It's all about the choices

So we all know that one of the ingredients to being healthier is "making better food choices", right? Until recently, I thought that sort of self-explanatory. Then, I heard a friend telling me about what she'd snacked on that day. Then I remembered several other similar conversations with her. And it hit me. She didn't really know what "better choices" meant, and she was thinking that eating small amount of stuff equaled "better choices". And to an extent, that's true. BUT, at some point you have to also consider the type of foods and the quality of them.

If you're finding yourself eating frozen dinners several times a week, you may consider some other choices. If you pay attention to what you're eating,  you may see some patterns developing. So maybe you only eat a few chicken tenders. But they are still breaded. And fried. And you eat them, or chicken nuggets or popcorn shrimp, etc several times a week...or maybe even more. Well, that's where you start to see the pattern. You may keep your serving size small (or so you think), but you're still eating fat-laden, fried, not-so-good-for-you food. I'm a proponent of indulging sometimes. But you must be honest with yourself. First, figure out what indulging really means. And then be honest with how often you ARE indulging.

A good rule of thumb on what your diet *should* look like is that most of it should be clean foods. And whole foods. And by clean, I mean real. If you got it in a box, it's probably not clean. Look for FRESH or frozen (not canned) fruits and vegetables. Look for minimally processed meats, and even preferably organic and local. The fresher the better. Whole grains are great. Just make sure they REALLY are whole grain. And organic milk, low fat greek yogurt, etc are wonderful protein choices that are healthful and yummy. So, you see the things I left out are things like chicken nuggets. And lunch meat. And pre-packaged soup. Pre-packaged meal-in-a-box just add beef (you know what I'm talking about). The list goes on. So if you truly can't live without chicken nuggets. Great, eat them. Once a week. No more. And THAT'S your indulgence. Just because you eat that only once a week doesn't mean there's a free pass to then also eat frozen pizza twice a week. And ice cream twice a week. And so on. Before you know it, you're indulging every day and you have not changed your eating habits.

If you're trying to make better choices about your diet, make sure you know what you're looking for. And keep a food journal. Every day for a month, at least. Write down every little thing you eat, including sauces, dressings, dips, etc. You may be surprised at what you find. And you can always find more info here on my blog, just click the 'diet' link above to find my older blog posts about calories, meal timing, snack ideas, etc.

Comment below! Would love to hear your food choices, good and bad, obstacles you may have to eating healthier, questions you have....whatever you have for me!  I'm always here to help!

~To Your Health~