Most of us want to eat better. But how should you start? Should you ‘kick start’ weight loss with a five-day juice cleanse or maybe try the meat-heavy paleo diet?

It doesn’t need to be that complicated. In fact, juice cleanses and fad diets can sometimes do more harm than good.

Perri Halperin, MS, RD, Clinical Dietitian at The Mount Sinai Hospital, offers some simple ways to develop a healthier diet—without depriving yourself—and explains how working with a nutritionist can help support your weight loss or weight management goals.

What small changes can I make for a healthier diet?

It’s always easier to add something to your diet, rather than subtract. To increase micronutrients and fiber, I recommend adding a non-starchy vegetable—like green beans, carrots, or spinach—or a fruit with every meal.

Make sure to start your day with breakfast. A lot of people think that skipping breakfast is best, but in doing so you are confusing your body. Food is fuel. When you skip breakfast—or any meal—your body holds onto the food it has as an energy reserve. A healthy breakfast, and any meal, includes non-starchy vegetables, fruit, and protein. Protein gives you a feeling of being full, something nutritionists call satiety, after you eat.

Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages. Instead of drinking juice or soda, try fruit-infused water or seltzer. You can infuse water with watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, cucumber, or mint.

Should I count calories?

When you think about calories, focus on quality, not quantity. Eating 300 calories worth of cake, candy, and chips is not the same as eating 300 calories of salad and chicken. Try to have a protein with every meal and snack. Good sources of proteins include eggs; plain nonfat Greek yogurt (which has more protein, less sugar, and a thicker consistency than regular yogurt); low-fat cottage, or ricotta cheese; fish or shellfish; chicken and turkey; beans or chickpeas; seitan or tofu.

If you eat a protein and a non-starchy vegetable at every meal and snack, you will put yourself in the right calorie range. You’ll also feel good because you are giving your body the fuel that it needs. If you do well with counting something, count grams of protein instead of calories. Aim to consume about 60 grams of protein a day. An eight ounce glass of milk skim milk has about 8 grams and a chicken breast has about 30 grams.

Do I need to detox or cleanse my body?  

Your body cannot use food to detox or cleanse. Your body cleanses and detoxes itself using your kidneys and liver. The best way to help your body cleanse itself is to feed it the fuel that it needs to carry out those processes efficiently and without overwhelming those organs.

Are there habits that people think are healthy that are not?

Yes. I call these habits false friends—things we eat or drink because we think they’re healthy but they’re not. Smoothies and juicing are false friends. They trick us into consuming calories and sugar from foods we probably wouldn’t sit down and eat in one sitting. It’s better to eat your food, not drink it.

Granola, granola bars, and trail mix are also false friends. These foods are often high in sugar and fat. A third type of false friend is vitamin and mineral supplements (micronutrients) that our body doesn’t need. Our body’s internal processes help itself maintain equilibrium. When we overload ourselves with B-12 supplements, magnesium, or other supplements that we don’t need, all we’re doing is giving our body an extra job—to get rid of those extraneous micronutrients.

Some people think tropical fruit—like bananas—are off limits, and I want to dispel that myth. Don’t be scared of a banana. It’s true that berries—strawberries, blueberries, blackberries—tend to be lower in sugar than bananas, pineapples, papayas, and mangoes; that doesn’t mean you should never have a banana. It means you should think about variety and moderation when making food choices.

Yogurt choices can be overwhelming. Plain, nonfat Greek yogurt is a good choice. If you need a little flavor, take a look at the label. You should get at least 12 grams of protein and less than six or seven grams of sugar per serving.

How can a nutritionist help me?

Nutritionists can help in a variety of ways, depending on what you need. If you need information, a nutritionist can explain calories, proteins, fats, and carbs. They can help you figure out what to eat. Nutritionists can also help you identify obstacles that may be preventing you from healthy eating. Sometimes you know what to eat, but you’re not eating it. Talking to a nutritionist can help you work through those issues and come up with solutions. In addition, working with a nutritionist can provide accountability.

