7 Tips To Eating Healthier – It Can Be Very Tasty!
How to eat healthier… and LOVE it. We all know that eating those double cheeseburgers and fries is what we live for… NOT! Do you really know what that junk food is doing to your body? Okay, I won’t go into that because I’ll gross myself out! But, I can say that eating healthier, even during the holidays, is important for us to stay on track, to be healthier, and to just plain feel better!
Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean spending tons of money on organic foods, sacrificing our favorite foods, or even sacrificing taste. As a matter of fact, I believe that eating healthy tastes WAY better than eating the junk food, and my whole family agrees (yes, that includes my 5 kids!). Here are some tips on how to eat healthy:
Drink homemade fruit and veggie smoothies instead of having to eat several pieces of fruit a day. By putting a couple different types of fruits and vegetables, some juice, and a little bit of ice into a blender you can create a delicious smoothie without the expensive juicers. If you put two pieces of fruit and two pieces of vegetables into the blender (and you drink it all), then you’ve just consumed four servings for the day. I personally don’t like to add sweetener. I think that it’s sweet enough from the natural sugar in the fruit.
Put LOTS of things on your salad, like croutons, colorful bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, chicken, fish, cheese, seasonings, etc. Just because it’s a salad doesn’t mean that it has to be bland. Dress it up! I love a good salad with everything in it. It tastes so good, it fills me up, but it doesn’t weigh me down.
Substitute hamburger with ground turkey meat. This is a healthier option for everyone, and tastes the same!
Eat several times a day. This doesn’t mean that you should eat several full meals a day. Instead, smaller portions and snacks throughout the day. Preparing these snacks ahead of time will help you want to take them with you to work, school, or wherever your day takes you. Then, when you get hungry you don’t have to stop at a fast food place because you already have snacks right in front of you!
Choose healthier snack and meal choices. Instead of grabbing that candy bar for a snack (which will just give you a temporary sugar high before you crash), grab a small handful of wheat crackers, dried fruit bar, or a handful of peanuts. Instead of grabbing that hamburger for lunch, instead opt for a healthy salad that is filling and will help give you a lot more energy!
Find stores in your area that offer lower-cost choices for healthy foods. Do you have a Sprouts or other low-cost health food store near you? Even some items at Trader Joe’s are lower cost than the regular grocery store. Check out the ads… online!! I like to purchase my fruit at sprouts and my eggs at Trader Joe’s. These items are cheaper at these stores than at the regular grocery store. You just have to watch the ads.
Drink LOTS of water! Water is your friend. It will keep you hydrated, it will help you feel fuller faster (especially if you drink 8 oz before eating), and it will help give you more energy. If you get bored with water (I sure do!), try adding something to it like green tea or drink a vitamin water that is flavored.
Don’t just make this a once-in-a-while thing… make it a regular thing to eat healthier. This doesn’t mean that you can’t ever eat pizza, cake, etc. ever again… just keep those items limited. It’ll take time, patience, and practice, but if I can do it then anyone can do it!
