Eating healthy doesn't have to be a huge exhausting switch made overnight. I took baby steps most of the way and continue to make healthier choices all the time. Don't go through your pantry and throw everything out (unless you really want to, good for you). Try making gradual easy changes consistently.
Bread: Switch from white carbs like white bread, white rice, white tortillas to whole grain bread products & brown rice. Already made this change and feel like you could be healthier? Start looking for organic sprouted options (Ezekiel brand makes some fabulous stuff) and nutient packed quinoa & wild rice as alternatives to white & brown. Looking for healthier still? Start sprouting your grains and seeds at home to preserve all the nutients and vitamins that cooking lowers.
Drinks: Small step, start drinking more water. Ease away from soda and prepackaged juices. Start making your own drinks in your blender with fresh fruit, you will learn to combine fruits to avoid the need to add sweetener. Ready to take it up a notch? Toss a handful of spinach in your blended fruit smoothie, you won't taste any difference and if you Are squeemish about the color you can use an opaque cup. As you get more adventurous you can try kale or collards or whatever strikes you. I make smoothies and juices every day. Even my "meat-and-rice-only" hubby loves my green smoothies and juices. His is usually strawberry lemonade with spinach. Coconut water is a huge deal in my house too. It's nature's sports drink, keeping you super hydrated. One of my favorite ways to come up with great new drink ideas is to find some fantastic looking, overpriced health drink, take a pic of the ingredients with my phone, and make at home. This is how I came up with my beet & pineapple drink. I did NOT pay $5 for a little bottle of it at the health store!
Meat: I do not believe veganism is for everyone, it's just something I use as a dietary guideline in my own life. Portion control and plate ratios are very important. Meat servings should be limited to no larger than your closed fist is long & wide. At least half of your plate should be veggies. The other 1/4 can be protein, & 1/4 healthy carbs.
Listen to your body: Mine now tells me how unhappy any kind of flour or meat make it. Pay attention to what YOURS likes & dislikes. When your body complains, take note and stop punishing it. We all have "cheat days" but consistently cramming your body full of things that lack any nutritional value and are hard to digest will cause it to act up and pack on extra weight too. I have lost the extra 25 lbs I was carrying around since I started listening to my body. I rarely get colds or the other bugs that get passed around. Until I unwisely followed some bad medical advice I had incredible endurance and gym stamina. On my way back to the gym, now that the toxic meds are out of my system. I think the eleptical machines have missed me as much as I miss them :D Please leave comments or email me if you have any recipes you would like me to create for you or if you have any requests or questions at all.
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