Monday, April 11, 2005

Healthy Eating

This is from one of my absolute favorite reads, Rachael, over at Fresh Approach Cooking. She's absolutely delightful and her cooking is mouth-watering. I have only tried a few of her recipes and each one has been unique, different, and stunningly good. I am now going through her archives to present a delicious menu other than the normal fare (but surprisingly easy to shop for) to my family and came upon this gem of a post. I have always had strong feelings about healthy eating as well, but never put it into words quite so well. The rules here encompass so many things and so many foods on the market, you'll be surprised at all that shouldn't be eaten, but seriously, the alternative is really so much more tastier. And fresher. Please take a moment to go say hi to Rachael and peruse her site, you might find a new recipe for dinner tonight! And Rachael, I hope you don't mind that I've posted the text here as well as sending readers over there, this is so good I wanted to have it in my files to look back at or refer to if need be.

"I have pretty strong thoughts on weight loss and why it is Americans struggle to lose weight. As someone who is constantly around food, I understand how much of a struggle it can be to maintain your ideal weight, so I thought I would share my thoughts on the subject.

1. Eat real food. Stop eating strange, processed, diet,low-cal,low-carb,low-fat foods. Your body needs real food, not substitutes. Buy fruit, vegetables, meats and legumes and grains. Like your friends (ha ha) at Breyers say, if you can't pronounce the ingredients on the label, you shouldn't be eating it. Nothing in your cupboard should have a shelf life longer than your life expectancy.

2. No more soda -- drink water. Even diet soda is bad. Cut it out of your life. Try green tea.

3. Stop eating junk. Just stop. Don't buy it, don't have it in the house, avoid it at the office. There is no middle ground. Do not buy junk substitutes, just don't eat junk. Period.

4. Stop and eat. When you are eating, just do that. Sit down, at a table, and eat, slowly. It takes your brain up to 30 minutes to realize your stomach is full, so you could eat almost 4 times what you really need in the time it takes your stomach to feel full. So slow down. Chew. Savor. Enjoy.

5. When you buy groceries, take the extra ten minutes to chop everything up. Mince those onions, put them in a baggie and have them on hand. Peel some carrots and store them for snacks. It makes cooking easier and snacking healthier.

6. Taking carbs completely out of your diet is not a healthy way to lose weight. Sure, cutting back on them makes a difference, but cutting back and cutting out are two different things. Try portion control and go from there. Bread is good, a lot of bread isn't. Also, there is a risk with low-carb eating -- you don't get fiber. Fiber is important to your health.

7. Eat seasonally. Vegetables have seasons. Find out what they are, and eat accordingly. You know peaches won't be any good in the middle of winter, but potatoes will...so choose accordingly.

8. Exercise. Walk, run, hop, skip, lunge, leap...whatever it takes.

I don't know if that sounds easy or hard to you, but if you change the way you deal with food, you can change the way food affects your life. We have such abundance, it can be overwhelming, but it shouldn't be. You are in charge of your weight. "

11 Comments:

beth said...

well, don't I feel foolish now, sitting here reading this drinking a diet Coke and eating Dorrittos!!

pinksundrops said...

Uh-oh :) . LOL. Not that I don't sneak the occasional - or a lot, depending on the time of the month - chocolate or other such yummies in there somewhere. It's when we do this to our bodies on a daily basis - and I've done that, I can feel it when I do though. And that last one? Totally escapes me. Being a Mom counts right? I'm running ALL day long :D .

Hannah said...

I will certainly check out her site. Those are great tips! I have avoided the low-carb thing. I eat pretty naturally too! :-)

cori said...

I will go over and check her out.Sounds so simple.I know that is what I am suposed to do.What is one of your favorite recipes that you have liked?

Rachael said...

**BLUSH**
You are such a peach! Thank you so much for your kind words and enthusiasm. I don't recall what my mood was when I wrote that but I seem so strict, I hope you saw my later post that includes a study that dark chocolate can be good for you! --Rachael

pinksundrops said...

Cori, I've only tried a few and am making more this week, I'll keep you updated. I want to make some sort of weekly post about the recipes I try, the good and the bad, but have yet to sit down and figure it out. Any way Rachael's have all been delicious that I have tried, my two favorites being the Broccoli , Tomatoes and Feta side dish and the Yogurt and Chile Broiled Chicken - both super yummy and super easy.

Rachael, LOL, I didn't think of it as strict, just common sense well written. But, yes, I DO know the other side of you :) - chocolate and your *ahem* breakfast :) . Why do you think I enjoy reading you so much my dear?

Stacey said...

I think I would literally DIE without my Diet Coke.
Other than that, the rest actually sounds doable!

Pixy said...

Great post I will check out her site. I can not function however without my first-thing-in-the-morning espresso!! It is the only time in the day that I drink coffee, the rest of the time I drink herbal tea.

Robin said...

Thanks for link to her site. Very interesting. Love new recipes. Will be going back.

Harrods Girl said...

I completely agree. I constantly compaign around my friends for them to eat a balanced diet, but not everyone actually listens. I'm obviously no angel myself, but I try.

Allison said...

I think everything in moderation. Too much of anything is bad. Even too much water is bad for you! I will never give up junk and fast food, but i don't eat it that often so it isnt a problem for me. My favorite foods are fresh foods, vegetables, fruits, etc. I have never been a soda person (can't burp so it hurts my stomach) so I have always drank lots of orange juice. I think all of those listed are awesome, but #4 is my fav! I 100% agree with that! I think that is a problem with school kids. They have about 20-30 mins to scarf down their food and they are growing and active and hungry, so they end up over-eating, and probably mostly junk at that!

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