Hi Karen:
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Mar-03-02 AT 07:45PM (Est)[/font][p]For me it's really simple. I track three things, overall calories, fiber grams and fat calories.
Let me tell you why this seems to work for me. The key is the fiber. If you look at your fiber intake, you'll be shocked that it is so low. In order to get it up there, you have to have to make very good choices, fruits, veggies, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, barely, quinoa, brown rice, whole grain breads. It's amazing how hard it is to get to that magical number of > 25 grams a day.
It also puts other things into perspective. Fresh fruit instead of juice because the fresh fruit has fiber and the juice doesn't. Triscuit crackers instead of gold fish because of the fiber. Peanut butter instead of pudding, again because of the fiber. Plus, you won't have too much room for meats in your diet, but all the things that are fiber packed are classified as lean meats, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds. Then get your 2 to 3 servings of dairy in there (one of which I'd recommend as yogurt for good intestinal health) and voila, you've got such a clean diet, it isn't even funny.
Another side benefit, foods high in fiber a low in fat. Or they are packed with so much monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that the average American diet is seriously lacking in. Bingo, you now have all the elements for clean eating and to fuel your body appropriately for exercise. And quite frankly, for a healthy lifestyle that you'll be able to maintain for the rest of your life.
Healthy eating shouldn't be such a chore, but somehow, we've got it in our heads that it is. It's not; we just have been sold that bill of goods. It does require a bit of work in the beginning.
I usually encourage people to make two lists. One list is a list of all the individual foods that they like. Not dishes like pizza or some other type of dish like chili, but like tomatoes or oranges or chili beans. The second list is a list of foods that you'd like to try.
Then look up the fiber grams of the foods that you like. That's an education right there. Then start making choices about your favorite food list. For example: I love corn bread, but I haven't had it in years. Until I did this exercise, now I have corn bread at least once a month. Corn bread is wonder food. Another example: I loved chickpeas but never knew how to use them. So, I would pick one meal a week and do some homework of a recipe that had chickpeas in it with other foods that I liked. Then I'd give it a try. I have chickpeas now at least once a month.
One more thing, pick one food that you'd like to try and try it once a month. You may find that you really like it and just added more variety to your diet.
But notice, it's not meant to be done one morning when you wake up. Keep eating normally and just put one to two meals a week into your diet that's healthy. Then in a couple of weeks, put a couple more in there. Before you know it, you'll be on a clean eating, healthy diet without all the pain, fuss and trouble that we've been taught that it's supposed to be.
Plus, you'll enjoy eating (we've been taught that is a mortal sin, well, it's not), you'll know that you're hitting your nutritional goals and it was easy.
But get this, you won't fail. Do you know why? Because I didn't say that there is a food that is a no no food. As long as you follow your rules, you can have anything you want. So eat a cookie, but remember that fiber and fat calories . . . eat those chips, but remember that fiber and fat calories. It's kind of like a bank account. You only have so much calories, fat calories and you have to hit those fiber grams for a day.
If you need to, apply the 80/20 rule. Eat well 80% of the time and indulge 20% of the time. Again, remember that life is not about being so strict that you kick yourself in the pants because you had a fried fish sandwich. There will be times where you’ll either crave it or just be in a position that that is your food choice and that’s the best choice available. It’s ok. Diet and nutrition are not handcuffs, it’s just learning what is good food and how to use it.
So, choose your three little rules and live well. If you have more than that, you may be driving yourself crazy.
Oh my, this turned into a small book. My apologies. I’ll hush now.
Keta.
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