5 simple tips for healthy dieting

Dieting can be stressful, especially when you don't see the results you're looking for. Here are five tips to help you diet successfully.

Changing the kinds of foods you eat — more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and less sugary, fatty food — is key to losing weight. However, those changes won't do you much good if you continue to overeat even the healthy stuff. That's where portion control comes in.

• You not only have to eat more healthfully to lose weight, you also have to eat 500 fewer calories per day to lose a pound per week.

Becoming more aware of what and how much you eat makes you much less apt to down a handful of M&M's as you pass through the kitchen or open a bag of chips and eat the whole thing while perched in front of the television.

Cookies, candies, desserts: We can't resist. Or can we?

• Studies show that if you can stick to your healthy plate for three weeks, your cravings for sugary, fatty foods will all but vanish.
• A Belgian study found that when people refuse tempting foods, they have stronger willpower the next time.

You consider meatballs and pasta a well-rounded meal. Your idea of heaven is steak and a baked potato. Green vegetables, even fruits, are not on your radar. They remind you of your mother's canned peas and mushy asparagus.

• As you've read, vegetables and fruits hold many of the anti-inflammatory plant chemicals that can help lessen your pain, as well as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that improve health. They also offer bulk and crunch for few calories.
• In short, it's worth establishing a rapport with plants.

Water can be a great boon for diet success. A glass or two before meals helps you feel full.

• Water is essential for good health: It helps regulate body temperature, remove waste and carry healing nutrients and oxygen throughout your body. In fact, some of the signs of dehydration are chronic pain in your joints and muscles, headaches and constipation.
• Getting enough water is key to less pain, but, let's face it, water doesn't taste like a milk shake, and lots of people simply don't like drinking it. Like eating more healthfully, drinking water is a new habit to establish.

Keep this guide in mind and create a healthy diet that will help you reach your weight loss goals. Just be sure to talk to your doctor before making any major dietary changes.