Like when consulting with any health care professional, it’s important to know what your weight loss and/or weight maintenance goals are and to build a good rapport. Working with a nutritionist can help you live life while reaching these goals. You can celebrate the holidays or go on vacation without sabotaging your efforts or giving up the foods and flavors you love. A nutritionist can help.

Why is it so important to have the right mindset?

In my experience, having the right mindset is the number one indicator of successful weight loss and weight maintenance. People who make the connection between food and exercise choices and how they feel become strong and empowered—and have the most long-term success.

Weight loss, in particular, can feel really overwhelming. You think you need to lose 20 pounds in a month and can’t figure out how to do it. Breaking it down into smaller chunks is helpful. Instead of worrying about 30 dinners at once, look at the meal that’s right in front of you at that moment. Focus on making the best choice you can—then do that again and again. Consistency is important. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good. Making good choices every day is more effective than one ‘perfect’ meal.

I often hear people say, “I did a liquid diet and it worked, but now I’ve put weight on.” That makes you ask the question: Did it really work? Having the mindset, understanding that getting and maintaining a healthy weight is a lifelong journey with ups and downs, is really important.

Everyone knows high cholesterol is not good. High cholesterol often leads to atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup on the inner walls of your arteries, which can block the flow of blood and is a major contributing factor to heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease, a circulatory disorder.

High cholesterol usually refers to high LDL cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein. This is known as the “bad” cholesterol. By contrast, HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, is considered “good” cholesterol and can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.

Our understanding of diet and what foods help to lower LDL cholesterol is continuously evolving and can sometimes be confusing.  For those seeking to lower their cholesterol, Theresa Halloran, FNP-BC, a Nurse Practitioner at Mount Sinai Heart, has some simple suggestions. These can help you make better, healthier choices, like switching out that chip and dip snack for veggies and hummus. And they still taste great.

Eggs

Egg yolks are high in cholesterol. Eggs are still a healthy source of protein, and it is more important to reduce foods high in saturated fat than foods containing cholesterol. One suggestion: If you have two scrambled eggs for breakfast, discard one yolk. Or use egg whites from a carton and add some fresh vegetables to make a healthy omelet. Egg whites contain no fat and no cholesterol. Substitute two egg whites for one egg in recipes.

Meat, poultry, and seafood

We suggest a maximum of two servings of meat, chicken, or seafood in your diet daily. Red meat, such as beef, lamb, or pork, contains saturated or unhealthy fat. Those seeking to reduce their cholesterol should consider limiting the amount of saturated fat in their diet by reducing or eliminating red meat. Another good option is choosing lean cuts and trim any fat before eating. White meat chicken contains less saturated fat than the dark meat and chicken skin is high in fat. The best option for eating chicken is skinless chicken breasts. Fish and seafood, such as crab, shrimp, clams, scallops, or lobster, are low in saturated fat. But note that six shrimp have the equivalent cholesterol of one egg yolk, and squid is even higher in cholesterol, so have them only occasionally.

Oils and fats

Healthy fats, such as mono-saturated or unsaturated fats, are found in cold water fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and herring. They are also found in some plants like avocados. Be sure to include some of these foods in your diet. Baking or broiling are low-fat cooking methods. When ordering in restaurants, choose foods cooked with these low-fat methods. If cooking at home, use healthy fats such as olive oil, and reduce or eliminate butter, which is high in saturated fat.

Milk, dairy desserts, and cheese

Use skim milk or one percent milk rather than whole milk. Sorbet, low-fat frozen yogurt, and ice cream made from skim milk are good substitutes for regular ice cream. Low-fat cheeses with no more than 2 to 3 grams of fat per ounce may be substituted for regular cheese.

Fiber

There are two main types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Most high-fiber foods contain both.

• Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol. When mixed in water, soluble fiber forms a gel. It binds with cholesterol in the intestines and prevents absorption or reabsorption of the cholesterol into the blood stream. The cholesterol then gets eliminated. Foods that are high in soluble fiber include oatmeal; hummus; legumes such as kidney beans, lima beans, and lentils; and Brussels sprouts.
• Insoluble fiber is most important for the health of your intestines. It helps to remove toxins from your body and is found in cereals, leafy greens, whole wheat products, corn, seeds, and nuts.

