Six simple ways to smarter, healthier eating

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To eat healthy, you need to combine nutritional science, a jolt of common sense, and pure enjoyment. Most of us know that fresh salad, berries, and slowing down when eating are better for us than wolfing down energy bars and sweets. But how to make that leap from our current habits to healthier ones?

Here are six ways you can eat healthy, delicious meals, and really enjoy what you're eating.

Get your copy of Simple Changes, Big Rewards

All of us probably know some areas where we could boost our health and happiness — perhaps by exercising more, eating healthier, learning stress management techniques, or nipping a bad habit in the bud — but making a change can be daunting. It doesn’t have to be, though. This Special Health Report, Simple Changes, Big Rewards: A practical, easy guide for healthy, happy living, will show you how to incorporate simple changes into your life that can reap big rewards.

1) Ditch whole milk

Not only does this reduce saturated fat in your diet, it shaves off calories.

How: Switch to 1% or nonfat milk, and nonfat versions of other dairy products like yogurt and ice cream. Can't bear to go cold turkey? Step down more slowly to 2% milk, then 1% en route to nonfat, if possible.

2) Harness the power of nuts (and seeds)

Almonds, cashews, filberts, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, and pistachios pack plenty of beneficial nutrients, including vitamin E, folic acid, potassium, and fiber. Although many nuts are high in fat, the fat is mainly unsaturated — a great choice to help you eat healthy.

How: First, put nuts on the grocery list. Nuts are high in calories, so it's best to enjoy them in place of other snacks, not in addition, and to keep serving sizes small.

3) Taste food before you salt it

Break the autopilot habit of reaching for the salt shaker to help you eat healthy.

How: For two days, don't put any salt on your food at all. A short break can help reset your taste buds. Then, leave the salt shaker in the cabinet, so it becomes a bit of an effort to reach for it. Make a ritual out of truly tasting your food before you decide if it needs tweaking.

4) Pack lunch once a week

This makes healthy food choices readily available to you at work or on an outing. And since you are controlling portion sizes, you can make sure that you're not supersizing your meal. Plus, it saves you money.

How: Once a week before you shop for groceries, write out a meal plan that leaves enough leftovers for one or two lunches.

5) Eat five (or more) vegetables and fruits a day

It's a nutrient-packed way to fill your plate that is generally low in calories.

How: First, for one week, keep track of how often you eat fruits and vegetables. One serving equals one-half cup of chopped fruit or most vegetables; for raw leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach, a serving is one cup. Once you have your baseline, try adding one fruit or vegetable serving a day.

6) Plan meals that are delightful, delicious and healthy

In an ideal world, food delights all our senses: it looks beautiful, smells heavenly, and tastes delicious, and its textures feel and even sound satisfying. Start thinking about food as something to really savor and enjoy.

How: Pencil in time to prepare and savor one or two special meals a week. Once you've assembled great ingredients, set a gorgeous table. Take a moment to truly take in scents, companions, and surroundings, and if you like, give thanks.

For 42 simple changes to help you exercise more, eat healthier, stress less, and live a happier, more fulfilling life, review Simple Changes, Big Rewards> from Harvard Medical School.

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Nixing the late night nosh

Now and then many of us enjoy eating at night, but drifting through the kitchen to snack after dinner can add unnecessary calories to your day. Here are some ways to cut back.

If possible, close the kitchen every night after dinner to curb eating at night. If that's too difficult, start with one or two nights a week. Or work backward hour by hour from your bedtime — that is, close the kitchen by 10 p.m. if you go to bed at 11. Add another night, or cut back another hour per night, every week.
When you finish clearing up after dinner, go brush your teeth to signal your body that you're done eating for the night. If you have a kitchen door, shut it. Some people go further by taping it shut (or run a strip of tape across an open doorway). Any physical barrier that you need to remove will do — a heavy chair, for example.
If you find yourself ready to break the tape or toss aside the chair because you can't stop eating at night, slow yourself down with this four-step process taught at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine:
1. Stop: Consciously call a time-out.
2. Breathe: Take a few deep breaths to help relieve burgeoning tension.
3. Reflect: Ask some questions. Why did I want to close the kitchen at night? Why do I feel the urge to eat right now?
4. Choose: Decide how to handle your urge. Could you satisfy it in another way? For example, take the dog for a walk, do push-ups till you're tired, curl up in bed to read a book, call friends, hop in the shower, get caught up in a TV show, or try a stress relief technique like a body scan.

For more strategies on living a healthier ,more satisfying life, read Simple Changes, Big Rewards, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.

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