Why Hello there!
LOL xD
I was surfing the web the other day and came upon an article written by a good friend of mine. He was talking about how eating healthier has changed his health and his waist line. I definitely could sympathize and empathize with him. Due to my injury I cannot really exercise extensively, but eating better makes me feel so sooo much better. I mean I have energy, I feel brighter, my skin has changed, and not to mention I am more regular (TMI? sry) lol I mean it is what it is.
I have broken my system into 7 steps. Check them out:
1. Eat ONLY when you're hungry.
This can possibly be one of the hardest things for me. I have "Snacker" syndrome. LOL There have many times when I was bored and I just ate for the heck of it. That needed to stop, bc I was taking in so many calories that no matter how hard I worked out I didn't see any progress. Now that I am housebound with a broken ankle its almost impossible to workout the way I am used to so I had to get a grip on my calorie intake. Part of eating better meant eating proper portion sizes only when I was actually hungry! #teamwillpower
2. Buy fresh and/or organic.
Most moms would tell you that its far more expensive to buy fresh, organic foods for your family. I am not gonna lie, its very true. Unless you buy direct from the source, you are gonna pay more. Its something that bothers me a great deal, but our government makes it easier for us to do worst, down to our diets. Yes girl, a bag of fresh, frozen veggies cost twice as much as a can of processed, canned vegetables. "How can you afford to feed your family better?", you ask. You MUST budget. It is very important to budget! If you're anything like me you want to look nice and have nice things, but think about it. Would you rather your child have in top of the line clothes and a belly full of processed foods with almost no nutritional value??? Ummmm no! Figure out what you can do without or have less of in order to spend those couple of extra dollars on better food. I guess you just have to ask yourself (like I did), what you are willing to change in order to pursue healthier living.
SIDENOTE: Try searching for a local farmers market online. If you live in the DC, Maryland and Virginia tri-state are look here!
SIDENOTE: Try searching for a local farmers market online. If you live in the DC, Maryland and Virginia tri-state are look here!
3. Eat a simple salad before every meal.
Eating salad before a large meal can definitely curve your appetite. And I do not mean a salad loaded down with fatty dressing and bacon bits and huge chunks of meat. I mean a simple salad (recipes on FoodNetwork.com) Also a simple salad with vitamin-rich lettuce is a great way to get extra servings of veggies in your diet.
SIDENOTE: Now the misconception is that Iceberg lettuce is the best lettuce for a salad. Sorry but this is a myth! The nutritional value in Iceberg lettuce pales in comparison to, say Arugula or Romain lettuce. Plus if you use mayonnaise based dressings (Creamy Caesar, Ranch, Bleu Cheese, etc) it really does defeat the purpose of eating a salad. The extra calories and saturated fats in these creamy dressings are undeniable. So try to back away from the fatty dressings and pick up some Spinach leaf for your salad. You can find great, light salad recipes on WomensHealth.com.
SIDENOTE: Now the misconception is that Iceberg lettuce is the best lettuce for a salad. Sorry but this is a myth! The nutritional value in Iceberg lettuce pales in comparison to, say Arugula or Romain lettuce. Plus if you use mayonnaise based dressings (Creamy Caesar, Ranch, Bleu Cheese, etc) it really does defeat the purpose of eating a salad. The extra calories and saturated fats in these creamy dressings are undeniable. So try to back away from the fatty dressings and pick up some Spinach leaf for your salad. You can find great, light salad recipes on WomensHealth.com.
4. Replace frying with baking or broiling.
Its hard for some of us to put down the frying pan, and back away from the deep fryer. Especially those of us who are from the south. "Soul Food" cooking is an important part of African American culture. Although these foods are delicious they are essentially full of saturated fats and sugar and loads of salt. No one is blaming good ol' soul food for the reason millions of African Americans are Diabetic or suffering from obesity, but with the "clean your plate" mentality its not hard to see why this way of eating and thinking is a concern. Who says that you cannot have these things? No one is saying that, instead of using lard, or canola oil or vegetable oil to fry something, you can bake it or pan sear it. I love salmon and I used to buy canned salmon to make breaded salmon cakes often. I've found that buying whole salmon filets and baking it is much healthier and is less time consuming. When I used to fry them I needed to stay over the pan monitoring them and flipping them to be evenly cooked, whereas if I season the filets to taste and put them in a covered baking pan, its easier for me to multi-task. Healthier food and easier to prepare??? Sign me up!
