healthy eating tips

If Friday night means heading to the nearest pub for a beer and a burger, you probably don't want to know that your simple order of a burger and fries can run you over 1,400 calories. That's a day's worth of calories in one meal, not even counting the added calories of a beer or dessert. You don't have to give up on your burger entirely — just follow these calorie-saving tips.

Make it a veggie patty (100) instead of beef (306):
Calories saved: 206

If going veggie doesn't do it for you, eat half the beef patty instead of the whole (306):
Calories saved: 153

Skip the cheese:
Calories saved: about 100 per slice

Can't enjoy your burger without cheese? Add a slice of provolone (98) instead of cheddar (113):
Calories saved: 15

Side salad with dressing (140) instead of fries (395) with ketchup (20):
Calories saved: 275 calories

Only eat half the bun instead of the whole (160):
Calories saved: 80

Two tomato slices (7) and mustard (5) instead of ketchup (20) and mayo (90):
Calories saved: 98

For 9-to-5ers, taking a yoga class after work can result in eating a late dinner. If you're eating closer to bedtime, then cut back on heavy meat and dairy to help ease digestion, and prep meals in advance to make the process of cooking a quick one. With some advice from a few Ayurveda and nutrition experts, here are five ideas for quick and healthy suppers to make after yoga.

Homemade Soup

A homemade soup is often as easy as throwing ingredients together into a pot. Cook broth in advance to always have the makings of a soup ready to go, but if you're crunched for time, then use a low-sodium, store-bought version. This recipe for ginger-carrot soup is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese, which aids in digestion, plus it offers hydration after a sweaty yoga session!

Veggie-Packed Wraps

Replacing a meat-heavy sandwich with a lighter veggie wrap can be easier on the digestive system to help prevent you from feeling weighed down after yoga. These vegan spiral wraps from Happy Healthy Life offer vibrant color, creamy hummus, and serious veggie power.

Keep reading for two more late-night dinner ideas.

You sit down to a huge salad complete with mesclun greens and an array of veggies such as carrot shreds, cucumbers, diced red peppers, and cherry tomatoes — you even add chickpeas and sunflower seeds for protein. The fiber is supposed to fill you up and the protein sustains your energy, but an hour or so later, you feel famished.

If your salad is leaving you hungry, then add some extra fiber and protein by scooping a cup of cooked whole grains on top. Quinoa, barley, millet, buckwheat, or rice will beef up the calorie amount by about 200 calories, but you'll also be getting three to eight grams each of extra fiber and protein. Cook your whole grains in veggie broth for extra flavor, and add beans or chopped veggies while cooking for interesting texture and added nutrition.

Check out the chart below to see how these whole grains compare.

Sweet and creamy ice cream pints fly off the shelves in the Summer months, and while Ben & Jerry's is a popular brand, you might like the more basic yet scrumptious Häagen-Dazs flavors. Below shows what 100 calories of raspberry sorbet looks like, but chances are one little scoop just won't be enough. Check out the chart below to see how many calories are in your favorite flavors of ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and frozen yogurt, so you can arm yourself before polishing off an entire pint.

Don't see your favorite flavor? Keep reading to find out the calorie amounts of other ice cream flavors as well as gelato, sorbet, and frozen yogurt.

You might be surprised to learn that not every trip to the gym necessitates a preworkout snack. According to Heidi Skolnik, nutritionist to the Julliard School and the School of American Ballet and the Women's Sports Medicine Center, if you happen to snack on something right before a quick cardio session, it won't hurt you, but it won't necessarily help you either.

"If you’re doing 30 minutes [of cardio] to be fit, you don’t need to do anything." While a short cardio session certainly boosts your metabolism, benefits your mood, and improves blood pressure and cholesterol levels, "you’re not burning a significant enough amount of calories that requires you to eat anything special," says Heidi. However, this only goes for a short workout that's completely cardio. For example, if you’re taking a heavy-duty indoor cycling class and you’re going to lift weights right after, you need the right blend of protein and carbohydrates to fuel your workout — and at least 10 grams of protein afterwards to help muscles recover.

If 30 minutes of cardio to stay fit and maintain your weight sounds like your workout routine, it might be time to let go of snack time and create new healthy habits. Make sure you've properly nourished your body with a meal two to three hours ahead of time and drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workout.

Do you always snack before a short workout? Will this tip change your habits? Tell us below!

Cooking your own meals is healthy and economical, but making that trip to the supermarket without a plan can lead to high-calorie habits. Make sure you don't make these mistakes on your next grocery store run.

Starting in the middle: You should focus on shopping the perimeter of your grocery store, since you can fill your cart with fresh produce, whole grain staples, and protein-rich dairy without being distracted by frozen treats and processed foods. if you're looking to grab a treat or two, make your way to the middle after you've stocked up on your healthy items.

Going hungry: A recent study confirmed what everyone who's ever shopped hungry already knows — you grab more unhealthy and higher calorie foods (think junk food) when you're ravenous. If it's been awhile since you've eaten and it's time to go to the store, grab a healthy snack before you go like yogurt, a piece of fruit, or a protein bar to sate your hunger until your shopping trip is done.

