Dr. Cheryl Forberg of 'The Biggest Loser' released her "Top 100 Tips for a Healthier Summer" on The Huffington Post today. We enjoyed her ideas, but know most busy moms don't have time to read 100 suggestions! So we've combed through and selected ten of Forberg's most useful and unusual suggestions for healthy eating. Enjoy!
1. Remember that foods high in water content promote satiety. Most fruits and vegetables are 80 to 95 percent water!
2. Freeze your favorite finger fruits. They take longer to eat and provide a sweet treat when a craving hits.
3. Beans and legumes are fiberific, particularly lentils. Lentils cook in as little as 20 minutes (don't require pre-soaking) and 1/2 cup of cooked lentils contains eight whopping grams of fiber. Keep a bowl of cooked lentils in the fridge to toss with vinaigrette for a quick salad.
4. Sunscreen in a glass? Pink and ruby red grapefruit juice contain lycopene, which can help protect all of that exposed skin from UV rays during summer months. There's no doubt that whole fruit has more fiber than juice, but grapefruit juice ranks numero uno in nutrient density. This means that eight ounces of 100 percent grapefruit juice contains less than 100 calories and is loaded with clock-stopping antioxidants such as vitamins A and C (and if you choose pink or ruby grapefruit juice, you'll also have a boost of cancer-fighting lycopene).
5. Have a glass of water before your meal to curb your hunger and another glass after your meal if you still feel like eating more.
6. Schedule your meals and stick with it. Skipping meals is not helpful -- it interferes with weight loss. When we wait too long between meals, we lose sight of our body's natural hunger cues. We eat too much, too fast and choose the wrong things. Don't skip meals!
7. Eat with chopsticks -- it forces you to take small bites and eat slowly.
8. Toss the yolks and fill your deviled eggs with hummus instead for a low fat, cholesterol-free alternative.
9. Pick up a spray mister at the drug store and fill it with your favorite cooking oil. Not only does it release a miserly portion of calorie-loaded oil, it contains no toxic hydrocarbons found in commercial oil spray cans.
10. Grill dessert! When the flames die down to low, add raw fruit to the grill. Overly ripe fruit will stick and burn. Semi-firm peach or pear halves or pineapple spears make a perfectly sweet ending to your summer meal.
Who knew grapefruit juice was so good for you? It's hard to stay healthy when you're busy, but remember, you're worth it! And please--we don't care what you say--you look hot in that swimsuit.
