Healthy Foods Instead of a Diet

Healthy Foods and a Healthy Lifestyle

There are several diets that all lead to successful weight loss if you follow them exactly as they are designed. That doesn't mean every food that fits into a diet is a healthy food, and it does mean you have to change your eating patterns to fit the diet's rules. We feel like failures because we lose weight and then return to our old eating patterns. The weight we worked so hard to lose comes back and we return to a diet. We lose the weight once more, and go up and down and up and down. We become slaves to the diets.

Rather than worry about the mirror and the scale, let's think about our lifestyle and our health. Being healthy doesn't mean you have to be a size four or a size two. It means feeling good physically and emotionally. It means having energy and enjoying every day. It isn't difficult to lead a healthy lifestyle, feel great, and still have room for the occasional treat. Let me show you how.

Healthy Foods to Eat

The closer a food is to its natural state, the better it is for you. Fresh fruits and berries are great and will satisfy a craving for sweets. Whole vegetables have lots of vitamins and minerals, so choose more green, orange and yellow vegetables. Steam them to retain the most nutritional value and be careful with sauces, they may be high in calories and fats that aren't good for you.

Any pasta or baked goods should be made from whole grains. Avoid white breads and noodles because they are made from flour that has had much of the nutritional content removed and the high starch content in white bread will affect your blood sugar as quickly as regular sugar. Avoid sugary snacks and pastries as well. An apple is good for you, an apple pie really isn't.

Shop for lean meats and don't forget the fish. The omega-3 essential fatty acids in ocean fish are often deficient in our diets, so serve seafood two or three times per week. Baked fish and chicken are healthier than fried, and lean meats like bison or venison are healthier than higher fat beef. Processed lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, and sausages have a lot of junk in them you don't want in your body, but if you love these meats, find healthier versions sold at health food stores.

Remember to eat a variety of foods because some people become sensitive to foods they eat frequently. Try different grains, such as spelt, as a substitute for wheat and try rice milk or almond milk in place of cow's milk. Eat new foods you think you may not like...it can be a lot of fun.

Stick to water as your main beverage and limit soft drinks. If you get tired of plain water, add a slice of lemon or lime to add a touch of flavor. For kids, try some fruit juice jazzed up with carbonated water. Some herbal and green teas may add great benefits to your health, but avoid too much caffeine.

Assess Your Lifestyle

Once you learn which foods are good for you, you need to look at your eating habits. If the foods you eat are not healthy, you might want to work within your habits and current lifestyle conditions, since they are usually tough to change. Consider these questions, then read on for tips to help you add healthy foods:

Healthy Foods for Snackers

If you are an emotional eater, keep the junk food like potato chips, tortilla chips, ice cream, and candy out of the house. Keep healthy snacks like fruits, crunchy vegetables with dips, or nuts handy. If you absolutely feel the need for a treat, then purchase a small piece of high quality chocolate or your favorite treat and enjoy it, just don't buy any to bring home.

The same tips are helpful for those who enjoy TV snacking at home. If you don't want to give up nibbling while watching your shows, keep low calorie foods close by, because it is very easy to eat too much when you are entranced by your favorite drama, football game or cooking show.

Healthy Foods When Eating Out

It is difficult to maintain good health if you eat out a lot. Those salads might not be as appealing as a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Restaurants frequently serve huge portions of food too, much more than you need. If you can't hold your resolve to stick to the salads, compromise; pick out an appetizer that you love, combine it with a salad or a cup of soup, and skip the larger entrees. You can also share a meal or take half of it home. You could die for dessert? Order as small a size as possible, or maybe just one scoop of ice cream, rather than a larger, heavier dessert. Try a dish of mixed berries topped with nuts and a small bit of whipped cream. Be careful with the after-dinner drinks as well. Maybe just have one glass of wine with your meal.

If you eat a lot of fast food, you have found out how difficult it is to feel good and stay healthy. Some places have added salads and some better choices, but it really isn't a good way to eat. Keep fast food dining to a minimum, don't go with the super sizes and choose places that offer more fresh ingredients.

Eating Healthy Foods at Home

If you hate to cook, all that fresh produce you bought may just rot in your refrigerator. You might prefer to purchase prepared foods from markets that specialize in healthier whole foods, or even hire a personal chef to prepare meals that only need to be heated and served. If you have a tighter budget, perhaps you can set aside some time on weekends to prepare meals and freeze them to be reheated later that week.

It is important to be prepared if you are going to eat good foods at home and not run out for fast food when you don't feel like cooking. Unfortunately, grocery shopping can be very tedious. Set aside enough time to do your shopping for a few days' worth of healthy food and ingredients. Make a list and stick to it. Don't go shopping when you are hungry, and once you are at the store, stay away from the junk and the processed food aisles. Buy lots of fresh produce and choose lean meats and fish. Stay away from processed meats, fake cheese products, processed boxed and canned meals and avoid the snack aisle. Better yet, shop for organic products whenever possible. If you have no choice but to shop infrequently, choose frozen fruits and vegetables over canned, as they may retain more of their nutrients and don't have the extra sodium.

Don't Skip Meals

If you skip breakfast, you may find that you lose energy by midmorning. Rather than skipping breakfast completely, split it in half. Eat a small breakfast early, such as an egg, small serving of oatmeal, or a slice of whole grain bread. Have a small snack on hand such as raisins and 10 or 12 almonds to eat at midmorning. This split breakfast is a much better solution than reaching for coffee and candy bars to perk yourself up.

Control Portion Size

Our stomachs really aren't that big. Without stretching, the stomach will hold about two cups of food, but because the stomach will stretch, it can hold considerably more food than we need at any given meal.

When you eat at home, serve your meals already dished up on individual plates rather than family style at the table. You will be less likely to reach for "seconds" that way. At restaurants, ask for "take home" containers and take half of your meal home to heat up tomorrow. Avoid buffets, unless you are very disciplined. It is way too tempting to load up three or four plates plus dessert.

Tame Your Sweet Tooth

Curb your cravings for sweets with fruits and stay away from sugary snacks and pastries. These treats have lots of calories and can be loaded with unhealthy fats. If the fruits and berries aren't sweet enough for you, add just a bit of Splenda, stevia or even a tiny sprinkling of sugar. Avoid sugary sodas and try iced herbal teas or ice water with lemon or lime. If you miss the carbonation, add some fruit juice to carbonated water like I mentioned earlier.

Things You Won't Give Up

Do you feel like you can't live without your chocolate, or your mornings just can't begin without a cup of coffee? If there are foods you won't give up, enjoy them in smaller amounts. Buy one tiny high quality piece of candy and enjoy it, but don't buy a bag full of snacks to take with you. Love your coffee? Stick with just one regular sized cup, instead of a giant 20 ounce mug. You can also switch to decaffeinated coffee, or drink a blend of half regular coffee and half decaffeinated coffee. Limit other treats or favorite foods that aren't healthy, maybe let yourself eat them one time per week, or search for healthier versions at natural foods markets.

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day

If you can't transform your unhealthy diet overnight, don't despair. Most people can't. Start implementing some of these ideas, even just one at a time. Every change you make will be one step in the right direction.

Keeping Things Simple

Here is a short list of unhealthy foods and healthy foods.

Unhealthy Foods

Healthy Foods