Contributed by Marnely Rodriguez, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru
If you are going to be what you eat, make it delicious, local, organic and homemade.
Bake from scratch and indulge in the finer ingredients in life. Cook with passion and abandon and you will please even the pickiest palates.
10. Be conscious of your alcohol consumption
Consuming large quantities of alcohol is not only bad for your vital organs, specially your liver, but the empty calories in them will make you weigh unwanted weight. When drinking alcohol, try to stick to wine and not more than a glass a day. Cocktail drinks normally are composed of sugar syrups, processed juices and alcohol that will shoot your sugar levels into outer space!
9. Cut down on sugars
And on the subject of sugars, if you are going to consume any kind of sugars, make sure they are not processed. Sweeten your coffee with raw brown sugars instead of white, refined sugar. Cutting down on sugar also means sugary products such as baked goods, sodas and candy.
8. Buy local produce
Whenever possibly, visit the local farmer’s markets and shop for produce there. You’ll be contributing to your community and are assured of the quality of the products. You are what you eat, so why not make sure you are fresh, local and organic?
7. Reduce your fat intake
When cooking, use healthy fats to add to your foods and avoid over-processed oils. Choose to bake items instead of deep frying them.
6. Include more fiber in your diet
By adding more fiber — whole grains — into your diet, you’re helping you colon and intestines digest you food easier, which also helps increase the good bacteria in your colon and aids in calcium absorption.
5. Drink water
Replacing high calorie drinks such as soda with cool water aids in weight loss and replenishes your body of lost hydration. Also, if you suffer from constant headaches it might be you are dehydrated. Drink water! Instead of buying bottled water, invest in a home water filtration system as an earth-friendly solution to plastic bottles. Carry a reusable water bottle and drink from it all day.
4. Stop eating processed foods
Just don’t do it! If your snack product has more than 5 ingredients, eat an apple. If you can’t pronounce an ingredient, eat a pear. If your chips are a color not found in nature, grab an orange! If you are what you eat, do you really want to be bright orange and crispy?
3. Eat breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You know this, so start eating it! It fuels your day and you won’t be starving by 10am. Have a complete low calorie breakfast including fresh fruit!
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables
Why? Why not?! Eating them will keep you healthy by providing your body of much needed nutrients that chips and salsa don’t have.
1. Cook more at home
Cooking at home not only assures you of the quality of your ingredients but also brings your family closer. Subscribe to a recipe newsletter or research new recipes with ingredients your family enjoys to make your meals interesting. Make it a habit of cooking as much as you can a week with your kids, it will teach them the value of nutritional eating as well as survival cooking skills for when they are out on their own.
Make sure to use reusable bags at the markets and try new ingredients in your cooking!