Eating healthy is a hot topic these days and it probably should be. You don’t have to spend much time browsing the internet or watching the news to hear the statistics about how much money obesity costs in medical insurance, how many schools have cut recess and (coincidentally?) the rise in childhood obesity, and then there’s New York trying to ban trans fat altogether. These are all great reasons to try and eat healthy, and if those motivate you then congratulations. Personally, my biggest motivations for eating healthy are being able to wear the same jeans this year that I did last year and feeling like I’m making responsible choices for myself and my family.
Moderation is my mantra for almost all things, even eating healthy. I don’t want to be a fanatic prophesying the doom of anyone who doesn’t get their share of ultra-omega-probiotic-vitamin DZ12, or hopping onto the latest diet craze. I’m not going to do all my shopping at Whole Foods because it’s too expensive. I’m not going to grow my own alfalfa and sometimes I’m going to indulge myself and eat a really big bowl of ice cream. Eating healthy should not make you or your family crazy. So, if your goals are to live a sane life with a firm belief in moderation and the occasional side-dish of guilt-free celebration then maybe my tips will help you. Eating healthy is not as hard as you think.
Eating Healthy Tip One: Try Not to Drink Your Calories
A 20 ounce bottle of Coke has 2.5 servings at 100 calories a serving that is 250 calories and it’s not even going to make you feel full. So we’ve now tacked on 250 calories to our meal or our snack and we haven’t even eaten anything yet. Oh, and if you drink more than one in a day your calories are going to keep going up, just FYI. I don’t know if you’ve looked at the prices lately, but the stuff is expensive! Eventually, you will however fill your dentist’s wallet, but the state of America’s teeth is another article. Eating healthy starts with what you drink.
There are lots of other drink options that fall into the zero category range. There’s always plain water. Uninspiring I know, but cheap and good for you. I’ve found that drinking water is a discipline. The first few days it’s a big trial everytime you down a glass, but if you keep at it, you’ll find that you actually want more of it. You’ll be thirsty for water specifically. This is because your body needs water to function properly and once you remind it of that, it will be very grateful. But enough about water. There are more choices. Okay, I’m not quite done with water…there’s flavored water, carbonated flavored water, or plain bottled water that you can buy too. Again, those are going to be pricey, but are the healthiest option.
My next advice is Crystal Light or Wyler’s Light which both offer five measly calories per serving and five is close enough to zero for me. There are lots of flavors to choose from and this is substantially healthier for you than the soda. Try different brands until you find your favorite brand and favorite flavor and stick with it.
If all the above options are inconceivable to you then at least switch to a diet soda. They have their own health issues, but we won’t go into those here. At least you won’t be drinking your calories. Remember, eating healthy is as much about what you drink as what you eat.
Eating Healthy Tip Two: Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
These things are good for you and there are enough varieties that I promise you can find something that you like. Fruits and vegetables are stuffed full of honest to goodness nutrients and vitamins that do wonderful things for your body. There’s the general lack of preservatives, and really the less chemicals you’re eating the better, and each fruit or vegetable has its own “special super power” (you can use that phrase to sell it to your kids) depending on which vitamins it has in it.
I know that the Food Pyramid people have changed their slogan, but I liked the old one “5 A Day the Color Way”. (Their website has some additional good ideas about eating healthy, and you can find the link to the side of the article.) This is a good thing to remember when you’re in the grocery store wandering through the produce section. There’s purple grapes, orange sweet potatoes (bake it and put a little brown sugar on top…very delicious), red strawberries, yellow bananas, green asparagus. You get the idea I’m sure. Try some new things. Go ahead and pick up that asparagus (I recommend steaming it). Make a huge salad for dinner tonight. Buy some cherries and see who can spit the pit the farthest. Eating healthy is a colorful process. This is your license to go wild in the produce section.
Here’s a little fruit and veggies side note for you. Fresh is the best, but will be the most expensive. Try to eat what’s in season if you’re worried about that. Don’t get all flipped out about organic stuff, just yet. Ease yourself into this. If you’re not going to buy fresh then I’d go for frozen next. There are all kinds of new-fangled options in the frozen veggies section that you can throw the whole bag in the microwave and steam it just like that. It’s amazing. (Just be sure you read the directions.) Finally, there’s the old reliable canned stand-by. There’s nothing wrong with canned veggies or fruits, they’re just going to taste a little more…canned and they do lose some of their nutrients being canned, but I promise they’re still superior to potato chips (no, that is not a vegetable). Eating healthy can happen whether your fruits and vegetables are fresh, frozen, or canned.
Eating Healthy Tip Three: Watch the Junk Food
It’s very hard to eat what is not in your house. (The fast food diatribe will come later.) You can’t eat three bags of Nacho Cheese Doritos if you don’t have them, or if you only bought one bag. You can buy reduced fat ice cream instead of regular. Your kids aren’t going to have Zebra Cakes and Ho-ho’s for lunch unless you pack them. Yes, they’re going to whine, but let’s be honest, if they’re not whining about a dearth of Oreos they’ll find something else to whine about.
There are ways to snack healthy without resorting to bird food-esque trail mixes. Tortilla chips and salsa are a fairly healthy snack and are loved by millions around the world. See if your family loves them too. Yogurt and pudding are both tasty, sweet, and healthy. Fruit can be a snack by itself, or to make it even more appealing, buy some caramel dip and watch those apples disappear.
And, again I will say: Eating healthy should happen in moderation. Buy some cookies, potato chips, ice cream, or whatever it is that you and your family likes. Deprivation never works. Here’s the catch and tell yourself and your family that you mean it and follow through. Once the “goodies” are gone they’re gone until next payday. If the ice cream only lasts for one day then tough luck and don’t get more, next time they’ll eat it slower.
So, what have we learned? The keys to eating healthy are first of all: be reasonable and moderate. You’re breaking years of not-so-good habits and that will take time, and remember we don’t want to be crazy people about this. We know who “those” people are and we don’t want to be them. Then we’re going to not drink our calories, eat more fruits and vegetables, and tweak our snacking habits. When you are eating healthy consistently you will see a change in how your pants fit and how you feel about yourself, and all without massive trauma to anyone.
Go ahead and try eating healthy. You can do it!
Baby Shower Fondant Cakes
