.. edit
Objective: to create a list of 365 suggestions for eating better based on sound nutrition, current scientific knowledge and good humor, in no particular order. Many of these suggestions come from other lists and are attributed.

1. ..
    
2. A little meat won’t kill you, though it’s better approached as a side dish than as a main.
   .. Unhappy Meals
    
3. You’re much better off eating whole fresh foods than processed food products.
   .. Unhappy Meals
    
4. You should probably avoid food products that make health claims - health claim on a food product is a good indication that it’s not really food.
     .. Unhappy Meals
    
5. Try something different. There are 3,000 plants that are readily available as food. Four crops account for two-thirds of the calories humans eat - processed corn, soybeans, wheat and rice.
     .. Unhappy Meals
    
6. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
     .. Unhappy Meals
7. Determine which foods contribute the most Calories to your diet. The primary focus of the Better Choices Diet is to gradually replace some of the foods that you now eat with other foods that are more supportive of your goals. It makes sense to start with those foods that are contributing the most Calories to your diet, since this is most likely to have the greatest positive impact on your progress.
   .. Better Choices Diet
    
8. Set goals. Instead of saying, “I have to lose 60 pounds for this cruise I’m taking in December” - that’s too overwhelming, set short-term, manageable, achievable goals. You achieve one, then you move on to the next.
   .. 7 Steps To a New You
    
9. Make sure you’re ready for change. Sometimes a single event is all it takes to spur you to commit to losing weight - a chastening visit to a doctor, say, or the death of a loved one.
   .. 7 Steps To a New You
    
10. Weigh yourself often. Research shows that people who weigh themselves regularly are more likely to be at a healthy weight. I weigh myself just about every morning. I try to use the scale at the same time every day for consistency (and besides, I weigh less in the morning). I know if I weigh myself often I can get on top of a two- or three-pound weight gain. But if three pounds turns into five or more, it becomes overwhelming.
    .. Five Small Steps - Daily decisions that make healthy changes stick
     
11. Try Nature’s Remedy. Three dried plums have 3.9 grams of fiber. Often called “Nature’s Remedy,” prunes contain sorbitol, which has a natural, laxative effect in the body. Dried plums (yes, prunes!) are also high in disease-fighting antioxidants and have both insoluble and soluble fiber.
    .. Dietary Fiber: The Natural Solution for Constipation
     
12. Encouraging the growth of certain bacteria in the colon may help promote a healthy intestine. Eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and legumes such as beans and lentils. The fiber found in citrus fruits and legumes stimulate the growth of colonic flora, which increases the stool weight and the amount of bacteria in the stool.
    .. Dietary Fiber: The Natural Solution for Constipation
     
13. Eat at least four half-cups of fiber-filled fruits and vegetables each day, including apples, oranges, broccoli, berries, pears, peas, figs, carrots, and beans. Women should aim for 21 to 25 grams of fiber daily, the American Academy of Family Physicians recommends. Men should aim for 30 to 38 grams of fiber daily. Some people get stomach cramps and gas when they increase their intake of fiber. Change your diet gradually and increase fluids to reduce these discomforts.
    .. Dietary Fiber: The Natural Solution for Constipation
     
14. Eat breakfast - cereal or not. “i find that boiled eggs, toast with soft cheese or toast with eggs leaves me fuller for longer. for a 250 cal cereal, i could have some toast and scrambled eggs and feel more full than if i ate a bowl of cereal.”
    .. comments
     
15. Give Compliments Freely. Confidence must come from within. Without it, you will never feel pretty enough, thin enough, or good enough. If you start giving compliments to other people, you are leading by example. We are in this together. We can all learn to be radiant together. Say goodbye to the days where other people are competition. The most confident people know it is sexy to give compliments and embrace the beauty in everyone.
    .. 3 Steps To Building Confidence
     
16. Having protein at each meal helps keep “the hungries” away between meals. A sweet roll or a donut for breakfast is quick and easy, but can contribute to that mid-morning slowdown and tummy growling or being ravenous at lunch time. Protein for breakfast can be in the form of milk on cereal, a grilled cheese sandwich, some peanut butter on toast or scrambled tofu.
     
17. Snacks can be moved around. They still count. Reviewing food journals, it is clear that we sometimes “forget” to include many of the things we actually consume, then wonder why we are looking at a few extra pounds. Sometimes we don’t even think of these non-meals as snacks. Sampling as we prepare dinner, finishing up the last few bites in the package or pan, having a candy out of the bowl on the receptionist’s desk - these all add up.
     
