It's no secret. An alarming number of North Americans are overweight or obese. Not only is it unhealthy from a personal standpoint, it costs our health systems billions of dollars every year to treat illnesses that are a direct or indirect result of not maintaining a natural, healthy diet.
Quite a number of health problems including heart attack, stroke and various cancers can all be traced back to a poor diet.
So how did we get this way? Generally, it's the fast-paced lifestyle and processed/packaged foods and fast food restaurants being conveniently available everywhere you go. Many people don't have, or think they don't have the time to make their own healthy meals from natural ingredients any more.
On top of that, the little soundbites you hear about nutrition on the news are confusing and nearly useless. How can it be..that something that was bad for you last year is now ok? Or vice-versa. Believe me, it's just info-tainment for the masses. Nutrition is too complex a subject to cover adequately, and in context, in under 2 minutes. But it's not rocket science either.
I'm not going to berate you for doing the wrong thing, after all we're creatures of habit. It's way too easy to get into a bad habit. But it's far from impossible to get out of it either.
You just need to motivate yourself. Think of how you feel now, and tell yourself..'I can do way better than this..I really want to feel better'. Go ahead..you can do it.
The worst thing you can do is tell yourself..you can't. It's self-defeating, and a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Well, let's start with breakfast.I hope you didn't skip breakfast... you really can't make up for it by eating more for lunch.
Well...what's makes for a healthy lunch?
Soup du jour
A good, hearty soup with lots of legumes (beans) and vegetables is a very good choice.
Note: most canned soup is high in sodium (25-30% of your allowed sodium intake for the day). I suspect the main reason food companies use so much salt is to disguise the fact that some of the natural flavours and nutrients are lost in the processing, and perhaps as a preservative to extend the shelf-life, along with all those other preservatives.
If you have the time or inclination to make your own soup, go for it. It's actually fairly simple to make your own soups, and a hell of a lot cheaper. And you won't need anywhere near as much salt. Sandwiches
Whole-wheat bread, of course, or pita. Maybe with some tuna (water-packed) and some leaf lettuce or spinach. Or perhaps 1 slice of lean meat, such as black forest ham, and a slice of tomato. Go easy on the butter too.
You could try some hummus on bread, or on low-salt, whole-grain crackers. Hummus is basically chickpea paste and tahini (sesame seed paste) with some added spices. Fairly easy to make your own too.Salad
A good sized (1 cup or more) bowlful of vegetables such as:
leaf lettuce
red peppers
zucchini
carrots
cucumber
spinach
tomatoes
cooked beans
a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top
Or any other vegetables you like that are available to you.
Creamy dressings are not recommended, really. Dressings using olive oil, canola oil, or flax seed oil are healthier choices. You could mix up your own of course.
If you buy canned beans such as kidney beans, chickpeas, etc., be sure to rinse them thoroughly before cooking. These items are usually packed in salt water to help extend the shelf-life of the product. The last thing you need is more salt in your diet.
You could instead buy dried beans, which require soaking overnight before cooking. It's also a bit cheaper, and you avoid the added salt.
As I mentioned with breakfast, if you're physically active you may want up to 40% more of the healthy lunch ideas above.Drinks
Low-fat milk or water is recommended, but soft drinks and carbonated fruit drinks are not. They're typically high in sugar, caffeine and empty calories.
If you feel the urge to snack in between meals, try something like whole fruit: like apples, oranges or bananas. They fill you up without adding many calories.
Resist the urge for something sweet, it only gives you a temporary energy boost, followed by an energy crash. The fruit will sustain you much longer.
Nuts and seeds are good too. They fill you up with protein and fibre.Just don't munch constantly. You need to leave room for a scrumptious, tasty, healthy dinner.
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| Image Source : banisternutrition.ne |
So how did we get this way? Generally, it's the fast-paced lifestyle and processed/packaged foods and fast food restaurants being conveniently available everywhere you go. Many people don't have, or think they don't have the time to make their own healthy meals from natural ingredients any more.
On top of that, the little soundbites you hear about nutrition on the news are confusing and nearly useless. How can it be..that something that was bad for you last year is now ok? Or vice-versa. Believe me, it's just info-tainment for the masses. Nutrition is too complex a subject to cover adequately, and in context, in under 2 minutes. But it's not rocket science either.
I'm not going to berate you for doing the wrong thing, after all we're creatures of habit. It's way too easy to get into a bad habit. But it's far from impossible to get out of it either.
You just need to motivate yourself. Think of how you feel now, and tell yourself..'I can do way better than this..I really want to feel better'. Go ahead..you can do it.
The worst thing you can do is tell yourself..you can't. It's self-defeating, and a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Well, let's start with breakfast.I hope you didn't skip breakfast... you really can't make up for it by eating more for lunch.
Well...what's makes for a healthy lunch?
Soup du jour
A good, hearty soup with lots of legumes (beans) and vegetables is a very good choice.
Note: most canned soup is high in sodium (25-30% of your allowed sodium intake for the day). I suspect the main reason food companies use so much salt is to disguise the fact that some of the natural flavours and nutrients are lost in the processing, and perhaps as a preservative to extend the shelf-life, along with all those other preservatives.
If you have the time or inclination to make your own soup, go for it. It's actually fairly simple to make your own soups, and a hell of a lot cheaper. And you won't need anywhere near as much salt. Sandwiches
Whole-wheat bread, of course, or pita. Maybe with some tuna (water-packed) and some leaf lettuce or spinach. Or perhaps 1 slice of lean meat, such as black forest ham, and a slice of tomato. Go easy on the butter too.
You could try some hummus on bread, or on low-salt, whole-grain crackers. Hummus is basically chickpea paste and tahini (sesame seed paste) with some added spices. Fairly easy to make your own too.Salad
A good sized (1 cup or more) bowlful of vegetables such as:
leaf lettuce
red peppers
zucchini
carrots
cucumber
spinach
tomatoes
cooked beans
a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top
Or any other vegetables you like that are available to you.
Creamy dressings are not recommended, really. Dressings using olive oil, canola oil, or flax seed oil are healthier choices. You could mix up your own of course.
If you buy canned beans such as kidney beans, chickpeas, etc., be sure to rinse them thoroughly before cooking. These items are usually packed in salt water to help extend the shelf-life of the product. The last thing you need is more salt in your diet.
You could instead buy dried beans, which require soaking overnight before cooking. It's also a bit cheaper, and you avoid the added salt.
As I mentioned with breakfast, if you're physically active you may want up to 40% more of the healthy lunch ideas above.Drinks
Low-fat milk or water is recommended, but soft drinks and carbonated fruit drinks are not. They're typically high in sugar, caffeine and empty calories.
If you feel the urge to snack in between meals, try something like whole fruit: like apples, oranges or bananas. They fill you up without adding many calories.
Resist the urge for something sweet, it only gives you a temporary energy boost, followed by an energy crash. The fruit will sustain you much longer.
Nuts and seeds are good too. They fill you up with protein and fibre.Just don't munch constantly. You need to leave room for a scrumptious, tasty, healthy dinner.
A Natural, Healthy Diet for The Rest of Your Life
4/
5
Oleh
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