Thoughts on Eating Healthy

Recently I have noticed how much junk food I have been eating. Somehow it seems to creep in there and then take over my whole diet. So, I have decided to make a conscious effort to incorporate healthy food into my diet everyday, and really every meal when I can. I really believe that you crave what you eat, so the when you eat junk food, the more and more you crave. But when you eat healthy food, the more and more of that you crave. I have decided share some thoughts, encouragement, advice,tips, etc. for eating healthy that have helped me in the past and that I am using now. Please leave comments of your own tips for how you try to eat healthy.

1. This is not about losing weight! Though eating healthy may cause an overweight person to lose weight, that is not the goal. The goal is to be healthier and feel healthier (aka more energy!). If you focus on losing weight and not being healthy, then you will fall into the "diet trap" which is often far from healthy. (more on this in the next point)

2. This is about a balanced diet, not cutting out the "bad things." The body needs all kinds of nutrition, you cannot cut out carbohydrates and fat and be healthy. That is a diet trap, not a healthy diet. Fruits, vegetables, carbs, fats, proteins, etc. all need to be included in your diet. Of course, limiting these can be healthy as well. Remember, this is a balanced diet.

3. Do not set the expectations to eat healthy 100% of the time. (At least not at first, or forever). This will end in failure and be very disappointing. The change of lifestyle is a lifelong thing. Focus on incorporating healthy food into your diet one meal at a time, especially if you find yourself addicted to junk food.

4. Similar to the last point, don't deprive yourself of foods you love. This will only cause a diet spiral in the wrong direction. Do you love pizza, cookies, milkshakes, potato chips, etc. Don't give them up completely. A good plan to still let yourself indulge without overdoing it is this: find ways to make the food you love healthier so you can eat it more often; plan on when you will have it so that you can make healthier choices elsewhere that day/week, and quantity control is everything!!!

5. Actively choose healthier foods each day. Try to eat at least one natural thing each day/each meal. By "natural" I mean something found in nature, that can be eaten, unprocessed by humans (unless by the necessity of cooking). Examples of natural foods: fruits and vegetables, eggs, some meats, etc. These things are good for you!!! Unnatural foods, mac'n'cheese, pizza, ice cream, hot dogs, pasta, etc. Not that these things are all bad, but the goal of adding one natural item to each meal/day will get you actively making choices to pick healthy things. This is habit building!!!

6. See your favorite genre of food as a treat. I love carbohydrates. Pizza, chips, bagels, muffins, cupcakes, i love them all. If it was healthy, I would eat these every meal. But, that's not exactly the healthiest (or most figure-conscious) choice. So, rather than viewing those things as "bad" view them as treats. If I'm really craving a bagel in the morning, I'll agree to forgo the carbs at lunch and stick with a salad. Or if I must have the pretzel from the mall at work that night, then I will stick to fruits, vegies, and protein for breakfast and lunch. Reward yourself with the foods you love.

7. Make your own food. This is HUGE! It is so so so hard to find healthy things to eat when eating out. Even salads have countless calories and fat in the dressings or baked potatoes are loaded with bacon bits, the food is cooked in pounds of butter, etc. By making your own food you control what goes in and what does not. It is incredibly easy to make healthy food at home, and not too stressful either. Start this week by packing your lunch for work. You will be amazed at how much healthier the food is(and how much money you will be saving).

8. Along with number 7, avoid the stress of ordering healthy food when there is none by making your own food when you can and eating what you really want when you do eat out. (i.e. with friends, family, thanksgiving, etc.) If you make your lunch every week and then go out on the weekends, don't feel bad ordering what you want. You've earned it.

9. Which leads me to another thought. You can enjoy food. I recently read a blog that said something along the lines of "Food is fuel" and then listed a bunch of adjectives of what it is not (like comfort, fun, etc.) I was sad to read that because of how much I LOVE food and love cooking. If it is simply fuel, then I should only eat exactly what my body needs and not worry about it. But I think food is to be enjoyed, and healthy food can be enjoyed too! So eat healthy and reward yourself with what you love! (Buffalo wings for me please).

10. Don't obsess over calories. Yes, the key to weight loss is calories in/calories out. But, to be honest, if you are exercising, your body takes care of that for you. Eat when you are hungry, eat till your full (not stuffed), and eat a balanced diet. You will be surprised at how that will naturally add up perfectly. Your body knows what it needs and what it doesn't. It will tell you! It makes me sad to watch people count every calorie and burden themselves with guilt when it doesn't match up.

11. Search high and low to find healthy foods and recipes you like. It is no use eating something you hate. I cannot stand raw peppers. They are soooo good for you, but I cannot eat them. I like them cooked, and will eat them that way. But there are so many other things I do like. Focus on what you can do, not what you can't.

12. Cut out the small stuff. Think about what you drink. Can you replace sodas with juice, tea (preferably green and unsweet or sweetened by honey), or water? Can you change your latte to coffee, or make it nonfat? Drinks can add so much unnoticed excess.

Last, remember this is a process. Don't expect to change overnight. Focus tomorrow on one thing you can actively choose to eat that is healthy. For me, it almost becomes a game and I find myself eating one or two healthy things each meal. Let me know what you think, or other advice you have about eating healthy.

Look forward to my next post about packing healthy lunches.