One unexpected benefit to healthy eating

An unexpected benefit from eating healthy

Healthy eating doesn't have to be all about what you can't eat. In fact, focusing on what you can't eat is very unhealthy in itself and often leads to failure.

Instead of focusing on what you can't have, make a plan for everything healthy that you want to consume for the day. Focus on lean meats and veggies, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and minimal added sugar.

Here's the unexpected benefit: If you plan ahead everything healthy that you want to consume for the day, there will be little room left over for unhealthy stuff. That's something that has really surprised me over the last month or so. If I plan for and eat/drink everything healthy that I need to for the day, I really don't have any room for unhealthy choices.

Snacks can be a key element

If you're anything like me, snacks are where the biggest problems pop up to stay on track with healthy food choices. I've found that having ample variety and quality of snacks is key to being successful during the day. The snacks need to be part of the healthy choices for the day, and they also need to be something that you look forward to. Some of my go-to snack choices are...

• Fruit (pineapple, apples, tangerines, grapes are some of my favs)
• Protein bar (check the label to make sure it has quality ingredients and no added sugars or artificial sweeteners)
• Nuts
• Seeds - I'm a huge fan of Chinook sunflower seeds lately

Don't get hung up on what fruit is the best. Find a fruit choice that you look forward to eating. In my opinion, any whole food choice like fruit is way better than a processed alternative.

What about sweets?

Use the 90/10 rule here. If 90% of your food choices are healthy, then rewarding yourself with something sweet is ok if that's something that motivates you. Keep it reasonable and enjoy. If you're focusing on a variety of whole foods the rest of the day, you probably won't be hungry for many sweets.

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