Start the New Year Off with Healthy Eating

Cobb & Douglas Public Health (CDPH) encourages the community to include healthy eating as part of their New Year’s Resolution goals. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) offers several tips to eat healthier for 2019:

Add some color to your plate by making half your plate fruits and vegetables: Choose red, orange, and dark-green vegetables like tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and broccoli, along with other vegetables for your meals. Add fruit to meals as part of the main dish or as a dessert. The more colorful you make your plate, the more likely you are to get the vitamins, minerals, and fiber your body needs to be healthy.

Make half the grains you eat, whole grains: An easy way to eat more whole grains is to switch from a refined-grain food to a whole-grain food. For example, eat whole-wheat bread instead of white bread. Read the ingredients list and choose products that list a whole-grain ingredients first. Look for things like: "whole wheat," "brown rice," "buckwheat," "oatmeal," "rolled oats," quinoa," or "wild rice."

Other quick tips include:
* Increase your water consumption versus choosing a sugary drink or soda.
* Mix vegetables into your go-to dishes. Try spinach with pasta or peppers in tacos.
* Teach children the difference between everyday snacks, such as fruits and veggies, and occasional snacks, like cookies or other sweets.
* Choose baked or grilled foods instead of fried foods when you're eating out and implement this at home, too.
* Use smaller plates to control portion sizes.
* Compliment your healthy eating by increasing your daily activity by at least thirty minutes. For more information on healthy eating, visit: https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/ea...