Man writing down habits for better nutrition while eating quinoa bowl at table

Most of us want to eat better. But how should you start? Should you ‘kick start’ weight loss with a five-day juice cleanse or maybe try the meat-heavy paleo diet?

It doesn’t need to be that complicated. In fact, juice cleanses and fad diets can sometimes do more harm than good.

Perri Halperin, MS, RD, Clinical Dietitian at The Mount Sinai Hospital, offers some simple ways to develop a healthier diet—without depriving yourself—and explains how working with a nutritionist can help support your weight loss or weight management goals.

What small changes can I make for a healthier diet?

It’s always easier to add something to your diet, rather than subtract. To increase micronutrients and fiber, I recommend adding a non-starchy vegetable—like green beans, carrots, or spinach—or a fruit with every meal.

Make sure to start your day with breakfast. A lot of people think that skipping breakfast is best, but in doing so you are confusing your body. Food is fuel. When you skip breakfast—or any meal—your body holds onto the food it has as an energy reserve. A healthy breakfast, and any meal, includes non-starchy vegetables, fruit, and protein. Protein gives you a feeling of being full, something nutritionists call satiety, after you eat.

Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages. Instead of drinking juice or soda, try fruit-infused water or seltzer. You can infuse water with watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, cucumber, or mint.

Should I count calories?

When you think about calories, focus on quality, not quantity. Eating 300 calories worth of cake, candy, and chips is not the same as eating 300 calories of salad and chicken. Try to have a protein with every meal and snack. Good sources of proteins include eggs; plain nonfat Greek yogurt (which has more protein, less sugar, and a thicker consistency than regular yogurt); low-fat cottage, or ricotta cheese; fish or shellfish; chicken and turkey; beans or chickpeas; seitan or tofu.

If you eat a protein and a non-starchy vegetable at every meal and snack, you will put yourself in the right calorie range. You’ll also feel good because you are giving your body the fuel that it needs. If you do well with counting something, count grams of protein instead of calories. Aim to consume about 60 grams of protein a day. An eight ounce glass of milk skim milk has about 8 grams and a chicken breast has about 30 grams.

Do I need to detox or cleanse my body?  

Your body cannot use food to detox or cleanse. Your body cleanses and detoxes itself using your kidneys and liver. The best way to help your body cleanse itself is to feed it the fuel that it needs to carry out those processes efficiently and without overwhelming those organs.

Are there habits that people think are healthy that are not?

Yes. I call these habits false friends—things we eat or drink because we think they’re healthy but they’re not. Smoothies and juicing are false friends. They trick us into consuming calories and sugar from foods we probably wouldn’t sit down and eat in one sitting. It’s better to eat your food, not drink it.

Granola, granola bars, and trail mix are also false friends. These foods are often high in sugar and fat. A third type of false friend is vitamin and mineral supplements (micronutrients) that our body doesn’t need. Our body’s internal processes help itself maintain equilibrium. When we overload ourselves with B-12 supplements, magnesium, or other supplements that we don’t need, all we’re doing is giving our body an extra job—to get rid of those extraneous micronutrients.

Some people think tropical fruit—like bananas—are off limits, and I want to dispel that myth. Don’t be scared of a banana. It’s true that berries—strawberries, blueberries, blackberries—tend to be lower in sugar than bananas, pineapples, papayas, and mangoes; that doesn’t mean you should never have a banana. It means you should think about variety and moderation when making food choices.

Yogurt choices can be overwhelming. Plain, nonfat Greek yogurt is a good choice. If you need a little flavor, take a look at the label. You should get at least 12 grams of protein and less than six or seven grams of sugar per serving.

How can a nutritionist help me?

Nutritionists can help in a variety of ways, depending on what you need. If you need information, a nutritionist can explain calories, proteins, fats, and carbs. They can help you figure out what to eat. Nutritionists can also help you identify obstacles that may be preventing you from healthy eating. Sometimes you know what to eat, but you’re not eating it. Talking to a nutritionist can help you work through those issues and come up with solutions. In addition, working with a nutritionist can provide accountability.

Like when consulting with any health care professional, it’s important to know what your weight loss and/or weight maintenance goals are and to build a good rapport. Working with a nutritionist can help you live life while reaching these goals. You can celebrate the holidays or go on vacation without sabotaging your efforts or giving up the foods and flavors you love. A nutritionist can help.

Why is it so important to have the right mindset?

In my experience, having the right mindset is the number one indicator of successful weight loss and weight maintenance. People who make the connection between food and exercise choices and how they feel become strong and empowered—and have the most long-term success.

Weight loss, in particular, can feel really overwhelming. You think you need to lose 20 pounds in a month and can’t figure out how to do it. Breaking it down into smaller chunks is helpful. Instead of worrying about 30 dinners at once, look at the meal that’s right in front of you at that moment. Focus on making the best choice you can—then do that again and again. Consistency is important. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. Making good choices every day is more effective than one ‘perfect’ meal.

I often hear people say, “I did a liquid diet and it worked, but now I’ve put weight on.” That makes you ask the question: Did it really work? Having the mindset, understanding that getting and maintaining a healthy weight is a lifelong journey with ups and downs, is really important.

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