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girlwonderxo-blog · 7 years ago

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Want to feel better without having to think about it too much?

Here’s how: Improve your diet. Yep. Notice I said “improve” NOT “change” (simply to emphasize the need for improvements that are easily sustainable). How do you do this? By not ripping away everything you’re used to all at once of course. Realistically, this is why fad diets rarely, if ever, work long term. You drive yourself (and your body respectively) crazy trying to eat barely anything, or only things you don’t really enjoy. I used to probably be the world’s pickiest eater (Guinness Book of World Records status). As a result of this, I had a HORRIBLE diet that lacked a ton of important nutrients. I’m lucky that I’m as healthy as I am eating like that for so long; YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! On top of that, I used to, as a lot of us do (especially here in the good U S of A) consume a ton of meat and not nearly enough fruits and vegetables—However, now I’m a vegetarian and l-o-v-i-n-g it. No matter what your goal is (indeed I know not everyone is trying to go as far as vegetarianism), I’m going to share 10 honest to goodness tips on how I personally have achieved a mega transition in my diet with little or no pain. But first, a disclaimer:

I am not, nor do I claim to be, a Nutritionist.

These are merely 10 simple strategies I’ve implemented when starting my journey that I found to be effective. Enjoy.

Start off by substituting; no need to fully eliminate. You wouldn’t wean yourself off of a medication all at once would you? You’d go bonkers. The same goes with food. My favorite trick is to substitute my junky snack cravings with healthier ones that actually hold nutritional value. So slice up an apple and eat it with your favorite chunky peanut butter instead of the cookies, eat healthier options that still pack a crunch if you’re craving potato chips (think crisp veggies with your favorite ranch dip, plantain chips, pea crisps etc.), or make a smoothie with your favorite fruits instead of drinking that double chocolate milkshake; but on occasion... Do have the double chocolate milkshake. It’s OKAY in moderation.

For goodness sake lay off the sugar. It is horrible for you and not doing you any favors. When I really started reading nutrition labels I realized just how much a lot of the products pushed to us are often overloaded with sugar (more than the 25g for women / 38g for men daily recommended amount in just one product). When shopping always grab a few options to compare their sugar content. After reading the labels, opt for the one with less sugar. I’ve long ago given up soda, but I still enjoy my occasional juice beverage. I swear by Kombucha, because despite costing about $3.99 per bottle, they are one of the few juice drinks that do not literally have 30-58g of sugar per serving (note: there are some classified as non-alcoholic and alcohol). Being more conscious of the amounts of sugar in each product that I am consuming has become a habit and drastically brought down my over-all level of sugar intake on a daily basis. My waist and newfound lack of insomnia thank me; yours will as well.

Also, lay off excessive amounts of sodium. This is another baddy the food industry just loves to overload our food with. As with sugar, weigh your options and go with the one that has the least amount of sodium. I definitely used to do counterproductive things like add extra salt to my fries, potatoes and pasta until I realized how much salt were already in these things; yikes. If it already has sodium in it, there’s no need to add anymore.

For the amount of meat you think you need on that dinner plate, make sure you have at least equal (preferably more but here’s hoping you’ll get there) servings of fruits & vegetables too! This will ensure that you’re eating balanced and not getting full off one thing food group before you can get your other, necessary nutrients. A trick I like to do is to mix vegetables I am not that fond of with something I do love, like preferred veggies or brown rice.

Go whole or go home. Whenever you can, opt for whole grains vs. refined ones. Brown > white. Natural and less processed is generally better for you.

Drink more water. We all know we’ve got to, but it just seems so much easier to drink that 24 oz. Venti coffee than even 3 of the recommended 8 glasses of water per day. On top of that, if you’re like me, you’re often so busy that you don’t have time to keep getting up to re-fill your glass. By the end of the day you realize you haven’t had any water. I’ve solved this first world problem by purchasing a 64 oz. jug from Amazon, which I fill up at the beginning of the day & goal myself to finish by the day’s end. You too can purchase this magical product here >> Bluewave Lifestyle Daily 8 Water Jug <<

Try using organic raw honey as a sweetener instead of granulated sugar if you’re a tea totaller or coffee lover, (I love to do this). I find it to be sweeter, and therefore I can use less to achieve the desired taste. I’m no Baker, but I’m sure this can be used as a substitute here as well.

Eat smaller portions, more frequently. This is great for your metabolism and keeps blood sugars leveled. It also helps to take your time when eating! Our brains do not immediately realize the chemicals we’ve put into our bellies to register that we’re full. So if we eat a lot too fast we often don’t even realize that we’ve met or surpassed our threshold of satisfaction, causing us to overeat. I like to eat a serving and then let it marinate for about 15-20 minutes before deciding if I need seconds to be content.

An extremely effective remedy that I want to state again is: Pair foods you know are good for you and that you should be eating (but maybe you don’t really care for) with foods you love. This is one thing that immensely helped me to grow out of my picky eating frenzy. Every time I would take a bite of something I didn’t care for, I’d have something I love on the fork also. You can also find a seasoning or dressing you like to help you enjoy new and healthy foods. Before you know it your palette adapts and that BIG bad broccoli isn’t so icky anymore—dare I say you might grow to enjoy it. On the flip side, it’s important not to force yourself to eat more of things in one sit in then you can stand to. This will only create a disdain for that particular food, and you’ll never learn to enjoy it. It’s a gradual process. Introduce yourself to it multiple times and eat only a little until you find yourself wanting more.

Be aware of, and probably avoid all of the products with the super duper marketing health claims of being low fat, or low calorie. At the very least compare the labels. Often, they reduce the fat or calories in exchange for upping the content of some other horrible ingredient to keep the flavor. Then, they market it to misled consumers as “healthy.” Quality over quantity is always better and you can control how much you eat of anything.

Well, that’s it. Try some, or all, of these pointers if you’re beginning to change some things in your diet for the better. Everyone is different and you have to find what works for you. However, these life hacks have been pivotal for me on my journey and I hope they will be for you. In the very least, it will cause you to be a lot more conscious of what you’re putting into your body and you’ll start noticing what does, or does not work for you.

Happy Shopping. ✌🏼 💚

Also, to keep getting fit with me check out & follow my primary blog @ ~~>https://www.tumblr.com/blog/stylefit

#health #fitness #diet #cleaneating #wholesome #journey #foodchoices #stylefit

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