“When you start eating food without labels, you no longer need to count calories,”
– Amanda Kraft
The food we eat has become excessively complicated over the years. If you are confused about what to eat to live a healthy life, you are not alone! Many clients who have come to us have become utterly confused, anxious, and unsure about what “eating healthy” is anymore.
This uncertainty leads to drastic measured such as severely cutting back on calories, attempting unrealistic and unsustainable crazy diets, and breaking the bank purchasing premade food and supplements that falsely promise quick weight loss in days.
All this confusion to achieve weight loss yet obesity rates continue to rise in America despite our best efforts.
According to the CDC, “Obesity affects almost 1 in 5 children and 1 in 3 adults, putting people at risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. Obesity also costs the US health care system $147 billion a year, and nearly 1 in 4 young adults is too heavy to join the military.”
As scary as this sounds, you do not have to be part of these statistics if you don’t want to be. You have the personal power to prevent the health risks associated with Obesity through a bit of knowledge and a few slight lifestyle alterations.
Start with a simple foundation for optimal health - Embrace the practice of choosing “real” food over “fake” food.
We all know we must eat our fruits and vegetable to be healthy and manage a healthy weight, but what else should be on the healthy foods list?
Here are a few quick healthy nutrition basics
Macronutrients in a nutshell - We need to consume enough macronutrients to support the health of our body and its energy needs every day. There are three macronutrients: Protein, healthy carbs, and healthy fats.
A few good sources of proteins are wild-caught salmon, Free-range chicken, eggs, and tofu.
A few good sources of healthy carbohydrates are Fruits, grains, beans, and oats.
A few good sources of healthy fats are avocados, extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed, and nuts.
Aside from macronutrients, our bodies need a minimal amount of various vitamins and minerals every day to maintain overall health and reduce our risk of chronic disease. Most of these health-promoting vitamins and minerals are in the fruits and vegetables we know we need for better health.
We also need to hydrate our bodies with liquids - Pure and simple, water is the best beverage choice for optimal health, and we should drink water periodically throughout the day.
What not to eat
Now that we know what to eat and drink for optimal health and wellness, awareness about what to avoid or reduce when you want to lose weight, reduce the risk of chronic disease, and feel better is valuable knowledge?
Here is a quick and simple list of foods and beverages to purposefully reduce and eventually eliminate from your daily diet:
High sugar drinks like fancy coffee drinks, sodas, and alcohol.
High glycemic (sugary) foods include baked goods, desserts, and candy.
Fried foods and other trans fats (chemically manufactured fake fat) damage the brain and increase the waistline.
Highly processed packaged foods are factory manufactured, full of chemical additives, artificial food coloring, and preservatives that extend shelf life but not lifespan.
To keep things super simple.
1. If you see these words – fast, cheap, creamy, crunchy, and crispy - take the time to investigate further because these are “red flag” words if your mission is to promote health, reduce disease, and manage a healthy weight.
2. Further, if it comes in a box or package, read the nutrition label to see the ingredients before putting it in your body.
Here are simple basics about the practice of label reading
Good food labels –
1. Have less than ten ingredients
2. The list of ingredients is familiar with real food names.
Bad food labels –
1. Are very long (ten or more ingredients)
2. The list of ingredients is unfamiliar, or you cannot pronounce them, let alone know what it is!
Here is a simple label reading rule of thumb - if you can’t pronounce it, don’t put it in your body!
A simple action to take after reading a “bad” food label is to put that item back and look for another “real food” option that is in alignment with your optimal health goal.
To further your knowledge about label reading for improved health and weight loss, sign up for a FREE consultation and let us know how to help.
I get it. Nutrition can seem very complicated, but it isn’t once you get the basics down. If your goal is to “clean up your diet” and make healthier food choices, the simple tips above will help you set a solid foundation under your feet and arm you with the basics to get started on the right foot.
Want to take these essential skills to the next level?
Sign up for the Pantry makeover or Meal Planning 101 mini-course.
The key message in this month’s series of blog posts is to keep things simple by focusing on the essential few most essential skills, practices, and daily actions that will promote health, reduce disease, and contribute to a happier, healthier, and more purposeful life.
Need a review of the keep it simple back to basics tips?
How anchor habits can help accomplish goals! Provides simple tips on how to attach new desired behaviors to well-established patterns.
No time to Exercise? Provides tips to include more movement throughout your day will less stress.
Essential Foundations of a Healthy Attitude about Change. Provides valuable shifts in thinking about how the change process works so you can experience more success and fewer setbacks.
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