HealthyLife Articles

Category: Healthylife® Weigh

  • Getting Started With Menu Planning

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Menus & Recipes

    Meal planning.

    Your work schedule, culture, travel, dietary restrictions, or preferences will influence your meal schedule. Generally, a daily schedule for eating includes:

    *  Breakfast: First meal after waking up

    *  Lunch: 3-4 hours later

    *  Dinner: 4-5 hours later

    *  Snacks: Smaller amounts of food between meals (optional)

    Goals for all meals & snacks

    *  Get enough energy and nutrients.

    *  Choose foods from the main food groups.

    *  Meet your daily goals for all food groups (on most days).

    *  Include tasty food.

    *  Avoid spikes or drops in blood sugar that can trigger overeating.

    Every meal does not have to include every food group.

    Do I have to eat breakfast?

    Breakfast is an important meal that you should not skip. Your body needs energy after a long break in eating. Breakfast kick-starts your metabolism and helps to burn energy during the day. Eating breakfast also helps improve your memory and focus and may lower your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Improve A Packaged Meal

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 3

    Frozen pizza with added fresh vegetables.

    Cooking from scratch is a great way to know what is in your food and to prepare it how you like it. You can also start with a pre-made, packaged food and make a healthy meal from it! The chart below gives examples of ways to add nutrients to packaged foods. Add your own ideas.

    Chart of ideas to improve packaged meals.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Look Past Advertising

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 3

    Man grocery shopping.

    Advertising can help point out healthy qualities in a food or drink. Advertising can also distract you from less healthy ingredients and nutrition facts. Check the nutrition facts and ingredients list to get the real scoop on what’s in the product. The drawbacks may outweigh the benefits advertised on the package.

    “Made With…”Example: Whole Grains, Real Fruit

    What it Means: At one point, the real ingredient (e.g., whole grain, fruit) was part of the product. That ingredient may have been processed further, causing it to lose nutrients. This claim does not tell you anything about how much of the whole food is in the end product.

    “Sugar Free”

    What it Means: A sugar free food has less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving. What is in the food is more important than what the food is claiming to be free from. Check to see if extra saturated fat or artificial sweeteners have been added to make up for taste. Avoid foods high in saturated fat or foods containing artificial sweeteners.

    “Fat Free”

    What it Means: This food contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving (of any kind). If a food is fat free, make sure sugars or starches haven’t been added to replace the flavor and structure that fat gives food. Remember, unsaturated fat is an important part of a healthy diet and helps keep you feeling full.

    “Contains…”Example: Whole Grains, Real Fruit

    What it Means: This product contains some amount of this ingredient, but that amount may be very small. For example, a fruit drink that “contains real fruit” may be 10% real fruit juice and 90% added water and sugar. If you want more of the ingredient, like a whole grain or fruit, look for it to appear high on the list of ingredients.

    “Contains Zero Trans Fat”

    What it Means: There is no safe amount of trans fats, but a food label can say it contains zero trans fats if the trans fat content is below 0.5 grams per serving. To find trans fats, you will need to look at the ingredients. Avoid ingredients that are “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated.”

    Organic, Grass-Fed, Cage-Free, Free-Range, Non-GMO

    Learn more about these marketing claims and labeling standards inPart 7of this guide.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Myplate Choices For One Day

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 3

    Breakfast smoothie bowl with fruits and granola.

    Every meal does not have to include every food group.

    Combine at least three food groups at every meal, and at least two food groups at every snack. For example, combine an apple and peanut butter to get one serving of protein and one serving of fruit. This will help you feel full and give you long-lasting energy.

    Here is an example that includes three meals and two snacks.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Break Through Emotional Eating

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 6

    Variety of ice cream cones.

    Hunger is not always a drive to fulfill a physical need. Sometimes, eating is due to stress, anxiety, or celebration. Emotions can be triggers for overeating or making less healthy choices. This section will help you:

    1. Determine if your hunger is physical or emotional.

    2. Identify and cope with emotions that prompt you to eat when you are not hungry.

    3. Be mindful in daily life.

    4. Give you more tools for managing stress.

    HealthyLife® Weigh

    QUICK LINKS: PART 6

    Physical vs. Emotional Hunger

    Self-Discovery: Hunger

    Feeling Full

    Identify Emotions that Prompt You to Eat

    When Something is Bothering You

    Help! I Just Ate Half a Cake!

