Sunday, June 28, 2009

Attitude And Healthy Eating

By James Zane Johnson

Healthy eating is not as difficult or as restrictive as most people think. In fact, if you think it means strict deprivation you are not doing it correctly! If you want to lose weight or just decrease your chances of developing diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and all of the other health conditions linked to obesity, then learning to think more sensibly about food is important.

The most important secret you will ever discover is that it all starts in the head. If you put too many restrictions on your diet or tell yourself that you can never eat foods that you love again, then you are going to fail. The first rule is never to do that to yourself!

Consider three secrets to getting the results you want sensibly.

Mind Game: This is the most important secret you will ever hear, so it must come at the top of the list. How you think about your new eating habits will determine whether you really make them stick in your life or ditch them for everything forbidden. It really is a mind game of sorts.

Start by not thinking of this as a diet. You are going to make some changes in your life for the better and it is going to bring great things into your world. This is not about giving up cookies forever or skipping the cake at your daughter's graduation party. You have to think long term.

Carb Control: You could spend months reading through books aimed at teaching you the hundreds of nutrients your body needs every single day and the proper combination of foods in order to get them in the right amounts. Yet, that is unnecessary if you can learn how to control your carb choices.

If you can focus on replacing unhealthy carbs with healthier varieties, this would be a giant step toward healthy eating.

Carbohydrates are a large category that includes many different foods, including cake and cookies alongside whole grain rice, fruits, and vegetables.

The secret is to start replacing the sugary foods and refined carbs with whole grain varieties. Start eating fresh fruit in the place of sweet treats. Go for whole grain rice, pasta, and bread. Eat vegetables and fruit with every meal.

You aren't looking to eliminate carbs because they are your body's main source of energy and stamina. You just want to eat healthy carbs that deliver real value to your body.

The Glycemic Index is an excellent tool for learning which carbs are better for you than others.

The final secret is to eat often! If you are not having small snacks throughout the day you will suffer from a slower metabolism and your blood sugar will not remain stable. The trick is to find sensible snacks that give your body a constant source of energy. If you eat unhealthy snacks you will be robbing your body of energy instead.

Do your best to eat something every 3-4 hours, even if it is just fresh fruit or a handful of nuts. Consider those healthy carbs as light snacks.

Healthy eating is really about balancing out your life. You can have those unhealthy foods that you love, but they should not be every day occurrences. Your everyday eating should involve lean protein sources and a variety of healthy carb selections.

Pepper your life with those unhealthy foods and truly enjoy them, rather than saturating your daily diet with them and feeling guilty over every bite.

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1 comment:

Sikantis said...

You're right, healthy eating habits are as important as the choice of healthyf food.