8 minutes. Sodium (mg) 100
Drain and cool. Add remaining ingredients. Toss and serve.
Chickpea Salad
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a nutrient powerhouse. They’re loaded with Nutrition facts
protein, folate, and fiber as well as vitamin B6, phosphorus, and iron. Servings: 2
Serving size: 2⁄3 cup
INGREDIENTS
Calories 440
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, 4 basil leaves, cut into thin strips
Protein (g) 18
rinsed and drained ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, halved, seeded, Carbohydrate (g) 63
1 tablespoon olive oil
and chopped Fiber (g) 3
juice of 1 lemon
1 celery stalk, diced Fat (g) 15
1 tablespoon capers
2 scallions, thinly sliced Saturated fat (g) 1.5
pepper to taste
¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped Trans fat (g) 0
Combine the ingredients in a large bowl, toss, and serve. Sodium (mg) 740
Lemon Spinach Nutrition facts

It’s amazing how a little lemon and garlic can zest up vegetables. We use baby spinach here, Servings: 4
but feel free to substitute broccoli rabe or another favorite leafy green. Serving size: ½ cup
Protein (g) 1
1 tablespoon olive oil juice of 1 lemon
Carbohydrate (g) 7
1 tablespoon minced garlic ¼ teaspoon salt
Fiber (g) 2
6 ounces baby spinach pepper to taste
(about 3 large handfuls) Fat (g) 4
DIRECTIONS
Trans fat (g) 0
Put olive oil in a wok or 10-inch sauté pan. Add minced garlic. Cook on medium-high heat for Cholesterol (mg) 0
20 seconds. Add baby spinach to garlic and oil. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice
over the spinach while cooking. Add salt and pepper. Sodium (mg) 210
Desserts
Simple Fruit Smoothie Nutrition facts

If you’ve got fruit around that needs to be eaten, by all means, whip up a smoothie for a Servings: 1
nutritious dessert or snack. Serving size: 12 ounces
Calories 260
INGREDIENTS Protein (g) 26
1 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt ½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen Carbohydrate (g) 41
¼ cup orange juice ½ cup ice Fiber (g) 3
½ banana, cut into pieces Fat (g) 0.5
Saturated fat (g) 0
DIRECTIONS
Trans fat (g) 0
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a
Cholesterol (mg) 0
glass and serve.
Sodium (mg) 110
Pumpkin Muffins
These are much more healthful than the muffins you’ll find at a cafe or even at the grocery Nutrition facts
store. Still, note that they are under the dessert section, not the breakfast section.
Servings: 12
INGREDIENTS Serving size: 1 muffin
Calories 180
3 small ripe bananas 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
(or 2 medium-large bananas) 1 cup whole-wheat flour Protein (g) 9
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée 1¾ cups oat bran Carbohydrate (g) 37
2 egg whites 1½ teaspoons baking soda Fiber (g) 5
1 whole egg 2⁄3 cup raisins (3 ounces) Fat (g) 2
½ cup unsweetened applesauce cooking spray Saturated fat (g) 0
1 cup nonfat dry milk Trans fat (g) 0
Preheat oven to 350° F. Purée bananas and pumpkin in a blender or food processor. Sodium (mg) 209
Add egg whites, whole egg, and applesauce, and purée until smooth. Add dry milk and pulse
until blended. Add pumpkin pie spice to mixture and blend.
In separate bowl, combine flour, oat bran, baking soda, and raisins. Mix to combine. Add
banana-pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and mix well.
Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and spoon mixture into cups, distributing batter evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Resources
Organizations This report sets out practical guidelines for healthy eating
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics based on the latest nutritional science. It is available online
120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000 and in print.
Chicago, IL 60606 Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less: A Flexible and Delicious Way
800-877-1600 to Shrink Your Waist Without Going Hungry
www.eatright.org Mollie Katzen and Walter C. Willett, M.D.
This large organization of food and nutrition professionals, (Hyperion, 2007)
formerly called the American Dietetic Association, provides
This book teams Mollie Katzen, author of the landmark
information and advice to the general public through its website,
Moosewood Cookbook, with Dr. Walter Willett, head of the
outreach efforts, and publications.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Department of
The Nutrition Source—Knowledge for Healthy Eating Nutrition. Together they’ve created a weight-loss plan that’s easy
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to implement and filled with delicious foods. The book includes
Department of Nutrition more than 100 recipes.
www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life
This website provides free public access to the latest information Thich Nhat Hanh and Lilian Cheung
on nutrition and health. (HarperOne, 2010)
This book is a collaboration between a renowned Zen master
Books and publications and a nutritionist and editorial director of the Nutrition Source
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015 website of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. It
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department combines Buddhist teachings with nutrition science to help you
of Health and Human Services integrate mindfulness into your daily eating and exercise habits
www.dietaryguidelines.gov to achieve well-being and a healthy weight.
Glossary
added sugars: Sugars and syrups that are added to foods omega-3 fatty acids: Beneficial polyunsaturated fats also
during processing, as opposed to sugars naturally found in known as n-3 fatty acids that are found in fatty fish and, to a
foods (such as fructose in fruits and lactose in milk). lesser extent, in other foods such as walnuts and flaxseed.
body mass index (BMI): An estimate of the body’s fat polyunsaturated fats: Beneficial fats found primarily in
content, calculated from measurements of height and weight. vegetable oils such as corn oil and soybean oil.
saturated fats: Unhealthy fats found primarily in animal
dietary fiber: The edible, nondigestible component of carbo-
products such as meat, butter, and dairy. Also found in palm and
hydrates naturally found in plant food.
coconut oil.
glycemic load: A measure of how much blood sugar rises trans fatty acids (trans fats): Unhealthy fats that occur
in response to a serving of a specific food. Foods with a high naturally in meat but come mainly from processed foods made
glycemic load are thought to increase the risk of insulin with hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated oils are polyunsaturated
resistance and other health problems. The glycemic load takes fats that have been chemically altered to be made more like
into account both the quantity of carbohydrates in the food as saturated fats.
well as how fast they can raise blood sugar.
visceral fat: Belly fat that lies beneath the abdominal wall, in
julienne: To cut food into thin, matchstick strips. the spaces surrounding the liver, intestines, and other organs.
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A Harvard Medical School Special Health Report

