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Small Changes in Diet Make a Big Improvement in Health
Advice from a Dietitian
By Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D., C.D.E.
Have you ever wondered what advice a registered dietitian might give you? Chances are I'd advise you to make some of the same small changes I suggest to most of my healthy clients. These are the people for whom small changes add up to big improvements in weight, cholesterol and overall health. Here's my advice to average, healthy clients. Check it out to see what changes you could make.
I know you've heard this before: Super-sizing your burger, fries and drink costs only a few cents but adds hundreds of calories and loads your bloodstream with artery-clogging fats. But what about wholesome, nutritious foods?
Extra calories from any food pack on the pounds. You may not have paid attention to the volume of juice or cereal you have in the morning. Chances are it's more than you think.
Recently, a client told me that he drank 8 ounces of juice, but pointed to a 16-ounce cup. That was an extra 120 calories. Another client described a breakfast of "a cup of cereal" with skim milk. Actually, that bowl was brimming with more than three cups of cereal. That tripled her calories from about 200 to 600 at breakfast alone. And calories do count. To lose 1 pound of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in from food and drink.
Obesity rates have climbed as portion sizes have grown. A report in the American Journal of Public Health (February 2002) found that the trend toward larger portion sizes began in the 1970s, increased dramatically in the 1980s and continues today.
What you can do: Decrease your usual portions of some foods by one-quarter or one-third. Serve sandwiches on dinner rolls instead of the larger sandwich buns. Order child-size portions. Don't super-size – you may save a few cents, but you'll gain a few pounds. At home, keep serving bowls in the kitchen. That way you'll have to get up to refill your plate. Even if you save only 150 calories each day, that adds up to almost 16 pounds in one year.