INTRODUCTION TO HEALTHY EATING & WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

from Mark Stibich, Ph.D., About.com
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Medical Review Board

Living a long, healthy life depends largely on what you put into your body over your lifetime. You can make simple changes that will help you develop healthy eating habits.

How to Use These Healthy Eating Tips

Browse through these tips and select 2 or 3 that you think will work for you. Write each on a card and it near your food as a reminder. Putting a card in the silverware drawer, in the napkin holder or on your place mat can be great places to remind yourself. Try the tip. If you like it, keep using it until it becomes a habit. If you don't like it, pick another one.

Treat it like an experiment where you can learn about yourself and your habits. Don't get discouraged -- keep trying.

Below are the tips broken down by category. Use this list or browse until you find something you like:

How You Eat
These tips focus on your eating behaviors and habits like speed, cleaning your plate and more:
Slow Down Your Eating
Watch Your Liquids
Chew More to Feel Full
Don't Drink and Eat
No Clean Plate
Count When Snacking

Mind Over Food
These tips look at ways you can use your mind to out-smart your stomach:
Food Thoughts Make You Hungry
Expect Unhealthy Food to Taste Bad
Avoid Using Food as Reward, Punishment, or Comfort
Control Food Decisions
Don't Diet: Change
Set a Pause Point for Cravings
Stop When You Are No Longer Hungry
Confuse Your Nose

Serving and Storage
These tips use your dishes, storage containers and pantry as your allies in eating less:
Move Your Food Around to Remind You About Your Goals
New Plate or Glass
No Bag Eating
Use Tall Skinny Glasses
Small Packages
See No Snacks
No Serving Dishes
Iced Drinks Burns 1 cal/oz Extra
Make It a Challenge to Get to Your Food

Food Choices
These tips look at ways to change what you eat:
Increase the Variety of Healthy Foods
Reduce the Variety of Unhealthy Foods
Make Healthy Food Look Smaller
Make Unhealthy Food Look Bigger
Dish Out 20% More Vegetables
Dish Out 20 Percent Less of Most Foods

Distraction
These tips emphasize limiting distraction to help you focus while eating:
Do Nothing But Eat During Meals and Snacks
Watching TV and Eating Adds Extra Calories
Put Your Fork Down Between Bites
Eat Your Meals and Snacks at the Table
Slow Down and Pay Attention By Using Chopsticks