Many of us seem to be stuck in a never ending cycle of short-lived diets and the inevitable return to food that is bad for us. Increased awareness of how our bad eating habits can adversely affect our bodies and health have instilled us with the desire to eat healthier, but often, it is our stomachs that ultimately make the decision on what to eat.
To many, the prospect of eating healthier may sound synonymous with dieting, and that may be why many of us have not changed our bad eating habits in favor of a healthier lifestyle. But in this article, you will see that there are many small changes you can make to your daily eating habits that will benefit your body and health without forcing you to go on a diet.
First and foremost, the number one change that most people must make is to make sure you have breakfast in the morning. Too many of us have succumbed to the habit of getting up and quickly getting ready for work without having a proper breakfast or any breakfast at all. We do this usually in favor of more sleep, but others do it because they may feel that skipping their morning meal will help them lose weight.
In fact, just the opposite will happen. Aside from not getting a good source of vitamins and nutrients that you'll be needing during the day for energy and motivation, you are also throwing off your metabolism, which will have to spend all day playing catch-up, thus causing you to retain weight rather than lose it.
Metabolism is an important factor in losing weight. Even if your breakfast consists of a glass of orange juice and some cereal or toast, or at the very least, a nutritious breakfast bar, you are providing your body with sustenance enough to begin your day and start your metabolism working.
Also linked to how your metabolism works during the day is how often and how much you eat. Rather than eating thee large meals a day, you should try to limit how much you eat at breakfast, lunch and dinner, using smaller portions, and then allow yourself some small snacks during the day. This will help to keep your metabolism on a continual cycle. You may even start to lose weight (in rather small amounts) over a period of time.
Now, some of you are likely saying that these changes don't sound bad at all. But the tricky part is replacing much of the junk food we consume with healthier alternatives.
But remember, this isn't a diet, so we aren't restricted to bland diet foods, we are merely striving to increase our intake of healthier food.
For snacks, try fruits and nuts. Nuts are especially good for you, containing a wide variety of beneficial vitamins and nutrients, depending on the nut. And if fruit sounds too boring for you, try adding fruit slices to a small salad or blending up some fruit with milk or yogurt for a filling smoothie. They are highly delicious and refreshing.
Other good snack foods include cheese and crackers, trail mix, and whole wheat products like whole wheat bread, muffins, or pretzels. Even healthier varieties of potato or vegetable chips are okay as long as they are consumed in small quantities and not too often. A small portion of dark chocolate is also acceptable.
Chocolate? Chips? This isn't so bad after all, is it? But now ask yourself, what beverage do you usually wash down all these snacks with? Soda? Diet or not, you aren't helping your body any by drinking it. Switch to water and unsweetened fruit juices, and try drinking more tea rather than coffee. You may have to go to the bathroom more often, but this is actually healthy for the body. I myself stopped drinking soda long ago, and while I still crave the occasional Sprite or Pepsi, I've managed to get quite used to doing without it.
Currently, the trend in tea is leaning towards green tea, but I find black tea to be especially tasty with either milk or lemon, and it contains a larger amount of antioxidants and other healthful properties. Chai tea is especially tasty and extremely healthy.
Try to consume a large variety of fruits and vegetables. This is where you'll get most of your essential vitamins and minerals, and fruits will help supply your body with some servings of water as well. Vegetables like celery, carrots, or cucumbers can also be a useful and healthful snack. A good idea is to prepare extra vegetables with dinner the night before, and bring the leftovers to work for a snack the next day. Then perhaps you wont be so tempted by that candy machine looming in the corner of the office kitchen.
Try to avoid processed foods or foods containing a large amount of additives and preservatives. While these may not necessarily be harmful to your body's health, they aren't helping it either. Look for foods without a lot of artificial filler or chemical ingredients. Organic foods are a great choice nowadays, but they can hurt your shopping budget.
Make sure to eat enough foods with fiber. If you start eating more fruits and vegetables, you'll already be receiving a good source of fiber, which acts as a body cleanser and helps maintain blood sugar levels. Foods that are high in fiber will also make you feel full, so you'll tend not to eat so much. Other ways you can get extra does of fiber are by adding ground flax seed to salads, cereals, and smoothies.
Try to avoid sugary marinades and fatty sauces and use spices and herbs instead where applicable. Nearly all spices and herbs have healthful and nutritional properties, and they can perk up any bit of meat or fish much better than a messy marinade can.
Just making these few changes will have you living far healthier than you might be now, especially if your weekly meals consist of a few visits to the local fast food restaurant or pizza parlor.
