For many of us, learning to develop healthy eating habits takes a little more discipline than it does for others. But by making small changes with every meal, you can start developing healthier eating habits in no time. Here are a few small steps that can lead to giant leaps for you and your family’s daily diet.

Healthy Eating Tip No. 1

Start by changing the “snack ratio” in the house. Slowly and gradually have more fruit and healthier snack choices around, rather than the typical, higher-calorie junk food. For instance, have three types of fruit (apples, oranges, grapes) to replace some of the small bags of chips or candy bars. Or simply start replacing unhealthy snacks with alternative choices, such as oatmeal bars, granola bars or peanuts and yogurt.

Healthy Eating Tip No. 2

When shopping at the grocery store, spend more of your time in the outer aisles. That’s where you’ll find the healthier foods, such as fresh fruits, fish and vegetables, which are naturally lower in fat and cholesterol and have not been filled with sugar, salt and other preservatives that add on the pounds.

Healthy Eating Tip No. 3

Begin reading the labels of the foods that you eat. Foods that are labeled “low in fat,” or “light,” are not always the healthiest choice. Many times, if a product is lower in fat, it may be higher in sodium, or, if it’s lower in sugar, it may be high in fat. Start reading the “Nutrition Facts” chart on the back of the box, can or bag.

I will admit, it’s hard to read the label of every food item while you’re shopping. A better way to start is with your favorite packaged foods and snacks at home. Soon you’ll start to notice the differences in the amounts of sodium, carbohydrates, sugar and calories per serving between the different foods that you’ve chosen. The next step is to slowly begin making adjustments in your shopping choices, and to look for alternatives with fewer calories, sodium and fats.

Don’t get caught up in the calories

“Everyone zeroes in on the calories,” says registered dietitian Claire LeBrun. “I even catch myself sometimes doing it; you gotta look at the portions and calories per serving size.” The gotcha that gets a lot of consumers with the nutritional facts charts is the number of calories per serving size. Most consumers read the number of calories and assume that’s the number of calories for the entire package, rather than the number of calories per serving – buyer beware.

Healthy Eating Tip No. 4

Develop a healthy habit of selecting sensible-sized food portions. If your plate has a serving of rice that can’t fit into the cupped palm of your hand, then, in most cases, the amount of food you’ve chosen is too much. Using this “cup of your hand” technique is a good way to mentally measure the amounts of foods that go onto your plate. Some people use the size of their fist as a measurement. The size of your fist, or a cupped hand, is about the same size of one measuring cup.

Healthy Eating Tip No. 5

Retrain your taste buds and retrain your brain and attitude toward good food choices. The natural sweetness of an orange or apple can’t compete with the sugary taste of a candy bar, but you must retrain, and relearn, the goodness of what’s good for you. Start choosing to eat more fruits and vegetables as snacks or as replacements for some of the fats that you would tend to add onto your lunch tray or dinner plate – you and your taste buds will get used to it.

These tips can be very helpful and can lead you into a new healthier and safe lifestyle. As long as you are dedicated and consistent with changing your old habits and sticking with your new one’s!

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