Hello! How many of you made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, eat healthy, or some variation thereof? How’s it going? Have you thrown in the towel yet? Sadly, according to U.S. News & Report, nearly 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail. The reasons are likely complex, but I’m willing to guess it’s partly because people have unrealistic expectations and set goals that no ordinary human being could hope to meet, particularly when you add in all the daily demands most people are juggling today. After a long day at work or with the kids, a nasty commute home, a blow-up with your 2-year-old at Target, a stack of bills to pay, and a house that looks like a war-zone, which would you prefer: doing all the work required to prepare and cook a healthy meal, or simply ordering a pizza and calling it a night? You can easily see why 80% of people choose the pizza.
Well, I’m convinced there’s a better way … you won’t find fad diets here or quick fixes — I don’t believe in them, there are no shortcuts in life … success requires hard work, discipline, and consistency. I’m here to help with the plan, but whether you exercise these three virtues to turn the plan into action is entirely up to you! So, here it is: (1) two guiding principles, and (2) seven daily habits to incorporate into your life.
Principle #1:
Ok, ladies, please do away with fad diets and diets that urge you to eliminate entire food groups — there are obviously exceptions (allergies, medical conditions, gluten or dairy sensitivities, etc.). But most people shouldn’t eliminate perfectly healthy, nutritious food groups … it may give you short term results, but it’s difficult to maintain long-term, and it’s simply unhealthy. God gave us a variety of foods to consume … eat them as intended — as close to their natural state as possible. Processed food has been stripped of its nutrients and supplemented with a variety of unhealthy fillers — mostly sugar and saturated fats.
This is common sense of course, but there’s an entire industry that exists for the purpose of convincing you need a PhD in biochemistry in order to understand how to eat a healthy diet. And since you probably don’t have one, the only way to gain this invaluable information is to buy their books, their diet products, and sign up for their diet plans … it’s simply not true, so don’t buy it. People aren’t obese or suffering from inflammation, diabetes, or cancer because they ate too many strawberries, carrots, or bananas … they’re suffering because they ate too much sugar, saturated fat, and processed food. Eat a variety of wholesome, natural foods. Period.
A quick tip when it comes to identifying healthy food — you won’t go wrong sticking with fresh fruits, vegetables, meat & poultry, eggs, nuts and legumes. If a food comes processed in a package, however, be wary. Don’t rely on advertising labels … check the ingredients list. Look for added sugars and hydrogenated fats — avoid any foods with these ingredients. And understand that sugar can go by various names: high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, glucose, fructose, and a whole host of others … you can see the full list here.
Again, you can take all the guesswork out of eating healthy if you simply try to eat the majority of your food in it’s most natural state.
Principle #2
The other obvious struggle people have with eating healthy is simply eating too much! I know we often enjoy food for reasons other than nourishment, and that’s okay — eat the birthday cake, go to the celebratory dinner … but these should be special occasions. Most of the time you should eat, not for enjoyment (or any other emotional reason), but for the purpose of nourishing your body and to give you energy for whatever activities you’re tackling that day.
It’s simple — eat healthy food that nourishes your body, and eat slowly, stopping when you feel satiated (not full). Anytime you reach for something to eat, ask yourself, “how is this going to nourish my body?” — if you can’t answer that question honestly in a positive way, put it down and step away! Again, this rule doesn’t need to apply ALL the time, just most of the time. Allot 10% of your diet to foods you really enjoy but may not be particularly healthy, or for food served at special events when you have little or no control over the menu.
Okay, on to the seven daily habits you should work to incorporate into your life. Ladies, these are pretty self-explanatory. You can easily see why each of these will lead to a healthier lifestyle and yield positive results for your health and fitness goals.
Some things may seem more difficult than others — like eating vegetables at each meal. I know it sounds odd, but believe me, it’s not as hard as you may think. Once you get comfortable cooking with a variety of vegetables and you master the art of flavoring them, you really won’t mind substituting a big bowl of cereal for a bowl of steamed veggies. And I’ll be sharing some of my favorite recipes in the coming months, so you’ll be able to develop a good variety of meal options to meet your health goals. I’ve included a few quick ideas in the chart below, which also provides a handy list of foods to avoid and foods to enjoy.
A word on fats. Ladies, fat is not the enemy, sugar is the enemy. One of the best ways to eat healthy, and to avoid overeating, is to incorporate healthy fats into your meals and snacks. They’re incredibly satisfying and they help satiate your hunger. I eat peanut butter, guacamole, and cheese every single day. Every day. I’ve even been known to just take a spoon and eat a big scoop of peanut butter as a little pick-me-up. Fats are good, just make sure they’re healthy unsaturated fats. Small portions of cheese is okay too.
Lastly, try your best, when you do indulge your cravings, to choose high-quality “treats” … make homemade chocolate chip cookies rather than buying packaged ones, eat a few squares of dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa) rather than eating a milk chocolate bar, or try making a healthy alternative to more classic treats (rather than a candy bar, take a banana, half it lengthwise, spread it with peanut butter, put it back together, then cut it in slices and dip each slice in melted dark chocolate. Drop onto wax paper and freeze … these are sinful, yet healthy!)
Alright, there you have it … a simple guide to eating healthy! I know recipes would be incredibly helpful, so please stay tuned for more in the coming months. And if you have any healthy eating tips, please share them in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!
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