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20 Small Changes That Will Make a Difference in Your Life

This week I participated in a health seminar which was organised by my employer. The aim of the seminar was to highlight some small changes to make a difference in our lives. Donna Barker, a nutritionist with the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute, conducted the lunch time presentation which was focused on eating healthy and living actively.

Make a Difference in Your Life

Sometimes the simplest things have the biggest impact. The ideas that were shared in the seminar, were easy enough for anyone to follow. However, they all require self-discipline and a firm commitment to the small changes that will make a difference.

5 Ways to Reduce Sugar

  1. Use little or no sugar in hot or cold beverages
  2. Have a glass of water instead of sweet drinks or juices
  3. Choose canned fruit in their own juices or light syrup instead of heavy syrup
  4. When baking, reduce the amount of sugar used in cakes, pastries and other recipes
  5. Choose nuts and fruits for dessert instead of sweet dishes

5 Ways to Reduce Fat

  1. Bake, broil or grill instead of frying
  2. Use very little butter, margarine or oil in baked products
  3. Limit fried foods to one item per week
  4. Remove skin and visible fats from all meats
  5. Use low fat mayonnaise and salad dressings, low-fat or non-fat dairy products and water based gravies

5 Ways to Reduce Salt

  1. Remove the salt shaker from the table
  2. Use herbs and spices to flavour your foods
  3. Choose unsalted processed foods and snacks
  4. Use unsalted meats to flavour rice, peas, stews etc.
  5. Use herbs and leave out salt when boiling rice, ground provisions etc.

5 Ways to Eat more Fruits

  1. Add fruits to your vegetable salad
  2. Add fruits to your cereal – use fresh fruits as opposed to dry fruits
  3. Use fruits to garnish your meals and eat them
  4. Eat fresh fruits instead of drinking packaged juices and other sweetened beverages
  5. Have fresh fruits more often instead of a sweet dessert

I know that it is so easy to give you this information and tell you that you should do all of these things because they are healthy. I also know that it’s not easy to break habits that you’ve been practicing for years or maybe your whole life. I’m going to make gradual changes instead of trying to do everything at once. But if you’re committed to improving your health, making these small changes will be easy.