Make a Resolution for Healthy Eating

In general, America has a love affair with unhealthy food. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s cheap and it tastes great! We get it at the drive through, the mini mart, the baseball game the vending machines, the grocery stores and almost anywhere else we could possibly imagine! Each year, Americans consume around 64 pounds of sugar per person! Foods that were once healthy have been altered with high fructose corn syrup and other preservatives.

America’s waist lines are responding to this excess of unhealthy food. Not only are we making unhealthy food choices, we are eating more of it than ever. One of the reasons for this trend is that eating junk food often leaves one with a craving for more junk food. If ever there was a time to resolve to eat a healthier diet, now is the time. Eating healthier foods will give you more energy and even help you lose or maintain a healthy weight.

It’s not that easy to just let go of our artificial flavors and colors or our high fructose corn syrup and trans fat. Here are some tips that will ease your transition to a healthier diet.

Clean Out the Cupboards
I know your mom told you never to waste food, but this is the exception. Go through your cupboards and refrigerator and get rid of any unhealthy foods. Think convenience and snack foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value. Get a friend if you don’t trust yourself to get rid of every thing you need to. If the temptation isn’t there, you will be more likely to stick with your healthy eating goals.

Freeze a Few Snacks
If you worry that you will deprive yourself of foods you love, take a few of your favorite snacks and freeze them. A few suggestions however: If it’s cookies you love, bake your own batch with your own ingredients. Place two or three cookies in a plastic bag, and then put all the bags of cookies in a gallon zip top bag. With the cookies frozen, you will have time to think about whether or not you really want to eat it as the snacks defrost. Knowing that the snacks are always there for you may provide comfort, yet because they’re frozen, the temptation to continually munch on them will be lower.