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Helpful Hints for Healthful Eating

Jefferson’s Emily Rubin, RD, offers helpful hints for keeping your body healthy and strong

A recent study on ovarian cancer is only the latest in a long line of research showing the connection between a healthy, well-balanced diet and a longer, healthier life.

Emily Rubin, RD

Although it’s easy to recognize that you “should” eat more healthfully, it’s not so easy to initiate – and maintain – new habits. And while many research studies give participants intensive nutritional counseling and support, most ordinary people don’t have the benefit of such resources.

That’s why we asked Emily Rubin, a registered dietitian in Jefferson’s Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatalogy, to provide some advice about improving eating habits for the long term.

For starters, Rubin suggests thinking of healthy eating as a lifestyle change – not a “diet.”

“Eating habits are just that: habits of eating,” she says. “If you’re in the habit of getting a burger and fries from a fast-food restaurant or chips from a vending machine just because they’re convenient, you’ll have to provide yourself with alternative foods.”

Rubin suggests opting for a grilled-chicken sandwich and side salad instead of the burger and fries, and packing healthy snacks to keep you away from the high-fat, high-salt foods in the vending machines. She notes that healthy snack alternatives are plentiful – and include fresh fruit, yogurt, raw veggies, low-fat popcorn, high-fiber granola bars and even whole-wheat pretzels.

Of course, those are just two examples of habits that may need changing. To help modify behavior, Rubin recommends that women do one or more of the following:

1. Hit the books. Rubin urges women to get educated about what constitutes good nutrition – especially since there’s so much conflicting information in the media. Her book recommendations include the American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide and 365 Days of Healthy Eating from the American Dietetic Association.
   
   
2. Go online. Supplement your reading with online resources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More specifically, Rubin suggests women interact with the new Food Pyramid at www.mypyramid.gov.
   
   
3. Join a group. Rubin encourages women to find support from others – and there are several possible ways to do so. She recommends Weight Watchers (in person or online), as well as classes or seminars run by a hospital dietician.

“There’s no question that changing longstanding habits is difficult,” Rubin acknowledges. “But the reward is a longer, happier life – making it worth the effort and perseverance required for sustained improvement.”

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