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Greaseburger for 0, please!
I need to preface this by saying that I have fairly terrible eating habits. I used to be an insanely healthy eater and then life happened. Slowly but surely, I’m correcting the issues and convincing TF he should, too.
Just because you buy organic, it doesn’t mean it’s insta-healthy. Organic is awesome, but not a MUST do. Especially if you are on a budget.
A really great book is Michael Pollan’s Food Rules. You can read it in one evening even if you have a baby. Short. Sweet. And just plain fun to read.
One of the biggest things you can do is read the labels! Look for real ingredients. Ones that you can pronounce.
For me, avoiding High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a big deal. We’ve all seen the commercial on TV. Yes, it is just fine in moderation. Too bad it’s in almost everything you find on the grocery store shelf! Seriously, read the labels. It’s hidden in there! Infant formula even has HFCS as one of the first ingredients. You don’t have to buy organic to avoid it. Just read the labels
On top of that avoiding processed sugar is just as important. There are plenty of alternatives. My favorite happens to be honey! If you buy it raw it’s awesome. If you can get it locally produced it’s amazing! Not only are get getting a great alternative to processed sugar, but you also get the benefits of the pollen. It helps with seasonal allergies! I love adding honey to my morning coffee. You should try it!
Unfortunately, I have a horrific sweet tooth. I had a ballet teacher who was an amazingly healthy eater. She once told me that freezing a banana is a great substitute for ice cream. As crazy as it sounds, it’s fabulous! I add some peanut butter on top and dig in.
Wednesday, I was at the grocery store and I over heard a conversation about antibiotics in cheese! A little research and sure enough Natamycin is a common ingredient in cheese. From now on TF and I will be looking out for this ingredient. Who would have thought?
As I’ve mentioned before, TF and I are huge seasonal eaters. We love stews and chili in the winter and fruit salad and fresh veggies in the summer. We are trying to reverse our meal setup and concentrate more on the veggie than on the grains and meat. It doesn’t happen every day but we make the effort.
I think the thing that hurts people when they are trying to eat better is doing too much too quickly. Then their body gets all out whack and they fall off the wagon, so to speak. If you slowly ease your body into it then you are more likely to succeed. I’ve learned this from experience one too many times.
It’s ok to splurge on occasion. In fact, I’ve always found it to be beneficial! After a week of eating great food, that cheese encrusted greaseburger that was screaming my name and tasted oh so good makes me feel crummy. TF says it makes him feel 200lbs heavier. The next week it might happen again, but this time we skip the fries. Then it’s the smaller sized grease bomb. You see the trend?
I guess my point is that it’s easier to eat healthier when you pick a few goals and then slowly ease into it. Crash dieting only results in rebounding and that’s no fun!