A new year is a time for better eating habits

The holiday season has past, and next comes the season many of us have dreaded: It's the season of getting back on track with healthy eating and exercise.

"Healthy eating is really nothing more than common sense," said Rutherford Regional Health System's Clinical Dietitian Sandra Mouton. "Portion sizes are really our biggest enemy - it's something that people don't really understand."

If you take a nine-inch plate and divide it up, half your plate should be filled with fruits and veggies; one-fourth with a starch; and one-fourth with a protein.

If you want to start off the new year right, start by eating a healthier breakfast.

"Most people end up either not eating breakfast or not eating the correct foods at breakfast," Mouton said. "Most of our breakfast foods are high carbohydrate foods - so what dietitians hear a lot of us 'Well, I'm hungry again in three hours when I eat breakfast.' And you probably are - that's your metabolism working, and that's a good thing."

Rather than eating just carbs, you should balance them with a small piece of fruit and lean protein - like dairy products or eggs, nuts and seeds.

"The Southern breakfasts we love, although they have protein, aren't really protein - meats like bacon, ham and sausage are categorized as fats," she explained. "Those are the foods www should eat in moderation - picking one day a week to eat it instead of an everyday occurrence.

"If you still want a Southern breakfast, then go for cheese grits because you have a protein and a carbohydrate - it's really not a bad combo."

If you really want to keep your metabolism up, then eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day is one of the best ways to do it.

"Food is energy in our bodies, and if we give it the right food at the right intervals, we tend to avoid those afternoon crashes and see our metabolism work better."

Another way to improve your health after the holidays is to increase your water consumption because "people never drink enough water," Mouton said.

"The amount of water you need varies from person to person, but 8 cups a day is the general rule," she said. "And your morning coffee doesn't count - if it has caffeine in it, it doesn't count as water. For every cup of caffeine you should have something that is water based."

If getting over the holiday hump seems difficult, it doesn't have to be, Mouton said.

"Don't beat yourself up over the fact that you gained weight over the holidays. Don't starve yourself because nobody likes deprivation," she said. "Baby steps are the easiest thing. Start with one or two changes and start building on that."

Diet is a bad word, she said.

"Something that will hurt your health is not worth the visual image of yourself," she said. "It seems hokey to say it's not a diet but a lifestyle change, but that is what it has to be in order to be sustainable."

Before making any diet and exercise changes, Mouton said first talk with your doctor.