How to Start Eating Healthy
Like any other unhealthy habit an unhealthy diet is a hard habit to break.
It takes determination, knowledge and diligence to get on the road to a healthy life style, live disease-free and maintain a healthy weight.
The first step to success is to eliminate temptation: Inspect your kitchen, pantry and refrigerator and simply discard any items deemed unhealthy.
Other candidates for removal are those identified as contributors to weight gain in your Food Diary.
You are keeping a Food Diary, aren't you? If not, read my article on how to get started on one.
Then stock up on healthy alternatives to these items, such as fresh fruit, whole wheat bread/pastas and water.
Now is the time to start thinking of a meal and shopping plan.
Write down your menu of healthy meals for each day of the week, check your pantry and make a shopping list for items you will need.
What is important here is to consider more small meals and snacks throughout the day, rather than one or two large meals.
This will go a long way to keep you from snacking on sugary items during the day.
Also, keep in mind to take some time for preparing sack lunches in order to avoid going out for unhealthy fast-food lunches! If you are regularly short of time, set aside a few minutes in the evening to prepare your lunch for the next day.
With your shopping list in hand, shop only for the items on the list - buy nothing else! Go shopping once a week instead of stopping at the store every day, or so! Spend your time at the store wisely, get into the habit of reading the labels on the foods you buy.
That habit alone can go a long way in eliminating certain foods from your diet, as you begin to understand your daily nutritional needs, as well as portion sizes.
Of course, Rome wasn't built in a day either, so it's OK to take it slow.
It can be an expensive proposition to discard and replace half the contents of your pantry! Take your time and during the transition try and educate yourself more about dietary and nutritional requirements and food labels.
A slow transition also makes it less likely for you to start craving the unhealthy foods you have been used to.
When it comes to weight-loss and trying to live healthy, the turtle always beats the hare!
It takes determination, knowledge and diligence to get on the road to a healthy life style, live disease-free and maintain a healthy weight.
The first step to success is to eliminate temptation: Inspect your kitchen, pantry and refrigerator and simply discard any items deemed unhealthy.
Other candidates for removal are those identified as contributors to weight gain in your Food Diary.
You are keeping a Food Diary, aren't you? If not, read my article on how to get started on one.
Then stock up on healthy alternatives to these items, such as fresh fruit, whole wheat bread/pastas and water.
Now is the time to start thinking of a meal and shopping plan.
Write down your menu of healthy meals for each day of the week, check your pantry and make a shopping list for items you will need.
What is important here is to consider more small meals and snacks throughout the day, rather than one or two large meals.
This will go a long way to keep you from snacking on sugary items during the day.
Also, keep in mind to take some time for preparing sack lunches in order to avoid going out for unhealthy fast-food lunches! If you are regularly short of time, set aside a few minutes in the evening to prepare your lunch for the next day.
With your shopping list in hand, shop only for the items on the list - buy nothing else! Go shopping once a week instead of stopping at the store every day, or so! Spend your time at the store wisely, get into the habit of reading the labels on the foods you buy.
That habit alone can go a long way in eliminating certain foods from your diet, as you begin to understand your daily nutritional needs, as well as portion sizes.
Of course, Rome wasn't built in a day either, so it's OK to take it slow.
It can be an expensive proposition to discard and replace half the contents of your pantry! Take your time and during the transition try and educate yourself more about dietary and nutritional requirements and food labels.
A slow transition also makes it less likely for you to start craving the unhealthy foods you have been used to.
When it comes to weight-loss and trying to live healthy, the turtle always beats the hare!
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