    Relaxation Techniques

    Relaxation Reflex

    Mindfulness

    Deep Breathing

    Address Anger

    Address Boredom

    Seek Downtime Daily

    Address Depression

    Address Anxiety

    Plan Problem-Solving

    Address Insecurity

    Manage Stress

    Add a Stress-Busting Food to Your Day

    Tips for Healthy Celebration

    Relieve the Pressure

    Review and Prepare

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Practice Relaxation Techniques

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 6

    Women deep breathing.

    Use relaxation techniques to manage emotional eating triggers.

    Learn These Four Skills to Relax

    1. Relaxation Reflex: Get rid of muscle tension.

    2. Mindfulness: Be fully present in the moment.

    3. Deep Breathing: Feel relaxed by breathing in more oxygen.

    Plan Relaxation Time

    Plan 15 minutes during the day to intentionally relax. You can also do relaxation exercises as needed throughout the day. Practice these techniques before eating or to cope with an emotion that is triggering you to eat. Relaxation techniques can help reduce stress-related health problems, such as high blood pressure, headaches, and pain. These tools also help you to have greater mental and physical control and improve your response to negative emotions.

    How the mind can control the body:

    *  It can slow brain wave patterns.

    *  It can reduce heart and breathing rates.

    *  It can increase blood flow to the limbs.

    *  It can relax muscles.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Set Fitness Goals

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 5

    Active women with armband to hold smartphone.

    Set your own fitness goals. Other people may have suggestions, but choose a goal that you want to go after. Other people’s fitness goals should not interfere with one you set for yourself.

    *  Write down your goals. This gives them more importance.

    *  Your goals should be within reach, but challenging. Make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T. Does your goal meet the criteria?

    *  Know why you are setting each goal. For example, you may be doing this exercise for stress relief or to try something new. Or, you are meeting a friend and want to help them stick to their goal.

    *  Review and adjust your goals as needed. It takes practice to know how to set reasonable but challenging goals for yourself.

    *  Track your progress and reward yourself for successes.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Tips For Rational Thinking

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 4

    Concept of women thinking with drawing of lightbulbs.

    Use these tips to decide if an alternate thought is helpful for problem-solving. You can allow your thoughts and actions to cause anxiety. Or, you can view them as part of everyday life choices that you can manage.

    1. Ask: Is your thought based on facts?

    2. Identify what you are trying to do. Know your purpose.

    3. Consider many different outcomes and their effects.

    4. View the situation from many perspectives.

    5. Don’t assume a situation will have the same outcome as it did in the past.

    6. Have good evidence for a generalization before you make it.

    7. Avoid assuming one event caused another just because they happened at the same time.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Yoga

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 5

    Senior women doing yoga.

    Yoga is excellent for improving flexibility, relaxation, and stress reduction. Find a good instructor who can modify yoga to suit your individual needs. Develop your skills slowly. You can also find free yoga resources online or at your library. Watch YouTube videos or DVDs for demonstrations of movements.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Air Travel

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 3

    Snacks for the airplane.

    Air travel can be time consuming because of the time it takes to get to the airport, get through security, wait for a flight, fly, and get to your final destination. Avoid going more than 3 to 4 hours without having something to eat. Plan to have a meal, a snack, or both!

    *  Bring one or more travel snacks with you.

    *  Look for these healthy snack options from to-go vendors. Read the Nutrition Facts on food labels, when available.

    – Fresh fruit

    – Low-sodium soup

    – Wraps and small sandwiches

    – Yogurt with cut-up fruit

    – Cottage cheese with fruit

    *  If you have time, choose a restaurant with healthy options on the menu. Sit and eat slowly to help digestion.

    *  Drink water. Bring an empty water bottle to the airport and re-fill it at a drinking fountain after going through security. Or, buy a water bottle once inside the airport terminal. Water is usually offered on the plane. Altitude and dry air can cause dehydration.

    *  Move around, both at the airport and while on the plane, if you can. Go for walks at the airport if you have a lot of waiting time. Stretch in your seat on the plane or walk to the restroom.

    If you won’t be traveling for a while, come back to this page for tips when it applies in the future. Or, share these tips with a spouse or friend who is traveling soon!

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine