Baby Steps Towards Healthier Eating

I'm sure a lot of you read over my favorite meals and thought to yourselves, 'I've never even heard of some of that stuff' or maybe, 'I don't like any of those things, or maybe just have never tried them'. 

If you've been eating processed, over sugared and fattening foods for most of your life (like myself, and everyone else in the US) then transitioning to healthier eating my take some time and adjustment.  You'll have to learn what real vegetables taste like that aren't soaked in oil and fried and fruits that aren't coated in sugar.  But please believe, they do taste good, in fact they are delicious. 

Enjoy foods for what they are: healthy foods are energy and nutrient sources that make you feel and look good, junk foods are fat and disease suppliers that slow you down and make you look and feel like crap.  Sure, it's great while you're eating it because it's oh-so yummy, but any and all goodness that you are feeling is gone after it passes your taste buds.

You don't have to eat what I eat, or maybe it's a little overwhelming for beginners, so I've made a list of my Top 10 Ways to Start Improving Healthier Eating Habits:

1. Cut out all refined sugars:  This is your candy bars, brownies, pop tarts, doughnuts, tasty cakes, Little Debbie's, cookies...need I continue.
2. Cut out the sodas, fruit juices, and sports drinks. The diet drinks are not doing you any favors either!  Drink lots and lots of water.
3. Cut down/out eating out.  Even a lot of the 'healthier' items on the menu are still loaded with extra fat and calories, so you could only guess how bad the 'unhealthier' foods are. 
4. Switch to Whole Wheat (bread, pasta, rice, wraps, crackers, bagels, etc), and reduce the or eliminate things with white flour (even pizza).
5. Add more green veggies.  It doesn't have to always be a salad nor do you have to be a culinary artist to create a great dish.  Just pick up a steamers bag in the freezer sections and serve that with dinner instead of mac & cheese.
6. Change your methods of cooking:  try grilling, baking, or broiling instead of frying or cooking in oils.
7. Cut out all Trans Fats and way down on Saturated Fats.  (Potato Chips, French Fries, etc)
8. Cut down on Sodium.  Read food labels and learn what items have a lot of hidden sodium (like canned food).
9. Switch to leaner proteins.  Go for boneless, skinless chicken instead of nuggets.  Try tilapia or cod instead of fried fish or fish sticks.  Buy the leaner burger, and trim all extra fat off meats.
10. Watch portion sizes.  Read labels and follow proper sizes and refer to pic below.

Baby Steps
Some of this might sound hard, weird, or just plain impossible to you.  DO NOT try to change all at once.  If you've drank 4 pops a day for the past 10 years do not completely eliminate pop all together.  The same goes for the cookies and candies.  If you try to cut out all sugar and fat at the same time you will be craving like crazy by day 2 and caving by day 3.  Your body has become accustomed to these things, expects them, and when deprived, it will crave it.

That's why it's important to take baby steps.  Cut back to 1 candy bar or brownie treat a day, then down to one small fun size piece after lunch and dinner, then just dinner.  Do the same for sodas, continuing to cut down until you can stop completely.  This gives your body a chance to adjust to the lowering levels of unhealthy foods its getting and not go through a withdrawal. 

Gradually start switching over to the healthier foods in your meals.  Make a goal to eat at least 5 clean meals a week, then 6, then 7, and so on until you find that the majority of your meals are clean.  You can also set a goal to only eat out once a week, then once every two weeks.  And remember to allow yourself a good 'treat' meal a week to curb those cravings.  After making healthier eating a habit you'll probably find that you feel better, have more energy, and your pant are looser.