GREENSBORO, N.C. — When you hear the words ‘ultra-processed foods’, certain things come to mind like frozen meals, fast food, soda, cookies, and chips. But flavored yogurt? I read an article in USA TODAY about balanced diets that mentioned flavored yogurt. So, I asked a local Registered Dietician about it.
“When you think of flavored yogurt, you think that there's fruit in it, but a lot of the times when they add fruit, there's additional sugar being added as well, especially the ones that say fruit on the bottom,” said Katie Maxey a Registered Dietician.
The solution? Plain yogurt and put in your own whole fruit, which has natural sugar, but not the added processed sugar as well.
In talking to Maxey, it became clear the key to a balanced diet is not just a long list of do's and don’ts you do for a short time to get to the weight you want.
IT'S ALL ABOUT SUSTAINABLE HABITS
“Small changes, which is not what we want, we want something quick, right? But when we make small changes, when we look through the entire day and we track and see we didn't have any vegetables or we had a lot of fat the last few days, that can help you make tweaks and changes that are truly going to become habits that you can keep up with the long term,” said Maxey.
So, what about all the different diets, plans, and lists? It can make you crazy trying to figure out what will work for you. The one thing they all have in common is something you can do without a strict guideline. Maxey says it’s all about intentional about what you're eating.
PLAN YOUR MEALS, EVEN IF IT'S JUST YOUR NEXT ONE!
“Plan ahead. No matter what you’re taking for lunch or whatever meal it is. Most of the time we don’t plan ahead, and then that means we have to grab something quick and that tends to not be balanced, there's not a lot of nutrition there. So, instead, look at the components whether it be a frozen meal or a sandwich, and instead of chips, ask what can I add in, maybe a vegetable. Concentrate on what can you can add in versus what you have to take away, what you have to stop eating,” said Maxey.