To many, the prospect of eating healthier may sound synonymous with dieting, and that may be why many of us have not changed our bad eating habits in favor of a healthier lifestyle. But in this article, you will see that there are many small changes you can make to your daily eating habits that will benefit your body and health without forcing you to go on a diet.
First and foremost, the number one change that most people must make is to make sure you have breakfast in the morning. Too many of us have succumbed to the habit of getting up and quickly getting ready for work without having a proper breakfast or any breakfast at all. We do this usually in favor of more sleep, but others do it because they may feel that skipping their morning meal will help them lose weight.
In fact, just the opposite will happen. Aside from not getting a good source of vitamins and nutrients that you'll be needing during the day for energy and motivation, you are also throwing off your metabolism, which will have to spend all day playing catch-up, thus causing you to retain weight rather than lose it.
Metabolism is an important factor in losing weight. Even if your breakfast consists of a glass of orange juice and some cereal or toast, or at the very least, a nutritious breakfast bar, you are providing your body with sustenance enough to begin your day and start your metabolism working.
Also linked to how your metabolism works during the day is how often and how much you eat. Rather than eating thee large meals a day, you should try to limit how much you eat at breakfast, lunch and dinner, using smaller portions, and then allow yourself some small snacks during the day. This will help to keep your metabolism on a continual cycle. You may even start to lose weight (in rather small amounts) over a period of time.
Now, some of you are likely saying that these changes don't sound bad at all. But the tricky part is replacing much of the junk food we consume with healthier alternatives.
But remember, this isn't a diet, so we aren't restricted to bland diet foods, we are merely striving to increase our intake of healthier food.
For snacks, try fruits and nuts. Nuts are especially good for you, containing a wide variety of beneficial vitamins and nutrients, depending on the nut. And if fruit sounds too boring for you, try adding fruit slices to a small salad or blending up some fruit with milk or yogurt for a filling smoothie. They are highly delicious and refreshing.
Other good snack foods include cheese and crackers, trail mix, and whole wheat products like whole wheat bread, muffins, or pretzels. Even healthier varieties of potato or vegetable chips are okay as long as they are consumed in small quantities and not too often. A small portion of dark chocolate is also acceptable.
Chocolate? Chips? This isn't so bad after all, is it? But now ask yourself, what beverage do you usually wash down all these snacks with? Soda? Diet or not, you aren't helping your body any by drinking it. Switch to water and unsweetened fruit juices, and try drinking more tea rather than coffee. You may have to go to the bathroom more often, but this is actually healthy for the body. I myself stopped drinking soda long ago, and while I still crave the occasional Sprite or Pepsi, I've managed to get quite used to doing without it.
Currently, the trend in tea is leaning towards green tea, but I find black tea to be especially tasty with either milk or lemon, and it contains a larger amount of antioxidants and other healthful properties. Chai tea is especially tasty and extremely healthy.
Try to consume a large variety of fruits and vegetables. This is where you'll get most of your essential vitamins and minerals, and fruits will help supply your body with some servings of water as well. Vegetables like celery, carrots, or cucumbers can also be a useful and healthful snack. A good idea is to prepare extra vegetables with dinner the night before, and bring the leftovers to work for a snack the next day. Then perhaps you wont be so tempted by that candy machine looming in the corner of the office kitchen.
Try to avoid processed foods or foods containing a large amount of additives and preservatives. While these may not necessarily be harmful to your body's health, they aren't helping it either. Look for foods without a lot of artificial filler or chemical ingredients. Organic foods are a great choice nowadays, but they can hurt your shopping budget.
Make sure to eat enough foods with fiber. If you start eating more fruits and vegetables, you'll already be receiving a good source of fiber, which acts as a body cleanser and helps maintain blood sugar levels. Foods that are high in fiber will also make you feel full, so you'll tend not to eat so much. Other ways you can get extra does of fiber are by adding ground flax seed to salads, cereals, and smoothies.
Try to avoid sugary marinades and fatty sauces and use spices and herbs instead where applicable. Nearly all spices and herbs have healthful and nutritional properties, and they can perk up any bit of meat or fish much better than a messy marinade can.
Just making these few changes will have you living far healthier than you might be now, especially if your weekly meals consist of a few visits to the local fast food restaurant or pizza parlor.
About the Author:
Scott Kessman is an upbeat author on many issues of diet and health. To find out more about the dangers of signing up for famous diet programs checkout Diet Program Woes.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment