Healthy Eating 101
Calories…fat…carbohydrates…how is someone supposed to know what to count? And why do food labels need to be so complicated? Is eating healthy really that difficult? No, healthy eating does not have to be that convoluted or take over your entire life. There are some keys to eating healthy:
Moderation: You really don’t need to study food labels or weigh the fat content of food to know which foods you should limit. Everyone knows that eating too much junk is not good. Saying that you’re not going to have any junk food what so ever may be great for your health, but is this a realistic and sustainable idea? The key idea is moderation. Completely restricting foods may lead you to psychologically want that food even more, and if you do succumb to the temptation, you may find it difficult to stop yourself from going overboard. Instead of restricting yourself completely, try to moderate what you are eating by limiting portion sizes and frequency. For example, instead of a whole chocolate bar everyday, try eating half of a chocolate bar 3 times per week. Moderation will take practice and planning. If you portion your food in advance, when you are not hungry, it may be easier to ensure that you don’t just take a few extra bites!
Variety: Eating healthy is all about having a variety of different foods. In order to stay satisfied, it is important that you are not bored with your food. If you feel yourself getting bored with your regular food intake, look online or in a recipe book for a different light/healthy meal. Another great idea, is to look for fruits and vegetables that are in season, often you can find something that you don’t eat on a regular basis. Finally, you can find ways to make your favorite foods healthier. If you are absolutely craving a big bowl of pasta, you can modify the meal: have a starter salad, so that you eat less pasta; use whole wheat pasta; or use ground chicken in the sauce instead of beef, in sauce you won’t even notice the difference. Modifying foods that you love along with adding new foods to your diet will ensure that you don’t get super bored.
Write it down: It only takes a few seconds to write down what you eat, but it could make all the difference in the world. Psychologically, if you know you have to write down everything that you put in your mouth, you will eat less. In addition, sometimes you don’t realize just how much you are eating in a day. Even if you don’t count all the calories, you can tell when you’ve eaten way more than you should.
When trying to change your diet, it is important to realize that it takes practice. Healthy eating is important, and should be a lifelong venture, not a fad diet.