18. Have breakfast within 2 hours of getting up. Sleep time is a period of fasting. But once you are up and moving, body functions need energy in the form of food to get moving and working effectively.
     
19. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. Cute saying and good advice. Actually, allocating 25-30% of daily calories to each meal works well. Compared with “usual” allocations, this would increase breakfast and decrease dinner in most meal patterns.
     
20. Count alcohol (wine, beer, liqueur). These should always be earned through activity, not taken from the basic food allotment. If you drink, drink responsibly.
     
21. Why am I eating this? Because it’s here, or because I am still hungry? Cut your food in half before you begin eating. Then, after you have eaten the first half, you are reminded to ask yourself “am I still hungry?” I’ve found this “halfsies” approach to work well for me. It keeps me aware of what I am eating and it definitely helps me avoid overeating. I continue to cut food into halves, eating only if I am still hungry, until I am full. …Also, the “halfsies” approach will help prevent food from being consumed mindlessly.
    .. Portion Control: The “Half-Trick”
     
22. Follow the Rainbow Rule. To reduce your risk of heart diseases, get the right balance of fruit and veg follow the rainbow rule and have at least one food (fruit or veg) from each of these color groups every day: Blue/Purple, Green, White/Brown, Orange/Yellow, Red.
    .. Be Healthy Takeaway Tips
     
23. Park farther away. When we go to the store or any other place by car and we need to park in the parking lot, I always choose a space that is at least halfway or farther from the store. This means that I need to take an extra couple minutes to walk across the parking lot, but I have found that it actually saves time. Most of the time when I try to get us a parking spot near the store, I end up having to wait or drive around a bit to get it. This is no longer the case so I get exercise and it really doesn’t take me any longer.
    .. Five Simple Steps To Lose 10 Pounds
     
24. Wear sexy underwear. This is a great confidence booster for anyone. Feel great and others will notice the difference. In addition to the psychological boost, there is another explanation. “If you have new undies, it means your girls will be in the right place, which makes any clothing look better. After 6-9 months, bras don’t do what they are supposed to do anymore and it is time for new ones.” Guys need new underwear too.
    .. 3 Steps To Building Confidence
     
25. Not everyone needs to snack. For some people - three square meals works fine. For others, snacking is a way of life - and without a little pre-planning - most of those snacks will not be the best choices. Snacking is a great way to maintain even energy levels and manage hunger and prevent bingeing.
    .. A Visual Guide to 15 Healthy Snacks
     
26. Get the news. Subscribe to a couple of healthy eating email newsletters or blogs. Some are weekly, others are more or less frequent. It only takes a minute to scan to see if there is anything of interest. Usually there will be something new - the latest food controversy, seasonal recipe suggestions, food preparation tips. These really help as reminders to keep thinking about better healthy eating. Sign up for the email news at the main sites. A few that I like:
    Eating Well - weekly
    Diet Blog - daily
    World’s Healthiest Foods - weekly
     
27. Use the 90/10 rule. If 90% of your intake is healthy, then the remaining 10 per cent of an occasional treat won’t derail your efforts. And the odd treat will stop you feeling deprived and less likely to pig out and binge. One chocolate won’t spoil a healthy diet – but the whole box will!
    .. Food for Thought
     
28. Use stairs. When faced with a situation of using an elevator, an escalator or stairs, I always choose stairs. Since there’s no way that I’m going to walk up 15 flights of stairs, I made the rule that if it’s two flights of stairs or less I have to walk. Since most of the stores in my area are multi-level this means that I walked stairs instead of using the escalators.
    .. Five Simple Steps To Lose 10 Pounds

    Ed. note - Sometimes finding the stairs is tricky. I think they must be there to be in compliance with fire code regulations and not for actual use. If stairs are easily accessible (in public parking structures, for example), then I try using them for three or four flights to make up for the hard to find ones.  

29. Keep a food diary. If you’ve tried lots of diets and still find it difficult keeping off extra weight you could try writing down everything you eat in a food diary. Remember, everything counts - sometimes we forget how many calories we’ve actually consumed throughout the day and a diary may help.
    .. Be Slim Takeaway Tips
     
30. Your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Think small. I checked with a physician friend. Your stomach is really pretty small. Although the suggestion that it is the size of your fist isn’t accurate, stomachs are no where near a large as the platefuls we put into them. No wonder we have eating disorders - trying to cram all that food into such a small space. Reduce portions sizes before they go on the plate or into your mouth.