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Healthy Eating ExcusesHealthy eating excuses have been part of all of us for the rest of our lives. How often have you found yourself saying, I just cannot cook today because…. I’ll have this just this weekend because I’m starting on my diet on Monday; I can eat anything just in moderation. Well we seem to be masters of healthy lifestyle excuses. Let us look at a few of the common excuses and how to overcome them.
1. No Time. If you think preparing healthy meals takes too much time, do it well in advance. I actually make time for my meals. Buying, preparing and eating them is very important for my health. I will not tell lies by saying a healthy lifestyle is not time consuming. I take my time in the shop reading labels to get the most nutritious item available, I then use the most unprocessed foods and take the time to set the table where I’ll have my dinners. I am the busiest woman in my circles but I prioritize my health. In all, time is one of the healthy eating excuses, not a real reason.
If you think your health is important, plan ahead. If you know what you will eat a day in advance, it takes out the time to think and plan when you are already hungry. Make a roaster of meals you will have for the week and paste it in your fridge door. It makes planning much easier. You also don’t need to stick to the same meals you have written. 2. Tired and Busy. Kings and queens of fast foods will claim to be tired and busy all the time. They probably have a lot to do for their careers and families. A healthy diet is an investment that we all need to make. You will get lots of energy from a good nutritious diet. Planning ahead saves you so much time. If you have to eat out, choose the best foods.
3. Depression and Stress. Is this not a common one? “I need a lot of carbohydrates when I’m stressed. And yes your body craves some foods but it does not need them. Your mind has to do the controlling when it comes to cravings. You may have a bite of what you crave but not eat the whole liter of ice cream. The best thing to do is not surrounding yourself with temptation. Don’t buy any of the “bad” kinds of food. By the way no food is bad, but our habits can be so bad.
4. Celebration. The healthy eating excuse number 2. I love celebrations. What I don’t understand is how we go all out to destroy our health to celebrate a victory. If it’s a birthday, we feel excused from following healthy habits. We over-drink alcohol, smoke (cigar is considered prestigious), over-eat, etc. It is kind of strange that we feel a celebration should be destructive in a way.
You can have your cake and a lot of vegetable and fruit salads. You may also prepare the healthiest and enjoyable snacks. I host almost every weekend and nothing beats a salad (in summer) and vegetable soup (in winter) and a lot of grilled fish, followed by a nice and juicy fruit salad. If I feel like fat, I get bowls of raw nuts. My guests love my dishes and so do I.
5. Addiction. If one is addicted to any one kind of food, they need to work hard at breaking the addiction. Too much of anything is always very bad. The best way of breaking an addiction is introducing new healthy foods. I am not a firm believer of “cutting certain foods”. Introducing new healthy habits has a way of taking the old bad habits out. Just set targets of introducing one healthy food to your diet every month. It is an amazing move.
6. Work or School Food. Well I know how tempting the workshop or meeting finger lunch can be. Just make better choices everytime you are in a gathering with some unhealthy food. There is always better foods than the rest. Stick to what is healthy. The best way would be to bring your own food. Always have a piece of fruit in your bag or even a sandwich. Carrying a lunch box to work or school is compulsory.
7. Everything in Moderation. This is a very good concept. However it has been more abused than used. People overindulge in fatty and sugary foods and claim they eat everything in moderation. The fact of the matter is that the term “moderation” is very subjective. What does moderation mean?
You will most likely put on weight if you eat a slab of chocolate everyday. That might be your moderation. To be sure you are on the right track; keep a food diary for a week. If you do and record everything you eat, you will be surprised. I once was.
8. It’s Cold/ Hot. If you think the fact that it is winter, you need to eat every salty junk that comes your way; you may just damage your metabolism. There are no breaks in a health lifestyle. It is either you commit for the rest of your life or you don’t. Just have a goal, stick either it and watch your life improve.
9. Metabolism. Having a fast metabolism does not mean you should eat everything. Most naturally thin people are so unhealthy because they only think of the outward appearance and use their natural figure as one of their healthy eating excuses. Take in healthy foods and you will be healthy from the inside out. Its not the weight that should be our primary concern but our health.
10. My Family. I don’t know who said kids are supposed to eat junk. I hear a lot of parents saying it is their kids’ snacks that tempt them. Kids are supposed to follow a healthy diet in my opinion. If your roommate or partner is a junk food junkie, learn to say no and get your own food. You can do it if you want; it is your life after all.
11. No Money. This is another common of the healthy eating excuses. Food is expensive: True. Healthy food is expensive: It depends. The value added in the processed food is quite expensive; it does not matter how one looks at it. If fresh food is expensive, I therefore think one has to make a sacrifice. Drop the gorgeous shoes and bags and have greens in your plate.
12. Traveling. If you travel a lot, I know what you are going through. It is very difficult to follow a healthy diet when one is traveling. This becomes more so when there are even language barriers. Planning ahead becomes even more important in this case. Make a research of restaurants that provide healthy foods even before you reach your destination. You will get a few options which you will have to stick to. No more healthy eating excuses.
Cooking to lose weight
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