Posts Tagged ‘nutritious foods’

Friday, January 15th, 2010

To lose weight by changing our eating habits we need to be aware of what we are eating and eat better foods.

  1. You like to eat:                                         You eat instead:
  2. Ice Cream                                                   Frozen Yogurt
  3. Processed Cakes & Pies                             Fruit
  4. Chips                                                          Pretzels
  5. Fried Chicken                                             Baked Chicken
  6. French Fries                                                Baked Fries
  7. Syrup                                                           Honey
  8. Processed Foods                                          Home Cooked
  9. Hamburger                                                   Turkey Burger
  10. Canned Beans                                          Fresh Beans (you cook)
  11. White Bread                                                Wheat Bread
  12. Potato Chips                                                 Nuts or Seeds
  13. Fruit Cocktail in the can                               Fresh Fruits
  14. Microwave Diet Meals                                Home Cookin
  15. Soda                                                             Unsweetened Drink
  16. Diet Soda                                                      Unsweetened Drink
  17. Doughnuts                                                     Fruit
  18. Canned Soup                                                 Home made Soup
  19. Canned Broth                                                Home made Broth
  20. White Rice                                                     Brown Rice
  21. Canned  Goods                                              Fresh Foods
  22. Boxed Goods                                                 Fresh Foods
  23. Ramon Noodles                                             Home made Soup

So you say how do you do it.  How do you pick the foods that are good for you instead of the ones that are bad?  well, processed foods are full of fillers, chemicals, additives, sodium, fats and some has msg (monosodium glutamate).  MSG is a flavor enhancer, it stimulates the taste buds and makes you think the food you are eating is way better than it really is.  Some people have side effects to MSG.  Any way, when you eat processed foods that has a lot of additives you think the food is better than it really is/ mentally and nutritionally.  Ever heard the phrase “junk food junkie”?  When you eat a lot of “junk food” your body kinda forgets that “real food” is wwwaaaayyyy better and your body craves the junk food because of the additives.  If you eat a lot of junk food then quit eating it and eat some home cooking.

Home cooked food is fresh and depending on how you cook it, can be very nutritious.  Your body will benefit from home cooked food by the nutritional value it has.  If you feed your body with nutritious foods it will be happier and then be satisfied.  If you feed your body with processed foods it will not be as happy or satisfied.   Try it, when you get hungry- instead of reaching for a processed snack or meal- eat one that was home cooked.  Do it for about 2-3 weeks and you will notice a difference.  So you don’t have time?  Well, prepare some things ahead of time.  After you eat supper at night prep for tomorrows meal.  Use a crock pot to cook just about anything.  Beans come out great in a crock pot.  Experiment and have fun you deserve it.

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Posted in Changing Eating Habits | 2 Comments »

A list of groceries to help lose weight

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Trying to lose weight is hard and making your grocery list could be easy.  If you are like most people your grocery list consist of mostly processed foods.  Things like pop tarts, quick grits, sweet cereal, pies, frozen pizza, hot pockets, can goods and frozen pancakes are on your grocery list.  The average person has 90% processed foods on their grocery list.  When your walking around the grocery store look at peoples carts, there is a lot of processed foods (food in the can, box or package prepackaged) in their carts.

How do you make a grocery list to lose weight?  Well first off if you’re serious about losing weight you’re gonna have to get serious about cooking and eating good foods so your body can get nutritious foods and you can feel satisfied and this will lead to weight loss.  The way to cooking good food, that is good for you is creating a grocery list.  Staples on your grocery list (things to all ways have on hand at home)  should be -

1. lettuce (salad is good for you, it also helps fill you)

2. vegetables, such as broccoli, cucumber, carrots, onions, bell peppers…

3. fruits, such as apples, kiwi, lemons, bananas, blueberries…

4. whole wheat bread

5. chicken, breast or what you like.

6. extra virgin olive oil

7. meats, but go lean

8. nuts and seeds

This is not the only food to pick but this is a guide.  But when writing your grocery list go as fresh as you can.  Fresh frozen fruit and vegetables are okay.  But if at all possible boxed, canned or packaged, stay away from these.  Even stay away from crackers, chips, you know the processed stuff.

Say you want to fix a chicken breast sandwich for supper.  Well, you’ll need bread, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, low fat cheese if want, extra virgin olive oil to cook the chicken in… Should you put mayo and mustard, that’s up to you but regular mayo has a lot of calories so very little.  Mustard is not so bad with calories so you decide.

So when you decide what you want for breakfast, lunch or supper.  Decide what you have at home and what you don’t and what you don’t have put on your grocery list.  Always try to put fresh vegetables and fruits on your grocery list these foods are highly nutritious and satisfying when trying to lose weight.  The more satisfied you feel and the more filling you feel on nutritious foods the greater your chance of sticking with the new way of eating and actually losing weight.  Remember  your cooking your own food and you’re plating your own food, serve smart.

I hope this helps you to plan a grocery list with nutritious foods that you will enjoy.

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Posted in Grocery List | 3 Comments »