The best way to get off on the right foot when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle is to ensure your kitchen is stocked with healthy meals and snacks. This will keep you on track, even when late-night cravings strike. On the other hand, a kitchen filled with unhealthy snacks will derail your weight loss/management efforts.
So if you are truly committed to yourself and your healthy weight efforts, grab a garbage bag and dump the no no’s out!
Let’s first take a look in your fridge. If you have any of these items in it, go ahead and throw them out!:
Drinks with high fructose corn syrup or sugar. Drinking calories is one of the quickest ways to gain weight. Replace these with properly filtered water. This is the best drink to keep you hydrated and to keep you from gaining unnecessary weight!
Dairy products like high-fat cheese, milk and yogurt from your kitchen. Replace with almond milk and fresh veggies. For example, avocados are a great replacement for yogurt or sour cream. Veggies are crucial to a healthy lifestyle with all the fiber, vitamins and minerals they contain, there should be more veggies than anything else in the fridge!
Fatty meats. If you choose to eat meat, be very selective about it. Although chicken is a great source of protein but that does not mean fried chicken is okay. If you eat fried chicken the benefit of the protein will be lost in all the extra fat calories. Baked grain feed chicken or turkey on the other hand is a good source of protein. Legumes and other vegetarian forms of protein are also a great source.
Now, how about the freezer? What do you have in there? Let’s do the same and throw out the less favourable freezer items and replace them:
Ice cream. Get rid of your pint of ice cream and replace it with frozen fruit. Whether you pick them at the farm yourself and freeze them or just put a portion of your fruit in the freezer every week, freeze your favourites. Then when you are craving something cold and sweet, toss it into the blender and voila, you have yourself a smoothie!
Frozen Pizza. I know it’s easy to grab one out of the freezer and heat it up when your in a pinch for time but why not put tomato paste, low fat cheese and some veggies on a whole grain pita and heat it up for a home made version? It’s just as quick and easy to make, without the excess calories.
I’d also like to tackle the pantry with the garbage bag in hand. This is probably going to be the hardest one to do.
Cereal. If sugar or high fructose corn syrup are listed as ingredients on your cereal box, it's got to go. Unfortunately, some so called healthier cereals are just as bad so read the labels carefully. Whole grain rolled Oats are a good replacement but be sure to get the regular not quick cook version. The preservatives in the quick cook makes it a questionable option.
White Breads, Rice and Pastas. These highly processed products promote weight gain among other issues. Replace these with kamut, millet or spelt and wild or brown rice.
Crackers. Just like chips, crackers are not a good snack if you are health conscious. Replace this with almonds or seeds but never eat more than a palmful of nuts.
Cookies. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you these aren’t good for you unless of course it is home-made with oats, seeds and perhaps coconuts. If you really need something sweet, reach for fruit or make a fruit smoothie!
So I know this has been a difficult cleansing process but if you were there with me and you make the changes necessary, you can enjoy your food and not feel guilty about adding the inches and pounds on! And if you should fall off the wagon, do this exercise again to get yourself back on track. A tip for when you go grocery shopping, don’t go on an empty stomach. You’ll end up buying junk!
Of course, support is always important so enlist your family to participate in the same changes. DO NOT buy ice cream “for the kids” for example. Because if you are honest with yourself, you will likely end up indulging.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking you to stop eating all the foods you enjoy. I’m only suggesting that it should be removed from your home. You can always go out for an ice cream once in awhile but if it is stocked at home, chances are you will enjoy it more often.
Weight loss and healthy weight management comes from healthy eating habits and consistent exercise. If you need some help getting yourself on track, call or email us today.
To your health,
Nadia
Your weight loss partner
1-877-405-4471
healthyweightdancingfeet@gmail.com
http://healthyweightdancingfeet.com
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