Article: Celebrating Spring the Healthy Way
By Roslyn Franken

Spring is a time for new beginnings. Like so many, if you tend to put on a few extra pounds over the cold winter months, it is also a time of panic. With the change in wardrobe from bulky sweaters, long pants and boots to shorts, sandals and bathing suits, it is the perfect time to start looking at ways to re-examine your eating and lifestyle habits. Spring is the time to start leaving the usual big warm heavy meals of winter behind and replace them with lighter, cooler, healthier fare that can be just as satisfying.

Start by taking advantage of the fresh fruits and vegetables that are all so much more appealing as the temperatures get higher. Snacking on more fruits and vegetables in small portions throughout your day can help you improve your well-being and reach and maintain your healthy weight in many ways:

• You feel satisfied and maintain your energy levels.
  
• The added fiber helps to regulate your digestion, leaves you feeling full longer and helps manage your blood sugars more effectively so that your hunger cravings are diminished.
  
• Many fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and bell peppers, for example, are a great source of antioxidants which help to keep your body rejuvenated. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, which has been said to reduce certain types of cancers and help reduce cholesterols. Peppers have lots of beta carotenes which help maintain a healthy and strong immune system.
  
• Fruits are an overall great source of vitamin C, which also support and strengthen your immune system. They are also an excellent source of fiber. Many people trying to reach and maintain a healthy weight ask me about the sugar content of fruit believing somehow that fruit is bad for them because of the high sugar content. My belief is that if you are used to reaching for donuts, cake or cookies when you’re craving sugar which all have lots of unhealthy sugar and very little nutritional value, you’d be much better off reaching for a sweet, juicy piece of fruit instead. The fruit has many more nutritional benefits than the less healthy sweets and are generally lower in calories too so a safer bet for weight loss if eaten in sensible quantities.
  
• Fruits and vegetables especially when eaten raw also have the benefit of being very high in water content. Staying hydrated as the weather gets warmer is vital to your health. It is recommended to drink 8 or more 8-oz glasses of water daily. Water helps you digest better, boost your metabolism and help your body eliminate wastes more effectively. If drinking lots of water is a challenge for you then be sure to increase your raw fruits and vegetables so you can at least get added water through your foods. Just think of how much water there is in a big, juicy portion of watermelon, for example.

By simply starting to replace some of your less healthy food choices with more fruits and vegetables and by drinking plenty of water you will already start to see improvements in how you look and feel. When you’re happier with how you look and feel you’ll be able to better enjoy all the wonders that spring has to offer!

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Roslyn Franken is the author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living, a powerful self-directed guide for achieving your long term health, lifestyle and weight management goals.

To purchase The A List book and for more information on Roslyn Franken’s personalized coaching and professional speaking services, please visit www.roslynfranken.com. Take your complimentary online Readiness Assessment and be sure to sign up for your FREE Healthy Hints newsletter.

©Copyright Roslyn Franken Group, a division of 10-Q Enterprises Inc. 2006. All  rights reserved worldwide.