It is not easy eating right and taking care of our bodies and health in today’s society. In fact, it is darn near impossible for some people. Learning how to eat healthy – in a way that will keep us vibrant for years – is not something that is ever taught school. Even if we are taught by our parents, we often blow it off as we do much of the information they give us. However, eating right is the most important step one can take in their lives.
Like everything else in life, learning to live a healthy lifestyle takes time and education. The best education, especially in this scenario, is via your on research and common sense. It also takes significant discipline – at first – until you get the hang of it. After a while your new healthy choices become second nature and it is like you have lived your entire life making smarter health decisions. Don’t take this to mean that you should diet, in fact, it is just the opposite. You need to learn what is right and wrong for your body and stick with those choices. Dieting, in the sense of cutting calories, is not the right decision.
If you do it right you can still have your favorite desert here and there. See, there is a rule about healthy living – 80/20. This means if you make healthy choices 80% of the time, you can enjoy your favorite snack or some time on the couch 20% of the time. So, the first step to healthy living is to rid your house and grocery list of processed, sugary, non-organic foods. These foods are contaminated with chemicals that poison your body.
Even if you eat the right number of calories, these toxins will stop your body from functioning properly. This is why it is extremely important to steer clear of these chemicals/toxins. By simply clearing your plate of these foods you will find yourself losing weight; healthy weight. The hard part, to most, is in knowing what to eat when they hear this.
A good rule of thumb is that you can eat anything that you, yourself, could eat without supermarkets, fast food chains, and restaurants. These foods are known as “clean” foods. They are clean because they can be found in nature and because they are not covered in pesticides or fed unnatural food items. If you cannot get these items in the organic matter, you will still be healthier; but if you can get them in organic form all the better.
Start small; replace one meal at a time. Rather than eating pop-tarts for breakfast have an egg, half an English muffin, and some fresh squeezed orange juice. Work your way up to replacing each meal with a smarter, cleaner food option. Focus on portion control and make sure you stop eating when you are full. Implement 2-3 snacks a day; make sure these snacks are clean choices like yogurt and granola or avocado slices. Knowing what to eat is often what discourages people but don’t let it; if you stick with the produce, meat, and dairy aisles and you will head down the right path and be all the healthier for it.
