Everything Works. Change works. The novelty of change works. The key, though, is to change your habits so you’re not jumping from diet to diet trying to find the next, best and greatest ‘thing.’ You shouldn’t have to “change” when you follow simple, sound principles and practice good habits. A friend told me this morning about a diet that promises a 10 lb weight loss in 10 days. She said the first meal is 1/4 cup of oatmeal and ONE (1) walnut. Yes, everything works for a short time.
Eat Beans. Beans are a great source of carbohydrate (see #8), super high in fiber, a decent source of protein and help fill you. They’re also packed with various vitamins and minerals. Aim for 1-2 servings daily.Plan Ahead. While not about a specific food, per se, it does change your food choices. Fail to plan and plan to fail. We make our menu on a weekend and grocery list from that menu. We pack Ella’s lunch the night before she goes to her school. When we forget either of those, our days and week are completely different and we are flying by the seat of our pants, rushing to get things done and making poor choices. This is maybe the most important rule out of any of them … I promise you, planning ahead will completely transform you mentally and physically.
Eat Frequently. It surely doesn’t have to be 6 times per day or even 5 times per day. Do what works for you, within your schedule. What we do know is eating consistently is important so you aren’t left without a plan and when very hungry, quickly turn to fast food or another “quick fix.” The key is planning ahead (see #13).
Make Veggies/Fruit the Base of Your Meal. This goes with #2. When you do this, you’ll eat more of them. Here’s an example. Want some oatmeal with blueberries? Great — fill the bowl with blueberries, first, then top with oats. Making chicken stir fry? Have veggies as the base (vs. rice or noodles), then add the chicken on top. This is a simple way to bump up that produce intake and decrease your less healthy carb intake.
Have Most of Your Carbs Come from Veggies/Fruit. Have we hammered this one home enough, yet? These both provide carbs (along with a ton of other nutrients). They’re where most of your carbs should come from. Make the switch and notice the difference.
Dessert is a Sometimes Thing. We’re all about dessert. Sometimes. We tell Ella dessert is a “sometimes thing.” You don’t need a sweet every night after dinner. Make it special by having it occasionally and enjoying a quality dessert. Eat real ice cream, no sugar free, fat free, flavor free chemicals. Occasionally. Same thing goes for any other dessert. Eat small portions of the real thing once in awhile.
Don’t Use Added Sugar. Funny to list this after talking about eating dessert, but again, that is only occasionally. Overall we add way too much sugar to our foods, over double what’s recommended. If you think a food is bland, find an alternative to boost flavor or find a more flavorful food. Sugar shouldn’t be that alternative.
Supplements are Compliments. Don’t ask us what supplements you should take if you didn’t eat breakfast and are going to grab fast food for lunch, then meet friends out for drinks later. I gave a talk once to a local high school football team — this high school is consistently ranked top (or close to the top) in the country. My first question — “how many of you ate breakfast this morning?” 3 people raised their hand out of about 80 or so. THREE. Yet I was asked to talk about supplements. Supplements compliment a quality diet. They don’t replace or make up for a poor diet. Taking fish oil (#10) — omega 3s — are a basic ingredient we should eat daily so think of it like that when we suggested taking them daily.
Eat Together. Without TV. If you have a family, eat with them. As much as possible. And talk vs. being distracted by TV. One study showed just 25% of 17 year olds at dinner with their family regularly (sad, but true). Unfortunately, the statistics are clear that kids who eat with their family are healthier, happier and better students.
Eat Less. Over the last 40 years, our calorie intake has increased by around 800 calories per day. EIGHT HUNDRED. So even outside of what we eat, just simply eating less is a good idea. Eat until your satisfied, not stuffed.
Don’t Eat Cookies in the Day time. Yes, yes — we said 21. This one doesn’t really “count.” But we thought it was funny — Kara packed Ella a special homemade cookie that she and Ella made the other day. When I picked her up from school she said “WHY did mommy put a cookie in my lunch? We don’t eat cookies in the day time?” So that now became rule #22. No cookies in the day time.