The Harvard Medical School

Here’s what you CAN do Here’s what you CAN’T do

For more information

Enjoy the journey!

A re you confused about nutrition? You’re not alone.

Figure 2: Measuring your waist

Center of the armpit

Ilium High point of ilium

To get an accurate measurement of your waistline, measure at the

P erhaps in the past, you started with the best inten-

8:30–8:45 a.m. Kitchen Alone Watching Rushed 4 Shredded 2 X

1 cup Skim milk X

10:00–10:10 a.m. Car Alone Driving Happy 3 1 medium Apple 1 2

11:00–11:05 a.m. Car Alone Driving Rushed 2 1 Granola bar 2

The Harvard Medical School 6-Week Plan for Healthy Eating 

6:00–6:10 p.m. Kitchen Alone Cooking Tired 5 2 pieces Low-fat 1

6:30–7:05 p.m. Kitchen Husband Talking Tired 4 6 ounces Baked chicken 2 X

1 cup Brown rice X

2 glasses Iced tea X

9:30–9:45 p.m. Bed Alone Watching Tired 2 1 cup Frozen yogurt 3

w w w.h ealt h .ha r va r d.e du

Table 1: What’s a serving?

Whole grains 1 slice whole-grain bread 1 compact disc case

Your exercise diary

is 1 cup. The 250 calories listed on the label refer to

Start small Keep goals specific

B reakfast will be your focus for this week. We’ll

The healthy breakfast plate

Choosing a breakfast cereal

D uring a busy day, it’s easy to get sidetracked from

Setting goals for lunch success

Lunchtime can be a minefield of temptation. From

D inner is often the biggest and most important meal

Setting goals for dinner success

M indful eating is a tool to prevent overeating while boosting the enjoyment of

1 Spread low-fat refried beans on a whole-wheat

4 Whip together a two-egg omelet (two eggs plus

A drink with dinner?

A mericans are snacking more than ever. There’s

O ver the past five weeks, you’ve gained an awareness

Personal food rules for the future

E ven if you’re an independent person, you’re more likely

T he simple act of preparing your own meals auto-

Crostini with Goat Cheese and Fresh Tomato

DIRECTIONS Cholesterol (mg) 0

Tuna Salad with Curry and Apples Nutrition facts

Healthy Turkey Meatloaf

Multitasker’s Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Garlic Sauce

Carrot and Squash Sauté

1 cup whole-wheat couscous ½ cup walnuts, chopped Protein (g) 5

½ cup red peppers, chopped 1 teaspoon minced garlic Carbohydrate (g) 20

Lemon Spinach Nutrition facts

Simple Fruit Smoothie Nutrition facts

ISBN 978-1-61401-112-5 SWP1015

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The Harvard Medical School 6-Week Plan for Healthy Eating