20 Ways to Eat Healthier

This made me laugh... smart kitty!

In reading through some old magazines last night - or well... old mixed with new... trying to get rid of some extra clutter. I found a great article in Self about some simple strategies for ways to eat healthier... and I need all the help I can get! (glad you didn't just see the cookie that someone gave me to eat!)

I hope you enjoy my commentary - but the rules are real and serious - this is more of a do what they say and not what I do type of message.

1. Eat like a tourist in Greece: meaning grilled fish, fresh vegetables. Mediterranean food can help lower your risk for heart disease and keep you slim. Hmmmm.... does a mound of feta cheese negate the healthier effects?
2. If you can't grow it - don't eat it. If your best guess of where the food item comes from is an aisle in the supermarket - don't eat it. But what if I can tell you where most of the ingredients came from? Justification is just a bad thing to get into... someone slap me now!
3. Read the back of the box first. The higher number there is on the ingredients list - the more likely it came through a processing plant and had something extra added in.
4. The crunchier - the better. Unfortunately - the one thing I think of isn't on the list... chips... but apples, celery, carrots, snap peas and nuts are on the list. The idea here is that the longer it takes you to chew - the more time you have to feel full.
5. You can always have more...tomorrow. Bummer - this one is the hardest for me. If it tastes good - I'm in it until I'm sick.
6. A frozen berry beats a fresh doughnut. Yeah, tell that to Paula Deen!
7. You can't replace real ice cream. Wait, what? You now have my attention... interesting - they say that no fat free substitute will satisfy your craving here... so have ONE scoop of the real thing and savor it. Of course, my problem is that with the philosophy on number 5... what if the world ends tonight - I REALLY need to eat all that ice cream. (I know... I've got an illness)
8. There's no fruit in "fruit flavor." Seeing the word "flavor" is a big red flashing sign to tell you that something has been done to the product that is un-natural. When it's a "natural" flavoring - it only means that is is derived from a plant in some form - BUT not entirely. EWWWW... it says that scientists cane use bacteria to create a flavoring and call it natural... then it asks if you'd eat Bacteri-Os... don't tell me things like that!! Now I'm curling up in a ball under my desk to get rid of the willies... before I go eat something else with "natural flavoring."
9. If it's not around, you can't eat it. Oh yes, this is about the ONLY way to get it around me. A lot of the time you can also trick me if it's not an open package... I can convince myself not to open the box or bag of Oreos - but once the item is opened by someone else... all bets are off.
10. Table your meals. Sit at a table to enjoy your meals... does the coffee table count? HA! It says that people eating "On the Go" consume more fat than those that are eating in a more focused environment.
11. Judge food by it's cover. Simple packaging is better - when you have to hack through all sorts of packaging - the likelihood is that it's hiding the unhealthiness of the product. OMG - it also says that the perflurochemicals in food containers can cause infertility - I KNEW IT! It's the food industry's fault! (Good news - the PFC's are being phased out by 2015... great!! Glad we're being quick about it!)
12. Cake's just not that into you. HAHAHAHAHA... it says that sugary carbs are the bad boyfriends of the food world. Too funny! "They woo us with sweet nothings and leave us unsatisfied, guilt-ridden, and 10 pounds heavier." Choose snacks such as fruit, lowfat yogurt, and honey instead.
13. Don't drink dessert. Ouch. It says that if it's not skim milk, plain water, regular coffee, or tea... it's a treat. Bummer. I guess I'll be on my 12 step program for Starbucks again soon... I'm thinking next week we'll go from Grande to Tall... then should I go to a Short - or just go cold turkey?
14. Make sure you can ID the animal. It says that you don't need to hunt and skin the animal yourself (thank God!) but if it has been molded into... say a nugget... it's probably not as good for you as it would be in other preparations. I'm glad this turned out better than I expected, because my "happy place" is that meat grows on trees and is plucked off and sent to my grocery store in the packaging... I know that it doesn't REALLY happen that way - my husband has a degree in chicken processing... but I just flat DO NOT want to think about it.
15. Fuel up in the morning, not at night. It says that a car needs gas when it is going for a drive... not when it is pulling in the garage for the night. Translation? Eat your biggest meal in the morning - then lighten up as the day goes on... this is hard for me... in theory I get it, but in practice - timing, life, and a general distaste for breakfast foods makes it really hard. You are more likely to burn off the calories eaten if you eat them earlier in the day - instead of saving them for the evening hours.
16. Don't buy food where you buy tires. My instinct here says, DUH! I wonder if Wal-Mart counts, because it says that you shouldn't buy things in convenience settings because they'll charge more... but Wal-Mart is a discount store... although - you can get distracted and buy things you don't need. I also find that my local HEB has some choices that are much healthier than most of the Wal-Mart fare. It does tend to be a little bit pricier - but I can't get things like broccolinni at Wal-Mart.
17. Work for your dinner. Ok, what? Oh... it's talking about cooking it. Basically, stating that picking up a bucket of chicken isn't as good for you as making your own meal. The idea is that you have control over what ingredients make it into your meal this way, and that's much healthier than just taking the Colonel's word for it.
18. Your hips are not a fridge. Ouch... this one hits below the belt a tad. The premise here is that anything you eat after you are full is just being stored as fat. If there is enough to save for your lunch tomorrow - pack it away - otherwise throw it away before you mindlessly finish it. This is the one area that weight loss surgery has benefited me the most - because I pretty much package everything up in meal size portions from the beginning and I only take one portion with me to the table. The rest goes in the freezer. Restaurants are a harder bet... but I try my best to not just sit there and eat without being cognizant of what I'm doing.
19. Watching Top Chef isn't cooking. NOOOOOOOOW you tell me. Be active in your food preparation and the consuming of the meal... don't eat mindlessly while watching television. Whatever... I've got a lot of shows to keep up with and very little time... I'll eat my WLS portion on the couch if I wanna!
20. Cut yourself a break. Yes... this one I like. It says that following the rules the majority of the time affords you the occasional slip up... and you know that is just what makes life fun. Of course, I don't advise starting a new diet plan a week before one of John's family parties... I'm not kidding you when I tell you back in March - I did GREAT for a week on a diet (maybe 2 weeks... I can't remember) but I got to the party and there were literally 7 birthday cakes... and I fell off the wagon then... and still haven't fully gotten myself back on.