Going without a list: Winging it can work for impromptu farmers market trips, but going for your weekly supermarket trip without a list can lead to an unbalanced nutrition plan throughout the week. Take time to plan your ingredient list so you know what to buy so you don't stray from your healthy recipes and move to prepackaged dinners.

Skipping all prepared foods: You may think that healthy supermarket buys are only found in produce bags, but some days you just don't want to spend the time on washing, dicing, and slicing your way to a healthy snack. Healthy prepared foods save you time, and if you're unlikely to eat something, like carrots or salad, unless it's washed and ready for you, opting for a few prepared foods can help you stay on track. Read more about the healthy prepared foods worth paying for here.

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health here on POPSUGAR Fitness.

By Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD

After experiencing some wacky symptoms, I was recently tested for celiac disease, and while the report came back negative, I've noticed that I do feel better when I avoid gluten. Many of my clients are in the same boat, but others seek me out after going gluten free and feeling worse, or even gaining weight, which seems to be increasingly common. The truth is, navigating the gluten-free landscape can be pretty darn tricky. Here are five common missteps I see, and how to resolve them.

Not 'getting' gluten
One client recently said to me, "I'm not really sure what gluten is, but I know it's bad, right?" I think a lot of people are a little in the dark about the issue at large, and it is complicated, but in a nutshell, here's what you need to know: gluten is a type of protein naturally found in wheat (including spelt, kamut, farro, and bulgur) and other grains, like barley and rye.

In people who have celiac disease, consuming even small amounts of gluten triggers unwelcome symptoms, including belly pain and bloating. This happens because gluten causes the immune system to damage or destroy villi, the tiny, fingerlike structures that line the small intestine like a microscopic plush carpet. Healthy villi absorb nutrients through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream, so when they become damaged, chronic malnutrition occurs, which is typically accompanied by weight loss and exhaustion. Other symptoms may include bone or joint pain, depression, and skin problems.

In people with this diagnosis, the only way to reverse the damage, and the accompanying symptoms, is to completely avoid gluten. People like me, who test negative for celiac disease, may be experiencing a condition called gluten intolerance, or gluten sensitivity, which means that while not celiac, consuming gluten causes bothersome side effects, which can include flu-like feelings, bloating, and other gastrointestinal problems, mental fogginess, and fatigue. Unfortunately, there is no real test for gluten sensitivity at this time, and the symptoms may be related to other issues, including stress (who doesn't have that?!), which makes it a not-so-black-and-white issue.

Will a Gluten-Free Diet Improve Your Health?

Confusing 'gluten free' with 'wheat free' or refined grains
As I noted above, gluten isn't only found in wheat. I've heard numerous people say they eat gluten free, but all they've really done is replace foods like white bread with hearty whole grain versions, which may include spelt (in the wheat family), and rye (which, while not wheat, also contains gluten).

If you don't have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, these swaps may make you feel great, and lead to weight loss, because trading refined grains for whole grains ups your intake of fiber, boosts satiety, so you feel fuller longer, and better regulates blood sugar and insulin levels. These are all good things, but, in this case, totally unrelated to gluten.

15 Gluten-Free Recipes

Keep reading for more mistakes made when going gluten-free.

You were happily losing weight eating right and exercising, but with five more pounds left to go, the scale stopped budging. Find out what can cause weight loss to hit a wall and what you can do about it.

1. I'm all about breakfast, lunch, and dinner: When counting and restricting your calorie intake, it makes sense to eat fewer times a day. The problem with this is it can make blood sugar levels rise and fall like a roller coaster, which slows down metabolism. Keep that metabolism going strong by eating throughout the day, every few hours. Keep those three meals, but sprinkle 150-calorie snacks in between.
2. I'll just have a salad: Just as eating too many calories can cause you to hit a weight-loss wall (or even gain weight), not eating enough calories can also prevent you from slimming down. If your body senses that it's not getting enough, your metabolism will slow down and hold onto fat. So be sure not to skip meals or go below 1,200 calories a day.
3. I eat 1,200 calories a day, I think: If you've figured out a set number of daily calories with a nutritionist, you're one step closer to dropping pounds. It's easy to underestimate calorie amounts, or forget about those handfuls of M&M's you innocently grab off your co-worker's desk, both of which can contribute to going over your daily calorie limit without you even realizing it. Keep yourself honest by writing everything down in a food journal. We're talking every single sip, lick, and nibble you take. If you have a hard time not cheating, share your food journal with a friend.
4. Oh, let's try that new restaurant: Eating out while trying to lose weight is possible, but it's much harder. Since you're not preparing the food yourself, you really have no idea how many calories you're consuming, plus you tend to eat more than you would in your own kitchen. So keep the meals eaten out to a minimum of once a week, and follow these tips to save calories when you do dine out.
5. I'm heading out for another run: Yes, running is a wonderful workout that burns calories and strengthens your muscles, but doing the same exact workout every single time you exercise is a surefire way to hit a weight-loss plateau. Your muscles need to constantly be challenged in order to keep your metabolism from slowing down. You can keep running, just beef up the intensity and mix it up with hills and sprinting intervals. Also include other forms of cardio such as biking and swimming to work other parts of your body. It's also important to include strength training three times a week since lean muscle burns more calories than fat.