Ok, so we know we have to eat well to be well. Does that mean we have to give up all the foods we love? Absolutely not, unless you only eat toxic foods. Most of us will enjoy many healthy foods, but love to spoil ourselves with a few treats once in a while. Some of us feel we deserve more treats than others and may be suffering as a result. Some treats are allowed, as long as you eat mostly good stuff.
The best, first step to take in improving the way we eat, is to add more good things. Try to have fresh fruit or veggies with every meal and most snacks. Salads are a great way to do this. Add more veggies with other meal choices like sandwiches. Try adding lettuce and tomato to your sandwich or have some veggies and dip with lunch and supper. Have more veggies with supper and less starch (potato/rice/pasta) as well as less meat. Lean meats and chicken are good, but for fish, you can have as much as you like, unless its battered and deep fried. That doesn’t count as healthy.
Most of us can improve our diet simply by drinking more water; think 8 glasses a day. This will likely help us avoid other less healthy options like sweetened drinks or other sweet snacks.
Learn to listen to your body and sometimes that little voice in the back of your head. How do I honestly feel after that 4th slice of pizza? Or, should I eat another slice of pizza? Let’s look at pizza. It has tomato sauce and lots of veggies right? These things are good. Unfortunately it also has saturated fat in the cheese, refined flour in the form of crust, and usually preserved meat as well. If you want to enjoy pizza more often, make it a healthier option like thin crust, low fat cheese, veggies, fruit, chicken, and fish, or suffer the consequences of toxicity from too much cheese, flour and preservatives.
Eating at more regular intervals is also a good idea. Don’t wait until the end of your day to eat. Start with a good breakfast. If you are new to this idea, start with a small amount of food, like a banana or a smoothie. You can gradually get used to the idea of more food in the early part of the day. Consider oatmeal or boiled eggs… Get into the routine of something for lunch and of course a timely supper, not too late. Snacks are a good idea as well, as long as they are healthy snacks. You can eat some sweets, just be sensible. Dark chocolate is especially good, but donuts are not so good.
Some people are surprisingly healthy despite a terrible diet. This doesn’t mean that eating poorly makes you healthy. On the contrary, if these people ate well, they would likely be even healthier and live longer. Don’t worry about changing your whole way of eating all at once. Make small changes and gradually add more good choices while letting go of some of your poorer choices. So, Eat Well and Be Well! Check back next time for how movement and exercise can help you to be well; Move Well.