Spring Clean Your Diet

Have you ever thought that improving your eating habit is just like a spring cleaning job?

Just as how you give your house and garage a thorough clean up once, every year, you should do the same with your diet. 

Here is how you can do it.

Clean it up. Drink more water and less carbonate drinks. "Your drinks should not be sticky," says Pam Davis, R.D., L.D., dietitian and diabetes educator at Baylor Medical Centre, Garland.

Clean you plate. Davis recommends "cleaning" your plate by ditching cheesy casseroles in favor of simple, three part meals, consisting of meat, starch and vegetable. For example, a meal of pork tenderloin, brown rice and green beans would fit the bill.

Toss it out. Go through your pantry and freezer and toss anything that is old and unhealthy. Don't keep frozen meat any longer than six months. Label and date any left overs before you freeze them for later use.

Plan it. Planning you meals makes it less likely you will grab fast food on the fly. Sit down with you cookbook - or your kids, who will be more likely to eat what they have plan - and create a weekly menu.

Practice restaurant savvy. If you eat out, do so wisely. Most restaurant portions are bigger and usually with more sodium or fat. Split a single entree or order just a half portion if offered by the restaurant.