It can be hard to eat healthy when there are so many choices and options of food and drinks to consume. You can’t rely on marketing because the companies only want one thing..to make more money. They don’t care about your health. If you want to eat better then you have to do it for yourself.
The many diet programs, weight loss supplements, ads on TV, marketing tactics, and the placement of junk food are all obstacles for feeding your body what it needs. You can’t even go into a store without tons of junk food lining your way to the cashier. Have you noticed all the junk food when you are waiting in line at different stores; even in the hardware stores, office supply stores, and craft stores? Many of these options may be what you want because they are designed to make you crave them and want more but it’s not necessarily what your body needs. So how do you eat healthier and navigate the store to buy the healthiest options?
Why to Stop unhealthy eating and How to Start eating healthier:
1) Stop dieting ~ Start eating whole unprocessed foods
Why? Because diets don’t work long term and they aren’t sustainable for the majority of people. When you are on a diet it suggests that it is for a certain period of time. Instead make healthier dietary changes that you plan to keep long term.
How? Before you even go to the store you need to know what to buy. Here is the answer in a nutshell: Eat less processed food and eat more vegetables, fruits, meats with no hormones, antibiotics, or nitrates & unprocessed whole grains.
*Quick tip for shopping: Find healthy recipe inspiration online or in healthy recipe books then make a grocery list and stick to it when you are shopping.
*Quick tip for grains: Soak your grains in water for at least an hour then drain and rinse before cooking to make them easier to digest. Add a strip of Kombu while cooking to make the grains or beans even easier to digest. (Kombu is a sea vegetable and you can eat it but I use it like a bayleaf and throw it away after cooking with it.)
2) Stop counting calories ~ Start reading ingredients
Why? Counting calories has nothing to do with the quality of the food. There are so many low calorie processed foods but they are filled with junk.
How? The food that is most nutritious for your body doesn’t have a label but if it does have a label then look for the least amount of ingredients and things you can recognize and pronounce. If you start cooking and eating real food, you can eat as many vegetables as you want. You won’t overeat when you eat in the moment without distractions, eat slow and really chew your food, and listen to your body when it says you are satisfied.
3) Stop eating low fat, no fat, & reduced fat ~ Start eating full fat
Why? Because when you take the fat out of food it tastes nasty so the reduced fat options have added sugar, artificial sweeteners, and other ingredients added to make it taste good.
How? Buy full fat and whole fat food and drinks. (I know this is probably the opposite of what you thought for years but we now know that this nutrition advice was wrong and your body needs fat for energy.)
*Check out this article by Harvard Medical to learn the difference between good fats, bad fats, and fats to consume in moderation.
4) Stop eating frozen processed meals ~ Start making your own freezer meals
Why? Prepackaged meals are loaded with preservatives, chemicals, and are usually extremely high in sodium.
How? Cook extra food when making meals and portion out personal servings then freeze your own healthy meals. This can be done for individual portions and family meals too. Cook extra once and eat a few times by freezing the meals.
5) Stop drinking soda, processed juice, & sports drinks ~ Start drinking more water
Why? Because sugar ladened drinks are making us fat and sick. Plus our bodies need water and lots of it.
How?
-Aim to drink half your body weight in water in ounces everyday.
-Drink room temperature or warm (not boiling) water with fresh squeezed lemon as soon as you wake up. Water that is too cold or too hot makes it harder for the body to digest so for maximum benefit drink room temperature or warm water with lemon.
-Make flavored water with fruit & herbs.
-Make fresh vegetable & fruit juice by using a juicer. Add fresh ginger & fresh herbs for extra flavor.
-For a bubbly treat, drink sparkling mineral water with fresh lemon, fresh lime, or fresh fruit & fresh herbs.
6) Stop grabbing a quick snack while you are out ~ Start bringing snacks with you
Why? When you are out and hungry, it is quick and easy to just grab one of those processed junk food snacks or candy while you wait in line at the store and it is hard to stick to eating healthier when you are in a pinch.
How? Pack some snacks to bring with you. Bring some nuts, seeds, veggies, or fruit with you just in case you get hungry. Or bring a fresh veggie and fruit smoothie or fresh juice loaded up with ice and sip on it to keep your body feeling satisfied. If you have to buy a quick snack while you are out then look for the fresh fruit or raw/unsalted nuts (for the healthiest option make sure the nuts don’t have added flavors or ingredients.)
Eating and drinking healthier can be easy by knowing how to shop and by being prepared. It is up to you to make healthier choices so choose what your body needs. Healthy foods will make your body healthy and junk foods will make you feel like junk. I’m not sure who originally said this because it is all over the internet but “You are what you eat so don’t be fast, cheap, & fake.” Eat the rainbow but Stop with the Skittles and Lucky Charms and Start making your world more colorful with more fruits and vegetables!
For more information on fats:
*Harvard Medical Article – The difference between good fats, bad fats, and fats to consume in moderation.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good