Tuesday, June 19, 2012

How do I make healthy food choices every day?


Food is everywhere in our modern American culture. From the bank teller with her bowl of lollipops to the vending machines at the gym to the coffee pot at work, food permeates our society.

As a result, I make food choices all day long. 

Some choices I don't even think about. Like the bowl of lime green lollipops. Those hold no attraction to my 37 year old self.

Some choices I pause over. A cup of hot chocolate with white fluffy marshmallows sure tastes good while writing a blog post.

Some choices I heartily embrace. A can of soda provides a late-afternoon pick-me-up while waiting during my kids' gymnastics lessons.



How do I consistently make HEALTHY food choices?

  • Create healthy food habits. Replace potato chips with baby carrots at lunch. Substitute whole grain wheat bread for white bread when making toast during breakfast. Grab your water bottle instead of a can of soda when you feel thirsty.
  • Make food choices ahead of time. Sitting down in a restaurant with a growling stomach after a long day working is NOT the time to choose tonight's supper. Everything will look and smell good. Before you know it, you will have eaten 3 bread sticks, 2 bowls of greens dripping with salad dressing, and three-fourths of a massive pile of spaghetti noodles drenched in cream sauce. All washed down with 4 glasses of soda. Or maybe that's just me.
  • Learn about nutrition. Educate yourself on why your body needs carbs, protein, vitamins and minerals. Understanding how your body uses food can help you make healthier choices.
Making healthy food choices on a daily basis is key to creating a lifestyle of fitness for me and my family. By taking these 3 steps I'll become more consistent in choosing healthy food over nutrient-empty food.

What tips do you have for making healthy food choices?


8 comments:

Naturopath NYC said...

These are some great tips on choosing healthy foods...

Melissa said...

Great tips! The best way for me to make healthy choices is exactly what you suggested - plan ahead of time. I look at menus ahead of time, make lunches the night before, menu plan dinners for the week. Sometimes I'll cave and make something other than what I planned, or go get lunch out, but 99% of the time I stick with what I planned out. That helps!

Kameron said...

I try to make good substitutions where I can. I will often sub ground turkey for ground beef in a recipe, lowfat cheese for full fat, 100% juice popsicles for the kids instead of those chemical frozen syrup pops! I have been trying to drink water to keep myself full during the day and before a meal so I don't overeat.

Megan said...

I love your tips, thank you! I need to really work on conscious eating. Tomorrow I am starting all my weekly goals and hoping to work on cleaning out my system to feel healthier and make better choices.

Stephanie Kay said...

Melissa, I try to plan our menus for each week and shop based on the menu. I'm learning to look ahead at restaurant menus online and choose my meal before we go. Easier said than done!

Kameron, substitutions are great! I use ground turkey for everything except hamburgers. I can't taste the difference in chili or other seasoned entrees. It's better for you and at Price Rite it's cheaper than ground beef!

Megan, you can do it!! One day at a time.

Sarah @ Semi-Sweet said...

Great tips! I think my number 1 is planning - I plan menus for the week and shop accordingly. I also plan my food for the day and that helps me say no to temptations not on the plan. I think that not bringing temptations into the house is a HUGE way to avoid making poor choices, although since many of us live w/others, sometimes that's hard. If you're logging food like I do right now, it helps to plan a treat in there so that I'm not dipping into the cookies at odd times during the day . . . hope these help!

Stephanie Kay said...

Sarah, those are great tips! I plan a weekly menu and shop according to that. My kids mostly eat fruit for snacks to that helps keep the sweets/junk food to a minimum in our house. I decided years ago not to buy gold fish and similar snacks for them. A slice of American cheese, grapes, or baby carrots make for better snacks for kids AND adults. :)

Liz {Learning To Juggle} said...

I LOVE these tips - for me deciding what I want before I get out for dinner is key. The other big thing for my family is making sure we don't keep any of the tempting junk food in the house!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...