1. Eat 6 small meals per day (and smaller portion sizes)

2. Eat only whole grain carbs such as brown rice, whole wheat bread and pasta, and avoid refined carbs such as WHITE flour, rice, pasta, and bread

3. Eat a complete breakfast - skim milk, oatmeal, egg whites, fresh fruit, wheat bread, and reduced fat cheeses are all great options

4. Keep healthy snacks on hand at work. Salt-free nuts, granola, and veggies are great snacks and will save you a trip to the vending machine

5. Learn how to read a nutrition label

6. Avoid trans fat and saturated fat and choose heart healthy mono- and poly-unsaturated fats instead.

7. Cut WAY back on the amount of sugar you’re eating. Choose sugar-free products and sweeteners such as Splenda instead and avoid foods with “high fructose corn syrup,” “dextrose,” and “sucrose”

8. Choose healthy sources of protein

9. Eat more vegetables – try eating 4-5 servings a day for a week. You will be amazed by the results. Be sure to check out our healthy vegetarian recipes page

10. Reward yourself occasionally. Treat yourself to a couple slices of pizza, a hamburger, or ice cream once per week.

11. If you’re eating out, check out the healthy menu options ahead of time at Healthy Dining Finder

12. Learn how to cook healthy food

13. Find a healthy balance between healthy eating and exercise

14. Set small, attainable health goals. If your goal is to lose weight, shoot for 1-2 pounds per week. If you’re trying to exercise more, try increasing your amount by 1/2 hour every week. Setting realistic goals for healthy eating and exercise will make you more motivated to keep on going

15. Learn how to eat healthy when eating out. Believe it or not, there are a few good healthy fast food options out there. Educate yourself about menus and food labels beforehand so you know what to look for

16. Avoid liquid calories. Sodas and sugary fruit juices are empty calories that contribute to weight gain. Cut them out and you’ll accomplish your dietary and fitness goals much faster

17. Watch your sodium intake. You should only be eating around 2300mg of sodium each day…most of us are way over that. Choose low sodium options whenever possible and use the salt shaker sparingly. Use fresh herbs and citrus when cooking in place of salt

18. Include your friends and family. Eating healthy is hard when everyone around you is still eating unhealthy foods all the time. Make an effort to talk to your friends and family and make it a team effort

19. Turn off the TV. Research shows people who watch TV while consuming meals have a tendency to eat more because you tend to eat mindlessly

20. Experiment with your favorite recipes and substitute healthy ingredients for the not-so-healthy ones. Search for delicious healthy recipes online…there are a ton of them out there and it’s fun to find a healthy recipe that actually tastes better than the fattening version