Health and Wellness

Nutrition Tips

Plan ahead. Food choices are best made in advance.
List out meal ideas for the week before shopping, keeping in mind which days you'll be pressed for time, and which days you'll want to be more creative.
Clean and cut fruits and vegetables so they are "ready-to-eat" right after purchasing them. This makes fresh cantaloupe as convenient as potato chips.
Make good use of your microwave and crock pot.
Plan for leftovers. Freeze items you don't plan to use within 2-3 days.
Cook multiple batches of tacos, Sloppy Joes, spaghetti sauce, soups, casseroles, and other items you can freeze in meal size containers. One day of cooking can produce several weeks of food.
Use frozen vegetables. They are lower in sodium than canned, and you can measure out the amount needed and return the rest to the freezer.
Buy convenience foods, such as shredded cheese, pre-marinated meats, pre-cut vegetables, and shredded lettuce to make healthier foods as easy as canned or boxed items.

If you plan to eat at a concession stand, buy one item and supply the rest yourself. For example, buy the burger, but substitute an apple and milk in place of the chips and soda.
Do not starve yourself that day. If you are overly hungry, chances are you will overeat.
Carry fruit with you. It is very portable and stays fresh
Select eating establishments with healthy options.
Check nutrition information - healthy sounding and healthy are not the same.
Check the serving sizes. Many conveniently packaged items are designed to look like they are one serving, but are really two to three.
Invest in a lunch tote or lunch box so you have more control over your menu.

No fat or fat free: Contains less than 1/2 gram of fat per serving
Lower or reduced fat: Contains at least 25 percent less per serving than the reference food.
Low fat: Contains less than 3 grams of fat per serving
Lite: Contains 1/3 the calories or 1/2 the fat per serving of the original version or similar product.
No calories or calorie free: Contains less than 5 calories per serving
Low calories: Contains 1/3 the calories of the original version or a similar product
Sugar free: Contains less than 1/2 gram of sugar per serving
Reduced sugar: at least 25% less sugar per serving than the reference food
No preservatives added: Contains no added chemicals to preserve the product. Some of these products may contain natural preservatives
Low sodium: contains less than 140 mgs of sodium per serving
No salt or salt free: Contains less than 5 mgs of sodium per serving
High fiber: 5 g or more per serving
Good source of fiber: 2.5 g to 4.9 g. per serving

Source: Life Clinic