Okay so somehow the pounds have kinda sorta leaped on my body, I’m sure it wasn’t the Christmas candy or cakes or any other sugary fat laden delights I consumed during the holidays. I am just positive that I DIDN’T have anything to do with these extra few pounds. However the extra pounds got here, I want them to know that they are unwanted and need to go.
The biggest issue with starting a “diet” or shall call it a “new eating strategy” is that sometimes it is really complex and hard to keep up with when, you are trying to feed a whole family, some of whom only like pasta, others who won’t eat anything green, one who likes meat prepared to perfection; how on earth are you gonna get your quinoa and barley, whole grain casserole in the oven in time to feed yourself. So start small and try just following a few eating habit changes that the whole family will enjoy.
EAT WHOLE FOODS
Here is a list of the world’s healthiest foods, just by adding one or more of these foods to every meal helps you loose weight and feel better.
http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php
Things don’t have to be complicated either to be healthy, you can cook in olive or sesame oils and flavor with the listed herbs. Keeping meals fun, colorful and interesting will keep you and the kids wanting to try the new healthier foods.
GREEN GREEN GREENS
Adding a green food to every meal will help with the body’s own detoxification process and speed your metabolism, without doing anything at all, not even exercising. A lot of people can not stand green food, but there are ways to make it simply delicious. Try this crazy fun recipe for a great breakfast on the go.
GREEN SMOOTHIE
Mix bananas which are high in potassium, tryptophan (which is a mood stabilizer) and vitamins, romaine lettuce, a great antioxidant as it neutralizes Cholestoral levels and aids in digestion and yogurt, which also has cultures that help digestion, colon cleansing and is rich in calcium and vitamins. Drinking a smoothie every morning gets your metabolism going and helps aid digestion throughout the rest of the day which aids the absorption of good nutrients and the processing of waste.
Here is an interesting article about eating your greens everyday from Natural-heathy-girl.com
http://www.natural-health-girl.com/eating-greens.html
Benefits of Eating Greens
Perhaps, you know it is a good idea to eat more greens in your diet, but at this point, you’re not really motivated to make changes to your diet habits. Here are some good reasons to consider adding more green plant foods to your diet.
- Green plant foods balance your pH. Many modern foods are acidic in nature and can lead to health issues, so balancing your body with neutralizing foods like greens keeps your body’s pH at a healthier level.
- Some dark greens include omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are important to many of the body’s functions, especially for brain function.
- Chlorophyl in green plants acts as a blood detoxifier.
- They are high in nutrients and enzymes necessary for your body to function, such as iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. (Dead foods like white bread, refined sugar, cookies and the like rob you of health and vitality.)
- In greens, you’ll find a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect your cells from damage and your eyes from age-related problems.
- Greens are powerful antioxidants, and they support the immune system.
“But whole foods taste awful, are not fun, I don’t like fruits, veggies, etc.” you or the kids may say. I agree that at times the idea of having a nice ripe tomato, really doesn’t compare to a cheese burger and the convenience of frozen, canned and packaged foods is hard to resist. So here are some really easy, delicious whole food recipes that may give you a new perspective on crunchy granola foods. Also think of cooking foods in advance and freezing them or cutting up all that you need and portioning them out in the fridge for quick and easy assembly later.
Here is a link to some really great whole food recipes:
WORLDS HEALTHIEST FOODS:
http://whfoods.org/recipestoc.php#recipes
HEALTHY FOOD FOR LESS
You can usually buy whole foods for a lot less money than, say, shopping at Whole Foods, by shopping at local Farmer’s Markets and Ranch style Market grocery stores. If you have a ranch or farmer’s market grocery store nearby, these places often carry lower priced produce and whole foods. They may not be better for savings on canned and processed foods, but guranteed they will have good deals on produce and farm fresh products. Other places to try for discounted produce are…
http://www.food4less.com/Pages/default.aspx
Good luck, as soon as you have started your whole foods eating strategy, you and the whole family will not only be leaner, but happier and healthier too.