5. Instead of sugar use fruit or honey to sweeten your food.
This one, I admit, is still a struggle for me. I love my sweets! I am a certified cookie and chocolate fiend! LOL I have cut back though. Actually, this week I have only had low calorie ice-cream as my go to sweet-treat. I've adopted using more honey in my dishes and beverages,however. For example: I have not used sugar in my hot tea for months now, but the distinct taste of honey can taste a little funny in other foods. You have to try it for yourself and figure out what combinations of what goes better with honey. Not to mention, most of the sugar we consume is enriched, granulated sugar and all natural honey has loads of antioxidants the body needs. Also I use fresh fruit to sweeten my oatmeal and Iced Teas. Give it a shot, find what you like and incorporate it into your diet! The benefits are immense, I've found an article by Dr. Oz check with some fun facts about the benefits of choosing honey.
This one, I admit, is still a struggle for me. I love my sweets! I am a certified cookie and chocolate fiend! LOL I have cut back though. Actually, this week I have only had low calorie ice-cream as my go to sweet-treat. I've adopted using more honey in my dishes and beverages,however. For example: I have not used sugar in my hot tea for months now, but the distinct taste of honey can taste a little funny in other foods. You have to try it for yourself and figure out what combinations of what goes better with honey. Not to mention, most of the sugar we consume is enriched, granulated sugar and all natural honey has loads of antioxidants the body needs. Also I use fresh fruit to sweeten my oatmeal and Iced Teas. Give it a shot, find what you like and incorporate it into your diet! The benefits are immense, I've found an article by Dr. Oz check with some fun facts about the benefits of choosing honey.
6. Cut back on salts and saturated fats.
This one is self explanatory. Salt (sodium) drives up your blood pressure, makes you retain water and dehydrates you! Some very easy ways to cut back on fat and sodium intake is simply looking at the label when you purchase something. Most brands now provide a healthier alternative as well as their original product. You'd be surprised how many! Look for such clues as: Low-Fat, Low-Sodium, Low-Carb or No-Fat, etc., etc. Compare the numbers on the nutrition label with that of your normal selection and go with what's better for your nutritional needs.
This one is self explanatory. Salt (sodium) drives up your blood pressure, makes you retain water and dehydrates you! Some very easy ways to cut back on fat and sodium intake is simply looking at the label when you purchase something. Most brands now provide a healthier alternative as well as their original product. You'd be surprised how many! Look for such clues as: Low-Fat, Low-Sodium, Low-Carb or No-Fat, etc., etc. Compare the numbers on the nutrition label with that of your normal selection and go with what's better for your nutritional needs.
7. Last but not least...Drink plenty of water.
Water is the alpha and omega to healthy living. Tapped water or bottled is the question. My answer is filtered water. Most bottled water is not free of fluoride deposits, as well have come to learn fluoride may be linked to cancer and many other health issues. I have done my research and it is very disturbing! The best way to get rid of the fluoride on your water is to purchase a water filter specialized for this and/or purchase Spring Water. Most spring waters have very low fluoride content, I've read this article about ways to really reduce your fluoride intake.
(accept no credit for pictures or website links)
Water is the alpha and omega to healthy living. Tapped water or bottled is the question. My answer is filtered water. Most bottled water is not free of fluoride deposits, as well have come to learn fluoride may be linked to cancer and many other health issues. I have done my research and it is very disturbing! The best way to get rid of the fluoride on your water is to purchase a water filter specialized for this and/or purchase Spring Water. Most spring waters have very low fluoride content, I've read this article about ways to really reduce your fluoride intake.
(accept no credit for pictures or website links)
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