Whenever I hear someone say they just cant lose weight, the first question I ask is if they are eating their fruits and vegetables. Only one person has ever said yes. The rest have given me a litany of excuses about why they dont with the leading reason being, I dont like vegetables. There are a lot of reasons why you want to eat right. Youll Look Better Your skin is an outer reflection of how you treat your body. Not enough water? Not enough sleep? Not enough nutrients? It all shows on your face. Weight Loss Obviously, if you were eating right, you wouldnt be over- weight. Thats a given. But its more than that. It affects your self-esteem. Its devastating to your body. So much more is coming to light about how being overweight, and lack of nutrients over time are causing a shocking increase in debilitating illnesses. Health Are you sick often? Both of my sisters are. You guessed it they dont like vegetables. But whats more startling is the number of people who are getting the so-called lifestyle illnesses type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancers. Other aging related problems could be decreased, if not stopped all together by changing to a healthier lifestyle. Energy If you dont have the energy to do more than sit on the couch in front of the television now what do you think the quality of your life will be when youre 70? Ok, You know all the reasons why you should but you just cant seem to get yourself past the time and taste issues. Lets start off small. Here are some easy tips for getting your fruits and vegetables in everyday. * Drink one glass of fruit juice or a V8 everyday. * Eat a piece of fruit every morning with breakfast. Not for breakfast WITH breakfast. * Eat 1 cup of dark greens everyday. It could be leaf lettuce(no head-lettuce!), or spinach, or broccoli. Top your salads with carrots, tomatoes, dried cranberries,almonds, onion, broccoli, whatever. Get creative! Theres another couple servings. It could be as simple as cut up broccoli and some salad dressing to dip it in. I personally like Catalina Light for my broccoli. Try it! It worked on the kids. * If you really cant spare the 5 minutes it takes to cut up vegetables, there are tons of already cut and bagged varieties. Just rinse and eat. * When planning dinner, plan your fruits and veggies first. The good news is you can eat as much of these as you want. Try a loaded tossed salad, fresh green beans, with maybe some cantaloupe, or pineapple, or honeydew, or strawberries, or grapes, and a nice grilled chicken breast. Add one carb baked potato or sweet potato, rice, French bread, or garlic bread made with olive oil instead of butter. The whole meal takes about 20 minutes to prepare. Its a lot of food, and it tastes good. Youll find that these dinners are really a breeze to make and theyre inexpensive. Change the order of what you eat. Eat your fruits and veggies first. If you leave anything on your plate, it should be the carb. And heres a couple more tips to help you get that leaner, healthier, great looking body- Drink a full glass of water every couple of hours to keep your body hydrated and working at peak performance levels. As a rule, dont eat after 8 PM. Get up and move after dinner. Go for a walk. Walk the dog. Vacuum. Play catch with the kids. Just do something. Just these few small changes can make a big difference. Try it out for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Youll be amazed at how much better you feel. |
