The Queen of Health
Resolutions: Baby Steps to a Healthier New You

Eating Smart

by Tami Hulcher

When we first learn to walk, we stumble and fall. We learn to take a few baby steps until we learn our balance. Starting any new experience, like a new health regime, should be the same way. We will stumble, and we will fall. But if you really want to succeed, you will need to find your balance … what is going to keep you up, and moving forward.

How many New Year’s resolutions have you made and kept? We all start out with the best intentions: exercise more, eat right, be more kind and generous, save money, call our parents more, spend more time outdoors, spend less time watching TV, you name it!

Take losing weight for instance: you wouldn’t expect to go to a gym and lose those extra 40 pounds in one month would you? If you do, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

The key to keeping your New Year’s Resolutions is baby steps. For the sake of this article, let’s look at some health tips for a healthier and happier new you. In my health lectures, I actually use a slide with baby shoes graphics and list some tips for my guests.

First, we should set a realistic goal. If it’s weight loss, you should not strive to lose more than two pounds per week. Most diets today will promise greater weight loss, but you will end up losing vital muscle tissue and water first, not fat. You need muscle to burn fat more efficiently! Also, think “calories IN, calories OUT.” What will you do to counteract the effects of that pint of Ben & Jerry’s?

Second, we should learn to eat better and healthier. What does that mean? There are so many fads, so much advice: “eat more protein,” “eat less carbs,” — who’s right?

Well, every major medical organization agrees on one thing: eating at least 7-9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily to reduce your risk of many degenerative diseases. Sadly, 95 percent of Americans fall short, including our children!

We also need to avoid toxins in our food and beverages: food dyes commonly listed as FD&C; MSG (monosodium glutamate); partially hydrogenated oils; aspartame, also known as NutraSweet, or Equal; bleached flours; and of course the dreaded sugar! Did you know that one can of soda can suppress the immune system for up to six hours?

We can also incorporate more whole grains into our diets. By adding more fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains, we increase our fiber intake, which is good for keeping your cholesterol in check. It also has cardiovascular benefits, keeps us satiated, and of course helps us maintain healthy bowels. Now there’s a New Year’s resolution!

Another step is to increase our water intake, so what is a good rule of thumb? You should strive for at least half your body weight in ounces. For example: if you weigh 140 lbs., you should consume at least 70 ounces of clean filtered water daily.

More Baby Steps

So what are some baby steps you can take to make sure you don’t wobble and stumble too far into 2004?

Make healthy eating a priority in your household. That food or beverage item is going to help, heal or repair your cells, or it will damage, mutate and kill your cells. Make a goal to incorporate a new fruit, vegetable or grain into your diet. Have you tried kiwi, jicama, red bell peppers, quinoa, sprouts instead of lettuce, tangerines, or baked sweet potatoes, to name a few?

Increase your fruits, vegetable and whole grains. Plan two-thirds of your plate around these. Perhaps by March, your goal would be to increase your intake by one or two more per day.

If you are a soda drinker, perhaps a reasonable goal would be to decrease your soda intake by a can per week; and then by March or April decrease one or two more cans, and your goal for June would be to completely eliminate this damaging and non-nutritive toxin completely.

When buying breads, pastas, and grains, be sure to look for “whole wheat” as the first ingredient. Think of bleached flour as white fat that ends up where you don’t want it!

The next time you buy margarine, peanut butter, or salad dressings, avoid partially hydrogenated oils, also commonly referred to as “trans fats”. It’s also found in many baked goods, so read your labels.

Never skip breakfast! Doing so will slow your metabolism and make your body think it’s going into starvation mode, and it will hang onto fat.

Increase your water intake by 8 ounces per day until you reach your goal. Water transports our nutrients, and cleanses the body. Soda and other sugary drinks destroy nutrients, and can be toxic to the body.

Be kind to your body, it’s the only place you have to live. When a baby stumbles and falls, we help them up, give them a kiss and encourage them to move forward.

With a few baby steps of your own, you will learn to overcome your own “stumbles,” and you will succeed with your goals! I wish you all many healthy and prosperous blessings in the New Year!

Tami Hulcher is a health educator, motivational speaker, and president of Ola Loa, Inc. She has made appearances on NBC’s Today in L.A. show, KTLA’s Morning Show, and KESQ-ABC TV. Her popular lecture series “Getting You and Your Kids To Eat Right” has been featured in many schools, businesses, churches, health spas, and she has appeared in many magazines. Tami is also the former Mrs. California~America 2002.