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Healthy Meals for Living on My Own for the First Time

Most people discover nutrition in their teens and 20's; in other words, when they get their first place and tire of take-out Chinese and delivery pizza. It begins to dawn that learning to cook is going to be a necessity. Cooking fatty things is easy, and some never progress past that point; but those who are wise realize that cooking healthy meals is a skill that pays off in many ways. No longer are you dependent on the burger joint for a tasty meal, and you won't regret that meal the next time you step on the scales.

  1. Go for Color

    • We've all heard it a thousand times: Base your diet on brightly colored fruits and veggies, like yellow peppers, red tomatoes and orange carrots. However, that excellent advice only benefits you if you actually put those fruits and veggies into your mouth. If you're used to greasy pepperoni and double cheeseburgers, this may be an adjustment. But the surprise of healthy eating is that it can be very tasty. Nearly everyone likes some fruits and vegetables, so start out by preparing the ones you prefer. It's better to have a modest diet, and stay with it, than to start out in a blaze of vegan glory, only to fizzle out in a few months.

    Go Lean

    • It's a truism that bears repeating: Lean chicken and fish are the meats preferred by nutritionists and doctors. They also recommend that meat should be an accent to your meal, an accessory, and not its main element. Red meat in particular should be an occasional treat, not a staple of your diet. If you want to wean yourself from meat entirely, you can try cooking with tofu, a vegetable protein that has a meatlike texture. If your ambitions are more modest, you can experiment with tofu or other meat substitutes, to see how you like them.

    Go Light

    • If you want to lose weight --- and, if you want to keep major vital organs as you age --- it's wise to eat foods that aren't bursting with calories. The burgers and shakes that you innocently inhaled during your high school years have eye-popping calorie counts, and if you want to keep that svelte silhouette, you're better off without them. Get into the habit of reading the nutritional information box before you buy a packaged food item. Pay attention to information about calories, sugar, cholesterol and fat content.

    Go Small

    • It sounds Spartan, but nutritionists insist that a standard serving is the size of a tennis ball. They add that a portion of meat should be the size of a deck of cards. This is a good rule of thumb when cooking healthy: If you cook less, you'll eat less. If you persist, your appetite will also decrease, making this healthy habit easier to maintain.

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