Healthy eating tips

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- A new year is here, and along with it, people’s New Year’s resolutions.

A common resolution is people trying to lose weight and eat healthier. Dietetic Technician Laurie Coplin said if you are trying to change your diet, make small, less drastic changes. You are more likely to stick with the diet changes. She recommends changing soda to flavored water.

“Things like drinking water instead of soda. If you add fruit to a pitcher of water, it kind of flavors it a little bit and it makes it easier to make those changes Some other things would be switching to lower fat milk. So if you drink whole milk switch to two percent, if you drink two percent go to one percent and so on until you get down to skim milk.”

Coplin said you should not skip a meal. When you skip a meal your body will slow down and it will be harder to burn calories. She recommends three meals a day with the largest meal being midday rather than in the evening. She also said going the gym isn’t the only option for losing weight.

“As far as staying physically fit and active, the gym doesn’t have to be what you do just pick something that you like to do. I mean you can turn music on and dance in your house.”

Coplin recommends having a friend or family member to change their diet with you so you can help each other get healthy.