New Year's Part Three

It’s time for another small change or “resolution!”  Did anyone resolve to eat better or start a diet this year?!  

 

First of all…..let’s stop calling it a diet.  A diet consists of what you eat.  Your diet.  The food you eat.  So we don’t go on a diet.  We just make some changes and adjustments to the foods we eat!  Doesn’t that already sound MUCH better?!!  So you decided to make some changes to your diet and eat better.  GREAT!!!  We need to think about how we can slowly and successfully make this happen!  I believe that it’s important to make small changes so things seem more obtainable.  I realize there are people who have an “all or nothing” mentality and are successful at cutting out all bad foods and replacing them with healthy, whole foods.  But for some, this “all or nothing” approach leaves them feeling like a failure when they eat that cake at the birthday party.  Remember last week when I was talking about exercise and I brought up the example about spilling rice?  Well it’s the same thing for diet.  One bad meal (or snack, or weekend, or week, or vacation) doesn’t derail your whole journey!  It’s a process!!!  You just get right back at it again!  So here are some easy, slow changes that each of us can make to our diet.  Add one now and another in a few days or weeks.  And pretty soon…….it becomes the norm!  YAY!!!

• Ditch your soda.  I know this is a hard one for a lot of people.  But it is garbage.  Even diet kinds…..Boooo!
• Shop the outside of the store.  The perimeter of the store has all the fresh foods! 
• Use healthier add-ons.  Try salsa in your eggs or baked potato.  Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  Add avocado instead of mayo.
• Ditch sugary snacks.  Okay that one is fairly broad.  But I just mean instead of cookies and candy to satisfy your sweet tooth, reach for some dried fruit and cacao chips!  Or some frozen berries and yogurt instead of ice cream!
• Eat brighter things.  Make your plate have more colors than just tan/yellow. 
• Choose smarter grains.  Start buying whole wheat grains or pastas made from brown rice or quinoa. 
• Choose smarter meats.  Swap out your ground beef for low fat ground turkey or chicken.
• Pack your lunch.  It will save you money AND you can make it healthier. 
• Make some easy upgrades.  Olive or coconut oil for vegetable/canola oil.  Almond butter for peanut butter.  Fruit spread for jelly.  Hummus for ranch dip.  Butter for margarine.  Frozen food for canned.  Hard cheese for soft cheese.  Dark chocolate for milk chocolate.   

These are all super easy to do!  Take them slow and one at a time.  I didn’t start eating the way I currently do overnight.  I have made many, many small changes over the past several years.  And I feel successful!  Do I pig out and eat the wrong things from time to time?  Absolutely!  I’m human!  But I just get back on the wagon and try to do better the next day.  And you can too!  Let me know if you ever have any questions! 

 

Have a WONDERFUL weekend and bundle up!