You are in charge of your health.
From scheduling your yearly doctor visit to carving out time in your day for 30 to 60 minutes of exercise, you have the power to keep your body and mind in top form. The key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is to turn this “scheduling” into an enjoyable routine. One of the best ways to do this is to start with the routine that none of us could live without: eating. Here are a few tips to make healthy eating a fun habit:
- Add color! Colorful fruits and veggies are full of nutrients. Think of meals as art projects and play with color!
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Mix and match. Choosemyplate.gov shows you how to divide up your plate between fruits, vegetables, protein, grains and dairy. Using that framework, mix and match foods and find the combinations that make your palate sing. Mix it up and make mealtime fun.
- Get creative with herbs and spices. Herbs and spices are a great way to add depth of flavor to food while limiting salt. Experiment with different flavors!
- Involve your family and friends. Healthy cooking can be fun and entertaining. Give yourself a reason to look forward to making this a routine!
Healthy habits take time to build so give yourself time to explore and get comfortable with cooking your way to health.
This is especially the case for people with health issues where nutrition is extra important. For instance, people with diabetes may have different nutritional needs and cooking their way to health can pose different challenges. The important thing to recognize, whether you have diabetes or not, is that there are resources and professionals that can offer great advice and guidance to help you build these healthy habits. Nutritionists, dieticians and Certified Diabetes Educators like those at Swedish are great contacts.
Whatever aspects of a healthy lifestyle you are looking to turn into a routine, the key is to find the professional and personal support to help build this habit. Give yourself the chance to learn new skills and try new tactics to live healthier. Whether it’s attending a healthy cooking class, joining a gym or making an appointment with a healthcare provider, you are in control of your health so seize the day.
Registration for “Beyond Stir Fry” is required. Visit www.swedish.org/classes or call (206) 386-2502 for more information and to reserve a space in the class.
