Those doggone days of summer are pretty much over now and many of us are mentally preparing to welcome in another brisk season of fall. The air is becoming fresher and crisper and we too should mimic that in the way we think about our eating habits. After all, it’s easier to let go and indulge ourselves a little more knowing we won’t be donning swimsuits every weekend on the beach, but why not let a new season ignite a new resolution for healthy living?

With school back in session, there’s more structure in our daily routines, making it an ideal time to commit to making long-lasting lifestyle changes. It all boils down to what we choose to place in our palettes. Nobody knows more about getting her hands on healthy than Long Island culinary nutritionist and founder of Hands on Healthy, Sara Siskind.

Local holistic nutritionist Sara Siskind gives a cooking class to a group of Port Washington mothers (credit: joy april robinson)

Siskind believes those dieting days have been over for a while and staying healthy and fit can happen once you commit yourself to making changes in your everyday life.

“We need to make lifestyle changes in order to see a difference,” Siskind says.

She offers eight simple steps to her clients and is sharing them for the first time with Long Island Pulse. Here’s the skinny:

1. Start each morning with two large glasses of water with freshly-squeezed lemon
2. Stick with three satisfying meals with a limit of a snack or two per day
3. Fast for 12 hours a day, meaning complete your last meal by 7pm, with a morning breakfast at 7am.
4. When you snack, remember to choose high-protein whole foods that are rich in fiber.
5. Break a sweat. Make it count so you release toxins and endorphins to make you feel good.
6. Add in more leafy greens, like kale and spinach, which are loaded with nutrients.
7. Avoid mindless eating or BLTs: bites, licks and tastes. They’ll add up and get you off track.
8. Don’t go too long without food. It only slows your metabolism. You shouldn’t go more than four hours without eating.

A delicious fruit and avocado dish packs vitamins and healthy fats (credit: joy april robinson)

Make fall time to think healthy and make smart choices and set a good example for your children. Then, plan to keep it going long-term by using the constant, everyday approach Siskind stresses.

“You can’t eat mindlessly or weight will eventually be gained,” she said.