Key takeaway: Read the label on the package. If it doesn’t specifically say soluble fiber, it probably isn’t.

Whether you are just starting to work out or committed to a regular workout program, the right nutrition can help you feel better, recover quicker, and get more out of your workouts. Brittany DeLaurentis, RD, CDN, a Clinical Nutrition Coordinator at Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside, provides some valuable tips on what to eat before and after your workout.

Should I eat before a workout?

You definitely don’t want to go into your workout feeling hungry. However, you don’t want to have a large portion or eat the wrong things, otherwise you may feel fatigued or groggy during your workout. It also matters how soon you plan to work out after eating. For example, if you have a light meal or a snack—like a banana, an energy bar, or a smoothie—I’d recommend postponing your workout for one to three hours. If you have a larger meal, you want to wait a full three or four hours, just to make sure that the meal is well digested. In the morning, I’d stick to a small meal or a snack—just so you’re in that shorter window of one to three hours.

What foods would you recommend eating prior to a workout?

Make sure that you’re loading your body with carbohydrates. That said, the type of carbohydrates really matters. So choose complex carbohydrates—like a piece of whole grain toast or some whole grain cereal—over simple carbohydrates—like candy or packaged baked goods. It’s important that you choose complex carbohydrates, because simple carbohydrates can cause your body to crash and burn from the sugar high.

What about the trend of taking a scoop of dry protein before a workout?

Dry scooping is a very dangerous trend. Many protein powders have a large amount of caffeine. For comparison, a single scoop can have 200 mg caffeine as opposed to 65 mg in a small cup of coffee. Ingesting this plain without dilution can cause damage to the heart arteries, which can lead to a heart attack and organ failure. It also should be remembered that protein powders are not regulated by the FDA, so it is difficult to even know what they truly contain.

What foods would you avoid?

High fat foods like fried foods can make you feel bloated and groggy during your workout. And again, avoid simple carbohydrates so you don’t have that sugar high, and then a crash and sudden fatigue.

What drinks would you recommend during a workout?

Water is very important. You want to make sure that you’re going into a workout having had a minimum of two to three cups of water. And throughout the workout, you should also be hydrating. The general recommendation is about a half cup to a full cup every 15 to 20 minutes of working out. And, of course, the amount of hydration needed depends on the weather. If it’s a hot and humid day, you’ll need more.

Also, don’t forget to hydrate after your workout. Avoid sugar-filled beverages like soda or lemonade, and opt for plain water. The recommendation is to drink at least eight ounces of water afterwards. But, if you have completed a more intense workout, such as running, cycling, tennis, you might want to include a beverage that contains electrolytes, like Gatorade.

What foods are best to eat after a workout—and how soon after?

After a workout, you want complex carbohydrates to replenish the glycogen that your body just ran through as well as protein because working out actually breaks down your muscles. The ratio of your post-workout meal should be three to one, with carbohydrates being the majority, and you should eat within two hours of exercising, to replenish your glycogen stores and help your muscles recover.

Examples of post-workout meals could be yogurt and fruit, a peanut butter sandwich, turkey on whole grain bread, oatmeal with protein powder and fruit, or grilled chicken with vegetables. It depends on the time of day—but you want to make sure you’re combining carbohydrates and protein.

How should I change my eating habits, depending on whether I work out in the morning or in the evening?

In the morning, I would recommend sticking to a small meal or a snack. For most people’s schedules, it is probably better to only wait one to three hours before exercising. You also want to make sure that you are drinking water before working out. Also, studies show that drinking caffeine is beneficial before working out, so a cup of coffee is definitely appropriate if you like an early workout.

In the evening, I recommend having a post-workout meal, but make sure that you allow your body time to digest before going to bed. Give your body a good three to four hours before bedtime.

Should I change what I eat depending on whether I’m doing cardio or weightlifting exercises?

If you are doing endurance activities that involve aerobic exercises like running or swimming, your body burns through your glycogen stores more quickly. So you will need more carbohydrates when you are engaging in those types of workouts.

But whether you are doing cardio or weightlifting, you want to have carbohydrates before, and carbohydrates along with protein afterward.